Year Book 2019-20 Contents |
Thing of the Day |
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How to Beat Capablanca
The main thing was to ensure he is playing 39 or more other games at the same time, otherwise it could be difficult. In 1919, the Cuban chess player José Raúl Capablanca y Graupera, aka “Capa”, was touring England giving simultaneous displays. On 07/10/1919 he was in Bradford, and took on 40 players from Bradford and district. Capablanca won 35 games and drew 2. In so doing he allowed 3 of his opponents to win. The three winners were William Clough, Edward Albert Lassen and Lovell Edward Williams.
William Clough (born 13/05/1862, Steeton; died 11/05/1937, Keighley reg. district) had been MP for Skipton from 1906 to 1918, but had then stepped down and not sought re-election in the 1918 election. Edward Albert Lassen (born 12/08/1876, Bradford; died 14/08/1938, Bradford) was a yarn merchant, and at other times a stuff merchant, who was probably even better-known as a golfer than a chess-player. Lovell Edward Williams (born 1873, Eccleshill, Bradford; died 1942/43, Bradford) was a furniture designer.
Their wins, of course, stemmed from relatively simple oversights on the part of Capablanca, as he walked from board to board, but the games are fun to play through. Click here to play through J. R. Capablanca v William Clough. Click here to play through J. R. Capablanca v Edward Albert Lassen. Click here to play through J. R. Capablanca v Lovell Edward Williams.
The very next day, Capablanca was in Sheffield, where again he took on 40 opponents. This time he conceded only one loss and one draw. The player who won was visitor J. E. Parker of Grimsby (details not to hand). The draw was achieved by Hildreth Dudley Rockett, who had been Sheffield Champion on three past occasion, and went on to win it a further three times. His drawing strategy was to transpose into the Slav exchange variation, when the simultaneous player needs more time to conjure up winning chances. Click here to play through the game J. R. Capablanca v Hildreth Dudley Rockett.
Click here for biographical data on Edward Albert Lasson. Click here for biographical data on Lovell Edward Williams. Click here for biographical data on Hildreth Dudley Rockett. |