The amazing longevity of chess opponents.

[Wowbagger]

Almost 40 years ago I played Leonard Barden, the veteran Chess Correspondent to the Guardian. I lost.

Barden was British Champion the year I was born. I've just been reading his article http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/dec/28/gawain-jones-hastings-international in which he points out that in his first-ever game at the annual Hasting tournament, he played the octogenarian Jacques Mieses. Mieses played in the first ever Hastings tournament in 1895, which was at the time the strongest tournament ever, and still feted as one of the greatest in terms of the quality of the play.

I have always admired Barden. Quite apart from the fact that he's been an excellent player for over half a century and that he was the driving force behind bringing English chess up to a very strong level - able to challenged the Russians - as a result of his junior policy (30 years ago he was to chess what David Brailsford is for cycling) he has for many years kept a database of strong juniors and their results. Not only that, he turned down an OBE.

It seems that Barden has a Morphy Number of 3. That makes my Morphy Number 4. I hadn't heard of "Morphy Numbers" before now. I'm actually rather proud of that and I'm in some very elevated company.

[Tail End Charlie]

Reading this brought back memories of playing Brian Eley when he was British Chess champion in 1972 (I lost aswell). In turn I googled him and found he has been on the run from the police since 1991 - hence the quote about him being the only Chess champion to appear on Crimewatch !
You are in illustrious company with a Morphy number of 4. Fischer and Kasparov jump out, but for longevity Korchnoi takes some beating.

[Wowbagger]

Sadly, the great Korchnoi has recently suffered a stroke. New thread time.

[Wowbagger]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/jun/28/4

Here's a piece by Leonard Barden about his link to Paul Morphy. As he says, he's probably the only active chess player left with a Morphy Number of 3.

[CrazyEnglishTriathlete]

I played Brian Eley in a simultaneous display (at our school) in (I think) early 1981.  His attention was mostly on our top board, James Howell.  Having arrived quite late I was amongst those who just about knew which piece was which, and so was able to build up a strong enough position before he realised I had a modicum of talent to sustain a surprise (and only victory).  Am not sure this counts as a contributing event for a Morphy Number.

However, like Mr Howell, I am also an inactive chess player, as I find cycling far more relaxing these days.   

[Wowbagger]

I've been looking at a chess forum and there was one topic about Giving Up Chess. James Howell was discussed at some length: it seems that once he got his GM title he stopped playing all together.

OK, his psychological state hasn't been examined as microscopically as Fischer's, but there seems to be a parallel. Once Fischer won the World Title he stopped playing, but the monumental effort of defeating the entire soviet chess machine single-handed must have taken a massive toll on him. I'm not really surprised he didn't have the stomach for the fight against a new generation, all of whom had "Get Fischer!" as their number one priority.