Another Dip Into The Lucky Bag.

Good afternoon everyone.

From the title my regular readers will know what's going on, and if you are new to my blogs, welcome along, and hopefully you will enjoy some wonderful chess history.

The latest volume of QCH dropped through my letter box this week.

Again, an utter delight. Before I go on, the editor seems to be struggling to keep this amazing work afloat, as he says in the introduction.

If you enjoy my blogs, you will love Fiala's work. Please consider going to his site  and buying a copy or two - the back numbers can be found there. You will be supporting a unique and wonderful project. Thank you!

As said, Fiala has updated the printing. One benefit is that he can now include quality pictures - lots of them, and a large number are extremely rare and unique.

So, what goodies have I pulled out of the bag to share this time?

Firstly a quick mention to my friend Terje Kristiansen, who contributed an article on Alekhine's book ''Das Schachleben in Sowjet-Russland''. Great work mate!

I will give something on three of the other articles, as they appear in the book.

Firstly ''A Biography of Albert W. Fox'', by the wonderful John Hilbert. ( A wonderful historian and writer - I have been reading his stuff for countless years! - and also, in my experience, a lovely man.)

Albert Whiting Fox. Not a familiar name, but some of you might recognise it. A fine player in his own right, he took part in the famous Cambridge Springs 1904 tournament.

Poster of the participants of the 1904 Cambridge Springs Chess Tournament. From top to Bottom: H. Helms, H. Cassel, J. Redding, W. Van Antwerp, C. Schlechter, F.J. Marshall, Em. Lasker, M. Chigorin, J. Mieses, G. Marco, I. Rice, D. Janowsky, J.W. Showalter, A.B. Hodges, A.W. Fox, H.N. Pillsbury, T.F. Lawrence, W.E. Napier, R. Teichmann, H. Ridder, E. Delmar and J. Barry. 

He is also unusual in being one - possibly the only - player not based in Germany to have recorded games against both of the Lasker brothers. 

He is best remembered, however, for one move!! The game in question.

He pulled of the 'Q-KKt6' trick more than once! A couple of examples.

And something similar with Black.

In that article you get no less than 34 pages! Great stuff John.
Hot on the heels of that you get a rare delight - very reminiscent of the incredible work my dear friend Richard James is doing over on British Chess News. ( Seriously, check him out!)
''The Strange Destiny of Inspector Dermenon, by Dominique Thimognier.
You are right - I did not recognise the name, and when I saw the title in the book index it hardly set my pulse racing! BUT, when I got to the page and saw the pictures my eyes lit up!

There is a famous picture that I have used when writing about Winawer.

( See how I give original sources rather than throwing in uncredited pictures found via 10 seconds on google images!! There are those who do proper research, and those who grab 'instant knowledge' and recycle it folks. if you are going to do something and post it on the internet under your name, at least have the self respect to try to do it properly!! And yes, sometimes I use things that are in my files and can't remember the original source - my memory is REALLY bad! It has always been bad )

 The subject of the article - and what a joy and delight of an article it is - is in the front left corner of that picture. Georges Aime Ernest Dermenon. 17/01/1827 (Paris) - 25/04/1894 (Fecamp)

So what's the big story? A brief summary, with the invitation to buy the book and read it for yourself.

He was born in Paris, but lived in London with his parents as a young man, becoming a French teacher like his father. Returning to France he became a decorated war hero during the Crimean War. As you can see from the picture, he was also one of the foremost players at La Regence. 

In 1864 he became a police Inspector in Paris. Now, here's a bit of proper, general, history. It seems that the London police were cracking down heavily on the much documented pick-pocket epidemic in London - think of the film/musical Oliver - and many of the offenders journeyed across the channel to ply their trade in Paris.

Being bilingual Inspector Dermenon was assigned to dealing with the problem. His solution was to arrest the offender, dupe them into handing over their ill-gotten gains to him, and then prosecuting them anyway, with the profits in his pocket!!

Eventually he was found out and he was sent to trial, receiving a five year sentence.

One of his 'victims' who gave evidence against him was one Jayne Glaye, a.k.a. Spencer or Wilson, described by the French press as ''La jolie anglaise'', who was sentenced to three years in St. Lazare prison. She managed to escape by disguising herself as a nun. 

You really do have to read the whole story - it's rather wonderful.

Chess-wise, Dermenon could seriously play!! I will give two games quoted. The first sees both combatants playing blindfold - It is the most incredible dual blindfold game I have seen that predates Melody Amber. I could already play blindfold when I had been playing for a matter of weeks, but trying to follow this game from the score in the book I quickly gave up and got the board out!! What a game. Over the board it would be something, but blindfold?? Wow!

In 1864 Blackburne was in the very early stages of his career, but he already had a reputation as a simultaneous blindfold player. 'during a trip to London' Dermenon met him in one such exhibition. and met him head on. Have fun with this one!

The third article which caught my eye is actually one that I had been intending to write here when I am retired and have the time to devote to doing it properly - The Staunton - Lowe odds match of 1847, and the ink wars which followed. Here's the basics.

In 1847 the Ries' Divan was extensively refurbished, and to celebrate the event, a match was arranged between Staunton and Edward Lowe - a player from Prague who moved to London and opened a hotel where both Anderssen and Morphy stayed whilst in the city. The match was to be at Staunton's favoured odds of Pawn and two moves.

Before the match, and in the early stages - after winning a game - Staunton praised his opponent as 'of unquestionable talent'. Later, when he lost, Staunton didn't even give the last two games of the match, or the result, and derided his opponent as inferior to others whom he had met at such odds.

One Thomas Beeby - not a Staunton supporter - published a booklet on the match and attacked Staunton with a vengeance!! He pointed out a truth - that to be praised by Staunton was a sign that he had beaten you, whilst to be derided by him was a sure sign that you had beaten him!! 

A wonderful war of words errupted! Great fun to read today - it's all a long backwards and forwards, statement and counter - statement saga. Such were things when reputation was greater than fact.

Lowe, to his credit, maintains a diplomatic silence throughout.

I have all the material to hand - as I say, it is an article I had been intending to write - so here is a little of it for those with time to look at it. 

The games Staunton seems to have forgotten to publish.

That's all ( phew!!) you get today! Go buy the book if you can, and you have enjoyed my small extracts - lots more in there to enjoy.