John Littlewood (chess player)
Encyclopedia
John Eric Littlewood was for many years a leading British chess player
and took the title of national senior champion in 2006. Perhaps his most famous game was the one he lost against the world champion Mikhail Botvinnik
at the Hastings International Chess Congress
1961/2. Littlewood launched a fearsome attack which Botvinnik was able to defend only by means of a tactical finesse. Botvinnik chose to include the game in his autobiographical Best Games 1947-1970.
, Yorkshire
in 1931. He was the fourth of his eleven siblings. He did not start playing chess until he was 13, when he was introduced to the game by a friend. This is very late compared with most chess players,
He kept on losing to his friend, so he went into the school library and checked out every single chess book. He then read a lot of chess tactics, and eventually beat his friend.
At 16 he was much improved and so joined the local chess club. As he had not played that many people he was surprised when he found he could beat everyone in the club. At this point he became very keen on the game. When he went to study at Sheffield University, he won three university tournaments and won the Sheffield Championship.
After university he did national service where he taught reading and writing to the soldiers. Because of this he did not have the opportunity to play chess for the next two years.
After his national service he began his career as a French teacher in Lincolnshire. His first big break was when he was invited to the British Chess Championship in York. He did well for his first time and was nicknamed ‘the Lincolnshire poacher’, a name he protested against because he was born in Sheffield.
After his good performance in York he was invited to participate in the prestigious Hastings tournament and played his famous game against Botvinnik, the World Champion
at the time. He started with a promising attack, but missed an important resource, enabling Botvinnik to turn the game around and defeat him. Botvinnik includes this game in his autobiographical “Best Games 1947-1970”.
At Hastings he also played the American grandmaster Arthur Bisguier
who he beat within 25 moves. After the match his opponent said “What do they feed this guy on? Raw meat?”
Littlewood has since played at two Olympiads
, several Anglo-Dutch matches, and European and World Seniors. He was proud to have defeated the German grandmaster Wolfgang Uhlmann
on two occasions. Aside from playing the game, he also managed the national blind chess team and was at one stage the Director of Junior Chess.
His brother Norman also played in four Olympiads and his son Paul, an International Master, won the British Chess Championship
in 1981.
He lived latterly in Skelmersdale
, Lancashire and had seven children and eight grandchildren.
John Littlewood was outright winner of the British Senior Chess Championship in 2006 and finished equal first in 2008, when the contest was held at Liverpool’s St. George’s Hall
. To be eligible to compete, participants must be sixty and above; he was seventy-seven on this second occasion and one of the oldest players taking part.
He had his own chess column called "Littlewood's Choice", printed once a month in the English Chess Federation
magazine.
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
and took the title of national senior champion in 2006. Perhaps his most famous game was the one he lost against the world champion Mikhail Botvinnik
Mikhail Botvinnik
Mikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik, Ph.D. was a Soviet and Russian International Grandmaster and three-time World Chess Champion. Working as an electrical engineer and computer scientist at the same time, he was one of the very few famous chess players who achieved distinction in another career while...
at the Hastings International Chess Congress
Hastings International Chess Congress
The Hastings International Chess Congress is an annual chess congress which takes place in Hastings, England, around the turn of the year. The main event is the Hastings Premier tournament, which was traditionally a 10 to 16 player round-robin tournament. In 2004/05 the tournament was played in the...
1961/2. Littlewood launched a fearsome attack which Botvinnik was able to defend only by means of a tactical finesse. Botvinnik chose to include the game in his autobiographical Best Games 1947-1970.
Life
John Littlewood was born in SheffieldSheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
in 1931. He was the fourth of his eleven siblings. He did not start playing chess until he was 13, when he was introduced to the game by a friend. This is very late compared with most chess players,
He kept on losing to his friend, so he went into the school library and checked out every single chess book. He then read a lot of chess tactics, and eventually beat his friend.
At 16 he was much improved and so joined the local chess club. As he had not played that many people he was surprised when he found he could beat everyone in the club. At this point he became very keen on the game. When he went to study at Sheffield University, he won three university tournaments and won the Sheffield Championship.
After university he did national service where he taught reading and writing to the soldiers. Because of this he did not have the opportunity to play chess for the next two years.
After his national service he began his career as a French teacher in Lincolnshire. His first big break was when he was invited to the British Chess Championship in York. He did well for his first time and was nicknamed ‘the Lincolnshire poacher’, a name he protested against because he was born in Sheffield.
After his good performance in York he was invited to participate in the prestigious Hastings tournament and played his famous game against Botvinnik, the World Champion
World Chess Championship
The World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the board game chess. Men and women of any age are eligible to contest this title....
at the time. He started with a promising attack, but missed an important resource, enabling Botvinnik to turn the game around and defeat him. Botvinnik includes this game in his autobiographical “Best Games 1947-1970”.
At Hastings he also played the American grandmaster Arthur Bisguier
Arthur Bisguier
Arthur Bernard Bisguier is an American chess Grandmaster, chess promoter, and writer. Bisguier won two U.S. Junior Championships , three U.S. Open Chess Championship titles , and the 1954 United States Chess Championship title. He played for the United States in five chess Olympiads...
who he beat within 25 moves. After the match his opponent said “What do they feed this guy on? Raw meat?”
Littlewood has since played at two Olympiads
Chess Olympiad
The Chess Olympiad is a biennial chess tournament in which teams from all over the world compete against each other. The event is organised by FIDE, which selects the host nation.-Birth of the Olympiad:The first Olympiad was unofficial...
, several Anglo-Dutch matches, and European and World Seniors. He was proud to have defeated the German grandmaster Wolfgang Uhlmann
Wolfgang Uhlmann
Wolfgang Uhlmann is a prominent German International Grandmaster of chess. Despite being a dedicated professional chess player, and undoubtedly the GDR's most successful ever, he has also had a career in accountancy.-Chess career:...
on two occasions. Aside from playing the game, he also managed the national blind chess team and was at one stage the Director of Junior Chess.
His brother Norman also played in four Olympiads and his son Paul, an International Master, won the British Chess Championship
British Chess Championship
The British Chess Championship is organised by the English Chess Federation. There are separate championships for men and women. Since 1923 there have been sections for juniors, and since 1982 there has been an over-sixty championship. The championship venue usually changes every year and has been...
in 1981.
He lived latterly in Skelmersdale
Skelmersdale
Skelmersdale is a town in West Lancashire, England. It lies on high-ground on the River Tawd, to the west of Wigan, to the northeast of Liverpool, south-southwest of Preston. As of 2006, Skelmersdale had a population of 38,813, down from 41,000 in 2004. The town is known locally as Skem.The...
, Lancashire and had seven children and eight grandchildren.
John Littlewood was outright winner of the British Senior Chess Championship in 2006 and finished equal first in 2008, when the contest was held at Liverpool’s St. George’s Hall
St. George's Hall, Liverpool
St George's Hall is on Lime Street in the centre of the English city of Liverpool, opposite Lime Street railway station. It is a building in Neoclassical style which contains concert halls and law courts, and has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building...
. To be eligible to compete, participants must be sixty and above; he was seventy-seven on this second occasion and one of the oldest players taking part.
He had his own chess column called "Littlewood's Choice", printed once a month in the English Chess Federation
English Chess Federation
The English Chess Federation is the governing chess organisation in England and is affiliated to FIDE. The ECF was formed in 2004 and was effectively a re-constitution of the extant governing body, the British Chess Federation , an organisation founded in 1904...
magazine.