Murray Chandler
Encyclopedia
Murray Graham Chandler is a New Zealand chess
grandmaster who has played internationally for that nation and for England, after gaining citizenship there in the early 1980s. Chandler is also known as a chess writer and occasional organiser of chess tournaments.
in 1975-76, and qualified as an International Master in 1977. His first international chess appearance was in 1974 when he turned out for the New Zealand team in the first Asian Team Chess Championship in Penang
, Malaysia. Later, he represented New Zealand at the Chess Olympiad
s of 1976, 1978 and 1980 but then switched allegiance to England. He played for England at the Chess Olympiad
s of 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990 and 1992, as part of a highly successful team that defeated the Soviets in some crucial encounters. He maintained an Elo rating around the 2600 level between 1987 and 1992, and qualified for the title of International Grandmaster in 1983.
Amongst Chandler's best results have been Commonwealth Champion
(twice - jointly in 1984 and outright in 1987), first place at Brighton 1981, first place in the Blackpool Zonal of 1990, tie for first place, Lloyds Bank Masters 1979, tie for first place, Hastings Premier
1986/7, and tied for second place (behind Anatoly Karpov
), London 1984. He also played for the Rest of World team versus the Soviet Union
in 1984 and tied first at the British Chess Championship
of 1986, but lost the play-off match for the title.
ChessMetrics provides:
One curiosity is his lifetime score of two wins, no draws, no losses against Garry Kasparov
. One win was in the World Under-16 Championship in 1976, and the other in a simultaneous display
in 1985.
Chandler was editor of British Chess Magazine
from 1991 to 1999. In the late 1990s he also set up Gambit Publications
, a publisher of high quality chess books that has received good reviews from all quarters. Fellow Gambit directors were England team-mate John Nunn
and FIDE Master-come-author, Graham Burgess
. The company now has a large back-catalogue containing contributions from all three directors and from a host of other respected chess writers. Books like Modern Chess Strategy by John L. Watson
have been highly acclaimed and Chandler's own How To Beat Your Dad At Chess is a very large seller. He also produced VHS and DVD material for Bad Bishop Ltd., a company related to Gambit, including a repertoire against the Nc6 Sicilian
, based on the early Bb5 lines.
He returned to New Zealand in 2006, winning his second New Zealand Chess Championship
that year and a third champion's title in 2008. He has now reverted his player registration to the New Zealand Federation, making him eligible once more to play for his country of birth.
Murray Chandler-Helgi Olafsson, Hastings 1990/1991; Ruy Lopez, Worrall Attack - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Qe2 b5 7.Bb3 O-O 8.c3 d6 9.d4 Bg4 10.Rd1 Qc8 11.a4 b4 12.a5 bxc3 13.bxc3 Rb8 14.Bc4 exd4 15.cxd4 Nxa5 16.Rxa5 Rxb1 17.e5 dxe5 18.dxe5 Ne8 19.Rxa6 Rb6 20.Ra4 c5 21.h3 Bh5 22.Ra7 Nc7 23.e6 Bf6 24.e7 Re8 25.Rd8 Rxd8 26.Rxc7 Qb8 27.exd8=Q+ Qxd8 28.Bf4 g5 29.Bg3 Rb2 30.Qd3 Qa8 31.Qd7 Qa1+ 32.Kh2 Rb1 33.Bxf7+ Kh8 34.Qe8+ Kg7 35.Bg6+ 1-0
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...
grandmaster who has played internationally for that nation and for England, after gaining citizenship there in the early 1980s. Chandler is also known as a chess writer and occasional organiser of chess tournaments.
Career
Chandler won the New Zealand chess championshipNew Zealand Chess Championship
The New Zealand Chess Championship was first conducted in 1879.Note: Up until 1934 foreign players were eligible for the title. The eligibility rules were changed in 1935 to preclude this; John Angus Erskine was born in Invercargill and was therefore eligible although he was domiciled in...
in 1975-76, and qualified as an International Master in 1977. His first international chess appearance was in 1974 when he turned out for the New Zealand team in the first Asian Team Chess Championship in Penang
Penang
Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
, Malaysia. Later, he represented New Zealand at the Chess Olympiad
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...
s of 1976, 1978 and 1980 but then switched allegiance to England. He played for England at the Chess Olympiad
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...
s of 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990 and 1992, as part of a highly successful team that defeated the Soviets in some crucial encounters. He maintained an Elo rating around the 2600 level between 1987 and 1992, and qualified for the title of International Grandmaster in 1983.
Amongst Chandler's best results have been Commonwealth Champion
Commonwealth Chess Championship
The Commonwealth Chess Championship is a gathering of chess players from Commonwealth countries.-History:A championship was planned for New Zealand in 1949, but it was canceled because the British Chess Federation was unable to attend.-Oxford 1950:...
(twice - jointly in 1984 and outright in 1987), first place at Brighton 1981, first place in the Blackpool Zonal of 1990, tie for first place, Lloyds Bank Masters 1979, tie for first place, Hastings Premier
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...
1986/7, and tied for second place (behind Anatoly Karpov
Anatoly Karpov
Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov is a Russian chess grandmaster and former World Champion. He was the official world champion from 1975 to 1985 when he was defeated by Garry Kasparov. He played three matches against Kasparov for the title from 1986 to 1990, before becoming FIDE World Champion once...
), London 1984. He also played for the Rest of World team versus the Soviet Union
Russia (USSR) vs Rest of the World
There have been two chess matches featuring USSR vs. Rest of the World and 1 match Russia vs. Rest of the World. The first two matches were between a team from the USSR and a team of players from the "rest of the world"...
in 1984 and tied first at 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...
of 1986, but lost the play-off match for the title.
ChessMetrics provides:
- Best World Rank: #29 (4 different months between the January 1987 rating list and the May 1988 rating list)
- Highest Rating: 2600 on the July 1988 rating list, #30 in world, age 28y3m
- Best Individual Performance: 2750 in London, 1984, scoring 8/13 (62%) vs 2704-rated opposition
One curiosity is his lifetime score of two wins, no draws, no losses against Garry Kasparov
Garry Kasparov
Garry Kimovich Kasparov is a Russian chess grandmaster, a former World Chess Champion, writer, political activist, and one of the greatest chess players of all time....
. One win was in the World Under-16 Championship in 1976, and the other in a simultaneous display
Simultaneous exhibition
A simultaneous exhibition or simultaneous display is a board game exhibition in which one player plays multiple games at a time with a number of other players. Such an exhibition is often referred to simply as a "simul".In a regular simul, no chess clocks are used...
in 1985.
Chandler was editor of British Chess Magazine
British Chess Magazine
British Chess Magazine is the world's oldest chess magazine in continuous publication. First published in January 1881, it has appeared at monthly intervals ever since. It is frequently known in the chess world as BCM....
from 1991 to 1999. In the late 1990s he also set up Gambit Publications
Gambit Publications
Gambit Publications is a major publisher of chess books. The company's headquarters is in London. It has published more than 150 chess books.The company was founded by three chess players...
, a publisher of high quality chess books that has received good reviews from all quarters. Fellow Gambit directors were England team-mate John Nunn
John Nunn
John Denis Martin Nunn is one of England's strongest chess players and once belonged to the world's top ten. He is also a three times world champion in chess problem solving, a chess writer and publisher, and a mathematician....
and FIDE Master-come-author, Graham Burgess
Graham Burgess
Graham K. Burgess is an English FIDE Master of chess and a noted writer and trainer. He became a FIDE Master at the age of twenty. He attended Birkdale High School in Southport, Merseyside. In 1989 he graduated from the University of Cambridge with a degree in mathematics...
. The company now has a large back-catalogue containing contributions from all three directors and from a host of other respected chess writers. Books like Modern Chess Strategy by John L. Watson
John L. Watson
John Leonard Watson is a chess International Master and author.Watson was born in Milwaukee and grew up in Omaha, Nebraska. He was educated at Brownell-Talbot, Harvard, and the University of California at San Diego, where he took his degree in engineering...
have been highly acclaimed and Chandler's own How To Beat Your Dad At Chess is a very large seller. He also produced VHS and DVD material for Bad Bishop Ltd., a company related to Gambit, including a repertoire against the Nc6 Sicilian
Sicilian Defence
The Sicilian Defence is a chess opening that begins with the moves:The Sicilian is the most popular and best-scoring response to White's first move 1.e4...
, based on the early Bb5 lines.
He returned to New Zealand in 2006, winning his second New Zealand Chess Championship
New Zealand Chess Championship
The New Zealand Chess Championship was first conducted in 1879.Note: Up until 1934 foreign players were eligible for the title. The eligibility rules were changed in 1935 to preclude this; John Angus Erskine was born in Invercargill and was therefore eligible although he was domiciled in...
that year and a third champion's title in 2008. He has now reverted his player registration to the New Zealand Federation, making him eligible once more to play for his country of birth.
Notable game
Chandler's 23. e6! is difficult to find, as it appears that the square is defended four ways. However, none of the available captures are satisfactory, making it equally difficult to meet.Murray Chandler-Helgi Olafsson, Hastings 1990/1991; Ruy Lopez, Worrall Attack - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Qe2 b5 7.Bb3 O-O 8.c3 d6 9.d4 Bg4 10.Rd1 Qc8 11.a4 b4 12.a5 bxc3 13.bxc3 Rb8 14.Bc4 exd4 15.cxd4 Nxa5 16.Rxa5 Rxb1 17.e5 dxe5 18.dxe5 Ne8 19.Rxa6 Rb6 20.Ra4 c5 21.h3 Bh5 22.Ra7 Nc7 23.e6 Bf6 24.e7 Re8 25.Rd8 Rxd8 26.Rxc7 Qb8 27.exd8=Q+ Qxd8 28.Bf4 g5 29.Bg3 Rb2 30.Qd3 Qa8 31.Qd7 Qa1+ 32.Kh2 Rb1 33.Bxf7+ Kh8 34.Qe8+ Kg7 35.Bg6+ 1-0
Selected bibliography
- The Complete c3 Sicilian, 1997, American Batsford, ISBN 1879479508.
- How To Beat Your Dad At Chess, 1998, Gambit PublicationsGambit PublicationsGambit Publications is a major publisher of chess books. The company's headquarters is in London. It has published more than 150 chess books.The company was founded by three chess players...
, ISBN 1-901983-05-6. - Chess Tactics For Kids, 2003, Gambit Publications, ISBN 1-901983-99-4.
- Chess For Children (with Helen Milligan), 2004, Gambit Publications, ISBN 1-904600-06-9.