Edward Winter
This photograph of Gordon Thomas Crown was published in a feature about him on pages 176-177 of CHESS, March 1947. Four of his games were given, including the readily-available wins over P. Morley (‘Friendly game in January 1945’) and S. Lipton (no occasion specified). Regarding the Morley encounter, Crown commented:
‘Although this is only a friendly game, I give it because it is the only “short brilliancy” I possess in which my opponent has not made any bad mistake.’
He described his win over Lipton as ‘Undoubtedly my best all-out attacking game in serious play.’
On 17 November 1947 Crown died when his diabetes caused complications during an operation. He was 18.
The final position of his most famous game (CHESS, January 1948, page 86)
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Two further snippets are provided on Gordon Crown, the first being a brief feature about the Richter Attack on page 174 of the August 1944 BCM:
The shortest game involving Crown that we have found was on page 141 of the May 1946 BCM:
J.A. Fuller – Gordon Thomas Crown
British Boys’ Championship, Hastings, April 1946
Ruy López
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 O-O Nxe4 6 Re1 Nc5 7 Nc3 Nxa4 8 Nxe5 Ne7 9 Qf3 Resigns.
The game was published unobtrusively by the BCM but received a large page to itself (page 205) in The Chess Apprentice by R. Bott and S. Morrison (London and Glasgow, 1960).
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From the chess column by William Hartston in Now!, 6-12 February 1981, page 80:
‘Some time ago the great Russian player David Bronstein gave me this advice: “Look at the games of Gordon Crown. He really understood chess”.’
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Wanted: information about the game below, which was published on page 112 of the April 1943 CHESS, when Crown was aged 13.
Gordon Thomas Crown – Walter Korn
Occasion?
Sicilian Defence
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 d6 6 Be2 g6 7 O-O Bg7 8 Be3 O-O 9 Nb3 Be6 10 f4 Na5 11 f5 Bc4 12 Nxa5 Bxe2 13 Qxe2 Qxa5 14 g4 Qb4 15 Bd2 Rac8 16 g5 Nd7 17 Nd5 Qd4+ 18 Rf2 Rfe8 19 Bc3 Qc4
20 Nxe7+ Rxe7 21 Qxc4 Rxc4 22 Bxg7 gxf5 23 exf5 Rg4+ 24 Rg2 Rxg2+ 25 Kxg2 Re2+ 26 Kf3 Rxc2 27 Bc3 Rxh2 28 Rd1 Ne5+ 29 Bxe5 dxe5
30 f6 h6 31 gxh6 Kh7 32 Rd7 Kg6 33 Rxb7 Kxf6 34 Rxa7 Rxb2 Drawn.
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Nothing has yet come to light regarding the game played by Gordon Crown at the age of 13, as published on page 112 of the April 1943 CHESS. We note, though, that Crown had already been in contact with the magazine by that time. From page 68 of the February 1943 issue:
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This letter was written when Crown was aged 13:
Source: BCM, March 1943, page 56.
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Copyright: Edward Winter. All rights reserved.