tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14539885.post8809293329161470760..comments2023-09-30T18:56:06.919+09:00Comments on The Closet Grandmaster: Australia Beat Russia, 8-0Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14539885.post-12839945322706533912010-11-14T20:00:04.753+09:002010-11-14T20:00:04.753+09:00Perhaps I can add a little to Peter's early li...Perhaps I can add a little to Peter's early life. His father, Frank, was probably the strongest British player never to win the British Championship, and was one of the strongest British players over 40-50 years from the 1930s onward. I first came across Peter around 1958 when he joined the chess club at school (I had only learned the moves a couple of years previously). It might embarrass Peter to know that he was considered a lovely, sweet, little boy! One of my sisters was really struck by him when she brought over a chess team from the girls' school for a match. I have a picture somewhere of him at our school tournament held in the Cadet Force hut which I will try to fish out and send when I get home if anyone is interested - I am currently on holiday in Australia. The Parr boys certainly had a reputation to live up to, given what their father had achieved, and that might have made their lives a bit difficult at times. In the case of David, Peter's elder brother, this was certainly the case. Incidentally, Peter's memory is at fault on the school team - David was always no. 2 when I played - but our team in that period was certainly one of the strongest around. <br /><br />I emigrated to Australia in '82 and was surprised to come across Peter at the Doberl Cup in Canberra a couple of years later. I had lost contact with everyone from school, and was only a sporadic chessplayer. But the chess world is like that. Nowadays, if one peruses the tourney results, loads of names from one's youth spring up - but now more often in the veteran sections. So happy retirement, Peter. Maybe you will have more time to play instead of arbitrating? Jos Haynes, Sutton Grammar School 1955-62, now living in FranceJos Hayneshttp://www.abreathoffrenchair.co.uknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14539885.post-7426419373238730212010-11-06T23:31:25.521+09:002010-11-06T23:31:25.521+09:00I'd love to own a chess bookshop in the city! ...I'd love to own a chess bookshop in the city! Problem is I dont have the cash! lolT. Parkernoreply@blogger.com