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Date: 12 Jul 2007 00:07:49
From: samsloan
Subject: My Jim Murray Story
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My Jim Murray Story
John Donaldson has asked if anybody knows or remembers Jim Murray.
Time to trot out my Jim Murray story.
Jim Murray was one of the strongest players hanging out at the
Mechanics Institute in San Francisco in the mid-1960s. I could not
find a published rating for him but Frank Thornally told me that his
rating was around 2300 (which back then was a good rating). Murray had
a very fair complexion. Blue eyes, light skin, almost an albino.
Perhaps he was an albino.
Murray usually played first board for the Mechanics Institute in the
Bay Area Chess League. I remember a game where Murray played George
Soules on first board. I was the captain of the University of
California at Berkeley Chess Team and Soules, a master, was my first
board.
Murray as white played a king's fianchetto type opening with a bishop
on g2. Soules moved his b7 pawn, simply allowing Murray to play BxR,
which he did. However, then Soules could have simply put his queen on
d5 and his bishop on c6 and then it would have been checkmate on the
next move.
Soules delayed one move in doing this, giving time for Murray to close
the diagonal and so Murray won. This happened in about 1963.
However, after that I used the basic idea of Soules to sacrifice the
exchange and I won many games with it.
Several years later probably in about 1968 I was sitting in the Chess
and Checker Club of New York City, better known as the "Flea House",
and who should I see sitting there but Jim Murray.
So, naturally I walked up to him, introduced myself and told him how
happy and surprised I was to see him at the Flea House.
To this Murray replied, "Sorry Sir. I have no idea who you are and I
have never seen you before in my life."
I replied, "Of course you know me. You are Jim Murray."
He replied that he was not Jim Murray and I was sadly mistaken.
Taken aback, I went to Cal Morris who was the manager on duty at the
time. I pointed out Murray and said to Cal Morris, "Do you know that
man?"
Morris replied. "Sure, I know him. His name is V......" (unfortunately I
do not remember the full name).
So, I called up Bill Goichberg who had been the USCF ratings
statistician and who knew from memory the exact rating of every
tournament chess player in the US.
"Do you know a player named V......?", I asked/
"Yes", replied Goichberg, "I have a ratings card on him and his rating
is 2293" (or something like that).
This was almost exactly the same rating as Frank Thornally had told me
was the rating for James Murray.
I never saw him again but I am 100% certain that the man I saw in the
Flea House in New York City was the same man that used to hang out in
the Mechanics Institute Chess Club in San Francisco.
Sam Sloan
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Date: 20 Jul 2007 10:38:45
From: samsloan
Subject: Re: My Jim Murray Story
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On Jul 12, 4:54 am, J=FCrgen R. <jurg...@web.de > wrote:
> On Thu, 12 Jul 2007 00:07:49 -0000, samsloan <samhsl...@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>
>
> >My Jim Murray Story
>
> >John Donaldson has asked if anybody knows or remembers Jim Murray.
> >Time to trot out my Jim Murray story.
>
> >Jim Murray was one of the strongest players hanging out at the
> >Mechanics Institute in San Francisco in the mid-1960s. I could not
> >find a published rating for him but Frank Thornally told me that his
> >rating was around 2300 (which back then was a good rating). Murray had
> >a very fair complexion. Blue eyes, light skin, almost an albino.
> >Perhaps he was an albino.
>
> >Murray usually played first board for the Mechanics Institute in the
> >Bay Area Chess League. I remember a game where Murray played George
> >Soules on first board. I was the captain of the University of
> >California at Berkeley Chess Team and Soules, a master, was my first
> >board.
>
> >Murray as white played a king's fianchetto type opening with a bishop
> >on g2. Soules moved his b7 pawn, simply allowing Murray to play BxR,
> >which he did. However, then Soules could have simply put his queen on
> >d5
>
> Sure he can, if he doesn't mind losing his Queen: BxQ.
You are joking of course. Obviously after Murray played BxQ Soules
played RxB. Then, he could have immediately played his queen on d5,
his bishop on c6 and Murray would have had no defense against
checkmate.
Soules was terribly embarrassed that he missed this. Don Sutherland, a
member of my team, commented "Even old men saw it", referring to the
crusty curmudgeons who came to the Mechanics Institute every day to
play with each other but who were not very strong.
Sam Sloan
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Date: 19 Jul 2007 18:15:30
From: Rider
Subject: Re: My Jim Murray Story
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o
samsloan wrote:
> My Jim Murray Story
>
> John Donaldson has asked if anybody knows or remembers Jim Murray.
> Time to trot out my Jim Murray story.
>
> Jim Murray was one of the strongest players hanging out at the
> Mechanics Institute in San Francisco in the mid-1960s. I could not
> find a published rating for him but Frank Thornally told me that his
> rating was around 2300 (which back then was a good rating). Murray had
> a very fair complexion. Blue eyes, light skin, almost an albino.
> Perhaps he was an albino.
>
> Murray usually played first board for the Mechanics Institute in the
> Bay Area Chess League. I remember a game where Murray played George
> Soules on first board. I was the captain of the University of
> California at Berkeley Chess Team and Soules, a master, was my first
> board.
>
> Murray as white played a king's fianchetto type opening with a bishop
> on g2. Soules moved his b7 pawn, simply allowing Murray to play BxR,
> which he did. However, then Soules could have simply put his queen on
> d5 and his bishop on c6 and then it would have been checkmate on the
> next move.
>
> Soules delayed one move in doing this, giving time for Murray to close
> the diagonal and so Murray won. This happened in about 1963.
>
> However, after that I used the basic idea of Soules to sacrifice the
> exchange and I won many games with it.
>
> Several years later probably in about 1968 I was sitting in the Chess
> and Checker Club of New York City, better known as the "Flea House",
> and who should I see sitting there but Jim Murray.
>
> So, naturally I walked up to him, introduced myself and told him how
> happy and surprised I was to see him at the Flea House.
>
> To this Murray replied, "Sorry Sir. I have no idea who you are and I
> have never seen you before in my life."
>
> I replied, "Of course you know me. You are Jim Murray."
>
> He replied that he was not Jim Murray and I was sadly mistaken.
>
> Taken aback, I went to Cal Morris who was the manager on duty at the
> time. I pointed out Murray and said to Cal Morris, "Do you know that
> man?"
>
> Morris replied. "Sure, I know him. His name is V......" (unfortunately I
> do not remember the full name).
>
> So, I called up Bill Goichberg who had been the USCF ratings
> statistician and who knew from memory the exact rating of every
> tournament chess player in the US.
>
> "Do you know a player named V......?", I asked/
>
> "Yes", replied Goichberg, "I have a ratings card on him and his rating
> is 2293" (or something like that).
>
> This was almost exactly the same rating as Frank Thornally had told me
> was the rating for James Murray.
>
> I never saw him again but I am 100% certain that the man I saw in the
> Flea House in New York City was the same man that used to hang out in
> the Mechanics Institute Chess Club in San Francisco.
>
> Sam Sloan
>
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Date: 12 Jul 2007 18:29:37
From: SAT W-7
Subject: Re: My Jim Murray Story
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That is a good ELO for today too..
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Date: 12 Jul 2007 18:08:31
From: Taylor Kingston
Subject: Re: My Jim Murray Story
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On Jul 11, 8:07 pm, samsloan <samhsl...@gmail.com > wrote:
>
> John Donaldson has asked if anybody knows or remembers Jim Murray.
Yes, he was a sports columnist and humorist for the Los Angeles
Times several decades ago. Never heard that he had anything to do with
chess.
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Date: 12 Jul 2007 10:54:22
From: Jürgen R.
Subject: Re: My Jim Murray Story
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On Thu, 12 Jul 2007 00:07:49 -0000, samsloan <samhsloan@gmail.com >
wrote:
>My Jim Murray Story
>
>John Donaldson has asked if anybody knows or remembers Jim Murray.
>Time to trot out my Jim Murray story.
>
>Jim Murray was one of the strongest players hanging out at the
>Mechanics Institute in San Francisco in the mid-1960s. I could not
>find a published rating for him but Frank Thornally told me that his
>rating was around 2300 (which back then was a good rating). Murray had
>a very fair complexion. Blue eyes, light skin, almost an albino.
>Perhaps he was an albino.
>
>Murray usually played first board for the Mechanics Institute in the
>Bay Area Chess League. I remember a game where Murray played George
>Soules on first board. I was the captain of the University of
>California at Berkeley Chess Team and Soules, a master, was my first
>board.
>
>Murray as white played a king's fianchetto type opening with a bishop
>on g2. Soules moved his b7 pawn, simply allowing Murray to play BxR,
>which he did. However, then Soules could have simply put his queen on
>d5
Sure he can, if he doesn't mind losing his Queen: BxQ.
> and his bishop on c6 and then it would have been checkmate on the
>next move.
>
>Soules delayed one move in doing this, giving time for Murray to close
>the diagonal and so Murray won. This happened in about 1963.
>
>However, after that I used the basic idea of Soules to sacrifice the
>exchange and I won many games with it.
>
>Several years later probably in about 1968 I was sitting in the Chess
>and Checker Club of New York City, better known as the "Flea House",
>and who should I see sitting there but Jim Murray.
>
>So, naturally I walked up to him, introduced myself and told him how
>happy and surprised I was to see him at the Flea House.
>
>To this Murray replied, "Sorry Sir. I have no idea who you are and I
>have never seen you before in my life."
>
>I replied, "Of course you know me. You are Jim Murray."
>
>He replied that he was not Jim Murray and I was sadly mistaken.
It worked, didn't it? And you never caught on.
This is by far the quickest way of getting rid of talkative derelicts.
>
>Taken aback, I went to Cal Morris who was the manager on duty at the
>time. I pointed out Murray and said to Cal Morris, "Do you know that
>man?"
>
>Morris replied. "Sure, I know him. His name is V......" (unfortunately I
>do not remember the full name).
>
>So, I called up Bill Goichberg who had been the USCF ratings
>statistician and who knew from memory the exact rating of every
>tournament chess player in the US.
>
>"Do you know a player named V......?", I asked/
>
>"Yes", replied Goichberg, "I have a ratings card on him and his rating
>is 2293" (or something like that).
>
>This was almost exactly the same rating as Frank Thornally had told me
>was the rating for James Murray.
That matches your usual standard of proof. Thank God, not all people
rated about 1950 are Sam Sloans.
>
>I never saw him again but I am 100% certain that the man I saw in the
>Flea House in New York City was the same man that used to hang out in
>the Mechanics Institute Chess Club in San Francisco.
>
>Sam Sloan
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Date: 12 Jul 2007 19:00:48
From: Al Fitness
Subject: Re: My Jim Murray Story
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"Jürgen R." < > It worked, didn't it? And you never caught on.
> This is by far the quickest way of getting rid of talkative derelicts.
>
LOL!! I was thinking the same thing!!
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