The British Chess Magazine
545
Quotes and Queries
Alan Smith
[email protected]
6008 Jonathan Penrose was born on 7th
October, 1933, a teenage prodigy who
grew up in a chess-playing family. His father
Lionel was a prominent problemist who
played in four Varsity matches, defeating
T.H.Tylor on Board 1 in 1920 and playing
on the middle boards for the Essex County
Team. His elder brother Oliver was also a
junior champion. Both made their British
Championship début in the first Swiss System event, at Felixstowe, in 1949.
Jonathan could not have had a tougher
start. In Round 1 he faced the 1947 Champion, Harry Golombek. After losing he might
have expected an easier ride in the second
round, but instead he faced the reigning
champion, Reginald Broadbent. He rallied
well after losing his first three games, to
score +4 =2 –5. Oliver scored a point more
(+4 = 4 –3), but faced a less daunting field.
Felixstowe proved a useful training ground.
Before his 15th birthday Jonathan won the
London Championship ahead of experienced internationals List, Reilly and Wheatcroft. The following year he produced a stellar performance at Southsea – he defeated
Bogoljubow, Tartakower and Prins – scoring
+5 =4 –1 to share third prize with Golombek
and Lothar Schmid, just half-a-point behind
the joint winners, Tartakower and Bisguier.
The BCF did not send a side to Dubrovnik
in 1950, but Penrose was selected to play in
the next Olympiad at Helsinki, on Board 2.
He made the best percentage score of the
British team and held his place on Board 2
until Leipzig 1960, when he moved up to
top board. His score at Leipzig was +6 =6 –4,
which might not seem impressive, until you
examine the strength of his opponents. He
defeated Euwe and drew with Fischer, Gligoric and Najdorf. Then, in the final round,
he beat Tal. This was the first win by a British player over a reigning World Champion
since 1899.
Penrose was awarded the International
Master title at the 1961 FIDE congress.
Jonathan did even better at his next Olympiad, Varna 1962, scoring +9 =7 –1, albeit against a slightly weaker field. He missed
the next two Olympiads, but returned at
Lugano, 1968, where his +10 =5 –0 was the
second best score on top board. In two subsequent appearances Penrose struggled.
Penrose made two attempts to qualify for
the Interzonal and was a creditable seventh
at Madrid in 1960. Three years later at the
Enschede Zonal JP came tantalisingly close
to finishing in the top three. He started with
a 23-move win over Filip, and led after nine
rounds, before consecutive losses to Darga
and Kupper took the wind out of his sails.
Even so he finished fourth with +10 =3 –3,
just half a point behind Darga and Lengyel,
but ahead of Pomar and Filip.
Jonathan Penrose is the most successful
player in the history of the British Championship, but he was by no means an
overnight success. His early appearances
showed the promise of what was to come:
third equal at Buxton 1950, defeating both
Broadbent and Winter; he led after eight
rounds in 1955, but faded in the closing