You began study composition before the great
expansion in computer analysis. Therefore how did it
feel when a flaw was found in your work?
I’m only a moderately good analyst, so I have to work
hard to ensure a study is sound. Even composers famed
for their meticulous accuracy have published studies with
fatal errors. I have rarely used a computer to test a study
for soundness, but perhaps I should. I prefer to rely on my
fallible human judgment!
Do you think the concept is more important than the
overall correctness of the study?
I would like to think so, since it would make my task
easier. But no, a study must be sound to be beautiful. I
have had to correct several of my published studies
because analytical errors had crept in. This is something
every study composer has to confront. Some have
worked for years on a particularly challenging idea and
published many versions before finally coming up with a
version that was sound.
How do you ensure that you are not reinventing a
chess study?
A marvellous database of studies has been compiled by
Harold van der Heijden, a very systematically-minded
Dutchman. It allows one to use ChessBase to interrogate
over 67,000 studies, going back to the 19th century, and
to determine whether particular positions (or ideas) have
been used before. I have used it only a few times, but it is
definitely a remarkable resource. For most of my
composing ‘career’ I have relied mainly on my memory. It
is surprising how many positions or patterns our minds
can recognise.
Do you continue to play OTB tournaments?
Correspondence?
I played a few Armstrong league games in recent years,
at around 2000 Elo level, but my concentration is very
uneven. Correspondence chess might possibly be a
better alternative.
What is the best chess game you have ever played?
I think one of my best games was against Yefim Geller
during a simultaneous exhibition he gave in Dublin in
May, 1982. It was published in The Irish Chess Journal
with detailed notes. I also played some nice games during
the ’70s against players like Bernard Kernan, Paul
Delaney, Tony Doyle and Ray Cassidy – all of whom
were very inventive at the board.
Do you think study composition helps in other areas
of chess?
I think so, but many players do not. The key aptitudes that
one needs to develop as a player are accurate analytical
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skills combined with clear idea formation. A facility for
solving endgame studies (as distinct from composing
them) should help players get this balance right.
Which chess books have influenced you and why?
The two books which influenced me most as a study
composer were My Best Games 1935-1957 by Smyslov
and 1234 Modern Endgame Studies by Sutherland and
Lommer. I came across both in my early teens and was
enthralled by the richness and variety of the latter and the
remarkable strategic clarity of the former. I also got
considerable enjoyment around the same age from The
World’s Greatest Chess Games by Reuben Fine.
Has your work received any international
recognition?
Some of my studies have won prizes and honourable
mentions in formal international tourneys. Also, I have
judged one international tourney (Suomen Shakki 20072008) and published an article in EG on the objective
evaluation of the artistic merit of endgame studies (EG
No.117, July 1995). John Roycroft told me some years
ago that he chided F S Bondarenko for omitting me from
his survey of world composers. I found this rather
amusing as Bondarenko was a Major in the KGB!
Have you found being isolated here in Ireland difficult
when it comes to study composition?
Not really. Some composers worked away quietly for
decades and rarely met with other composers. Alois
Wotawa is a good example.
Any advice to budding chess composers?
Pursue what you enjoy most in the realm of chess. If
studies really give you pleasure – rather like the pleasure
one gets from seeing the proof of a theorem in geometry
– then it is natural to wonder if you could come up with
something similar. However, it is far, far harder than it
looks. Some composers are remembered for just a few
studies.
Do you consider study composition as just a sideline
to your OTB play?
Chess is a really great game and a monumental waste of
time. The trick is to find the right balance in one’s
personal life. Study composition and OTB play are just
different ways of exploring the game.
What do you do when you're not playing chess?
After 33 years in a New Age movement, I became a bornagain Christian in 2008. This has opened up a whole new
world for me. I am also writing papers for publication on
the Web about the dangers of the coming New World
Order.
Irish Chess Journal