Pictorial Report on the Norwich Meeting 2012

by Michael Negele

Successful Meeting in spite of British Weather

KWA General Meeting in Norwich, 13-15 April, 2012

The witty travel report of an insider

At about 5.15 am in the morning, I started from Wuppertal via Düsseldorf and Stansted towards East Anglia. Due to my business trips to Norwich there were no orientation problems, we safely arrived at the George Hotel already before 11 am, but there were no rooms available (only from 2 pm).

  • Travel with the Sarembas and Van de Veldes - room for five is in the smallest Astra (But the luggage: much volume, little weight)
  • The George Hotel

Despite a light rain we went together with Guy Van Habberney and the Grondijs family to the coastal Cromer to enjoy there (finally, for me) the famous Cromer crabs.

  • At Cromer pier
  • A crustacean in the "Crabbing Bucket"
  • From left: Michael Negele, Andreas Saremba, Rieneke van Zutphen, Hendrik Grondijs, Bob van de Velde, Marie-Theres Saremba, Harrie Grondijs

Back in the George Hotel, all guests had arrived in the meantime (apart from Jimmy Adams and Tony Peterson, both announced for Saturday).

Here 18 additional photographs from the visit to Cromer and some further arrivals in the hotel: Gallery 1.

  • Mike Sheehan, Bernard Cafferty and Steve Giddins in the hotel bar
  • Guy Van Habberney with Owen Hindle

At about 4 pm we started - with tea (or coffee or even a beer) - a short KWA session where Guy Van Habberny once again described our concerns.

Our chairman opens the session
Our chairman opens the session

At 5.30 pm the group (without Cafferty and Giddins) started for a tour of the ancient city of Norwich, in spite of the beginning rain we saw everything (except the nice houses on the Wensum), particularly the interior of the Cathedral deeply impressed me. (Naturally I had never seen it before during my business trips, as being closed from 6.30 pm.)

  • Tony Gillam, Marie-Theres Saremba, Gordon Cadden, Winifred van de Velde, Bob van de Velde
  • Jurgen Stigter with Tim and Joan Harding
  • Inside Norwich Cathedral - the nave

Due to the rain, we went a little earlier to the fish restaurant Loch Fyne, the atmosphere was excellent there, the service was kind, the quality of the meal however "variable". But I found the atmosphere very pleasantly light and friendly, not the rule in English pubs or inns.

  • In front of the fish restaurant
  • Dinner at Loch Fyne

Our Gallery 2 shows 39 photographs from the tour of the city and from the dinner.

Relatively far into the night I still pottered about on my lecture, when my "room mate" Jurgen Stigter asked me aplenty questions about Twiss and his chemistry book.

Next morning at a (very good) breakfast, I could briefly talk with Bernard Cafferty and Steve Giddins about the "BCM affair", it was quite funny. We started on schedule at 9.30 am, to our great pleasure Michael Clapham (the wonderful chess pictures provided by him had been hung on the wall) and Kathleen & Owen Hindle had prepared a small chess exhibition in the large meeting room. Technically everything worked properly as well, if you ignore that for a short time Jurgen pulled the plug on the projector...

  • Michael Clapham's appearance
  • Items from the chess exhibition
  • Who doesn't know this gentleman?
  • The lectures have started

Especially Owen Hindle's contribution has impressed me, but also Gordon Cadden presented his research convincingly - even if Tim Harding still doesn't seem to agree completely.
In the course of the morning also Tony Peterson and Jimmy Adams joined us, with surprise guest Ray Cannon on their coat-tails. (In the end Kathleen and Ray became new members and paid without resistance 30 GBP "special tariff".)

Tim Harding gave a lecture on "Eminent Victorian Chess Players"
Tim Harding gave a lecture on "Eminent Victorian Chess Players"

- here his Presentation as PDF (0.6 MB; in the member section).

He has also reported on our assembly in his Kibitzer column at ChessCafe.com: An Unusual Chess Congress in Norwich

  • Owen Hindle's presentation topic was "I.O. Howard Taylor and the Golden Days of the Norwich Chess Club": Howard Taylor (PDF/10.8 MB; member section)
  • Our treasurer Michael Negele talked about "John Keeble – Chess Historians have to take responsibilities": John Keeble (PDF/6.2 MB; member section)
  • Gordon Cadden on Sleuthing for Philidor's grave (PDF/3 MB; member section)
  • Coffee break: Tony Peterson and Raymond Cannon
  • Bernard Cafferty dealt with "130 Years of British Chess Magazine"
  • Tony Gillam with his favourite subject: "Lost chess books"
  • Per Skjoldager presented the recently founded Lund Chess Academy where Calle Erlandsson is involved as well. See for that also Steve Giddins' Blog entry as well as the above linked report by Tim Harding.
  • Andreas Saremba has resumed the work on our BoC, at first a database of chess personalities ("New Gaige") will be tackled.

Here the presentation on the project tobiblion: Tools for Bibliographers' and Librarians' Open Networking (PDF/0.5 MB; in the member section)

Further links:

  • Topics of the general meeting, compiled by Michael Negele
  • Guy Van Habberney's Report on the member assembly

There was also voted on the Zukertort donation, some didn't agree and abstained from voting.
Afterwards the book market, mainly "equipped" by Mike Sheehan, Tony Peterson and Michael Clapham. I didn't buy much, only a quite high-priced Murray on Board games other than Chess.

  • At the book market: Harrie Grondijs, Mike Sheehan, Calle Erlandsson and Tony Gillam
  • Steve Giddins with the big Lasker monograph. Steve was the first who posted a note on our meeting in his blog: Oasis of civilisation!

Our Gallery 3 offers 21 additional photographs from the meeting (including the chess exhibit and the book market).

A fine dinner in the George Hotel followed, in a good mood and with a clearly better price-performance ratio. I had a great conversation with Jimmy Adams about his Breyer book project, I am very curious.

  • The evening meal in the George Hotel
  • The menu card signed by the attendees
  • Jimmy Adams, Kathleen and Owen Hindle
  • Gordon Cadden
  • Tony Gillam
  • Jimmy Adams and Michael Negele

Sunday morning we went to Bletchley Park, after all 2.5 h to ride. Unfortunately the Grondijs couldn't join us as they didn't travel by car and had to return to Norwich – where their plane had arrived directly from Amsterdam.

I had already reported about Bletchley Park before (see On a Flying Visit to Bletchley Park), it was my second visit now and certainly not my last. The Sarembas and Van de Veldes looked impressed, but the other attendants as well, particularly the Hardings and Steve Giddins. Jurgen Stigter made again some waves because of much luggage and transfer to London ...

  • Bletchley Park Mansion
  • Calle Erlandsson, Jurgen Stigter, Steve Giddins, Michael Negele und die drei Ehepaare Harding, Van de Velde and Saremba. (Photo taken by Per Skjoldager)
  • In the auditorium
  • Reconstruction of the Colossus computer
  • Alan Turing statue

About Alan Turing

  • The Tragedy of Turing
  • The Apology

Enigma & the Bombe

Chess masters as cryptographers

  • C. Hugh O'D. Alexander
  • Stuart Milner-Barry
  • Entry to the Churchill Museum ...
  • ... presenting countless memorabilia.

Our Gallery 4 presents 30 additional pictures from the visit to Bletchley Park.

The intended visit to Brompton (Zukertort's grave) - Mike Sheehan arguably appeared there at the cemetery and missed us - was cancelled due to the advanced time, the traffic jam on the M11 and the beginning hailstorm at temperatures below 10°C. The accompanying ladies were happy about my turn into the direction Radisson Hotel Stansted, and it was "rewarded" with a fine evening meal in the Italian restaurant there.

Finally sincere thanks go to Kathleen and Owen Hindle as well as to Michael Clapham, but also to those who made the book market possible.

Text: Michael Negele Photos: Andreas Saremba, Michael Negele & Guy Van Habberney

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