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| Dec-09-08 | | Riverbeast: <BTW have any of you read Bill Hook's "Hooked on Chess" book? He seems to be of this era, when there were a lot of serious chess clubs and hustle joints in the city.> That 'era' lasted well into the 80s and 90s....Basically until the ICC took over Some of you may remember the 'Bar Point' on 14th street, a dingy little walk up where there were tournaments/ quads almost every day, and Asa Hoffmann and other hustlers would prowl around for fish. One guy (who shall remain nameless) managed the Bar Point and lived in one of the rooms...I remember when some friends of mine and I were playing an all night blitz session, he rolled out of bed with his hair going in four different directions, and asked if he could join in. He made the list of 'most active' players in the US because he was a true chess junkie who lived in the club! There were cash poker games in the back room, as I recall...Not strictly legal but nobody seemed to notice... I don't think I ever went to the 'Flea House' Bill Hook writes about, that may have been before my time....But I remember another seedy little joint called 'The Game Room'...I don't know if that's the same place or not...Maybe <Strongest Force> knows |
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Dec-09-08
 | | HeMateMe: If you're a backgammon player (and there are more people playing backgammon for money than chess) you be saddened to hear of the end of the ace point club, on 61st street and Madison ave. This was upscale backgammnn, high stakes,in a clean modern building. Professionals like Bill Robertie gave expensive lessons there. Kit Woolsey played there. I'd heard of russian high rollers there playing for as much as $5,000 a point. When the poker boom began a few years ago, the club swithched from backgammnon to poker. Then they moved way over to the east river, where the rent was lower. Unfortunately, the poker games werent legal. They got raided by the police and went out of business. Alas, another famous gaming room bit the dust. I don't think there are anymore legitimate backgammon clubs in NYC, just the odd tournament here and there. LIke most people, I think New York was a lot more interesting in the 70s and 80s, before the whole city became wall-marted and Trumped. |
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| Dec-09-08 | | Riverbeast: <LIke most people, I think New York was a lot more interesting in the 70s and 80s, before the whole city became wall-marted and Trumped.> Amen.
Being born and raised in NYC I've seen more than a few changes, and most of them were not for the better....A lot of the character of the city has been washed away. Not that they can ever get rid of 'the flavor' entirely...It is NYC after all! Another good spot was the outdoor tables at Liberty Plaza, near the financial district....Chess and backgammon....Wall street traders would gamble some pretty heavy stakes at backgammon there. Of course, that was blocks away from the World Trade Center...After 9/11 that spot also disappeared. I think someone should start a movement to bring back the game rooms or outdoor tables.... Playing online is fun but it's just not the same |
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Dec-09-08
 | | Strongest Force: Of all the different places to play, "The Flea House" in the heart of Times Square, right accross the street from where the ball drops on New Year's Eve was the best place to play. It was the most rundown and seedy club but all the legends of blitz played there. When this club went down the Game Room took over. The game room was a very nice club. There was a bar with TV, a small kitchen that could "hook-up" a hamburger and fries, a dart board, many comfortable seats, 3 great owners who i helped to move twice including the last move from 104th street to The Beacon Theatre-basement club which was ultra modern. I remember introducing Max Dlugy (only 12) to 3 blitz legends: Asa Hoffman, Steve Brandwein, and late Russian master Yuckman who trained Tal. Max had long sessions with all 3 and i supplied him with enough food to keep him going. This was one of the great anonymous parts of chess history. Six years later, members of the club were excited and had cut-out articles from the New York Times reporting the progress of Dlugy who led the US Championship/FIDE Zonal tournament for most of the 1st half. Max tied for 3rd with another Game Room guy (John Fedorowicz) and won the playoff and went on to the interzonal where he narrowly missed qualifying for the candidates matches. |
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Dec-10-08
 | | brankat: This is great stuff guys. Thank You so much for sharing Your memories. No doubt, three of You could co-operate on "NYC Chess Stories" :-) <LIke most people, I think New York was a lot more interesting in the 70s and 80s, before the whole city became wall-marted and Trumped.> <Amen.
Being born and raised in NYC I've seen more than a few changes, and most of them were not for the better....A lot of the character of the city has been washed away. > Sadly, as I said before, the same is true for a number of other cities with rich Chess tradition. Both, in the States and Europe. Of course, all this is equally relevant to other faucets of our traditions and history, not only chess-related ones. |
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Dec-10-08
| | HeMateMe: Indeed! I remember the first time I went into CBGBs, this narrow, sweaty, club on the Bowery, with combat netting hanging from the ceiling. There was a pack of skinheads outside. The amps were loud enough to blow the dirt off your skin. Sometimes you felt a little bit scared in there. Cult favies like Television, Richard Hell and the Voidoids and Kill All Mondays played there. Fran Liebewitz said "I like the way Times Square used to be. There SHOULD be places the tourists are scared to go." Now the family that owned CBGBs is fighting in court over sales of memorabilia. What would Joey Ramone say? |
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Dec-10-08
| | Strongest Force: <HeMateMe> My musical taste run more to mainstream and so i never thought of going to CBGB until a chess-friend begged me to go. He was feeling bad because of a girlfriend break-up and sounded like he was a potential suicide case and i felt real bad about that. Mostly unknown bands played there but i think The Talking Heads started there... now they're in the rock hall of fame. |
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| Jun-11-09 | | myschkin: . . .
Henley is now best known for his business associations. He is right-hand-man, second, analyst and trainer for former World Chess Champion Anatoli Karpov . This is especially surprising since Henley is not known to be able to speak any Russian. source: http://dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enwi... |
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| Sep-04-09 | | Pawn Ambush: Ron Henely plays Jp in speed chess winning 5-0.
Jp is a strong speed player who frequents Liberty Park in Manhattan, Ron works in the Wall st. area and occasionally stops by few a games during his lunch break. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPsE... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEJF... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lO14... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Btph... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuJ-... |
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| Sep-04-09 | | JaneEyre: <He is right-hand-man, second, analyst and trainer for former World Chess Champion Anatoli Karpov . This is especially surprising since Henley is not known to be able to speak any Russian.> Is Karpov known to speak any English? |
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Sep-04-09
 | | Benzol: <JaneEyre> <Is Karpov known to speak any English?> I've seen interviews where Karpov is speaking in English. |
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Sep-04-09
| | HeMateMe: He gave a half hour speech in english at a club some time ago, before doing a 30-board simul. He included Fischer references, as that was a popular topic for all gathered. I think he mentioned speaking to Fischer in Washington DC in 1980, about a possible match. Karpov may also have been in San Antonio in '72 and met Fischer, spoke of it, not sure. I think Petrosian was at that tournament. The USSR always sent two GMs to the foreign tournaments. Does anyone know the club or occassion? |
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| Sep-04-09 | | MaxxLange: I always wondered about the Russian/English problem. How did Henley, a kid from Texas, end up on Karpov's training group? He could have been the computer expert OR an openings guy OR a board partner, none of which would require him really having to speak with Karpov in depth , especially since other Karpov personnel could do English/Russian interpretation as needed I loved his "Powerplay" books. I have the ones on the Sicilian, and the Dragon, and the KIA. Are they still in print? |
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| Sep-04-09 | | MaxxLange: I bet the connection was via that Church's Fried Chicken tournament in Texas back in the '70s. I am not making this up! Larsen, Karpov, and other very strong players competed in the Church's Fried Chicken Open. Some say that Fischer visited the tournament room one year, but did not stay long. |
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| Sep-04-09 | | abcpokerboy: The connection may also have some financial implications. Henley made a fair amount of money stock trading, and that gives him access to such opportunities. Henley was also a second to Walter Browne when Walter was in Interzonals. (Walter's a friend of mine) Henley produced some videos with top players in the mid to late 90's of their best or favorite games. Shirov, Karpov, Browne, as well as an analysis of the second Kasparov-Deep Blue match done with Seirawan. |
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| Sep-04-09 | | MaxxLange: <HeHateMe> is referring to the same idea as me - San Antonio in '72 speculation <abcpokerboy> I have heard it said that Karpov's main interest when he came to America was to make money, which was actually kind of reasonable, for a man in the social elite of the USSR. allowed to travel and to acquire foreign currency |
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Sep-05-09
| | HeMateMe: Just a guess, but Henley may have been the go-between in getting Karpov an endorsement deal with 'Excaliber', or one of the other stand alone chess machines that were popular before computers became lighter and much cheaper. I don't know if it was Excaliber, or some other chess machine, I do remember both Karpov and Kasparov both separately endorsed competing products. Fischer turned down a bundle to endorse one. There is no reason to assume that Henley speaks Russian, Karpov speaks English well enough, and probably reads it better then he speaks it. There was a movie, I think called "The Great Chess Game" that detailed the Lone Pine Tournament of the mid 70s, in California. Karpov was at this particular year of that tournament, and was interviewed, and was speaing english ok. |
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Mar-09-11
 | | GrahamClayton: Here is a Henley victory not in the database:
[Event "?"]
[Site "New York"]
[Date "1983.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Henley, Ron W"]
[Black "Dlugy, Maxim"]
[Result "1-0"]
1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e3 e5 4.  c3 exd4 5. exd4 f6 6.  xc4 e7 7. f3 O-O 8.O-O g4 9. h3 h5 10. g4 g6 11. e5 c6 12. f4 b5 13. b3 b4 14. f5 bxc3 15.fxg6 hxg6 16. bxc3 d5 17.  f3 f6 18. a3  e8 19. ae1 xe5 20. xf7+  h8 21.xe5 xe5 
click for larger view22. f8+ xf8 23. xf8+ 1-0
23...h7 24.dxe5 b6 25.e6 a6 26.e7 c7 27.g5
Source: Bill Wall, "500 Queen's Gambit Miniatures", Chess Enterprises Inc, Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, 1985 |
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| Jul-14-11 | | bartonlaos: This guy virtually dropped out of the scene in the mid-80's only to reappear in the late 90's. Now, in 2011 he's playing again - a few tournaments in Florida - which should be uploaded here - and a blitz at the National Open. He's still about 2500. Back in the day he made Videos with GMs such as Karpov - and he's just come out with a new one: http://shop.chesscafe.com/Foxy_Open... |
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Sep-05-11
 | | wordfunph: from the book The Spanish Exchange! by Ron Henley & Paul Hodges.. <"Confidence is the key. Confidence and preparation. I knew I had a chance. I had done my homework, and I was ready. Everyone was surprised when I won the tournament except me. Of course, you can't know you're going to win a tournament, but it's important to
believe you have a chance.">
- GM Ron Henley (after a surprise first place finish with 17.5/25 and a tie with GM Walter Browne in Surakarta-Denpasar 1982) |
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| Dec-05-11 | | Penguincw: Hmm. He beat Keene. Not bad. |
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Dec-05-11
 | | Caissanist: Oh, he was better the Keene, at least when he was having his best results in the early eighties. As with many American players, his peak was high but short. |
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| Sep-09-12 | | Llawdogg: Great stories guys! Thanks. |
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| Sep-09-12 | | Everett: Looks quite slim in his youth. |
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| Dec-27-12 | | Morphischer: Should add this game against Judit Polgar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?featur... |
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