chessgames.com
Members · Prefs · Laboratory · Collections · Openings · Endgames · Sacrifices · History · Search Kibitzing · Kibitzer's Café · Chessforums · Tournament Index · Players · Kibitzing

Richard Laver

Number of games in database: 3
Years covered: 1967 to 1970

Most played openings
A58 Benko Gambit (2 games)


Search Sacrifice Explorer for Richard Laver
Search Google for Richard Laver

RICHARD LAVER
(born Oct-20-1942, died Sep-19-2012, 69 years old) United States of America

[what is this?]

Wikipedia article: Richard Laver

Last updated: 2025-06-05 15:59:22

Try our new games table.

 page 1 of 1; 3 games  PGN Download 
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
1. R Laver vs R McCollough  1-0381967Rapid Transit TourneyA66 Benoni
2. R Laver vs Benko  0-1431967American OpenA58 Benko Gambit
3. S J Ridout vs R Laver  0-1321970Islington OpenA58 Benko Gambit
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2) | Laver wins | Laver loses  

Kibitzer's Corner
Jun-05-25
Premium Chessgames Member
  John Saunders: I'm 99% sure this was a US academic mathematician <Richard Joseph Laver> (20 October 1942 – 19 September 2012) - Akihiro Kanamori (a contemporary of mine at Cambridge University in the early 1970s) writes about him here - https://math.bu.edu/people/aki/25+.... - with several references to him being a chess player (playing Benko, etc). Laver was at Bristol University for the two academic years 1969-1971, which fits the timeframe of this tournament.
Jun-05-25  stone free or die: An <affine connection> by <Mr. Saunders>, wonder how he found it in such an obscure math reference.

For the non-mathematicians, I've extracted the chess bits, with a little sprinkling of some Erdös:

<6 Envoi

Let me indulge in a few personal reminiscences, especially to bring out more about Rich Laver. A long, long time ago, I was an aspiring teenage chess master in the local San Francisco chess scene. It was a time fraught with excitement and inventiveness, as well as encounters with eclectic, quirky personalities. In one tournament, I had a gangly opponent who came to the table with shirt untucked and opened 1.g4, yet I still managed to lose. He let on that he was a graduate student in mathematics, which mystified me at the time (what’s new in subtraction?). During my Caltech years, I got wind that Rich Laver was on the UC Berkeley team that won the national collegiate chess championship that year. I eventually saw a 1968 game he lost to grandmaster Pal Benko when the latter was trotting out his gambit, a game later anthologized in [9]. A mutual chess buddy mentioned that Laver had told Laver and set theory him that his thesis result could be explained to a horse—only years later did I take in that he had solved Fraïssé’s Conjecture

[...]

By then at Boulder, Rich would gently suggest going mountain climbing, but I would hint at a constitutional reluctance. He did mention how he was a member of a party that took Paul Erdös up a Flatiron (mountain) near Boulder and how Erdös came in his usual light beige clothes and sandals. In truth, our paths rarely crossed as I remained on the East Coast. Through the 1980s Rich would occasionally send me preprints, sometimes with pencil scribblings. One time, he sent me his early thinking about embeddings of rank into rank. Regrettably, I did not follow up.

The decades went by with our correspondence turning more and more to chess, especially fanciful problems and extraordinary grandmaster games. In a final email to me, which I can now time as well after the onset of Parkinson’s, Rich posed the following chess problem: Start with the initial position and play a sequence of legal moves until Black plays 5 ... N×R mate. I eventually figured out that the White king would have to be at f2, and so sent him: 1. f3, Nf6 2. Kf2, Nh5 3. d3, Ng3 4. Be3, a6 5. Qe1, N × R mate. But then, Rich wrote back, now do it with an intervening check! This new problem kicked around in my mental attic for over a year, and one bright day I saw: 1. f3, Nf6 2. e4, N×e4 3. Qe2, Ng3 4. Q×e7ch, Q×Qch 5. Kf2, N×R mate. But by then it was too late to write him.>

(ibid) https://math.bu.edu/people/aki/25+....

PS - I think even the non-expert should have a passing acquaintance with such a colorful, flavorful character as Erdös.

.

Jun-05-25  stone free or die: Before I pop off for the afternoon I should credit the reminisces above:

<Akihiro Kanamori> who was at BU in 2014.

Also - there's mention of a <Laver-Benko> game. Surely that game must be kicking about somewhere?

(I know it's in Benko's (eponymous?) book about his Gambit)

Jun-05-25  Alan McGowan: I will submit the game (from Benko's book).

It says 'American Open, California 1967'. The BCM 1967, p118, refers to the event at Santa Monica; 128 players, eight-rounds Swiss. A tie between L. Kaufman and R. Kirby, with 7 points, followed by Benko, Blackstone, Cunningham , and Jacobs 6½ etc. No mention of Laver.

Jun-05-25
Premium Chessgames Member
  Stonehenge: Laver finished in 11th place:

http://www.chessdryad.com/articles/...

NOTE: Create an account today to post replies and access other powerful features which are available only to registered users. Becoming a member is free, anonymous, and takes less than 1 minute! If you already have a username, then simply login login under your username now to join the discussion.

Please observe our posting guidelines:

  1. No obscene, racist, sexist, or profane language.
  2. No spamming, advertising, duplicate, or gibberish posts.
  3. No vitriolic or systematic personal attacks against other members.
  4. Nothing in violation of United States law.
  5. No cyberstalking or malicious posting of negative or private information (doxing/doxxing) of members.
  6. No trolling.
  7. The use of "sock puppet" accounts to circumvent disciplinary action taken by moderators, create a false impression of consensus or support, or stage conversations, is prohibited.
  8. Do not degrade Chessgames or any of it's staff/volunteers.

Please try to maintain a semblance of civility at all times.

Blow the Whistle

See something that violates our rules? Blow the whistle and inform a moderator.


NOTE: Please keep all discussion on-topic. This forum is for this specific player only. To discuss chess or this site in general, visit the Kibitzer's Café.

Messages posted by Chessgames members do not necessarily represent the views of Chessgames.com, its employees, or sponsors.
All moderator actions taken are ultimately at the sole discretion of the administration.

Spot an error? Please suggest your correction and help us eliminate database mistakes!
Home | About | Login | Logout | F.A.Q. | Profile | Preferences | Premium Membership | Kibitzer's Café | Biographer's Bistro | New Kibitzing | Chessforums | Tournament Index | Player Directory | Notable Games | World Chess Championships | Opening Explorer | Guess the Move | Game Collections | ChessBookie Game | Chessgames Challenge | Store | Privacy Notice | Contact Us

Copyright 2001-2025, Chessgames Services LLC