Richard Downing
Favourite Colour:
Green Favourite Football Team: Norwich City (my first game was a 4-2 win against Derby County and the centre forward got a hat-trick....I was hooked from that moment. I suppose I must have been about 12 at the time. Pets: A three quarter Dalmatian one quarter Pointer named Oswald. Before that we had Crispin who sadly passed away a couple of years ago. Hobbies other than Chess: |
Sport. Cricket....I still play after all these years though I am on the wane. Travelling...I have been to over 53 countries and worked in 11 of them. Wine...and Gardening and writing the odd book. Eating and getting fat.
Marital Status: Married to Yuki Favourite Music Band/Singer: The Doors, Bryan Ferry, The Eagles, John Martyn Favourite Film of all time: One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Sting, A Clockwork Orange, The Godfather Last book read (excluding Chess): A Tengu's Tale...superb...I couldn't put it down! Favourite Holiday Destinations: Australia ,Japan, Sri Lanka, Hungary and north Portugal. Most memorable Holiday: I have enjoyed every where I have been and worked though Iran, Sudan, Pakistan and Afghanistan rank low on the list. Amoebic dysentery in India was not so good nor was being mugged in Thailand or being shot in Brazil or having my arm snapped in half in Japan, but hey ho...all grist to the mill. Country you would most like to visit: I am lucky to have already visited many places that I have wanted to see – Australia, Asia "from the vineyards of Bordeaux to the wilds of Borneo...from Milan to old Japan....hit me with your rhythm stick". Brazil, Africa Japan,and have visited several European countries to work in. If I was to visit one new place, it would be Chile because of the famous wines. Now for some Chess Stuff! When did you start playing? I can remember exactly the first time our history teacher walked into the classroom and asked all the boys who wanted to learn a new game called chess. I put my hand up and for the next year or so got ritually slaughtered by fellow team mate Nigel Larter so badly it put me off the game for twenty years or so. I relearned it in the Philippines on a tiny island with no electricity and a few years later began to win the odd prize and trophy.. When did you first join a club? I joined a chess club in Osaka, Japan about twenty years ago and then after marriage I played for the Dons, but the club kept moving all over the place and eventually it proved too far to travel what with the awful bus service so I really was lucky to be welcomed to such a friendly club as the one we are now at .I have been here about eight years now. Most memorable Chess Moments: Winning a grading prize at the British Open and being given a cash prize by IM Andrew Martin. Being beaten by a blind player. Winning the Norfolk under 125 cup a few years back. Drawing with David LeMoir. Worst Chess Moment: None that I can think of. All games have been either enjoyable or at least a lesson, though last year I played Nigel Larter in a crap game and had nine question marks by Fritz. Funniest Chess Moment: Watching Andrew Sangster leave his queen en prise in our game last year a move away from mate. The bizarre and weird thing is that I somehow expected him to do it ...and he did! Why did you become interested in chess? At school we had what was called hobbies afternoon...thus I was able to learn table tennis to a high standard -coached by Johnny Leach the old world champ....judo....threw over the regular school bully...and chess- as said before a target for Nigel. What are your strong points and weak points? Strong – Inventive, optimistic and hard to ground down. Weak – occasional time trouble and lack of tactical knowledge Do you have a copy of your best ever win? It is difficult to select a best ever win but one of my best wins was against a guy called Mark Pooley in the Norfolk Championship who decimated me throughout the game only for me to engineer a stunning come back from the dead. His quote at the end of the game "All your Christmases' must have come at once" stays with me even now. It was also a bit of revenge as the previous year he had duffed up my mate and fellow St John's player Ken Ellis in a similar situation. Your aims for the future: To carry on enjoying playing, improve my game and help my team to win matches. A Grade of 150 plus would be nice. To take part in tournaments again. To live forever or die in the attempt! |