Hugh Myers
Hugh Edward Myers (born January 30, 1930 in Decatur (Illinois) , † December 22, 2008 in Davenport (Iowa) ) was an American chess player and opening theorist .
Life
Myers graduated from Millikin University in Decatur with a degree in history and political science in 1951 . After 1954 he worked in the public sector as a sales representative in tax and pension matters. In 1965 he went to the Dominican Republic as an employee of the Peace Corps , where he worked as a teacher for several years. He later returned to the USA and concentrated on his work as a chess journalist. Myers had two sons and two daughters.
Chess career
Myers learned to play chess at the age of 10, and in 1946 he played his first tournament. In 1951 he tied for first at the Illinois State Championship , and in 1955 he won the Wisconsin State Championship . In 1957 he lived in New York and was a member of the Manhattan Chess Club . From 1960 to 1961 he stayed in Spain and played there for various chess clubs. After returning to the United States, he won the Missouri State Championship in 1962 . In 1968 and 1976 he played for his adopted home, the Dominican Republic, at the Chess Olympiads in Lugano and Haifa on the top board. Myers scored 11 points from 26 games. In 1983 he was tied for first at the Iowa State Championship . For health reasons, he played only a little tournament chess and concentrated on his opening theory work. In 1986 he campaigned for the re-election of Florencio Campomanes as President of FIDE .
Myers held the title of "National Master" of the US Chess Federation . His best (retrospectively) historical rating was 2322 in December 1969.
Opening theorist and chess journalist
Myers was known for its unconventional opening ideas. One of his favorites was the Nimzovich Defense , about which he wrote the book The Nimzovich Defense in 1973 . It has been reprinted several times and has also been translated into French. He also wrote the books New Strategy in the Chess Openings (1968), Reversed King Pawns, Mengarini's Opening (1977) and Exploring the Chess Openings (1978). From 1979 to 1988, 38 issues of the magazine The Myers Openings Bulletin , which he edited , appeared, from 1992 to 1996 nine double issues as a continuation under the modified title New Myers Openings Bulletin . In it he often dealt with eccentric ideas such as 1. Ng1 – h3 (with the idea 2. f2 – f4) or 1. e2 – e4 c7 – c5 2. a2 – a4. The magazine had a stimulating effect on Stefan Bücker , who in 1996 started the chess magazine Kaissiber, which was partly similarly oriented .
The opening 1. c2 – c4 g7 – g5, which Myers has analyzed in detail, is called Myers' Defense in the English-speaking world . He also used the move g7 – g5 as an answer to 1. g2 – g3. In 2002 he published an autobiography entitled A Chess Explorer , which contains 130 of his games.
Individual evidence
- ^ Obituary in the Quad-City Times
- ↑ Olimpbase
- ↑ Bücker's note on the obituary for Myers (by Maurits Wind), in: Kaissiber , No. 34, 2008, p. 12
literature
- Maurits Wind: "Hugh Myers (1930-2008)", in: Kaissiber , No. 34, 2008, pp. 10-12
Web links
- Biographical data at Chesshistory.com (English)
- Obituary at Chessbase.com (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Myers, Hugh |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Myers, Hugh Edward (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American chess player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 30, 1930 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Decatur (Illinois) |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 22, 2008 |
| Place of death | Davenport, Iowa |