London Again: Chess And More!

Having gone for eight years without a trip to London, I managed two such excursions within a matter of weeks over the summer.

It was a speedy turnaround after my trip to Wales - just a quick night at home and then it was time to catch the train again. This time it was for business rather than pleasure, but very pleasurable business it turned out to be.

The Marble Arch Inn proved to be a perfectly central place of accommodation, making it relatively easy to get to and from King’s Cross and all of the other places I intended to visit.

The main reason for my trip was to report on the Staunton Memorial chess tournament, taking place at Simpson’s in the Strand, and to meet up with various people for lots of other bits and pieces of writing projects (further details these will become apparent over the next few months).
Part of Simpson’s was used as a press room back in 1993, during the Kasparov v Short World Championship match. The games were played in the Savoy, just next door.

I don’t want to repeat my written report on the Staunton tournament here but will advise you when it is formally published.

Meanwhile, here’s a few photos.

The Staunton Cabinet contains a lot of chess memorabilia.

The Savoy, venue of the famous 1993 World Chess Championship between Kasparov and Short, is still undergoing major work.

A great bonus of being in London this time was being able to meet up with Julian Allinson. He’s been a great friend for well over 20 years but it’s the first time I’ve seen him since he moved to London. Now happily married and with his own business ( see: http://www.heicontracts.com/ ), Julian is in the prime of his life. The hiatus in his chess playing days will surely be only temporary.

We managed to take a few snaps of each other as we enjoyed a night stroll, curry and coffee, but the opportunity for a photograph of the two of us together wasn’t as easy to arrange as it should have been. Very few of the passers-by looked particularly trustworthy so we eventually asked an older chap if he wouldn’t mind taking the shot. We were fairly confident about catching him if he ran off with the camera. However, he claimed never to have used a camera before in his life and handed it back as if it was about to bite him.

Still, we managed to get the picture (...by holding the camera myself, at arm's length!)

Meanwhile, if you bought this month's Doctor Who DVD, 'The War Machines', you'll recognise this particular London building. It's WOTAN-free now, of course.

The last of my three days provided enough spare time to visit the two chess shops and the Sherlock Holmes Museum on Baker Street. It’s a great place, chock-full of Holmesiana and well worth a visit.

Here’s a sneak preview of what to expect...

An authentic Victorian policeman. He even knew the way from the museum to the Chess Shop. 'Ten minutes, straight down the road, look out for it on the left.' He was deadly accurate too. Admirable!

Perhaps you will recognise some of the following scenes.

This is an easy one - from The Speckled Band!


The Napoleon of Crime: Moriarty

Perhaps I'm getting old, but that's a magnificent bust.

A giant hound!

Well...you've got to enter into the spirit of the whole thing, haven't you?

A Great Time In Wales

The school summer holidays give plenty of scope for trips away. Following quickly on from our trip to London, it was time to revisit one of my favourite places: Wales.

Starting off with a couple of days in the North provided a plethora of stunning mountainous views around the Snowdonia region. It also gave a convenient springboard for a trip to the amazing village of Portmeirion Built by Welsh architect Clough Williams-Ellis (it took him from 1925 to 1973), this was of course the famous venue for cult TV show 'The Prisoner' (now being remade, although it's not known at this stage if Portmeirion will feature).

Here's a few snaps from what was the only sunny day of the whole trip...


Starting to recognise it now? By the way, 'The Prisoner' influence is only felt in the village shop dedicated to the cult show. Elsewhere, you are ironically free to roam and just enjoy the extraordinary scenery. Features are often found in unusual place...keep your eyes peeled!


We weren't there long before a local ITV TV news crew turned up to get the thoughts of Marsh Towers for their show. (I suppose it's possible they were interviewing lots of people...)

There are lots of little lakes and wooded walks in addition to the architecture.

There are Italian and Japanese influences here and there.

Soon, it was time to move on to South Wales. This had the bonus of the opportunity to visit Hay-on-Wye, the world famous town of bookshops. There are bookshops on virtually every street corner, in the castle, even in an old cinema. One could spend a very long time investigating Hay. However, I was suitably restrained and came away with just six books on this occasion (...and only one of them chess!).

South Wales is more famous for the bays and coves than the hills and mountains but unfortunately the alost permanent rain curtailed our intended beach-based activities. Never mind - there was still plenty to see and do. There were some unusual creatures in a park...

A very large rabbit. Not quite hiding as much as it thinks it is.

There's no cause for a llama!

Some of the animals were much older...

Some of the houses were very unusual too...

All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable week and a bit. Come to sunny Wales!

Entertainment - And Lots Of It!

In my quest for entertainment I recently attended various shows and events. Here's a few thoughts and comments...

Santana

Manchester Evening News Stadium
21/6/2008

It’s not every day one gets the chance to see one of the greatest guitar players in the world. Seeing two on consecutive weekends is an even rarer opportunity.

There’s an element of confusion as regards the name ‘Santana’. Carlos Santana is undoubtedly the titular attraction, but Santana is also the name of the band.

The MEN Stadium is easy to find and is a very impressive venue. There’s plenty of refreshment kiosks within easy reach of the arena and an abundance of toilets too. These facilities should not be taken lightly and in this respect at least the venue proved superior to Sheffield’s Don Valley Stadium. The toilet situation when we went to see The Rolling Stones two years ago was adequate at best.

Beverley Knight provided great support and joined the band for several numbers.

The show was stunning, both musically and visually. There’s a strong spiritual message in Santana’s music and it came through very strongly here.

I’m by no means an expert on Santana’s back catalogue, but the set-list may be of interest to readers:

Peace/Jingo
Life Is For Living
Incident At Neshabur
Batuka/ No One To Depend On
Capri/ Maria Maria
Foo Foo
Corazan Espinado
Happy/ Right On Be Free
Praise
Lord's Prayer/Sun Ra
Open Invitation/ Drum Solo
BMW/ Gypsy Queen
Oye Como Va
Spartacus/ Smooth/Dame

...and for the encore:

Woodstock Chant/Soul Sacrifice

Angel Chant/Into The Night

Eric Clapton

Harewood House, Leeds

Sunday 29th June

One week later, it was on to Harewood House to see another great act. Open air concerts don’t appeal as much to me as others. The crowds are chaotic and in a constant state of flux, there’s no escape from smokers and it carries a very great threat of being caught out in terrible weather. Indeed, the torrential rain just stopped a few hours before the concert was due to start and luckily stayed away for the rest of the evening.

Robert Randolph & The Family Band began the musicl proceedings, then it was on the main event.

The quality of the concert is unquestionable. Eric Clapton himself was on terrific form as were his band. They played an excellent selection from his extensive career. There was no room for the (apparently retired) classics ‘Tears in Heaven’ and ‘My Father’s Eyes’ but the set-list was still very impressive:

Tell The Truth
Key To The Highway
Hoochie Coochie Man
Isn't It A Pity
Outside Woman Blues
Here But I'm Gone
Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad
Driftin'
Rockin' Chair
Motherless Child
Travellin' Riverside Blues
Running On Faith
Motherless Children
Little Queen of Spades
Before You Accuse Me
Wonderful Tonight
Layla
Cocaine

Encore:

I've Got My Mojo Working (with Robert Randolph)

It's a massive field at Harewood House. The stage can just be seen in the distance.

Probably the last clear view of the stage - about three hours before the main show.

It wasn't possible to get a clear camera view of Eric Clapton on the stage but that's him on the huge screen!

Two Days in London

One of the many good things about London is the massive choice of transport options. We travelled by car, train, tube, Thames Clipper, taxi and foot during two very busy days.

The Doctor Who Exhibition at Earl’s Court was our first destination. The last time I visited Earl’s Court was to see Pink Floyd back in 1994.

Apart from a brief mention of the first eight Doctors at the very start, the exhibition focussed exclusively on the world of Doctor Who since its revival in 2005. The amount of props, costumes and displays was quite staggering. The staff were very friendly and photographs were allowed.

Here’s a small selection of the many we took (more may follow later):

The 10th Doctor welcomes everyone to the exhibition - but warns of dangers ahead.

I'm sure I've played this guy at chess a few times

A girl of dubious habits.

A demonstration of the perils of modern diets.




Nobody likes a big head, but he's got no-body as a friend.

I should have taken the gas mask to King Tut; I could have asked: 'Are you my mummy?'

Don't ask.


Ood'ya think this is?


The emporer revealed!

Err...don't get up.



Big enough for the worldwide web

I didn't dare direct him to the blocked sink.

K-9!!!

There he goes, as regular as clockwork.

This poor Sontaran looks like he needs to take a...little break.

Whatever...


...you do...


...DON'T....

...BLINK!

Here's some famous views from the Thames Clipper....

Canary Wharf. The Daleks and Cybermen were there once, you know.

Traitors' Gate

Approaching The London Eye

The King Tutankhamun Exhibition was at the 02 Arena (formerly the Millennium Dome). The journey to the Arena was made via the Thames Clipper, sailing the Thames from the pier at the London Eye. This made for an excellent journey, enabling us to see many famous landmark buildings. Cheap and frequent, the Clippers are highly recommended.

It’s the first time I’ve been to the 02 Arena. Back when it was first built, a section of the British public was typically quick to label the whole thing as a white elephant. In fact it’s an amazing place with every chance of standing the test of time.

Entering the dome is just like stepping into a new town. In addition to the exhibition, there’s an enormous cinema, a large selection of coffee shops and eateries, various other intriguing features and of course the main arena itself, with an extremely impressive list of forthcoming shows.
The Tutankhamun Exhibition was an amazing experience and a very well-attended event, despite being open for some time. It’s quite humbling to be in the presence of such extraordinary artefacts and history from so long ago. Their achievements, society and culture look like things from another planet, far in advance of ours.

There was just time for a trip to a couple of shops - Foyles bookshop in particular - before settling down for some pre-theatre food. Then it was off to the Aldwych Theatre for Dirty Dancing.

I’ve never seen the film so I had little idea of what to expect. It was quite an experience. The set changes were so slick and effective, converting a bar to a holiday camp to a golf course and back with astonishing ease and rapidity.

I won’t go into detail about the plot as I wouldn’t want to spoil anyone’s enjoyment, but suffice to say there’s a love story featuring an unlikely couple, a lot of top-class dancing and a whole host of impressive performances.

A whistle-stop tour of various other notable London attractions completed a busy and enjoyable couple of days. An ice cream and a cup of tea in Hyde Park - on the hottest day of the year! - was a particularly English highlight.

Then it was time to return to Teesside, but not for too long, before setting off another long journey...