- Raymond Dennis Keene, The Boat Race of the Brain, TheArticle, February 16, 2019
The 2019 match will be staged on Saturday 2nd March at The Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall. As usual, the play will unfold under the benign tutelage of traditional organiser, Henry Mutkin, a former Oxford player, and Stephen Meyler, Chair of the RAC Chess Circle, the most successful competitor in the London Clubs League. Spectators are welcome, if suitably attired, and battle commences at noon on the day.
The big question this year was whether Oxford would be able to rely on the presence of its new recruit, 侯逸凡 (Hóu Yìfán), a Rhodes Scholar from China, one time vanquisher of Judit Polgár and former female world champion. The tempting counter attraction for 侯 (Hóu) was the German Bundesliga, also scheduled for the same weekend. Condottieri in the Bundesliga are actually paid by their clubs, so it was down to the relative magnetic power of a fistful of Euros, or the immortal prestige (unpaid) of joining a British tradition which goes back well over a century, hallowed by the spirits of the Giants of the day. We are all (even Cambridge alumni) delighted that 侯 (Hóu) has made the honourable choice! With 侯 (Hóu) now confirmed in their ranks, Oxford will be the favourites to win. Without her contribution, Oxford’s fortunes in this year’s match might well have joined the lost causes for which they are so celebrated. [Read more]. |
The first Oxford vs. Cambridge Varsity Chess Match, 1873. Illustration from The Illustrated London News, April 5, 1873, p. 325.
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