Michael Littleton

Schaak grootmeesterJan Hein Donner aan het schaakbord, Bestanddeelnr 919-6014
Attribution: Fotograaf Onbekend / Anefo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

A recent thread at the English Chess Forum pointed out that a large collection of high-quality chess photographs from the Dutch National Archive has recently been made available via Wikimedia Commons.

I’m not sure how many are of Irish interest; on an early search, I found the above photograph of the 1962 (joint) and 1965 Irish champion Michael Littleton playing against Jan Donner in the 1966 Zonal Tournament in The Hague.

(Click on photograph for version on Wikimedia Commons, then click again for full sized version.)

Though the photograph is excellent, the game and the tournament were less memorable from an Irish perspective: Littleton was lost out of the opening, and this was one of a series of 10 consecutive losses he endured, on the way to finishing last on 2/16 (+1 =2 -13). These Zonals were tough events for Irish players in the early years.

It’s worth pointing out that Littleton played again in the following cycle, ending with a vastly more respectable performance of +1 =10 -5 at the Zonal at the Algarve 1969.

[Click to replay the full game.]

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