Harry Moulding and the 1927 International Match

[DrCaesar]

Moulding was the famous "weak link," losing every single game he played against the Americans and, if memory serves, not securing so much as a single draw. I imagine that was a brutal experience, psychologically, and perhaps a lonely transatlantic return voyage!

I imagine James Ferrie, by all accounts an unusually kind man, tried to buoy his spirits, but this is mere conjecture.

By all accounts, Tigran Petrosian was never the same as a man or as a chess player after Fischer crushed him in Buenos Aires in 1971. Even physically, he was noticeably diminished.

But the next year (1928), ol' Harry made it to the semi-finals in the English championship tournament, and the year after that he won the Lancashire title. Apparently, his love for the game was undiminished, and his competitive streak unbroken.

So next time you're having a bad day at draughts, just remember Harry Moulding!

[Bill Salot]

I received the following e-mail from Ed Atkinson:
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"The ACF Forum has a post by Dr. Caesar indicating that Harry Moulding lost every game that he played in the 1927 Match, Great Britain v. America..

Moulding's actual score in this event was 0 wins, 15 losses and 25 draws.

As usual, I cannot connect to the Forum to make this correction."
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Better than 60% draws against the best in the world is better than a lot of us can claim.

This Forum is missing a lot of good posts from Ed because somebody won't let him in.

[chipschap]

"This Forum is missing a lot of good posts from Ed because somebody won't let him in."

I don't think Ed is actively being denied forum access. I think it is a matter of neglect, as unfortunately this website doesn't seem to get all that much in the way of updates or maintenance. The President's Corner is over 3 years old and the Player's Rep Corner hasn't been updated in over 6 years. News is posted twice a year at best. Thank goodness for Bill Salot's problem competitions and Jim Loy's game of the week!

[DrCaesar]

Thanks to Ed for the correction! Evidently, memory didn't serve . . .

I couldn't find the actual score anywhere online.