When I read the above headline it immediately brought to mind a snide comment by the late
James R. Schroeder who said of the passing of a national master and chess writer that he died 50 years too late. But, in 1994, that's how IM William Hartston described the sad moment at the end of the annual Hastings Congress when, just as the congress was ending, it was announced William Ritson-Morry had passed away at the age of 83 after a fall at his home, he was referring to cigars that Ritson-Morry smoked. He had been a “stalwart supporter of Hastings as player, controller, organizer and fairy godfather for almost as long as anyone could remember.”
Ritson-Morry (September 5, 1910 - January 8, 1994) was British Correspondence Champion in 1942 and was responsible for conceiving the idea of a World Junior Championship. The first such event was held in Birmingham, England in 1951.
Hartston described him as “a strange old bird, with a taste in foul-smelling cigars that demanded either anosmia or a strong stomach of anyone staying long enough to listen to his unending stream of anecdotes.” Hartston did not mention it, but it was also said of him that he was “not reluctant to break wind in public when the need arose in him.” Reminds me of a former co-worker who said you should never be embarrassed by natural bodily sounds. As a three pack a day smoker, coughing, retching, gagging and spitting hawkers in the wastebasket, belching and letting one rip never bothered him in the least.
Not easy to get along with, Ritson-Morry was disliked by some and was described as being cantankerous if something happened to upset his schedule or if he ran in to a No Smoking sign. But, nobody could deny his love of chess and that his efforts and expertise contributed greatly to the development of the game in Britain. It was also said he never let facts spoil a good story and he seemed to lead others to add embellishments to his own exploits.
Ritson-Morry also had a criminal past. In the late 1930s he was a solicitor and invested clients’ money without their knowledge or consent in a speculative property development. He was convinced that the development would make a large profit and he would be able to replace the clients’ money and take the profit for himself.
Unfortunately for Ritson Morry, with the outbreak of the Second World War the development collapsed and he lost all the money which he was unable to repay. As soon as his clients became aware of the situation they contacted the police and he was charged with the fraudulent conversion of more than £3,000.
And, in July of 1945, he was charged with four counts of using clients' money to indulge in dog racing. In court, Ritson-Morry conducted his own defense and addressing the jury, he contended that he had had no intention to defraud any of the parties. He lost the case and was disbarred and sentenced to 18 months in jail.
In 1954 he sued the editor of Chess magazine, B.H. Wood, for criminal libel. Wood had written a letter to a chess official stating that if Ritson-Morry was in the new Welsh Chess Union, Wood was out. He he referred to Ritson-Morry as “this ex-gaolbird.” The court ruled that Wood was entitled to give his reasons for withdrawing from the WCU and, furthermore, the statement was true. It was ruled that the case should never have been brought and awarded Wood costs not exceeding £100.
In the early 1970s, a relative died and left him about three acres of land outside Birmingham. He estimated the value of the land at about £2,500 and was pleasantly surprised when a local property developer who, after inspecting the land, offered him £7,500 per acre. He used the money to finance a Birmingham International and provided a donation to the Hastings tournament of 1974 which was needed to keep the traditional event alive. Taxes claimed the rest and once again he was bankrupt for the second time, the first being in 1943.
He was often seen playing in tournaments with a radio against his ear as he listened to cricket matches and as he got older and began serving as tournament director, he would be found asleep at the director's table with a cigar in his mouth.
As a player his best result was in the British Championships in 1936 where he shared second place and in 1951 when he shared third. Never one of be unduly bothered positional play, he claimed, “God gave us pieces for the purpose of attacking the opponent.”
A good example of his tactical abilities is seen in the following game. The Yorkshire Chess Club has details of Ritson-Morry's opponent HERE.
