I am sad to announce that George recently passed away at the age of 89. Over the last few years his health deteriorated following a dementia diagnosis and eventual heart failure.
He was born in Budapest and had two sisters. His father ran the family barber’s business which was destroyed by bombing towards the end of WW2. As a teenager he became interested in sport including boxing, football and a little later chess. His family endured financial problems due to losing the family business and at the age of 20 George decided to leave his home country and head for England. Over the years he returned to visit on many occasions until his relatives in Hungary had passed away.
Upon arrival in the UK he headed for Mansfield unable to speak any English. A week later he got his first job as a toolmaker at Simpson Wright & Lowe. His employer could not get on with his real name of Janos and subsequently he became known as “George” a name which he continued to be known as by work colleagues and friends. George’s formal education had suffered in Hungary due to the war, but he was intelligent and upon his UK arrival taught himself the English language by watching English speaking films.
He was a fitness fanatic and developed an interest in body building. In 1969 he won the “Mr Nottingham” title. Not long thereafter he gave up body building as he was unhappy that many of his competitors were using steroids which he was not prepared to do. George followed his own healthy dietary regime which he continued with until the end.
I first met him in the early 1970’s when he joined Sutton-in-Ashfield Chess Club. He was a real character, self-confident, funny with strong opinions about many subjects. He rapidly became a bit of a legend locally and often referred to himself as “The Master” and after losing a game he commonly said “I should have won the shocker” irrespective of the actual analysis of the game.
In the 1980’s he moved to Mansfield chess club and played his last game for them in 2024. While continuing to play for Mansfield he also played for Belper, Worksop and Chesterfield chess clubs at various times. He played for Nottinghamshire second team and in 2002 he became Nottinghamshire individual county champion at the age of 65. George was Sutton club champion in 1982 and a member of the team which won the Midlands correspondence chess championship in 1998.
George played regularly on the weekend congress circuit mainly in grade limited competitions where he had a lot of success. Whilst playing in competitions you would sometimes hear a disruption at one off the boards due to a dispute of some kind and often George was at the centre of it. Not infrequently George would get bored during a game and would disappear to the side of the room and do some shadow boxing and press ups to pass the time. When he was in a more exuberant mood these exercises would involve press ups using chairs and vertical press ups with his feet halfway up the wall. He also had a gambling habit and has been known to leave the playing room during a game to visit the local bookmaker to check the results, collect his winning or put on another bet.
Another notable achievement of his was the discovery and invention of a new variation in the Kings Gambit which subsequently was named after him. This variation became known as the “Wagenbach Defence” and a Chapter has been devoted to the variation in Jon Tait’s book A Disreputable Opening Repertoire (2022). Additionally, several articles have been published elsewhere all discussing the merits of the variation.
During the last 5 years of his life he played significantly less chess than before and it was clear that illness was having an impact on his results. In his prime he was a quick thinking player who relied upon his natural ability but this increasingly disappeared at the end.
In 2022 he made the headlines after placing a 3p bet at the local bookmakers and winning just under £2700.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-60320434
George had a full and eventful life and condolences go to his daughter Jessica and two grandchildren who he dearly loved. George will be missed by many who met him and especially all at Mansfield Chess Club.
Ken Morrison