Misplaced Pages

#219780

42-955: In addition to the annual international tournament at the Christmas Congress, Hastings has also hosted international tournaments at irregular intervals in its Summer Congress. The most celebrated of these is Hastings 1895 , which featured two world champions and nearly all of the world's best players. Every World Champion before Garry Kasparov except Bobby Fischer played at Hastings: Wilhelm Steinitz (1895), Emanuel Lasker (1895), José Raúl Capablanca (1919, 1929/30, 1930/1 and 1934/5), Alexander Alekhine (1922, 1925/6, 1933/4 and 1936/7), Max Euwe (1923/4, 1930/1, 1931/2, 1934/5, 1945/6 and 1949/50), Mikhail Botvinnik (1934/5, 1961/2 and 1966/7), Vasily Smyslov (1954/5, 1962/3 and 1968/9), Mikhail Tal (1963/4), Tigran Petrosian (1977/8), Boris Spassky (1965/6), and Anatoly Karpov (1971/2). The only champions to play Hastings while currently holding

84-425: A 53-shop chain of English betting shops to Ladbrokes. In 1975, Ladbrokes moved into racecourse management by purchasing Lingfield Park . This was followed by the acquisitions in 1976 of Perry Barr Stadium and Totalisators and Greyhound Holdings, which owned six greyhound racing stadia at Brough Park , Crayford & Bexleyheath , Leeds , Gosforth , Willenhall and Monmore . Arthur Aldridge, formerly of

126-572: A final round victory over Thomas to tie for first with Alekhine, but achieved only a draw to fall a half point short. Alekhine won with 7.5, Rubinstein was second with 7, and Bogoljubow and Thomas tied for third-fourth with 4.5. Hastings 1895 chess tournament The Hastings 1895 chess tournament was a round-robin tournament of chess conducted at the Brassey Institute in Hastings , England from 5 August to 2 September 1895. Hastings 1895

168-670: A fine of AUD207,500 on Ladbrokes Australia and another GVC Holdings brand, Neds, for offering illegal gambling inducements to residents in New South Wales. The regulator called it "the biggest ever fine of its kind" in NSW. On 21 December 2022, the Advertising Standards Authority ruled that an advertisement that Ladbrokes ran in October 2022, featuring Premier League footballers Philippe Coutinho, Jesse Lingard and Kalidou Koulibaly,

210-450: A result, in 1956 the company was acquired by Mark Stein and his nephew Cyril Stein for a reported £100,000. In 1961, the government legalised betting shops under the Betting and Gaming Act . As managing director, Stein used profits from the business's traditional areas to establish a chain of betting shops. The company first diversified outside the betting business by taking a major stake in

252-772: A spot in the next years Premier. In the 1964/5 Premier she scored 5/9 to place fifth, beating all of the British masters in the tournament. Judit Polgár tied for first place in the 1992/3 Premier tournament. The 2021/22 edition of the Congress was cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The Hastings Variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined takes its name from the game Victor Berger (né Buerger) – George Alan Thomas , Hastings 1926/7, which began 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Bg5 h6 5.Bxf6 Qxf6 6.Nc3 c6 7.Qb3. The first Christmas Congress in 1920/1

294-499: A truly international competition with four foreign participants in the field of ten. Max Euwe (Netherlands) won with 7.5/9. Except for 1924/5 and during World War II, the tournaments would continue as ten-player events with the field half British, half foreign. In 1968 the field was increased to twelve, and in 1971 it was increased again to sixteen. The Congress was held in the Hastings Town Hall from 1921 to 1929. In 1930 it

336-408: Is a British gambling company founded in 1886. Its product offering includes sports betting , online casino , online poker , and online bingo . The Ladbrokes portion of the group was established in 1886, and Coral in 1926. In November 2016, the companies merged to create Ladbrokes Coral Group. Since March 2018, it has been owned by Entain (formerly GVC Holdings). Prior to its sale, Ladbrokes Coral

378-407: Is threatening mate with ...Rxc1, as well as threatening to capture White's queen and knight. In order to prevent ...Rxc1, Steinitz's rook now "thumbs its nose" at the black king: repeatedly checking right in front of the king, which cannot capture it. This crucial move eliminates the h-pawn and allows White to bring in his queen to attack without ever allowing Black to play ...Rxc1 and mate. Bowing to

420-584: The Competition and Markets Authority identified 642 areas where the merger would harm local competition, and said 350 to 400 shops would need to be sold off for the merger to be approved. The merger was completed on 2 November 2016. To effect the merger, Ladbrokes acquired the Coral Group and then changed its name from Ladbrokes plc to Ladbrokes Coral Group plc. In 2017, Ladbrokes announced they were leaving their Rayners Lane HQ, home to around 1,000 employees. It

462-782: The Dragonara Palace in Malta, a casino and hotel, which opened its first phase in 1964. In 1967, Ladbrokes was floated on the London Stock Exchange. From 1967 to 1973, Ladbrokes' retail betting business grew from less than 50 shops to 1,135, and the company expanded its ventures to include bingo clubs, hotels under the Dragonara brand, casinos in London, holiday centres , and real estate investments. In 1973, Terry Rogers received £250,000 and 100,000 Ladbrokes shares when he sold his stake in

SECTION 10

#1732845374220

504-471: The Greyhound Racing Association , joined Ladbrokes as Racing Director. The company was rocked by scandal in 1979 with the exposure of illegal marketing schemes at its London casinos, including the bribery of a police officer to obtain information about high rollers at competing casinos. As a result, Ladbrokes was forced to close its four casinos in London, which accounted for roughly 40% of

546-664: The Saint Petersburg 1895–96 chess tournament . Following the success of the event, the Hastings tournament would become an annual feature. The organizers and players produced a Book of the Tournament, in which the participants annotated their own games. Like the Tournament, the Book too became an annual feature and was of very high instructional value. Many of the games were of high quality and hard-fought. Here are two examples: In round ten,

588-530: The Challengers' section was £4, with the 32-player field selected from the entries received. Zetters International Pools was the sponsor in 1975, and Ladbrokes in 1976. Other sponsors included J. D. Slater , W. R. Morry, and the Friends of Chess. The 1961/2 Congress featured World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik, making his first return to Hastings since 1934/5. The 1934/5 Congress was Botvinnik's first tournament outside

630-470: The Soviet Union and he had finished a disappointing fifth behind Sir George Thomas , Max Euwe, and Salo Flohr tied for 1st-3rd, and Capablanca at 4th. This time Botvinnik was undefeated, winning seven and drawing two to finish first with 8/9. Svetozar Gligorić was second with 6, Flohr third with 5.5, and Arthur Bisguier and John Penrose tied for fourth-fifth with 5. Hastings 1895 is considered one of

672-573: The St Leonards and Hastings Corporations. This allowed an increase in the prize funds for both the Premier and Challengers' sections, with the prizes for the Premier being 1st £250, 2nd £100, 3rd £50, 4th £25, and £5 per won game for non-prize winners. Challengers prizes were 1st £100, 2nd £50, 3rd £30, 4th £20, 5th £10, and a £20 prize for the best score by a British player. Participants in the by-invitation Premier section had expenses paid. The entry fee for

714-510: The Strand , moved to Hanover Square in 1906 and, in 1913, to Six Old Burlington Street, Mayfair . From 1913 to 1956, Ladbrokes' clientele was exclusively drawn from the British aristocracy and upper classes, many of whom were members of the elite gentlemen's clubs in the St James's area of Central London. Unusually for the times, Ladbrokes' principal longtime representative on British racecourses

756-550: The UK Gambling Commission announced that Ladbrokes Coral would pay £5.9m for past failings in anti-money laundering and social responsibility. An investigation found that the companies failed to put in place effective safeguards, to prevent consumers suffering gambling harm and against money laundering, between November 2014 and October 2017. On 14 February 2020, the Liquor and Gaming New South Wales regulatory agency imposed

798-609: The Vernons brand was sold to Sportech . Following the introduction of the Gambling Act 2005 in the United Kingdom and the subsequent relaxation of advertising laws for gambling companies in 2007, a television campaign by Ladbrokes that included a host of ex professional footballers was the first to result in complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA); the ASA eventually cleared

840-657: The assets, including racetracks and casinos in the United States and bingo and betting businesses in South America, were sold by 2001. In addition, the company sold its twenty-seven casinos in the United Kingdom to the Gala Group in December 2000 for £236 million. In February 2006, the company sold its hotel operations to Hilton Hotels Corporation for £3.5 billion, and once more rebranded itself as Ladbrokes plc. In March 2007,

882-648: The campaign. The company once again came under fire from the ASA in January 2009, due to complaints relating to an advertising campaign. Since 2007, Ladbrokes operated in Spain through the LBApuestas brand, but in April 2014 it terminated its licence for LBApuestas and created a website, Sportium, in a joint venture with the Spanish gaming and leisure operator Cirsa . The company entered

SECTION 20

#1732845374220

924-488: The combined company. In December 2018, Ladbrokes paid victims £1 million in compensation after it was disclosed that a problem gambler had been stealing funds from his business clients to fund his habit. The payments were made on the condition that the victims did not report the operator to the UK Gambling Commission, the regulatory body in charge of monitoring all gambling in the United Kingdom. On 31 July 2019,

966-451: The company's profits. Ladbrokes acquired Texas Homecare , a chain of DIY stores , in 1986. In October 1987, it acquired Hilton International from Allegis Corporation for £645 million, gaining 91 hotels and the rights to the Hilton brand outside the United States. Ladbrokes acquired Vernons Football Pools in 1989. Stein retired in January 1994, under pressure from investors because of

1008-433: The company's rising debts and losses. Under the new management and direction of Peter George , Ladbrokes focused on its core areas of hotels and gambling, and began to divest other parts of its business. Texas Homecare was sold to Sainsbury's in January 1995 for £290 million. Ladbrokes' extensive portfolio of commercial and residential real estate, valued at £1 billion in 1993, was sold off in pieces and by March 1997

1050-534: The greatest tournaments in the history of chess. It was one of the first tournaments to include all the top players, including former World Champion Wilhelm Steinitz and current champion Emanuel Lasker , Mikhail Chigorin , Siegbert Tarrasch , Karl Schlechter , Joseph Henry Blackburne , David Janowski , and others. The result of the 22-game round-robin was a surprise, as American Harry Nelson Pillsbury won with 16.5 points despite playing in his first international tournament. The Hastings 1919 "Victory Tournament"

1092-423: The inevitable (or perhaps frustrated that even with mate in one, he could not capitalize), von Bardeleben simply left the tournament hall, letting his time run out. Steinitz demonstrated for the spectators how the game might have continued: 25...Kg8 26.Rg7+ Kh8 27.Qh4+ Kxg7 28.Qh7+ Kf8 29.Qh8+ Ke7 30.Qg7+ Ke8 31.Qg8+ Ke7 32.Qf7+ Kd8 33.Qf8+ Qe8 34.Nf7+ Kd7 35.Qd6 # This game won the first brilliancy prize in

1134-552: The online betting market in Australia with its acquisition of Bookmaker.com.au for £13 million in September 2013, followed by a purchase of Betstar for £12 million in April 2014. In June 2015, Ladbrokes announced that they were in talks with the board of Gala Coral Group over a possible merger. The combination of the two companies created Britain's biggest bookmaker, with over 4,000 betting shops and 30,000 employees. In July 2016,

1176-712: The position in the diagram arose after a Giuoco Piano : 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.cxd4 Bb4+ 7.Nc3 d5 8.exd5 Nxd5 9.0-0 Be6 10.Bg5 Be7 11.Bxd5 ! Bxd5 12.Nxd5 Qxd5 13.Bxe7 Nxe7 14.Re1 f6 15.Qe2 Qd7 16.Rac1 c6 ?! 17.d5! cxd5 18.Nd4 Kf7 19.Ne6 Rhc8 20.Qg4 g6 21.Ng5+ Ke8. At this point Steinitz played one of the most famous moves in history: Black cannot capture the white rook: 22...Qxe7 23.Rxc8+ Rxc8 24.Qxc8+ Qd8 25.Qxd8+, etc. and White wins with his extra piece; while 22...Kxe7 23.Re1+ Kd6 24.Qb4+ Rc5 25.Re6+! wins as well (the often-mentioned 25.Ne6 doesn't amount to much, for example 25...Rc8 26.Qf4+ Kc6 27.Qa4+ Kd6). White's replies are also limited, however, because Black

1218-468: The title were Lasker at Hastings 1895 , Alekhine at the 1933/4 Christmas Congress and Botvinnik in 1961/62. Vera Menchik (Czechoslovakia), who was then the Women's World Champion , was the first woman to play in the Premier section, participating in seven tournaments from 1929/30 through 1936/37. In 1963/4 Nona Gaprindashvili (USSR) won the Challengers section when she also was Women's World Champion, earning

1260-471: The top four divisions of Scottish football in a deal worth up to £5 million. In March 2018, Ladbrokes completed their omnichannel integration strategy with software provider Playtech , offering single account functionality for all its online, mobile and retail products in the United Kingdom. Also in March 2018, GVC Holdings completed its acquisition with GVC shareholders owning 53.5% and Ladbrokes Coral 46.5% of

1302-469: The tournament. The game was played in the last round. Pillsbury was leading the field by half a point. He had assumed that a draw would be enough, and the game therefore opened with the relatively placid Queen's Gambit Declined. Pieces were rapidly traded off the board, reaching the position in the diagram, when Pillsbury realized that Chigorin was winning his game and therefore he would have to win to take clear first. Ladbrokes Ladbrokes Coral

Hastings International Chess Congress - Misplaced Pages Continue

1344-542: The way for the 2006 acquisition of Hilton International by Hilton Hotels Corporation. In September 1998, Ladbrokes purchased Coral , a chain of betting shops with 891 locations, from Bass plc for £363 million. The UK Government, however, ordered Ladbrokes to sell Coral after the Monopolies and Mergers Commission found that the acquisition was anti-competitive . The Coral business, except for 59 shops in Ireland and Jersey,

1386-557: Was a double round-robin with Alexander Alekhine , Akiba Rubinstein , Efim Bogoljubov , Siegbert Tarrasch , George Alan Thomas , and Frederick Yates . Capablanca and Lasker had been invited but were unable to attend. The tournament featured a slower time control than had been usual in England—17 moves per hour instead of 20 moves per hour. The outcome wasn't decided until the final round. Bogoljubov lost all his games against tournament leaders Alekhine and Rubinstein. Rubinstein needed

1428-400: Was a four player double round-robin of British Champions , won by Frederick Yates 4/6 ahead of Roland Henry Vaughn Scott 3.5, Henry Ernest Atkins 3, and Richard Griffith 1.5. In 1921/2, the second Congress, the field was still almost entirely British. The lone foreign entrant, Borislav Kostić (Yugoslavia), won with a perfect 7/7 score. The third Congress in 1922/3, began the event as

1470-405: Was a woman, Helen Vernet . Having joined the firm in 1919, she was made a partner in 1928 and remained with the firm until shortly before her death in 1956, at the age of 80. Following the end of World War II, Ladbrokes' fortunes were in steady decline, thanks to an austere postwar economic climate, a dwindling client base, and reluctance to change the firm's specialised approach to bookmaking. As

1512-489: Was arguably the strongest tournament in history at the time it occurred. All of the top players of the generation competed. It was one of the first times such a "super-tournament" was conducted. Harry Nelson Pillsbury , a young American unknown in Europe, was the surprise winner with 16½ out of 21 points – ahead of Mikhail Chigorin (16) and world champion Emanuel Lasker (15½). The top five finishers were invited to play in

1554-477: Was down to £70 million. As part of its redoubled focus on gambling, Ladbrokes returned to casinos in September 1994, with a £50 million purchase of three clubs in London, which it stated was the first step in building an international casino business. In 1997, Peter George and Steve Bollenbach worked to create the strategic alliance between Hilton Hotels Corporation and Hilton International (the lodging subsidiary of Hilton Group.) This alliance ultimately paved

1596-646: Was held in the Waverly Hotel; from 1931 to 1953 at the White Rock Pavilion; from 1954 to 1965 at the Sun Lounge, St. Leonards-on-Sea ; and in 1966 Falaise Hall, White Rock Gardens. At first the tournament was funded by private donations and a grant from the Hastings Corporation, but eventually commercial sponsorship became necessary. The 1967 to 1969 tournaments were sponsored by The Times newspaper and

1638-547: Was later confirmed they were moving to the new Coral HQ in Stratford, east London. In December 2017, GVC Holdings agreed to buy Ladbrokes Coral in a deal that could be worth up to £4 billion. In January 2018, Ladbrokes Coral and the Scottish Professional Football League agreed to extend the betting company's sponsorship agreement until at 2020. The deal saw the bookmaker remain the principal sponsor of

1680-574: Was listed on the London Stock Exchange , and was a member of the FTSE 250 Index . The company was founded by Messrs. Schwind and Pennington in 1886, as commission agents for horses trained at Ladbroke Hall in Warwickshire . The name Ladbrokes was adopted in 1902, when Arthur Bendir joined the partnership, and operations were moved to London. Ladbrokes' London offices were first in the vicinity of

1722-598: Was sold in a management buyout financed by Morgan Grenfell Private Equity for £390 million in February 1999. In March 1999, the company acquired Stakis Hotels for £1.3 billion, gaining 53 hotels and 22 casinos. Later that year, Ladbrokes renamed itself as Hilton Group plc, to reflect its increasing focus on the hotel business, which had come to represent over 80 per cent of the company's assets. In August 1999, Hilton Group decided to dispose of its gambling operations outside of Europe due to disappointing results. Most of

Hastings International Chess Congress - Misplaced Pages Continue

1764-445: Was the first international tournament held in an allied country after World War I. The field was chiefly British, but the tournament was dominated by Cuban José Raúl Capablanca (soon to be World Champion) and Yugoslav grandmaster Borislav Kostić . Capablanca won 10.5/11 without a loss, drawing only his game to Kostić who placed second with 9.5. George Alan Thomas and Frederick Yates tied for 3rd-4th with 7 points. Hastings 1922

#219780