John Nunn was my maths teacher at Maidstone Grammar in the mid 70s. He would pace from side to side at the front of the classroom throughout the lesson, and we would all sit there silently counting. Lovely guy.
John Nunn sat beside me at the derby one afternoon. He talked a lot about his love for horses and verdure and constantly had a nervous tick observing the tracks where hed tap his chin. Lovely Guy.
John Nunn is in fact the current World Champion. He won the World Senior Championship (65+) in Assisi, November 2022. I was there and John was very gracious.
since some doubt was voiced here about this earlier, here a few more details: Assisi 2022: GM John Nunn (ENG) emerged as the winner and Senior World Chess Champion in section Open 65+. Coming into the final round, a half point behind Jens Kristiansen (DEN) -- ChessBase He placed 3rd in 2014 in Katerina (+50), and 2nd in the European Senior Chess Championship (+50) 2015 Eretria. Possbily i'm missing some others? In any case he still plays competitively.
He recruited me to play on his Oxford University 6 man team. I think he was 14 when he first went there, but even for 15 he was a really nice and mature person. He was always willing to analyze games together. Fond memories. My first OTB game against him in a slow game was a Marshall and I got a winning position which I lost on time.
@@TomJones-tx7pb Now that I read this, it does kind of sound like a writer's stab at conjuring a hypothetical with John Nunn. The minute details trying to add authenticity to a story but kind of paper thin. If it happened great, if you made it up, good for you.
@@TheRovardotter Here is the quote from Magnus, "I am convinced that the reason the Englishman John Nunn never became world champion is that he is too clever for that. ... He has so incredibly much in his head. Simply too much. His enormous powers of understanding and his constant thirst for knowledge distracted him from chess."
TIL John Nunn won the World Chess Solving Championship three times, which led me to discover that Poland has absolutely dominated the team component of the WCS for 15 years and the last time a country other than Poland won more than one year in a row was 2005-2007, when Britain won three in a row...led by John Nunn.
from Wikipedia: In a 2010 interview, Magnus Carlsen explained that he thought extreme intelligence could actually be a hindrance to one's chess career. As an example of this, he cited Nunn: I am convinced that the reason the Englishman John Nunn never became world champion is that he is too clever for that. ... He has so incredibly much in his head. Simply too much. His enormous powers of understanding and his constant thirst for knowledge distracted him from chess.
@@anotherpilgrim8313 I have not found a single article by him. Furthermore, if he had some some relevant work in some good journal it would appear in his wikipedia page. So, he is not a good mathematician.
@@C.Riram123 I am a professional mathematician, so actually I do have proper knoweldge. Worked in italy, France, Switzerland and Spain. If you find some papers he authored we can discuss their level.
One of the most fascinating facts about John Nunn is that he is one of only a handful of people in the world to have achieved both the title of Grandmaster in chess and a PhD in mathematics. In fact, he was awarded his PhD in 1978 at the age of just 23, making him one of the youngest people ever to earn a doctorate in mathematics from Oxford University.
I spent a few days with John Nunn in Bahrain - He explained to me that he specialised in an obscure branch of mathematics - I asked how it would relate in a practical sense - He said it had no practical use at all. - He also mentioned that he was the youngest person since William Pitt the Younger to enter Oxford University. - He was rated World Number 6 on the Grandmaster List at the time I knew him.
I had the pleasure of playing John Nunn’s son a few years ago. I’m a middle aged man rated 2000. He was aged around 11 at the time. He moved instantly while I struggled along. I cheered up as he “blundered” his queen I was soon checkmated; belatedly realising the queen sac was fully intended. His dad is a lovely guy. Very quiet and unassuming
@@gauravagarwal3270 Funny! The background to the story. His son (Michael) was at school with my son. There was an open day. The parents get to walk around and see the different activities that the school offers. We are paying eye watering amounts of money in school fees-so want to see what we are paying for. My son was in the chess club. The children were playing chess against any willing parents. Of course I knew who John Nunn was. The other parents had no clue. With great powers of deduction I saw Dr Nunn talking to a student called Michael Nunn-his son perhaps? I played white hoping for a Ruy Lopez. E4 was met with a Sicilian,I played the Wing gambit. I’m afraid we weren’t annotating the games and the rest of the moves are a bit cloudy. My son is now 21. I guess this was about 10 years ago? Michael must be early 20s. Oxbridge perhaps? Dad was at Oriel, Oxford studying maths by the age of 15. Only cardinal Wolsey was younger (and that was in 1530).
John Nunn was a brilliant mathematician and after completing his doctorate at Oxford he remained there as a lecturer and junior researcher for a few years while simultaneously pursuing a chess career. At this point the mathematics faculty gave him an ultimatum saying he had to devote himself full-time to academic research or leave if he wanted to play chess.
Alexander Beliavsky vs John Nunn 1985, Wijk Aan Zee 1985, King's Indian, Samisch Variation, 0-1: this game is sometimes referred to as "Nunn's Immortal", and was included in the book The Mammoth Book Of The World's Greatest Chess Games (Robinson Publishing, 2010). In his book Winning Chess Brilliancies, Yasser Seirawan called this game the best of the 1980s.
I have seen many chess chanels on YT, but your videos I actually watch all of them, every video you are posting. And it is because you are the best. It is actually all about chess, nothing else. Gotham chess could be entertaining with his hysterical and and overexaggerated videos, but I soon have enogh of it. You are the best!
He was ranked in the world top 10, at his peak. Note that 2579 is his current FIDE rating in year 2023, when he will turn 68. He was obviously a lot better when he was about 30, say.
Although not world chess Champion, John Nunn was Junior Champion (1975), British Champion (1980), Won Gold in the Chess Olympiad, and 6th in the Chess World Cup (1989). In 1989 he was ranked no. 9 in the world with an elo of 2620 which he topped 6 years later in 1995 with a peak rating of 2630
"Coincident with a reduction in his over-the-board chess, Nunn has developed a passion for astronomy, a hobby he shares with ex-world chess champion Viswanathan Anand."
I remember John Nunn from the London Junior Chess Championship Under 12s back in the 1960s. We were about the same age. This event, as I recall, was an open Swiss tournament of either 9 or 11 rounds (can't remember which) and involved about 200 children. It took place in a school in Packington Street on the borders of Canonbury and Hoxton in North London. If I'm not mistaken, John won it three times in a row by a country mile. He was in London U-12 chess circles already a legend, and his winning this event every year was always a foregone conclusion. I don't think we ever met either over the board or to talk to, but others who had done always said that he was a very nice fellow, which certainly wasn't the case for all chess prodigies as I recall. I drifted out of chess as I approached teenage-hood to pursue girls and 1950s rock and roll records but coming back into chess later on, I wasn't surprised at all to learn that John had been one of the first wave of British Grandmasters who came out of the country's chess boom in the 70s. Before then, back in the 60s, Britain had only ever had International Masters with IM Jonathan Penrose generally recognised as our strongest player.
There is a Yasser video about one of his games with Nunn Yasser lost. In the post mortem Yasser explained that he got distracted when a beautiful woman walked into the room. Nunn looked puzzled and Yasser said something like "You know, John. You get distracted. You start thinking about dinner, or your favorite team or whatever. And Nunn looked at him and said "No, I don't "
Chatgpt: John Nunn is a well-known British chess grandmaster, author, and mathematician. He was born on April 25, 1955, in London, England, and began playing chess at a young age. Nunn achieved the title of International Master in 1975 and became a Grandmaster in 1978. Nunn has won numerous chess tournaments throughout his career, including the British Chess Championship four times. He has also represented England in many international chess competitions, including the Chess Olympiad. In addition to his success as a chess player, Nunn is also a prolific writer and has written many books on chess, including "Understanding Chess Move by Move," "Secrets of Grandmaster Chess," and "John Nunn's Chess Course." Outside of chess, Nunn is a highly respected mathematician and has a Ph.D. in mathematics from Oxford University. He has also made significant contributions to the field of computer chess and was instrumental in developing some of the earliest chess-playing computer programs.
For those interested, Hoogovens is not a place but it used to be a steel company. It was the sponsor of the Hoogovens tournament. The company merged with British steel and is currently known as Tata Steel Europe. The Hoogovens tournament changed its name as well: it became the Tata steel tournament.
John Nunn was around his best when I was sometimes playing weekend congresses in the UK in the late 1980s. He was always regarded as a huge talent. He had a calm and placid nature. Quite the opposite to his very aggressive chess style. The ordinary players like myself (ELO then 2060) would pretty reverentially wander from our games to watch his on the top boards. He was always gracious, and unlike Tony Miles ( his British contemporary). He exuded none of the forcefulness of his games in his dealings with us low lights. He reedited the 3 volumes of my favourite ever players best games (Paul Keres). In that series adding very respectfully to Keres own analysis great value. He also professed a great admiration for Keres and his skills. John always seemed a gentleman. Though in the UK, and sometimes World scene. He was always a killer on the board. Just my recollections.
I played John Nunn in a tournament ~55 years ago. As black, I prepared a variation of the Scheveningen Sicilian against him. He played 6 Bg5 and I ended up with my king defended behind a center of pawns and a queen radiating power on d5. John was impressed…..and then went on to crush me 😢. One of my fave players.
At just 15 years of age, he proceeded to Oriel College, Oxford, to study mathematics. At the time, Nunn was Oxford's youngest undergraduate since Cardinal Wolsey in 1520.
I recognise John Nunn from his prolific array of good chess books. When I was very young I ran out of chess books in the Children's section of the library and migrated to the main library to find more chess books - John Nunn taught me so much as a pre-teen.
John Nunn has written the most deep endgame books available: Secrets of Rook Endings for example has whole chapters on positions that Averbakh considered marginal. Wasn't Nunn a candidate at some point?
I really enjoy John Nunn's analysis of the Taimanov Sicilian. He's such a theoretical beast that it's virtually impossible to take him by surprise in the opening.
I knew John when he was a young teen. He played my brother in London and British youth championships, and he and his father spent time with our father, my brother and I. Despite his genius, he was a normal kid. A nice guy.
I cannot understand why wo many people praise Fisher as the most influential player for the 20th century when you have names like Capa, Alekhine, Tal, Botvinik, Kasparov, and at least a dozen more during the same century. Fisher is also definitely up there but saying he is the most unfluential is an overstatement
Bobby improved playing conditions for everyone. The increase in prize money and popularity in chess is attributed to Bobby, as well as time increments on chess clocks. He was an important figure in chess, not because he was American as some critics suggest. His is admired for his dedication to study, crystal clear understanding of chess, talent, and indomitable will to win. Many admire him for single-handedly dethroning the cheating Russians. I almost forgot to mention Fischer Random chess. R.J. Fischer’s name will stand alone at the top of all influential players for as long as chess is played and discussed.
It was a silly mistake. I accidentally switched it from cardioid mode to omnidirectional. Thanks for pointing it out, I d probably do a 100 videos before noticing :)
His book on R + P vs R claimed to be the first chess book without errors as it had been checked against a computer. Needless to say the computer wasnt perfect. Nonetheless there were some positions where everyone learned something about these endings. I think its a must for anyone serious about endings
7:46 At this point can't white play Kd2 ? Yeah, it prevents knight developing but then we can play a4, Na3 ı guess.Also if black plays b4 we can play a3 then Bxb1 Rxb1 after that black can play bxc3 or bxa3 is it losing for white ?
Btw, by tomorrow, April 25th 2023, Nunn's will be celebrating his 68th birthday!! Happy (early) birthday to John Nunn (the British chess legend), that's all I can say, I suppose... 😅
The problem is there wasn't much of a career in chess in the 1970s if you were English. He did appear in The Master Game a few times. He got to the final in series 2 but then made a blunder against John Hartston in the replay. His semi-final against Tony Miles in that tournament is online somewhere. So is another game he played against Nigel Short in 1987.
Apparently Nunn "proceeded to Oriel College, Oxford, to study mathematics. At the time, it was said he was Oxford's youngest undergraduate since Cardinal Wolsey. Graduating in 1973, he went on to gain his doctorate in 1978 with a thesis on finite H-spaces, and remained at Oxford University as a mathematics lecturer until 1981, when he became a professional chess player."
#suggestion Tigran Petrosian vs. Svetozar Gligorić, Zagreb, 16 April 1970. Very impressive knight sacrifice followed by a fully operational BPFH chokeholding the white queen and king in the kingside corner.
#suggestion for another wonderful Marshall game there is Shirov v Aronian (2006) from the Tal Memorial which features the most savage zugzwang you've ever seen
You asked us to look up John Nunn and I found a game that ain't as popular least I believe it's not as popular but it's a game against Tony miles in 69 I think it would be cool if you shared that on your channel the first English Grandmaster versus John Nunn chess Prodigy / Legend I watch the game I very much enjoyed it I think other people would enjoy the game from 69 as well love to see it on your channel bro
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
The people who make comments here are simply the best. Awesome community
pin of great comment
John Nunn was my maths teacher at Maidstone Grammar in the mid 70s. He would pace from side to side at the front of the classroom throughout the lesson, and we would all sit there silently counting. Lovely guy.
John Nunn was my next door neighbour In Kent. His mother use to come to our house to borrow milk & sugar. Lovely guy.
He taught in Maidstone? I went there today to watch football, funny coincidence
John Nunn sat beside me at the derby one afternoon. He talked a lot about his love for horses and verdure and constantly had a nervous tick observing the tracks where hed tap his chin. Lovely Guy.
John Nunn is in fact the current World Champion. He won the World Senior Championship (65+) in Assisi, November 2022. I was there and John was very gracious.
haha, nice one!
since some doubt was voiced here about this earlier, here a few more details:
Assisi 2022: GM John Nunn (ENG) emerged as the winner and Senior World Chess Champion in section Open 65+. Coming into the final round, a half point behind Jens Kristiansen (DEN) -- ChessBase
He placed 3rd in 2014 in Katerina (+50), and 2nd in the European Senior Chess Championship (+50) 2015 Eretria. Possbily i'm missing some others? In any case he still plays competitively.
John Nunn was the youngest student in Oxford and even UK for over 400 years. 15 years.
He recruited me to play on his Oxford University 6 man team. I think he was 14 when he first went there, but even for 15 he was a really nice and mature person. He was always willing to analyze games together. Fond memories. My first OTB game against him in a slow game was a Marshall and I got a winning position which I lost on time.
@@TomJones-tx7pb what's the proof
@@miyamoto900 Proof of what?
@@TomJones-tx7pb your claims
@@TomJones-tx7pb Now that I read this, it does kind of sound like a writer's stab at conjuring a hypothetical with John Nunn. The minute details trying to add authenticity to a story but kind of paper thin. If it happened great, if you made it up, good for you.
According to Magnus, Nunn was an example of how extreme intelligence could actually be a hindrance to one's chess career
Interesting, did he say why? This is good news for my chess.
@@TheRovardotter 😆
That was always my handicap when I played chess.
@@TheRovardotter Here is the quote from Magnus, "I am convinced that the reason the Englishman John Nunn never became world champion is that he is too clever for that. ... He has so incredibly much in his head. Simply too much. His enormous powers of understanding and his constant thirst for knowledge distracted him from chess."
@@jx14abylol
That is pretty cool to have a father-in-law that enjoys chess, and surely your videos are a proud spot in his own conversations.
TIL John Nunn won the World Chess Solving Championship three times, which led me to discover that Poland has absolutely dominated the team component of the WCS for 15 years and the last time a country other than Poland won more than one year in a row was 2005-2007, when Britain won three in a row...led by John Nunn.
from Wikipedia:
In a 2010 interview, Magnus Carlsen explained that he thought extreme intelligence could actually be a hindrance to one's chess career. As an example of this, he cited Nunn:
I am convinced that the reason the Englishman John Nunn never became world champion is that he is too clever for that. ... He has so incredibly much in his head. Simply too much. His enormous powers of understanding and his constant thirst for knowledge distracted him from chess.
apparently not a good mathematician though...
@@MultiAndAnd How so?
@@anotherpilgrim8313 I have not found a single article by him. Furthermore, if he had some some relevant work in some good journal it would appear in his wikipedia page. So, he is not a good mathematician.
@@MultiAndAnd Don't bark without proper knowledge.
@@C.Riram123 I am a professional mathematician, so actually I do have proper knoweldge. Worked in italy, France, Switzerland and Spain. If you find some papers he authored we can discuss their level.
One of the most fascinating facts about John Nunn is that he is one of only a handful of people in the world to have achieved both the title of Grandmaster in chess and a PhD in mathematics. In fact, he was awarded his PhD in 1978 at the age of just 23, making him one of the youngest people ever to earn a doctorate in mathematics from Oxford University.
I spent a few days with John Nunn in Bahrain - He explained to me that he specialised in an obscure branch of mathematics - I asked how it would relate in a practical sense - He said it had no practical use at all. - He also mentioned that he was the youngest person since William Pitt the Younger to enter Oxford University. - He was rated World Number 6 on the Grandmaster List at the time I knew him.
I had the pleasure of playing John Nunn’s son a few years ago. I’m a middle aged man rated 2000. He was aged around 11 at the time.
He moved instantly while I struggled along. I cheered up as he “blundered” his queen
I was soon checkmated; belatedly realising the queen sac was fully intended.
His dad is a lovely guy. Very quiet and unassuming
lol
Can I see that game anyhow .. I am very excited for that
@@gauravagarwal3270 Funny!
The background to the story. His son (Michael) was at school with my son. There was an open day. The parents get to walk around and see the different activities that the school offers. We are paying eye watering amounts of money in school fees-so want to see what we are paying for. My son was in the chess club. The children were playing chess against any willing parents. Of course I knew who John Nunn was. The other parents had no clue. With great powers of deduction I saw Dr Nunn talking to a student called Michael Nunn-his son perhaps? I played white hoping for a Ruy Lopez. E4 was met with a Sicilian,I played the Wing gambit.
I’m afraid we weren’t annotating the games and the rest of the moves are a bit cloudy.
My son is now 21. I guess this was about 10 years ago? Michael must be early 20s. Oxbridge perhaps? Dad was at Oriel, Oxford studying maths by the age of 15. Only cardinal Wolsey was younger (and that was in 1530).
Discovering John Nunn's contributions to chess increased my vast knowledge and improved my day, thanks for the video agad!
"Nunn was not a World Champion, but nonetheless......"
Agad knew exactly what he was doing.
@@amun1040 bruh…
🗿
Nonetheless, he is currently a world champion after apparently winning the 2022 senior championship (65+).
Nunn's book _Understanding Chess Move by Move_ is terrific.
John Nunn was a brilliant mathematician and after completing his doctorate at Oxford he remained there as a lecturer and junior researcher for a few years while simultaneously pursuing a chess career. At this point the mathematics faculty gave him an ultimatum saying he had to devote himself full-time to academic research or leave if he wanted to play chess.
A particularly pleasant polymath indeed
Alexander Beliavsky vs John Nunn 1985, Wijk Aan Zee 1985, King's Indian, Samisch Variation, 0-1: this game is sometimes referred to as "Nunn's Immortal", and was included in the book The Mammoth Book Of The World's Greatest Chess Games (Robinson Publishing, 2010). In his book Winning Chess Brilliancies, Yasser Seirawan called this game the best of the 1980s.
/\ #Suggestion /\
@@FloydMaxwell Yes, Agad please do a video!
#suggestion
#suggestion
#suggestion
I have seen many chess chanels on YT, but your videos I actually watch all of them, every video you are posting. And it is because you are the best. It is actually all about chess, nothing else. Gotham chess could be entertaining with his hysterical and and overexaggerated videos, but I soon have enogh of it. You are the best!
I agree. Jozarov is also all about the chess.
Wow, Nunn was a pretty strong player. I saw his FIDE rating according to Wikipedia. He is 2579. That's a pretty good rating.
Ratings have skewed higher, that rating today would be closer to 2700+.
He was ranked in the world top 10, at his peak. Note that 2579 is his current FIDE rating in year 2023, when he will turn 68. He was obviously a lot better when he was about 30, say.
And his peak rating was 2630
That "Nunn De Less" at the beginning got me.
Absolutely 😊
Although not world chess Champion, John Nunn was Junior Champion (1975), British Champion (1980), Won Gold in the Chess Olympiad, and 6th in the Chess World Cup (1989). In 1989 he was ranked no. 9 in the world with an elo of 2620 which he topped 6 years later in 1995 with a peak rating of 2630
"Coincident with a reduction in his over-the-board chess, Nunn has developed a passion for astronomy, a hobby he shares with ex-world chess champion Viswanathan Anand."
I like that this one involves both of them
Always a massive fan and have all his books. As a mathematician, some of his analysis is profound.
The Marshall Attack is one of my favorite openings most players are so terrified of it they avoid it at all costs, at all levels.
I had the pleasure of meeting John Nunn. He played a simul for our Chess Club at Lakenheath Air Force Base in the UK.
The way John man handled Vishy with those bishops was amazing.
I remember John Nunn from the London Junior Chess Championship Under 12s back in the 1960s. We were about the same age. This event, as I recall, was an open Swiss tournament of either 9 or 11 rounds (can't remember which) and involved about 200 children. It took place in a school in Packington Street on the borders of Canonbury and Hoxton in North London. If I'm not mistaken, John won it three times in a row by a country mile. He was in London U-12 chess circles already a legend, and his winning this event every year was always a foregone conclusion. I don't think we ever met either over the board or to talk to, but others who had done always said that he was a very nice fellow, which certainly wasn't the case for all chess prodigies as I recall. I drifted out of chess as I approached teenage-hood to pursue girls and 1950s rock and roll records but coming back into chess later on, I wasn't surprised at all to learn that John had been one of the first wave of British Grandmasters who came out of the country's chess boom in the 70s. Before then, back in the 60s, Britain had only ever had International Masters with IM Jonathan Penrose generally recognised as our strongest player.
John Nunn lost to David Howell when Howell was 8. Howell is still the youngest person to ever beat a GM.
ITACHIIII
True but it was a blitz game.
@@Mathemagical55have a nice sunday mr nunn
@@robertocollo2890 have a bad Sunday
@@miyamoto900😳 why?
There is a Yasser video about one of his games with Nunn
Yasser lost.
In the post mortem Yasser explained that he got distracted when a beautiful woman walked into the room. Nunn looked puzzled and Yasser said something like "You know, John. You get distracted. You start thinking about dinner, or your favorite team or whatever.
And Nunn looked at him and said "No, I don't "
John Nunn plays in my local chess league. Hopefully one day I’ll have the chance to play against him!
Chatgpt: John Nunn is a well-known British chess grandmaster, author, and mathematician. He was born on April 25, 1955, in London, England, and began playing chess at a young age. Nunn achieved the title of International Master in 1975 and became a Grandmaster in 1978.
Nunn has won numerous chess tournaments throughout his career, including the British Chess Championship four times. He has also represented England in many international chess competitions, including the Chess Olympiad.
In addition to his success as a chess player, Nunn is also a prolific writer and has written many books on chess, including "Understanding Chess Move by Move," "Secrets of Grandmaster Chess," and "John Nunn's Chess Course."
Outside of chess, Nunn is a highly respected mathematician and has a Ph.D. in mathematics from Oxford University. He has also made significant contributions to the field of computer chess and was instrumental in developing some of the earliest chess-playing computer programs.
For those interested, Hoogovens is not a place but it used to be a steel company. It was the sponsor of the Hoogovens tournament. The company merged with British steel and is currently known as Tata Steel Europe. The Hoogovens tournament changed its name as well: it became the Tata steel tournament.
Wow that is a great fact
Hoogovens is dutch for high ovens (as in high temperature)
A masterpiece from 1990!!!
I remember those beautiful days when I was not even a sperm
Of course he was a legend, that's why we say everyone else was "second to Nunn"
John Nunn was around his best when I was sometimes playing weekend congresses in the UK in the late 1980s. He was always regarded as a huge talent. He had a calm and placid nature. Quite the opposite to his very aggressive chess style.
The ordinary players like myself (ELO then 2060) would pretty reverentially wander from our games to watch his on the top boards.
He was always gracious, and unlike Tony Miles ( his British contemporary). He exuded none of the forcefulness of his games in his dealings with us low lights.
He reedited the 3 volumes of my favourite ever players best games (Paul Keres). In that series adding very respectfully to Keres own analysis great value. He also professed a great admiration for Keres and his skills.
John always seemed a gentleman. Though in the UK, and sometimes World scene. He was always a killer on the board.
Just my recollections.
Great player, an absolute gentleman.
I played John Nunn in a tournament ~55 years ago. As black, I prepared a variation of the Scheveningen Sicilian against him. He played 6 Bg5 and I ended up with my king defended behind a center of pawns and a queen radiating power on d5. John was impressed…..and then went on to crush me 😢. One of my fave players.
Nunn's _Tactical Chess Endings_ is a classic.
Many of John Nunn's books are classics. His understanding of chess is as vast as anyone's.
As is my misunderstanding of chess.
At just 15 years of age, he proceeded to Oriel College, Oxford, to study mathematics. At the time, Nunn was Oxford's youngest undergraduate since Cardinal Wolsey in 1520.
I recognise John Nunn from his prolific array of good chess books. When I was very young I ran out of chess books in the Children's section of the library and migrated to the main library to find more chess books - John Nunn taught me so much as a pre-teen.
When Nunn was asked what is more difficult: To get a PhD in Math or a GM title, he said: Are you serious? Of course the GM title!
John Nunn has written the most deep endgame books available: Secrets of Rook Endings for example has whole chapters on positions that Averbakh considered marginal.
Wasn't Nunn a candidate at some point?
#suggestion
John's birthday is on 25th of April. Consider making a video on his birthday of his game. It is probably a rest day of the WCC
im glad Agad followed your suggestion with a cracker of an immortal game by Nunn!
"Nun the less" I see what you did there.👍
What a proud father-in-law you surely have.
I really enjoy John Nunn's analysis of the Taimanov Sicilian. He's such a theoretical beast that it's virtually impossible to take him by surprise in the opening.
#suggestion Agad should show the game featuring his favorite b4 move in Harikrishna vs. Vidit from 2022 Prague Masters
I have Nunn's Chess Openings. A classic work by a classy guy.
Me too.
I knew John when he was a young teen. He played my brother in London and British youth championships, and he and his father spent time with our father, my brother and I. Despite his genius, he was a normal kid. A nice guy.
I cannot understand why wo many people praise Fisher as the most influential player for the 20th century when you have names like Capa, Alekhine, Tal, Botvinik, Kasparov, and at least a dozen more during the same century. Fisher is also definitely up there but saying he is the most unfluential is an overstatement
No one popularized chess like Bobby Fischer. Whoever popularizes chess the most wins the "most influential player" game. End of story.
@@FloydMaxwell Maybe true for N America and W Europe, but for the rest of the world definitely not the case
He is the most influential, but not by a huge margin then
Bobby improved playing conditions for everyone. The increase in prize money and popularity in chess is attributed to Bobby, as well as time increments on chess clocks. He was an important figure in chess, not because he was American as some critics suggest. His is admired for his dedication to study, crystal clear understanding of chess, talent, and indomitable will to win. Many admire him for single-handedly dethroning the cheating Russians. I almost forgot to mention Fischer Random chess.
R.J. Fischer’s name will stand alone at the top of all influential players for as long as chess is played and discussed.
"New at the time it was played." Nice, subtle addition.
John Nunn is one my twenty favourite chess players. His games and books receive less attention than they should.
aside: technical audio confirmation: aye, you've fixed it - tis now perfect to my pedantic headphoned ears :)
It was a silly mistake. I accidentally switched it from cardioid mode to omnidirectional. Thanks for pointing it out, I d probably do a 100 videos before noticing :)
Happy birthday John: the nicest polymath I know!
A true legend of chess, nunntheless!
He was second to Nunn!
🙂one should have love passion towards their work like you 🙂
Thank you for increasing my vast knowledge Antonio
Is Alexander Beliavsky vs John Nunn (John Nunn's Immortal) next?
Hope so.
Black on the offensive White on the defensive about sums it up Nice attack Thanks Antonio
His book on R + P vs R claimed to be the first chess book without errors as it had been checked against a computer. Needless to say the computer wasnt perfect. Nonetheless there were some positions where everyone learned something about these endings. I think its a must for anyone serious about endings
A well deserved plug for John Nunn. Poor Vishy, I bet he hoped never to see that one again.
Anthony is the kind of man that has a great relationship with his father-in-law.
If you want to show an example game from the black's perspective , why you don't flip the board ?
john nunn‘s understanding chess middlegames is a great book!
I like John Nunn's style! Not afraid to go for it.
Is the Ruy Lopez also called the Spanish game?
Dr Nunn has written a plethora of chess books that I have a collection of. They remain some of my prized possessions
7:46 At this point can't white play Kd2 ? Yeah, it prevents knight developing but then we can play a4, Na3 ı guess.Also if black plays b4 we can play a3 then Bxb1 Rxb1 after that black can play bxc3 or bxa3 is it losing for white ?
Btw, by tomorrow, April 25th 2023, Nunn's will be celebrating his 68th birthday!!
Happy (early) birthday to John Nunn (the British chess legend), that's all I can say, I suppose... 😅
The problem is there wasn't much of a career in chess in the 1970s if you were English. He did appear in The Master Game a few times. He got to the final in series 2 but then made a blunder against John Hartston in the replay. His semi-final against Tony Miles in that tournament is online somewhere. So is another game he played against Nigel Short in 1987.
Can you make a video about the Marshall line your father-in-law (..e5) suggested please? Awesome stuff!
Very fine play from John Nunn here
John Nunn was World Champion in Chess problem solving. That i think explains his mathematical prowess too.
Marshall attack provides the most entertaining games.
Black's openings are usually described as defence: Sicilian, French, Petroff, Caro-Kann etc. Are there any other black openings described as attack?
I heard: "Now, Nunn was not a world champion, but Nunn the less, like I said, a true legend"
Hi, we’re you going to comment further at the end about the tournament where this was played?
Apparently Nunn "proceeded to Oriel College, Oxford, to study mathematics. At the time, it was said he was Oxford's youngest undergraduate since Cardinal Wolsey. Graduating in 1973, he went on to gain his doctorate in 1978 with a thesis on finite H-spaces, and remained at Oxford University as a mathematics lecturer until 1981, when he became a professional chess player."
What a brilliant attack. Thanks for sharing.
Very Entertaining, Intriguing , fun Thanks Sir !
#suggestion Tigran Petrosian vs. Svetozar Gligorić, Zagreb, 16 April 1970. Very impressive knight sacrifice followed by a fully operational BPFH chokeholding the white queen and king in the kingside corner.
He once fought a bear with a whistle and a stick
But what did the bear want a whistle for?
I love London with Queen-side Castle.
#suggestion for another wonderful Marshall game there is Shirov v Aronian (2006) from the Tal Memorial which features the most savage zugzwang you've ever seen
#suggestion Nigel short v Gary Kasparov 1993 tournament
I used his book, the Complete Pirc for years. Unfortunately I don't play at Nunns level.
4 of the last 5 letters of his name are 'n'
If Nunn has bishops, say your prayers
@agadmator do make a video about e4 after the Marshall. Let's see what it leads to.
Your father-in-law sounds like a pretty cool guy
I keep forgetting the Sarah Marshall attack.
You asked us to look up John Nunn and I found a game that ain't as popular least I believe it's not as popular but it's a game against Tony miles in 69 I think it would be cool if you shared that on your channel the first English Grandmaster versus John Nunn chess Prodigy / Legend I watch the game I very much enjoyed it I think other people would enjoy the game from 69 as well love to see it on your channel bro
Feel ignorant by asking, but what is special about Qxf6?
A Nunn series #suggestion
John Nunn caught a Tiger with his bare hands, after chasing it down on foot. And John Nunn worked for NASA and flew to the moon 9 times.
At 8:30 what happened if white plays a4
Another masterpiece in your videos list ... Thanks Agad !!! ❤
The English Grandmaster was the youngest Oxford University undergraduate in four centuries
It’s almost John Nunn’s birthday - April 25th
#suggestion Rashid vs Timofeev 1970 spectacular game
John's birthday is on April 25, next week!