What is this Blog about and who is this George Eraclides

Hi Pilgrims.

The dude on the left is George Eraclides trying to look hip. Hip that is, for a chess player and writer.

I learned to play chess at the age of twelve in London, England. The game was taught to me by the two older sons of a Greek-Cypriot family from whom we were renting a miniscule bed-sit (the immigrant dream not quite realised).

I astounded my immediate circle with the slowness of my development and it became obvious in hindsight that I would not be a player of any significance. I did however learn the moves quickly enough and developed a penchant for complications and occasional attacking play that have distinguished my style to this day. I did not play very much at all, especially after we re-emigrated, this time to Australia. Apart from some play now and then onboard the P&O Orient liner Himalaya, or against the odd friend at school, I left chess alone until my 19th year.

I blame this lack of developmental experience for not having played off in a world chess championship or three. Mr Karpov, you are so lucky.

I did however develop other characteristics from a combination of my nature and the migrant experience, that have helped me in life’s combat zones: A commitment to struggle, fight, never give in, use lateral thinking, and employ an ability to write well and humorously about my chess in the absence of any shred of talent.

In 1972 the great Bobby Fischer was fighting for the world championship and I became interested in chess again. I bought books - all the early Dover books including Morphy’s games, which was my very first chess book (and I have no complaints about beginning with Morphy); I played correspondence chess a lot (I was a university student and lacked time for crossboard), joined chess clubs, played interclub, tournaments, more correspondence chess, and eventually managed to rise to the level of an average club player with a rating in the ranges of 1450-1630 depending on which way the wind was blowing.

I was, and am still, the kind of player that plays aggressively, gets into time trouble, and is predisposed to the complicated lines of play.

If you’re a strong player and come up against me across the board or on the internet, you will probably beat me, but you will need a tranquilliser after the game.

Enough of my boring, non-epoch making, biography in chess.

Further posts will feature my games and chess writing, Believe me, you are in for a treat. Look at the photo above. You know you can trust me.