(1951 New Zealand Chess Champion)
The Gentleman of New Zealand Chess
(1951 New Zealand Chess Champion)
The Gentleman of New Zealand Chess
Sadly on 26 September 2002 one of New Zealand's great players, Dave Lynch aged 92, passed away peacefully at the Hawke's Bay Regional Hospital.
Most NZ Champions I have met were gentlemen but it will not be to their discredit that none of them have come up to Dave's level in this respect.
- Zyg Frankel in NZ Chess December 1986.
The above comment will be understood by anyone who had the pleasure of meeting Mr Dave Lynch. He was active in a great many organisations and charities, including bowls and Red cross as well as being a local Bridge champion.
In his younger years, Dave was a keen sportsman trying his hand at hockey, tennis, golf and tramping. He also cycled around Europe in the 30's and was just able to get out when the war closed off the ports. He like so many of his generation was a returned serviceman.
Dave Lynch's national chess career started way back in the 1930's with his first New Zealand Championship in 1937. 1949 saw him win the North Island Championship and only missing out on winning the New Zealand title by a last round loss to his friend Alan Fletcher, which cost Dave Lynch the title by half a point.
1951 saw Dave at his best, winning the New Zealand Championship.
His strong defensive powers were in evidence when required while, once he got a winning advantage, by his strong positional play he seldom failed to capitalise on it.
- Alan Fletcher in "New Zealand Chessplayer", February 1951.
1952 saw a new player on the New Zealand Chess scene Ortvin Sarapu. Fresh from overseas, where in 1949 he beat twice world chess challenger Bogoljubow. Such was Sarapu's strength above all other New Zealand players he was to win the New Zealand title the next 6 times in a row he played for it and to go on and win the New Zealand title a record twenty times and dominate New Zealand chess for decades to come. Back to the 1952 New Zealand Championship, no other New Zealand player could match Sarapu and he mowed them down one after another to reach 10 out of 10 , the last round only the defending champion Dave Lynch ( also unbeaten ) stood in his way to a perfect 11 out of 11. Super solid Lynch held Sarapu back and Sarapu could make no progress and a draw was soon agreed. A great result! Sarapu himself went on to write:
"Dave Lynch was at that time the next best player in New Zealand. He twice finished second to me in the championships. Only years later did his play decline, after his playing partner T G Paterson died in Hastings and Dave had few chess opportunities." - Sarapu in "Mr Chess" The Ortvin Sarapu Story
Dave was clearly my hardest opponent at the time
- Sarapu in "25 years of New Zealand Chess Championships"
Dave Lynch played in 17 New Zealand Championships between 1937 and 1963, winning in 1950/51 and finishing 2nd or 2nd= four times (1948/49, 1949/50, 1951/52 and 1953/54) and 3rd in 1957/58. Dave scored +72 =64 -56 in those 17 Championships. He was also a National Chess Master with 281 master points.
His many chess achievements don't stop there , he was also a very keen correspondence player, first joining the ranks of the New Zealand Correspondence Chess Association in 1939. David distinguished himself at correspondence chess winning the title of New Zealand Champion on three occasions in the 1940s and 1950s. He also achieved the title of National Correspondence Chess Master and served as the President from 1979 to 1998. It is indeed a unique occurrence that David honoured the Association and its members continuously over a period encompassing eight consecutive decades! Dave played in 8 NZCCA championships: 13th, 3-4; 14th, 1st; 15th, 1st; 16th, 2nd; 24th, 1st; 25th, 4th; 41st, 10-11; and 42nd, 7th. He scored +51 =22 -13 in those events.
After his days on the national scene Dave Lynch continued to be active in Hawke's Bay doing much to promote and raise the standard of chess in the Bay. The early 1980's also saw two grandmasters give simils here, GM Chandler and GM Gufeld both were held to a draw by Dave. It wasn't until the 1980's when Dave was into his seventies were other players able to compete with his great skill. Throughout this decade he continued to be the strongest Hawke's Bay player winning the regional championship and club championship many times. Even at this great age he was still the best rapid and lightning player winning the club tournaments numerous times in these events during this decade.
Hawke's Bay for the last 23 years has run a very large junior tournament for school kids with over 400+ kids playing, Dave would always been there helping out with an event which would have him on his feet all day, truly a great achievement in itself.
The 1990s saw Dave Lynch then in his eighties still able to win a strong Hawke's Bay Championship, something interestingly enough another top New Zealand championship player (2100+) failed to do around this time.
In his mid-eighties he was still able to win the local club championship. He was still very active in the local chess club right up until the end of last year when he was in his nineties. Mr Dave Lynch is a great example of how chess keeps the mind sharp even at a great age. He was a true gentleman and his passing is a great loss for New Zealand and Hawke's Bay Chess. He will be sadly missed.
A sparkling effort from Dave who punished his opponent's early mistake very forcefully.
Lynch,D - Belton,C [D20]
47th NZ Chp, Dunedin, 1938
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e3 c5 4.♗xc4 cxd4 5.♕b3 e6 6.♘f3 ♘c6 7.0‑0 ♗e7 8.♖d1 ♗f6 9.♘c3 ♕a5 10.♘e4 ♕b4 11.♘xf6+ ♘xf6 12.♕xb4 ♘xb4 13.♘xd4 ♗d7 14.b3 0‑0‑0 15.♗b2 ♘c6 16.♖ac1 ♔b8 17.♘b5 ♘e8 18.♘d6 ♘xd6 19.♖xd6 ♖hg8 20.♖cd1 ♔c7 21.e4 a6 22.f4 ♘a5 23.♗e5 ♔c8
24.♖xa6!! bxa6 25.♗xa6+ ♘b7 26.♖c1+ ♗c6 27.♖xc6+ ♔d7 28.♖c7+ ♔e8 29.♖xb7 1‑0
Here's Dave Lynch versus New Zealand's best ever chess prodigy Rodney Phillips, who won the New Zealand title the year before in 1957 age 14! Rodney was to win this event too but not before getting a chess lesson from Mr Lynch, this was his only loss in this event.
Lynch,D - Phillips,J [E62]
65th NZ Chp, Christchurch (2), 1958
1.d4 ♘f6 2.c4 g6 3.♘c3 ♗g7 4.♘f3 0‑0 5.e4 d6 6.g3 ♗g4 7.♗g2 ♘c6 8.♗e3 e5 9.d5 ♘d4 10.h3 ♗xf3 11.♗xf3 ♘d7 12.♗g2 f5 13.0‑0 ♘f6 14.f4 ♘xe4 15.♗xe4 fxe4 16.♗xd4 exd4 17.♘xe4 c6 18.♕b3 ♖b8 19.♘g5 ♕d7 20.♘e6
20... ♖f6 21.♖ae1 ♖e8 22.♖e2 ♖fxe6 23.dxe6 ♖xe6 24.♖fe1! ♖xe2 25.♖xe2 ♕xh3 26.♕d3 ♕d7 27.♕e4 a6 28.b3 b5 29.♕e6+ ♕xe6 30.♖xe6 ♗f8 31.♖e8 ♔f7 32.♖a8 bxc4 33.bxc4 g5 34.fxg5 c5 35.♖xa6 ♔g6 36.♖a3 ♔xg5 37.♖f3 ♗g7 38.a4 ♗e5 39.a5 d5 40.a6 ♗b8 41.cxd5 ♔g4 42.♔g2 c4 43.d6 c3 44.d7 ♗c7 45.♖f4+ 1‑0
See also
Dave Lynch 2002 (HAWKE'S BAY TODAY 28.10.2002)
To David Lynch Esq. (1940)
