A KNIGHT TO REMEMBER

Game Of Chess With Grandmaster Daniel King

Clinking glasses filled with artisinal gins, fine wines and whisky set down on a chequerboard bar, ambiently lit and luxuriously decorated: this sets the scene for an evening quite like no other. Knight’s Bar is known for its homage to the game of chess, hosting an array of famous patrons over the years, and standing proudly as part of Simpson's in the Strand, one of London's oldest traditional English restaurants. Just as Wimbledon is considered the home of tennis, Simpson's could claim the equivalent title for chess. Almost all the top players of the 19th century played there at some stage, including Wilhelm Steinitz, Paul Morphy, Emanuel Lasker, Johannes Zukertort (who had a fatal stroke while playing there), and Siegbert Tarrasch. It was in Simpson's in 1851 that one of the world's great games, the famous ‘Immortal Game’, was played between Adolf Anderssen and Lionel Kieseritzky. More recently, Simpson’s has played host to this century’s Grandmasters including Michael Adams, Ivan Sokolov and Jan Timman, who gathered annually for the Staunton Memorial up until 2009. And now, Daniel King has chosen this admired venue to host his exclusive chess evenings. Achieving the International Master title in 1982 and the Grandmaster title in 1989, King won minor tournaments around the world and prestigiously shared first place with Ian Rogers at the Geneva Young Masters in 1990. Spending up to two hours in the company of this talented player, you will have the opportunity to learn various chess techniques, improving your game significantly. Dan is known for his ability to relay information and guidance in a clear and concise way, meaning that even someone new to chess would thoroughly enjoy this experience.