The chess set was my grandfather's. The picture was taken in 1973
with 100ASA film, a table lamp and several seconds exposure.
I played chess at club level from schooldays until getting my PhD in 1974 and then again in Liverpool from 1985. Around 1970 I was graded over 190BCF but today I'm about 160. I never met my paternal grandfather, but his collection of chess books sparked my interest in the game. He was captain of the Hastings chess club around 1885-86; here's a picture of him at a County match in 1886. (He's second from the left in the front row.) Here's the game he played in the same match in 1885:
[Event "Sussex v Surrey"] [Site "?"] [Date "1885.4.18"] [Round "?"] [White "R. Jones"] [Black "I. Wilson"] [Result "1-0"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bb5 Bd7 7. O-O Nxd4 8. Bxd7+ Qxd7 9. Qxd4 c6 10. Re1 c5 11. Qd3 Be7 12. Be3 O-O 13. Rad1 Rfd8 14. f4 b6 15. Qe2 Qc6 16. Nd5 Nxd5 17. Rxd5 Qa4 18. Bc1 Qxa2 19. Qg4 Qc4 20. Rh5 Qe6 21. f5 Qe5 22. Rf1 Bf6 23. Bh6 Qd4+ 24. Kh1 Kf8 25. Bxg7+ Bxg7 26. f6 Bxf6 27. Rxh7 Ke7 28. Rh6 Rg8 29. Qf3 Rg6 30. Rxg6 fxg6 31. e5 Rf8 32. exf6+ Rxf6 33. Re1+ Re6 34. Qb7+ Kf6 35. Rf1+ Kg5 36. Qf3 Rf6 37. Qxf6+ Qxf6 38. h4+ 1-0
Not entirely sound, perhaps, but not a bad effort for a club player from over a century ago.
Here's one of my own more recent efforts:
[Event "Hoylake v Formby"] [Site "?"] [Date "1995.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "T. Jones"] [Black "P. Bond"] [Result "1-0"]
1. e4 g6 2. h4 h5 3. d4 Bg7 4. Nc3 d6 5. Be3 Nf6 6. Qd2 c6 7. O-O-O b5 8. Kb1 Nbd7 9. f3 Qc7 10. Nh3 a6 11. Ng5 Bb7 12. Ne2 c5 13. c3 Rc8 14. Nf4 O-O 15. g4 hxg4 16. h5 Nxh5 17. fxg4 Nhf6 18. Qh2 Rfe8 19. Bd3 e5 20. Nd5 Bxd5 21. exd5 Nxg4 22. Qh7+ Kf8 23. Ne6+ fxe6 24. Rdf1+ Ndf6 25. Bg5 cxd4 26. cxd4 exd4 27. Rhg1 Ne3 28. Bxf6 Nxf1 29. Bxg7+ Ke7 30. Bh6+ Kd8 31. Bg5+ Re7 32. Rxf1 Qd7 33. Rf8+ Kc7 34. Rxc8+ Kxc8 35. Qxe7 1-0