September 1955. One era was fading, another just beginning. Five months had passed since Sir Winston Churchill retired as prime minister. In four more, Elvis Presley would release “Heartbreak Hotel,” his first global hit. Food rationing had ended. Frozen fish fingers, thanks to Clarence Birdseye, had just arrived.
Change was also stirring at the Manchester Guardian. On September 8, a young chess master from Croydon, Leonard Barden, wrote his first column. He focused on a Russian teenager, Boris Spassky, whose games, Barden observed, “all show the controlled aggression of a great master.”
The writing was lively and clear, the insight spot-on. Spassky would go on to become world champion. Barden, meanwhile, was just starting a journey that—70 years, 14 prime ministers, and nearly 4,000 articles later—is still going strong.
In all that time, he never missed a week—through rain or shine, sickness or health. Now, he officially holds a record. Barden recently surpassed Jim Walsh of the Irish Times, who began his column in July 1955 and retired in May this year, to set the Guinness World Record for the longest-running continuous chess column.
Barden, who recently turned 96, also holds the record for the longest-serving daily newspaper columnist, thanks to his 63-year run with the Evening Standard, which ended in 2020. Both records seem unbreakable. Yet they are only a small part of his remarkable career.
He was British chess champion in 1954, represented England in four Chess Olympiads, and played a key role in the British chess boom of the 70s and 80s that produced world title contenders like Nigel Short. As grandmaster Raymond Keene noted a few years ago: “Everywhere you looked in British chess, the giant handprint of Len Barden was to be found.”
Incredibly, he even beat the legendary Bobby Fischer at blitz—one of three world champions he faced, alongside Mikhail Botvinnik and Max Euwe.
“I got on very well with Fischer, who visited my home in 1960,” says Barden, who remains deeply modest about his achievements. “We played an informal blitz match which he won 12.5–1.5. After I won game eight, he said something like, ‘English weakie, that’s the last game you’ll ever win from me,’ and we stopped after game 14 when I managed a draw.
“Bobby was fine in 1960; by 1962 he’d become religious and was paranoid about the Russians colluding against him,” he adds.
Those few sentences, rich in detail and insight, are typical of Barden. While all columnists think they know what’s happening, Barden truly did. He not only knew many of the greats—he had felt the force of their moves and their gaze from across the board.
In 1961, for example, he missed a difficult move that would have secured a draw against world champion Botvinnik. As he later told readers, when the Russian adjusted his tie—a signal that he felt comfortable—Barden knew trouble was coming.
He believes his finest piece for the Guardian was a 2016 obituary of Russian grandmaster Mark Taimanov, whom he had faced in 1954. But his writings on all the game’s greats—including his favorite, Paul Keres, as well as Fischer, Botvinnik, and Spassky—are treasure troves of insight.
It has been an extraordinary career and life. Barden, whose father was a dustman, learned chess at grammar school and honed his skills in air raid shelters during World War II. He insists he was no prodigy, but by the early 50s, he had established himself as one of Britain’s strongest players.Then came the opportunity to write for the Guardian, after the previous chess correspondent, Julius du Mont, suffered a stroke. But Barden’s promising start nearly ended early due to a mistake in a chess problem published in one of his first columns.
“I trusted Du Mont’s problem advisor, who he said had never made an error,” Barden recalls. “The Guardian’s switchboard was flooded with calls, the chief sub-editor John Putz gave me a formal final warning, and letters kept arriving for months as the Guardian Weekly reached distant parts of the world. I replied to hundreds personally.”
Barden continued to balance writing with playing chess, though filing reports from tournaments while competing likely cost him titles. “The worst was in 1957,” he says, “when I had a winning position against Jonathan Penrose. A victory would have put me half a point ahead before the final round.
“We adjourned after a time scramble, with me a pawn up. I had to review all the other top games before writing my Guardian report and phoning it in. Then I had less than an hour to eat and analyze the adjourned position before play resumed. The position was winning but tricky, and under stress I played weakly and lost.”
The next year at Hastings, he delivered his best performance, scoring 5 out of 9 and finishing fourth in a field that included three world championship contenders: Keres, Svetozar Gligorić, and Miroslav Filip. Still, Barden is modest about his playing strength, estimating his rating around 2350–2360—placing him between FIDE master and international master, but below grandmaster level.
What’s the secret to his long-running column? Barden credits hard work, a strong fear of missing deadlines, and luck. He believes his friend Gordon Crown—“an excellent writer and far better player than me”—might have been the Guardian’s next chess columnist if he hadn’t died of appendicitis at 18.
It also helped that Barden knew Du Mont, who had encouraged him as a young player. He proofread Du Mont’s columns and books in exchange for tinned meat during the difficult war years, which his mother greatly appreciated.
Another key to Barden’s longevity is his focus on the reader. Every column offers a fresh story or insight, written to welcome beginners while still engaging experts—a rare skill.
He isn’t afraid to make bold predictions, either. In 1975, he forecast that an 11-year-old Garry Weinstein—who later changed his surname to Kasparov—would become world champion. Barden had followed his progress since age seven or eight, when Kasparov placed second in the Baku blitz championship.
“I read many Russian chess magazines,” Barden explains. “Kasparov was clearly being groomed for the top. He won the USSR under-18 championship at 11 and performed well against top grandmasters in clock simuls. When congratulated for beating the strong Soviet grandmaster Yuri Averbakh, he replied, ‘Not so special. Averbakh didn’t play well.’”
Barden considers Kasparov the greatest player in history due to his consistently elite results over 25 years against the strongest competition, though he acknowledges the gap is narrowing.
“I might change my mind if Magnus Carlsen maintains his current level for another five years, though I won’t be around to see it,” he says. “I reluctantly set aside Fischer, my personal favorite of the three, because his peak was too brief.”
Though Barden feels the endgame is near, his love for chess remains undiminished.He still plays unrated 3+2 blitz on Lichess most days and maintains a rating above 2000. Even more impressive, the quality of his writing remains exceptionally high, with a clear love for the royal game shining through every word. His devoted readers hope there are still many more moves to come in his remarkable career.
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of FAQs about Leonard Bardens recordbreaking chess column designed to be clear and helpful for readers of all levels
General Beginner Questions
Q Who is Leonard Barden
A He is a British chess master author and most famously the writer of the worlds longestrunning chess column
Q What is the record he broke
A His chess column has been published continuously for 70 years making it the longestrunning column by a single author in the history of chess journalism
Q Where is his column published
A It is currently published in The Guardian newspaper in the UK It has also appeared in other publications like the Evening Standard and the Financial Times over the decades
Q Why is this such a big deal
A Its a monumental achievement in dedication and consistency For 70 years he has helped teach entertain and grow the chess community making the game accessible to countless readers
Q Im new to chess Would his column be helpful for me
A Absolutely A key to his columns longevity is its appeal to all levels He often explains basic tactics and strategies in a clear way making it a great learning tool for beginners
Advanced Detailed Questions
Q When did his column first start
A His column first appeared on October 23 1955 in the Illustrated London News
Q What kind of content does he typically include in his column
A His columns often feature annotated games tactical puzzles for readers to solve news from the chess world and stories about historical and contemporary players
Q Besides writing what are his other contributions to chess
A He was a strong player himself representing England He also played a huge role in developing young talent in the UK and was a key organizer of the famous Hastings chess tournament
Q Has anyone else come close to this record
A No While there have been other longrunning columns none have been written by a single author for seven consecutive decades This is a unique and likely unbreakable record
Q How has his column adapted to the digital age
A While it remains a print feature in The Guardian it is also available online allowing his insights to reach
