|
|
|
Peter Fyfe
24 April 1854, Glasgow - 11 September 1940, Glasgow
- Member of Glasgow Chess Club since 1880
- Former president of the Glasgow CC
- Director of the Scottish Chess Association
- Originator of the Fyfe Gambit: 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. d4
From the BCM of November 1940, page 364.
We regret to report the death of Mr Peter Fyfe of Glasgow, the originator of the Fyfe Gambit, a variation of the Vienna game. Mr Fyfe joined the Glasgow Club sixty years ago and soon attained first-class strength. In 1884 he competed in the first Scottish Championship and he played in three subsequent championship tournaments. When the West of Scotland championship was decided by challenge match play, Mr Fyfe held the cup from December 1883 until May 1884. He succeeded the late Sheriff Spens as president of the Glasgow Club in 1900, and he was a director of the Scottish Chess Association for several years. The gambit to which he gave his name was first played by him in 1883 and it achieved some popularity both in the West of Scotland and in other chess circles. When on a visit to Glasgow, Mr Blackburn described the gambit as resulting in an even game. In public life Mr Fyfe was an authority on house planning and was first Director of Housing for the City of Glasgow. J.A.S. [Possibly J. Anderson Stewart]From The Scotsman of Saturday, 14 September 1940, page 6.
Mr Peter Fyfe, first Director of Municipal Housing in Glasgow, who has died at the age of 86, was a pioneer in Scotland in connection with the smoke abatement campaign. He retired from the service of Glasgow Corporation in 1923 on reaching the compulsory retirement age. For the past few years he had been in failing health.Mr Fyfe joined the service of the Corporation as an engineer in the cleansing department, and in 1885 was appointed Chief Sanitary Inspector of the city. He consistently advocated the need for improved housing conditions, and in the early years of this century secured the support of leading Corporation officials and public men in a crusade to remove the Glasgow slums. In 1919 he was appointed the first Director of Municipal of Municipal Housing in the city. Although he held that office for only three and a half years, he admirably prepared the wayfor what has been a revolution in housing standards in Glasgow.
Mr Fyfe was a past president of the Sanitary Association of Scotland. One of his claims was that the sanitary inspector was as important as the doctor. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
Mr Fyfe is survived by his wife, a son, and two daughters.
From Glasgow Digital Library - Who's Who in 1909
http://gdl.cdlr.strath.ac.uk/eyrwho/eyrwho0612.htmCompiled by Alan McGowan