English Chess Forum

In some ways Len was quite a character as when I was at Lewisham in the late 60s and 70s he never worked apart from writing his 2 or 3 opening books and explaining to lesser players like me what and how they should be playing. I still have one or two of his books. He always had ideas about becoming ...

Just seen the sad news abut Gerald Bennett. He was a great collector of chess books and had many valuable and interesting titles. In July 1974 I travelled to the Hasselt tournament in Belgium with Michael Yeo and met up with Gerald who needless to say had his camper van with him. Six of us travelled...

Stewart continued to be involved in the game he loved as recently as January as he was a member of the FIDE History committee sending the occasional email to Willy Iclicki and other members. He made me the first treasurer of the Islington Tournament, a position I passed to David Eustace, so we go ba...

Not only was Jimmy Carter, a chess player but he also made a Staunton style chess set from exotic wood. He designed and carved the set, a photo of which is the frontispiece of a 2018 58 page booklet of a selection of sets by an American collector in Texas.

Yuri was one of life's great guys. Not only a brilliant chess player but very well versed in the history of the game as well, having been a regular attendee at meetings of Chess Collectors International until covid stopped our meetings two years ago. He once told me that in his research he had disco...

Thanks David; yes 1986.

I am sad to report the death of Gareth Williams on 25 January. Gareth was in his late 80s and had not played competitively for 40 years having previously been a member of a London League team, with a grade of circa 170. He was a leading member of Chess Collectors International, author of "Chess Mast...

Bob was a Lewisham member from the 1960s and would normally turn up at club night with a holdall containing a rugby ball and press cuttings of the Springboks rugby matches. He married Joyce, was subsequently divorced when she bettered herself by marrying Michael MacDonald-Ross and became non playing...

What an interesting life Julian enjoyed. He was still playing for the Insurance team before our season was interrupted by covid-19 and will be greatly missed. I remember speaking to him before the start of an insurance league match when he played for the Ombudsman's team. He said that pension advise...