Andrew W Hill 1939-2020

[J T Melsom]

I have just been advised by his daughter that Andrew passed away last Thursday. Born and educated in Liverpool, he then moved to Ilford having carefully ensured the job was near a chess club. He subsequently moved to Bucks playing for the now defunct Chesham and Amersham, before joining Wycombe and Hazlemere, as well as playing Berkshire league chess for Bourne End.

Andrew was always a great help at the club, often one of the first to arrive and assist in setting up the room, and he also served as club secretary for a period. Although not a strong player he made a significant contribution to county chess taking on the captaincy of the Chiltern League Open team to such good effect that we won the competition, an achievement for which the county awarded the annual President's Prize.

Bucks doesn't really do history, and recent years have taken a toll on the collective folk memory. If others recall Andrew and wish to post here or send me a private message that might be forwarded to the family I'm happy to assist.

[John Saunders]

That's sad news. I certainly remember Andrew as a very pleasant man, from my days of playing county chess for Bucks and taking part in the Bucks League. Andrew and I shared an amusing little adventure together, on 15 November 1969. He and I were scheduled to play in a 50-board (those were the days) county match for Bucks against Hampshire in Bracknell and an arrangement was made for him to pick me up in his car. (I was a 16-year-old schoolboy at the time.) Unfortunately it soon transpired that neither of us was much good as a navigator and, despite leaving in good time, we found ourselves circumnavigating Bracknell several times in order to find the venue. Eventually we found it but arrived 45 minutes late and flustered. We rushed to the two vacant boards and began to play. It was only a few minutes after we began play that we discovered we were playing on the wrong boards. I, as the higher graded player of the two, was down to play on board 28 but found myself on board 34, while Andrew was 'upfloated' to board 28. However, despite the collective loss of 1½ hours on our clocks and the board mix-up, we both managed to win. (However, I see from the SCCU archive that Bucks lost 19½-30½)

I've a vague notion that Andrew may have worked for Wiggins Teape based at Glory Mill, Wooburn Green. Is that right? And another vague notion that he may have tried to get a Beaconsfield Chess Club started in the late 1960s/early 1970s before joining Chesham & Amersham... ah! Just found something in the Bucks Chess History 1932-1982 booklet which the late Alan Cox put together many moons ago. "Wiggins Teape Research and Development, Beaconsfield - WTRD Beaconsfield entered a team in the County League from 1968 to 1972 when it disbanded, its Secretary, Andrew Hill, joining Chesham and Amersham." Andrew contributed this item to the booklet and also the item about Chesham & Amersham. (Hope that proves that at least some of us Bucks natives "do" history! I imagine fellow Bucks native Roger de C will be able to add more.)

Do please send on my condolences to Andrew's family, Jonathan.

[Roger de Coverly]

He subsequently moved to Bucks playing for the now defunct Chesham and Amersham, before joining Wycombe and Hazlemere, as well as playing Berkshire league chess for Bourne End.

He was one of my earlier adult opponents, back in 1968 when I was 17. As far as I recall, he was playing for a short lived club based in Beaconsfield. There was a Wiggins Teape connection who were then prominent local employers.

(as noted above by John Saunders)

I could post the old game, but I cut him up rapidly. Both for county teams and higher club ones, he was often a willing late substitute for missing stronger players.

[J T Melsom]

John/Roger many thanks. As a history graduate I should have a greater sense of historical import, but as a relative youngster I lack the requisite knowledge myself. I almost certainly played in a significant county anniversary event, but Alan Cox's history has never been entrusted to me.

[Richard Thursby]

Sad to hear this. We crossed paths both home and away in the Buckinghamshire League in 1998-99. Unfortunately the matches were rather one-sided (Wycombe scored a total of half a game point across both matches if my score book from the time is accurate). In the first game, having castled on opposite sides he injudiciously captured my h pawn with a minor piece only to find it pinned against the threat of mate a few moves later. The second saw me get my pieces in a bit of a tangle allowing him to exchange on f6 doubling my pawns. All that then happened was I moved my king from g8 to e7 and brought both rooks to the now open g file where tactics against his king allowed me to liquidate into an ending with two extra pawns.

My condolences to his family. My non OTB memories of him are nothing other than a gentleman, which is a far cry from a lot of chess players these days.

[Kevin Williamson]

This is sad news. Unlike the other contributors, I didn't know Andrew as a player, but rather as a captain. We were opposing captains in the Fleming Trophy matches (Beds v Bucks) when they started up again in 2012 at Andrew's initiative. He was extremely well organised, usually starting the arrangements months before the match. On one occasion I was struggling to raise a team so contacted him to say we would be defaulting a few boards. His reply was along the lines of "There will be no defaults. We'll play over as many boards as you can manage". I thought that was extremely sporting of him. He was a very pleasant man, the type we need more of in chess. RIP.

[Neil Graham]

I see that I played in the Bucks v Hampshire match on the Board above Mr.Hill in 1969 - just the 51 years ago.

[Richard Thursby]

This is sad news. Unlike the other contributors, I didn't know Andrew as a player, but rather as a captain. We were opposing captains in the Fleming Trophy matches (Beds v Bucks) when they started up again in 2012 at Andrew's initiative. He was extremely well organised, usually starting the arrangements months before the match. On one occasion I was struggling to raise a team so contacted him to say we would be defaulting a few boards. His reply was along the lines of "There will be no defaults. We'll play over as many boards as you can manage". I thought that was extremely sporting of him. He was a very pleasant man, the type we need more of in chess. RIP.

If I remember correctly Kevin, about ten years prior to this, this was a competition you were desperate not to win because you wife would take exception to the trophy cluttering up your house. My last experience of it was the 2003 match being called off the day before because Bucks couldn't raise a team.

[Kevin Williamson]

If I remember correctly Kevin, about ten years prior to this, this was a competition you were desperate not to win because you wife would take exception to the trophy cluttering up your house. My last experience of it was the 2003 match being called off the day before because Bucks couldn't raise a team.

Haha, yes Richard, you have a good memory. I actually have the trophy at the moment but am ashamed to say that it is in my loft. It's rather large and ugly. I actually saw it yesterday when having a 'lockdown clear out' ; I don't know when it will next be contested.

[J T Melsom]

That the Fleming Trophy is safely in the hands/loft of the Bedfordshire captain is a relief. I've had to temporarily look after that trophy before

[Kevin Thurlow]

I don't think I met him but it is clear that he was one of those frequently unsung heroes who do all the work.

"Unfortunately it soon transpired that neither of us was much good as a navigator and, despite leaving in good time, we found ourselves circumnavigating Bracknell several times in order to find the venue."

That's probably Bracknell, not the navigator.

[Graham Borrowdale]

Very sad news. I knew Andrew as match captain of Bucks, in which capacity he was very welcoming to me when I was looking for some more chess having just moved to the county. He was clearly a big family man, once telling me that he was expecting a ‘deluge’ (of family) arriving the following day. As Kevin noted, definitely one of the unsung heroes.

[Tom Borland]

I met Andrew when he defeated my son in the first round at the Bucks & Berks about nine years ago. We got chatting, and an enjoyable conversation continued over many years of the Bucks & Berks. Andrew was one of the most pleasant, self-effacing and phlegmatic characters I met in the chess world. I believe he attended Calday Grange, a school in the Wirral with a strong chess tradition, and I suppose therefore that Andrew played chess for over 65 years. I'm not surprised to read about his organisational activities.

Condolences from my son and myself to his widow and family.