Zoë Ryle

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Paul McKeown
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Zoë Ryle

Post by Paul McKeown » Fri Jan 22, 2021 6:44 pm

I have just heard on Facebook the sad news that Zoë Ryle has passed away, 12 days after a diagnosis of COVID-19. Although not herself a strong player, she had been a tireless organiser of chess for her county, Middlesex, and her club, Willesden & Brent.

Rest in peace.

Paul McKeown
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Joined: Thu Apr 12, 2007 3:01 pm
Location: Hayes (Middx)

Re: Zoë Ryle

Post by Paul McKeown » Sat Jan 23, 2021 2:44 pm

Gary Kenworthy has reminded me that Zoë also fulfilled organisational roles for many years at SCCU and BCF/ECF levels, as well, which I should have mentioned.

David Sedgwick
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Location: Croydon

Re: Zoë Ryle

Post by David Sedgwick » Sat Jan 23, 2021 5:04 pm

Sad news. It's all too easy to forget how much the administration of English chess depends on people like Zoë.

RIP

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Adam Raoof
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Re: Zoë Ryle

Post by Adam Raoof » Sun Jan 24, 2021 1:03 pm

I remember her with fondness. Can I suggest that when chess resumes we consider naming sections / events in memoriam?
Adam Raoof IA, IO
Chess England Events - https://chessengland.com/
The Chess Circuit - https://chesscircuit.substack.com/
Don’t stop playing chess!

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Christopher Kreuzer
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Re: Zoë Ryle

Post by Christopher Kreuzer » Sun Jan 24, 2021 2:11 pm

This is a wonderful idea, Adam. That is a tradition that seems to have faded away. It would be good to see it revived.

Dominic Foord
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Re: Zoë Ryle

Post by Dominic Foord » Tue Feb 09, 2021 10:29 pm

I met Zoe at my primary school Christchurch Brondesbury as a 7 year old. She ran the chess club there, and was a wonderful teacher for learning the very basics, being an incredibly patient and understanding person. I would then see her frequently at club nights at the Scout Club on Willesden High Road, where Willesden and Brent chess club used to meet. She, along with Antony Fulton, was a paragon of chess organisation, and she pushed me into playing junior chess at a competetive level, as well as introducing me to one David Rumens, who became my coach for a time and who also very sadly passed away recently. Unfortunately on moving to Oxford as an undergraduate I lost contact with W&B, but remember with fondness listening to her input during our AGM.

I owe her an awful lot for believing in me as a (very) young man, and am extremely saddened to have heard the news. At Christchurch we had three concurrent England Juniors, the others being the brothers Dani and Kaiser Malik. Given that we were a smallish school with no chess pedigree this was no mean feat. I do not believe this would have happened were it not for her inspiration and belief.

Dominic Foord