English Chess Forum

It is with great sadness that I have to inform you of the death of Iolo Jones. He had been ill for some time.
It was posted on the Welsh Chess Union website on Monday 6th September.
Iolo was born in 1947 and ran a number of congresses in Wales. I was in regular phone contact with him before the pandemic. Iolo was passionate about Welsh Chess and he regularly sent me bundles of congress forms which I took to Blackpool and Scarborough.
His passing will leave a big hole in Welsh Chess.
Funeral details will follow shortly on the Welsh Chess Union website in the Obituaries Section.
RIP

Ah, that is sad.

He was one of the Welsh team who made history by qualifying for the top section at the 1974 Chess Oympiad.

(which was the last one to be run that way, before moving to a Swiss for everybody)

Matt Mackenzie wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 08, 2021 2:09 pm

Ah, that is sad.

He was one of the Welsh team who made history by qualifying for the top section at the 1974 Chess Oympiad.

(which was the last one to be run that way, before moving to a Swiss for everybody)

Here is a link to Howard Williams's obituary of Iolo, which contains a few of his games, including a near miss against Portisch when the latter was the 4th highest rated active player in the world, ahead of Petrosian, Tal, Larsen.

Iolo was very well liked throughout Welsh Chess and will be missed enormously.

https://www.welshchessunion.uk/obituari ... jones-rip/

Notes are Iolo's own.

[Event "Olympiad Final A"] [Site "Nice"] [Date "1974.06.21"] [Round "7"] [White "Jones, Iolo C"] [Black "Portisch, Lajos"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [ECO "A30"] 1.Nf3 c5 2.c4 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 Nc6 5.O-O e5 6.Nc3 Nge7 7.d3 O-O 8.Ne1 { The knight is destined for c2 where, together with Rb1, it will assist in the advance b2–b4. } 8...d6 9.Nc2 Be6 10.Nd5 Qd7 11.Rb1 Rab8 12.Nxe7+ Nxe7 13.b4 b5 14.bxc5 dxc5 { 14...bxc4 15.Rxb8 Rxb8 16.dxc4 dxc5 17.Qxd7 Bxd7 with fairly equal position is interesting. } 15.Rxb5 Rxb5 16.cxb5 Qxb5 17.Na3 Qa6 18.Qc2 Nf5 19.e3 Nd6 20.Rd1 Rb8 21.Bf1 { Threatening 22 d4 and also enabling White to play Na3–c4. } 21...Bg4 22.Rd2 { 22.Re1 Qa5 23.Qd2 Qxd2 24.Bxd2 Rb2 wins for Black.; 22.Be2 Bxe2 23.Qxe2 e4 is also incorrect, since after the exchange of pawns, Black has a valuable asset in his passed “c” pawn. } 22...Qb6 23.Nc4 Nxc4 24.dxc4 Bf5 25.e4 Be6 26.Qd1 Qc7 27.Rb2 Rd8 28.Rd2 Rd4 29.Bb2 Rxe4 $6 { A dubious attempt at avoiding the very drawish position which arises after the natural 29...Rxd2 30 Qxd2. } 30.f3 Rd4 31.Bxd4 cxd4 32.Bd3 Bh6 33.Rb2 Be3+ 34.Kg2 Qa5 35.Qc2 Qc5 36.Qa4 Qc8 37.Qxa7 Bh3+ 38.Kh1 Kg7 39.Qe7 $2 { An inaccurate move in my anxiety to reach the time control at move 40 – better was 39 Rb8! 39.Rb8 Qc6 (39...Qe6 40.Qc5+–) 40.Qa8+– } 39...Be6 40.Qd6 Qa8 41.Kg2 { The sealed move. In those days, the time control was 40 moves in 2,5 hours, with the game being adjourned overnight at the end of the 5–hour playing session. There was no ‘fast finish’. During the night, the Welsh team worked hard on the adjourned position and everyone was convinced that it was a certain win for White. But when I woke up next morning, I found a possible loop-hole for the Grandmaster to save himself. However, with an 8.30.a.m.start, there was no time to analyse the position further and we had to trudge off to the playing hall. } 41...Qa5 42.Qb4 Qc7 43.Qb5 Kh6 $1 { The saving move for Black, since the queen no longer has to defend the pawn on e5. } 44.a4 Qc8 { The whole point of Black’s previous move becomes clear. } 45.h4 Bh3+ 46.Kh2 Bf5 $1 47.Qb3 Bxd3 48.Qxd3 Qc6 49.Kg2 Qxa4 50.Re2 Qa7 $1 { Preventing 51 Rxe3. } 51.Qe4 Qa3 52.Qxe5 { Conceding the draw, but Black was threatening 52... Qc1. } 52...Qd3 53.Rxe3 dxe3 54.Qg5+ Kg7 55.Qe5+ Kf8 56.Qh8+ Ke7 57.Qe5+ Kd7 58.Qb5+ 1/2-1/2

Nice game against Portisch.

Interesting to read about his father:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._Llew_Jones

I must have missed this - I saw him at a Seniors' event and was impressed by his concentration at the board (and his results). He was also very pleasant away from the board.

Very sad news about Iolo. I played him myself a couple of times in Welsh weekenders (a couple of ultra-solid draws!) and also chatted to him and his father at Gwbert. I always remember his father, T Llew, in mid-conversation with me, apologising in advance before addressing his son in Welsh. (I'm afraid my own Welsh father didn't speak the language though both his parents did.)

I had a look at the Portisch game and think Iolo might have done himself an injustice when giving 39 Qe7 a question mark. Stockfish thinks it's the best move. His suggested improvement, 39 Rb8, runs into a spectacular refutation. Here's the position after 39 Rb8 ...

1Rq5/Q4pkp/6p1/4p3/2Pp4/3BbPPb/P6P/7K b - - 0 39

39...Bg4!! forces a draw. Taking the queen or bishop allows mate on the long diagonal by bishop or queen respectively, while 40 Be4? Qc4 41 Rb1 Bc1 loses. So White has to play 40 Kg2 Bh3+ 41 Kh1 and allow a repetition with 41...Bg4. Would Portisch have found it? My money would have been on him.

Great spot. Wonder what the clock situation was at the time (time control at move 40)? I suppose there is no way of knowing whether either player was likely to have been in time trouble. Would have avoided the adjournment!

"I played him myself a couple of times in Welsh weekenders (a couple of ultra-solid draws!)"

No surprise there... (Good results obviously.)

I only belatedly saw this sad news today as I don't always check the obituaries when visiting the Forum.
Howard WIlliams has written a very informative obituary of Iolo whom I first met at the 2nd open tournament in Gwbert-on-Sea in 1973. That was a hard-fought draw, adjourned at one point.
The second (and only other time) that Iolo and I had a game was in the Ireland-Wales match in round 2 of the 2018 World Senior Teams in Dresden. That was after an interval of 45 years 4 months and 5 days.
Our second game was a much shorter draw because after about two hours preparation I reckoned it would be impossible for me to break down Iolo's defences so I allowed his Petroff, set one trap which he easily evaded, and peace was signed after numerous early exchanges. My impression was that he was usually happy to draw with Black when he was confident that his team members would finish the job, as they indeed did on that occasion.
During the tournament I had many friendly chats with Iolo and other Welsh players.