English Chess Forum

I have learned that Stewart has died, on a cruise in the Caribbean. Very sad of course, but he certainly made a lot of his life.

It seems there is no need to write an obituary, since he has inevitably done that himself!

Amazing man, it is genuinely reasonable to wonder whether we shall see his like again.

NickFaulks wrote: ↑

Wed Feb 05, 2025 9:45 am

I have learned that Stewart has died, on a cruise in the Caribbean. Very sad of course, but he certainly made a lot of his life.

It seems there is no need to write an obituary, since he has inevitably done that himself!

Amazing man, it is genuinely reasonable to wonder whether we shall see his like again.

https://www.englishchess.org.uk/stewart-reuben-rip/

A sad day. Stewart was a unique individual whose powers of organisation helped to create the English Chess Explosion. The Islington weekenders was where it all began. Many other huge chess events followed. English chess has a lot to thank him for.

RIP

BCN has put together a basic biography which we will embellish in due course

See

https://britishchessnews.com/2025/02/05 ... -iii-1939/

Sad news, though it seems fitting that he was on a cruise. I always looked forward to the comments he would make here, and enjoyed the conversations we had in-person. Others will say better than me the huge contributions he made to British chess and worldwide. RIP.

I am very sorry to hear this news. He made an enormous contribution to chess life in this country. I can't think of many people who loved chess as much as Stewart.

Vert sad to hear this.

But Great to hear he was on a cruise when he died. I wonder if he knew he was close? That’s how I wanna go out. Not at home. But with my dogs maybe friends and a Caribbean cruise. Will miss his stories. Got pleasure and honour of playing him. I should have won but he swindled me. We had lovely analysis after and we shared many fun chats. Used to invite him out all the time. But he would often find us sit down and it was story time with Stewart. Will miss you old buddy.

Very fitting that he should die enjoying himself. I talked to Stewart a lot in the 1970s, during the height of the English explosion. He was never the most exciting player, but in his person he seemed to embody the English explosion, and I always enjoyed talking to him. He seemed to have met and played everyone, including Fischer.

I am really sad to hear this news about Stewart. A larger than life character who would dominate any environment with his force of personality, despite his diminutive stature.
I am sure that anyone who knew him, would have a Stewart Reuben story to tell. I think it's fair to say he wasn't everyone's cup of tea, but i personally really liked him, and enjoyed his company. He encouraged me, when I showed some interest in organising what became the Lewisham weekend Congress in the 1980's. He gave me the oppotunity to work and subsequently play at the Isle of Man and Gibraltar Opens, and was always willing to share his knowledge and expertise on rules or organising. Over the years, I enjoyed many glasses of wine either over dinner or in hotel bars at tournaments, with him. Stewart would happily talk to anyone. He had super self confidence, without being arrogant, and could converse on almost any subject. The chess world will miss his presence.

A sad loss - he did do an enormous amount of work.

He did tell me that he had twice been helicoptered off cruise ships for medical treatment in the past. He had very good medical insurance, which was just as well, if you're flown to a hospital in USA for urgent treatment. I gave him a lift back from a tournament and met his Doppelganger pictured above. Apparently, when Stewart was away, he left him looking out of the window, and his neighbours thought Stewart was still there!

He played Blitz against Fischer in New York, and said he was the inspiration for the Arbiter in "Chess", as Tim Rice said he was the only arbiter he knew.

There were of course some shady moments as well, but he was a great character, and always interesting to talk to, or better yet, just listen!

His final contribution on this forum was October 30th last year, though he had been only an occasional poster for a while before that.

Naturally one also expresses the condolences widely mentioned.

Apart from what has already been said, he wrote (or co-wrote) the highly readable The Chess Scene in the 1970s.

Not to be crass, but I wonder if all the long lost copies of the BBC Master Game he always claimed to have squirreled away, will see the light of day now.

RIP Stewart, we had a few convos via PM's on here regarding poker some years back, I was most interested in his insights.

A massive contribution to English chess, and someone I always enjoyed seeing. I'll miss him.

Sad news. I think it’s fair to say that he was truly one of a kind - an undoubted colossus of English (especially) and world chess.

Still have a vague memory of when I think I first met him when he wandered along to some outdoor chess event (either RJCC or schools) on Richmond riverside in the late eighties (I’m sure @Richard James will recall when). Of course he was a long time resident just across the river in Twickenham.

I even think I won or drew with him as black in a Ruy Lopez (remember the strangest things) which shows he made an obvious and immediate impression, given I would almost have had no way of knowing who he was. He of course was a pretty strong player in his own right (much stronger than I’m sure I was at the time although depends on exactly when it was) so I don’t know how much this was him offering encouragement to a very young promising player.

Scary to think (as often happens to me these days!) he was probably not at all much older then than I am now - he always seemed quite ancient to me. For years after he fairly regularly used to turn up at RJCC on Saturday afternoons and play blitz.

RIP.

I'll miss Stewart, too. Since the late-60s and especially through the 70s and 80s, he seemed to be a near, ever-present English, British and international chess organisational dynamo, offering encouragement and opportunities not just to aspiring youngsters of a good many countries but also to a much wider chess public on a scale much greater than before.

I always found Stewart exceptionally helpful, warm and friendly. He wore his internationally acclaimed knowledge of the rules and arbiting skills lightly. On the whole, I do confess tohaving a soft spot for 'organisers', whose hard work so often goes largely unsung (and often poorly rewarded) but without whom chess would be so much the poorer. Stewart was a Titan of that ilk. One moreover who also simply enjoyed playing club and tournament chess, frequently and at an often high level!.

He loved chess and all those, at all levels, who shared that spirit. Warm memories!