English Chess Forum

I am very sad to report that Dr J N Wingfield ("Nick" or "Nich") has died recently.

Nick had been President of the Wiltshire Chess Association for a great number of years and was a well respected figurehead both on and off the board. Sadly it has been a number of years since he has played, although he was a regular player in county and league matches in Wiltshire and Swindon in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s. Nick was also active formerly in Bedford, and spoke very fondly of his chess friends from there.

Tim has managed to find this fine result of Nick's from the 1961 British Boys U15 Championship, where Nick came =2nd with 8.5 / 11
BritBase Chess: 48th British Championship 1961, Aberystwyth
https://www.saund.co.uk/britbase/pgn/19 ... iewer.html
(not sure if I've pasted that hyperlink ok, sorry)

Nick was also a distinguished academic and scientist, with careers in the government and most recently at the Research Council in Swindon where he held senior roles.

He is survived by his devoted wife Judith, and children Jonathan and Anna.

I have details for his funeral on Wednesday 17th December in Royal Wootton Bassett, near Swindon. If you would like details, could you message me, please, as Judith and Anna have asked that I coordinate chess attendance?

Thank you.

Fenella Headlong wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 10, 2025 11:38 am

Nick was also active formerly in Bedford, and spoke very fondly of his chess friends from there.

He played on a high board for Bedfordshire in the 1970s as I recall. My archive shows I lost to him twice, once as N Wingfield and then as J Wingfield.

Sad news indeed, but good to see my BritBase website being used for its intended purpose - the fond remembrance of chess and chess players - rather than the gratuitous Labour-bashing perpetrated by right-wing newspapers all the way back to the Zinoviev letter.

I've a few of Nick Wingfield's games on file - here is the earliest and most amusing...

[Event "County Junior m Warws-Staffs"] [Date "1959.01.24"] [Round "1.17"] [White "Wingfield, Jonathan Nicholas"] [Black "Hickinbottom, D"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C10"] [PlyCount "11"] [EventDate "1960.01.24"] [EventType "team-match"] [EventRounds "1"] [EventCountry "ENG"] [SourceTitle "BritBase"] [Source "John Saunders"] [SourceDate "2025.11.22"] [SourceVersion "1"] [SourceVersionDate "2025.11.22"] [SourceQuality "1"] [WhiteTeam "Staffordshire"] [BlackTeam "Warwickshire"] [WhiteTeamCountry "ENG"] [BlackTeamCountry "ENG"] 1. e4 e6 2. Nc3 Ne7 3. d4 d5 4. g3 dxe4 5. Nxe4 g6 6. Nf6# {Source: Birmingham Daily Post, 27 January 1959} 1-0

I didn't know Nick until he came to Bedfordshire in the 1970s. We eventually discovered that we had both played in the British U-18 at Bath in 1963. He scored 7.5/13 =18th of 58 players, tied with Vic Knox among others. Peter Jamieson (SCO) won on 9.5 with Bill Hartston (9) and Andrew Whiteley (8.5) among notable also-rans.

At Bedford he won the club championship in 1981 and 1984, achieving the 'double' with the county title in 1981. Game appended. I was particularly grateful for his life skills when I was parked in a dark side street after chess club with a flat battery. Fortunately Nick was nearby, had jump leads and knew how to use them. I saw him for the last time about twelve years ago when he came back to Bedford for a four-ball at golf, partnered by Brian Valentine against me and Peter Gill, followed by some blitz chess in the clubhouse.

Here is a 1981 Beds. championship game with Nick deploying his attacking skills.

[Event "Bedfordshire County Championship"] [Site "?"] [Date "1981.06.25"] [Round "?"] [White "Wingfield, Nick"] [Black "Habershon, Paul"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A28"] [PlyCount "43"] 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. e3 Bb4 5. Qc2 O-O 6. Nd5 Re8 7. Ng5 g6 8. h4 {'Help!' thinks Black.} Bf8 9. a3 d6 10. Bd3 Nxd5 11. cxd5 Ne7 12. h5 Nf5 $2 { Had to try 12...Nxd5.} 13. Nxh7 $1 Kxh7 14. hxg6+ Kxg6 15. g4 Qg5 16. Qa4 Qe7 17. gxf5+ {Resigns in view of} Bxf5 18. Rg1+ Kh6 19. Bxf5 e4 20. d3 b5 21. Qxb5 Bg7 22. dxe4 {one of many winning variations.} 1-0

That is a nice game. Is anyone able to supply more details on his life as a "distinguished academic and scientist, with careers in the government and most recently at the Research Council in Swindon where he held senior roles"?

Another set of tributes here:

https://www.bedfordchess.co.uk/rip-j-n-nick-wingfield/

To answer my own question, it was chemistry (things like ionophores). Though I have not been able to find a readable summary yet. Probably searching on a little-used variant of his name. What year was he born?

Remember him well. Played him a time or two, too.
Was a scientist with a son and daughter.

R.I.P