A huge number of chess administrators have died in the past four years. The 83rd Hastings International Chess Congress is dedicated to these people who so enriched the chess scene with their work. What follows is not a series of obituaries, but my personal views of them. Where I didn’t know them, the information has been taken from their obituary on the English Chess Federation website http://www.englishchess.org.uk. Unless otherwise stated all were English. I was going to give the dates of death, until I noticed that I was often writing of their work in the present tense and then correcting my grammar. Much of this effort lives on and is timeless. Note: PASC stands for President’s Award for Services to Chess.

TONY BANKS We met a number of times when Tony was Minister of Sport and I was Chairman of the then British Chess Federation. He announced in Parliament that he had no wish to preside over nonsense and thus intended to introduce legislation such that chess and bridge would become recognised sports. Sadly he was replaced as minister within the month and that was the end of that. However, it may be the reason that chess is now recognised as being suitable for charitable purposes, not just junior education. When the red tape is finally put in place in 2008 this may prove to be particularly valuable for the Hastings International Chess Congress.

TONY BASTABLE was the presenter of the Thames TV programmes on the 1986 World Chess Championships. He worked similarly on the London Docklands Speed Chess Challenge Kasparov v Short. In all there were eventually about 100 chess programmes on Thames , until they lost their franchise. Ray Keene is working his way through publishing DVDs of some of these programmes on Impala Press http://www.impalapublications.com. Some of you may remember Tony better as the presenter on the children’s TV programme, Magpie.

JOHN BISSON virtually single-handedly affiliated the Guernsey Chess Federation to FIDE. He also started the Guernsey Festival, the 33rd edition of which took place in 2007. http://www.guernseychessclub.org.gg/festival/festival.asp.

STEVE BONIFACE The organiser of Guernsey telephoned me Sunday evening to ask whether I knew why Steve had not arrived for the congress. I immediately had an icy fear. He was so reliable, there could only be one logical explanation. Steve died totally unexpectedly at a shockingly early age. He was a very well-liked arbiter/organiser, never getting into a flap. He was one of the most active people in the field of training arbiters. He received the President’s Award for Services to Chess (PASC) in 2005.

MICHAEL BENT His interest was mainly in chess studies. Chess is a mansion with many rooms. Studies are an unusual form of creative creation in the game and can be very valuable even in practical play. He may have composed more chess studies than all other British people. He received the PASC in 2001.

DAVID BRONSTEIN was one of the greatest chessplayers never to win the World Championship. He tied with Botvinnik 12:12 in 1951 and there was no playoff in those days. He was a frequent visitor to Hastings particularly in his later life. But his 120 move dual against C H O’D Alexander in 1953-4 really caught the headlines. In those days there were adjournments and Hugh took three days to win. The whole game was published on the front page of several newspapers. He was a delightful dinner companion and chess analyst. Just three stories will have to suffice. “ Hastings is part of your national heritage and should receive lottery funding.” “Fred Reinfeld was the World Champion Lightning Chess Writer and Harry Golombek the World Champion Chess Writer.” There was a gap of 14 years when he did not play in Hastings because he would not sign the letter complaining about Viktor Korchnoi when he defected. On his return, he asked about the money he had left with the committee intending to pick it up on his next visit. None of the organisers from that period was still alive. We took his word for it and gave him the £700. Fortunately he did not ask for interest.

DAVID BROWN was a chess coach and secretary of the Junior Selection Committee for many years. His son Simon is still active in chess and is currently Treasurer of the Friends of Chess, an organisation which is supporting the congress this year http://www.johnphilpott.freeserve.co.uk/friends.htm

KEITH BROWN was extremely ill for many years, but this did not prevent him being a tower of strength, particularly in junior administration in the North West . When I phoned him, it was noticeable that his voice would lift up as the conversation progressed. He received the PASC in 1997.

PETER BURNETT was President of Norfolk and Norwich Club, Norfolk County Chess Association and the East Anglian Chess Union in its formative years. He was also a grader and controller of the Norfolk School Tournament. He received the PASC in 2002.

LORD CALLAGHAN We first became aware that Jim liked chess when one of his leaving presents, from his fellow MPs when he retired as Prime Minister, was a chess computer. He officiated over the Closing Ceremony of the 1986 World Championship. He then came to the Hastings Congress several times. There is little doubt that he kept the sponsorship of the event by Foreign & Colonial going for an extra couple of years. He frequently told Oliver Dawson, the representative of the company what good value for money sponsorship of the congress was. The Hastings Library has a DVD of their sparring together at the Closing Ceremony of the congress one year.

LADY CALLAGHAN graced the congress with her presence whenever her husband came. There are trophies named after each of them in the Hastings Weekend Congress.

PHILIP CHURCH was a junior chess educator, Worcestershire Under 100 team captain and Secretary of Redditch Chess Club.

ALAN COPEMAN was A Worcestershire county player and club treasurer.

IAN COWEN Many of the English players must have benefited from Ian’s work as he was a key member of the team that takes groups of youngsters on tours to foreign countries. This is an excellent way to encourage the players to work at their chess. He was Headmaster of a Primary School. He was awarded the Richard Boxall Plate for Services to the British Championships in 2004.

VERNON DILWORTH is best known for his eponymous variation in the Ruy Lopez with 11...Nxf2. He played in a couple of events I organised in the 1970s and Leonard Barden told me he still wanted to conduct discussions about his line. Very few players have variations named after them in anymore as so many opening variations have become established.

RICHARD FURNESS was a Geography teacher. It was only after he retired that he was able to become a member of the Control Team in Hastings . He was an indefatigable worker in different aspects of chess. The Manchester Weekend Congress was the second event of this type in England and he organised it for many years. It reached 600 players at one stage. He organised the Benedictine International. Originally the company intended to do a three year run, it eventually concluded after six years. During this period he learnt French, partly in order to be entitled to the International Arbiter title. Later he wrote a history of Cheshire Chess, was Junior Director and secretary of the British Chess Magazine. He knew his days were numbered as he had suffered from motor neurone disease late in his life. Even so, he summoned up the energy to write a five instalment autobiography in BCM. He received the PASC in 2003, but sadly only received the honour of Honorary Life President of the BCF posthumously. However, he did know that he had been nominated.

GEORGE GOODWIN became interested in chess administration when his son, Stephen, became interested in the game. First he ran a lunch-time chess club at Highbury County School and later took youngsters on foreign team tours. He joined Islington Chess Club, became Chairman and took over running the Islington Weekend congress from me. Eventually he was running about 24 Weekend and Rapidplay congresses in North London through the year. Sadly, now there are very few events in London . He received the PASC in 1995.

PETE HARRISON wrote a chess column in Chess magazine under the handle of Woody Woodpecker for some years. He was a young schoolteacher who was particularly active in junior chess.

FRANK HATTO ( Wales ) together with Roy Clues founded the separate Welsh Chess Union. Prior to that time internationally Wales was part of the British Chess Federation. This proved highly beneficial to Welsh chess as players can gain experience without being dominated by the English weight of numbers. He was an experienced International Arbiter and once ran the British Championship playoff in his own home. Why is that significant? Well, seven people qualified for that playoff. He, and his wife Olive, were awarded the Richard Boxall Plate for services to the British Championships Congress in 1987.

ROY HEPPINSTALL formed Witham Chess Club and was Chairman of the North Essex League and captain of the Essex Team. He was Chief Executive of the BCF from 2003-6, when it went through some of its major upheavals. The name was change to English Chess Federation and it became a company limited by guarantee. He became an Honorary Life President of the English Chess Federation in 2007.

KEITH HOBAN ( Scotland ) played in Hastings a couple of times, but I really only met him when I was the Chief Arbiter at the World Amateur Championship in South Africa and he played. He was a most pleasant dinner companion. He was heavily involved in school and junior chess organisation in his area.

ISAAC INGLESIAS was captain of Belper Chess Club, organiser of the Belper one-day congress and President of Derbyshire Chess Association.

TED JOHNSON was President of the Hull & District Chess Association for 13 years, he also organised the Hull Congress for many years. He was also treasurer of the Hull Chess Club and a match captain.

JOYCE MACDONALD-ROSS was the wife of Michael with whom I have been friendly since we were 13. She was a hugely effective captain of the Kent First Team for many years. Women have an advantage in this role - few men willingly refuse an invitation to play.

FRED MANNING was a highly effective chess administrator, primarily on the local level, rather than internationally. Without his work, he would probably have had to be replaced by five different people. He was secretary or treasurer of such organisations as Wimbledon , Surrey County Chess Association, Surrey Easter Congress, Surrey League; London Chess Association and a Trustee of the Thames Valley Chess League. He was awarded the PASC in 1997.

IAN MASON did sterling work in the Devon County Chess Association and Teignmouth Club.

ERIC McCANLIS will be best remembered in chess for the highly effective and highly decorative leader boards he prepared for the Lloyds Bank Masters. He spoke Esperanto and this enabled him to come into contact with the Polgar family when the children were very young. He said it was amazing to see four year old Judit’s hand rushing out to play a move and press the clock in blitz.

KENNETH MESSERE was a strong over-the-board player but his principal interest became correspondence chess. Sending moves by post may now be outmoded technology, but this form of our game used to be very popular.

THELMA, LADY MILNER-BARRY came into chess because her husband Sir Stuart was a leading amateur player of his day. She even captained the English team one year in their annual match against Holland when her husband couldn’t travel. She was the first Director of Women’s Chess for the BCF. It is doubtful whether that post would have been created for anybody else.

PETER MORRISH was originally a schoolteacher. Bob Wade found an in expensive source of plastic chess sets in Hong Kong and Peter took early retirement and formed  Tournament Chess Supplies’ to distribute them. Thus he contributed to the English Chess Explosion that followed in the wake of the Fischer-Spassky match. My first arbiting role was as assistant to him in the London Under 16 Championship. Later he took on the organisation of the whole London Junior Congress and it is estimated 15,000 players took in his organisational years. He and I worked together on many chess events such as The Evening Standard Islington Congresses; Lloyds Bank Masters; Phillips & Drew GLC Kings. By then I was the chief organiser and he assisted in many, many ways. But his first love was always junior chess. He received the PASC in 1988.

MIKE O’HARA was about 190 strength and played at Hastings several times. He was the first coach of Nigel Short. He represented the Northern Counties Chess Union on the BCF Management Board for many years. He was one of the organisers who caused Bolton to become a power-house of chess. He was a long-time committee member of the Friends of Chess and their donation is made in his memory. He also acted as treasurer of the British Chess Championship for many of the years in which I organised that event. His trenchantly expressed views were always valuable.

FRANK PARR won the 1939 Hastings Premier, wearing his RAF uniform. He scored 9/11 in the 1956 British Championship, but was pipped at the post by C H O’D Alexander, who overtook him in the last round scoring 9½/11. When Frank died, he left a sum of £10,000 to the congress which has helped it to keep going.

ROBERT PINNER was a highly effective Richmond & Twickenham match captain for many years.

JAN RICHMOND was President of Chichester Chess Club for some years.

JOHN ROBINSON first became involved with international chess almost by accident. I conducted the very first BCF Arbiters Course and he passed the exam with flying colours. He then volunteered to be a member of the British Championship Control Team. There was a late withdrawal and I was able to invite him. Within short order it became clear that he was a very able administrator. He was a metallurgist and brought his scientific training to bear on all experts of chess administration. He, Geurt Gijssen and I were the principal architects of the total revision of the FIDE Laws of Chess that was undertaken in 1996. For that job one needs, not only to write correct English, but also for it to be comprehensible to people for whom English is not their first language. He also played a major part in this task four years later. He was an arbiter in Hastings for some years. We had no idea he was going to die just a few months after that event. For some years he was Secretary of the British Championship and was awarded the Richard Boxall Plate in 2001 and the PASC in 2005. He bequeathed a very large sum to the British Chess Championships and even more to the Federation. That was transferred to a new Trust for Junior Chess; otherwise there would have been very large death duties. The total annual income exceeds £35,000. Hastings was very close to his heart and there are various new initiatives here this year due to his generosity. Some have speculated that he did not realise the amounts involved, but I very much doubt this. Although his will was made some years before, he was a very intelligent and knowledgeable man.

ARIE ROZENBERG ( Israel ) was very active as a chess teacher and organizer.

DAVID PRITCHARD told me his best-ever paid work was ‘The Right Way to Play Chess’. It took him three weeks to write and he continued to receive royalties for many years. He was a strong amateur, past Southern Counties Union Champion and had, at one time played more times in the British Championship than anybody else. His interest turned to all board games and his ‘Classified Encyclopedia of Chess Variants’ is the definitive work in this field.

WALTER SEBLEY was Secretary of Chelmsford club and the London Legal Chess League.

PETER SHAW was the arbiter at the very first tournament in which in which I ever played which was not solely for juniors. He was one of the last officers of the National Chess Centre; one of the organisers of the National Chess Week; and the director of the Battle of Britain Tournament. He was President of the BCF 1982-5, probably the most successful period in the federation’s history. The President’s Award for Services to Chess was introduced in this period, although he was at pains to point out that it was I who wrote the regulations including the title, not he.

JACK SPEIGEL initiated the Southend Congress and ran it for 25 years. He was also an extremely experienced arbiter and was one of the last people to have an input to the 1996 FIDE Laws of Chess. The last time we saw him was at Hastings as he was a regular competitor.

SIMON WEBB was an over-the-board IM and a Correspondence Chess GM. He lived the latter part of his life in Sweden . He was the author of ‘Chess for Tigers’ one of the most original and witty chess instructional works. His end was desperately sad as he was killed by his presumably psychopathic son. As Ray Keene said, “Of all people, Simon was the least likely to come to such an end. He was the gentlest and most pleasant person I have known.”

PAUL WATSON Was Sussex County Secretary. He was also interested in junior chess and took charge of the British Under 9 and 11 Championships when I ran the British Championships in Brighton in 1984.

ROY WOODCOCK I first knew Roy as a player. All chess organisers are the better for it if they have experience of playing competitively. He was the founder secretary of Nuneaton Chess Club. He ran 45 Nuneaton Congresses of various types and also the annual Coventry Congress. He was Chairman of the Coventry League, Warwickshire Chess Association and President of the Midland Counties Chess Union. His advice was very valuable in very aspects of chess. He received the PASC in 1992 and was an Honorary Life Vice President of the English Chess Federation.

Writing the above I became even more aware of the huge amount of work, often unsung and unrewarded, done by voluntary chess organisers. In the past I have tried to introduce the term ‘White Economy’ to describe those people who work for nothing; indeed, often putting in money from their own pocket. This is the opposite of the well-known black economy of course. Too often people die without it having been made clear that their work was much-appreciated.