I was very sorry to hear of the sudden death of John Moles, one of the most talented players Ireland has ever produced, on October 4. He was twice Irish champion and played in two Olympiads, and wrote an outstanding and widely acclaimed book on the French Winawer. He gave up the game in his mid 20’s and went on to a distinguished academic career. At the time of his death he was Professor of Latin at the University of Newcastle, but still resident in Durham, where earlier in his career he had been Professor of Classics. He was working in the library at Durham University on Sunday, October 4 when he collapsed.
I had intended posting before now, but somehow didn’t feel I had the right material for an appropriate item. But I have just noticed two items in the Durham City Chess Club Newsletter, from October 12 and November 8 (the writer is not named, but after looking through other issues I think he’s Ken Neat, whom many of you will remember as a translator of Russian chess books):
“he lived in Durham close to our club’s current venue, and he would occasionally call in for a friendly game, in which he still demonstrated considerable skill, although he resisted any attempts to persuade him to take up competitive chess again. Latterly I met John socially and greatly enjoyed his company when, with his wife Ruth, their son Tommy and their dog Owen, he joined the informal walking group of which I am a member. I took the picture below on the last such occasion, a walk in January this year in the countryside around Cassop.”
David McAlister has posted a chess biography at the Ulster Chess History web site, as well as a game that is missing from the databases, a win against Wolfgang Heidenfeld in the last round of the 1968 Ballyclare Open, a couple of weeks before Moles’ 19th birthday, annotated by Moles in the tournament bulletin.