Happy Birthday to IM David Simon Charles Goodman (25-ii-1958)
David became an FM in 1980. His peak rating was 2410 in January 1986.
From Chessgames.com :
“David Simon Charles Goodman was awarded the IM title in 1983. He was World Under 18 Champion in 1975. He played #10 on the English national team in Moscow.
He currently resides in New York City where he is a chess trainer for promising young students.”
Here is his Wikipedia entry
Save as PDFBCN wishes Happy Birthday to GM Glenn Flear (12-ii-1959)
From Chessgames.com :
“Glenn Curtis Flear was born in Leicester, England. He was awarded the IM title in 1983 and GM title in 1987. While still an IM, he shocked the chess world by winning the GLC Chess Challenge (1986) ahead of a field that included Short, Chandler, Nunn, Portisch, Polugaevsky, Spassky and Larsen. He married Christine Flear during that tournament. He represented England at the Dubai Olympiad in 1986.”
Here is his Wikipedia entry
This was written about Glenn prior to the 1979 Spassky vs the BCF Junior Squad simultaneous display : “Surrey University and Leicester.
Rating 208. Twice British men’s championship finalist. Captain England juniors, 1977. Former Leicestershire men’s champion.”
Save as PDFBirthday of WIM Cathy Warwick (06-ii-1968)
Here is her Wikipedia entry
Bobby Fischer, the Holy Grail – A Balkan Odyssey
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We send birthday wishes to IM Dr. Harriet Vaughan Hunt born this day (February 4th) in 1978.
Here is her wikipedia entry
In 2021 Harriet made a welcome return to competitive chess and won the 2021 British Women’s Championship in Kingston-upon-Hull twenty-two years after her fourth win. In the same Dr. Hunt was runner-up in the English Women’s Rapidplay Championship to Lan Yao.
Save as PDFBirthday of IM Ameet Kumar Ghasi (04-ii-1987)
Here is his Wikipedia entry
Here is a Guardian article
According to FIDE Ameet had not accrued any GM norms prior to 2023 however over the 2023 Easter weekend Ameet went to the UKs newest city to play in the Southend Masters where he was runner-up with 6.5/9 to Mahel Boyer (FRA). Here is an attractive White win from round four:
Let’s hope Ameet can complete two more GM norms before long. The last British GM was Shreyas Royal in 2024.
Stop Press:
We have learnt that during the 2024 Fagerenes tournament in Norway, Ameet earnt his third and final GM norm and is therefore a GM elect until title ratification at the next 2024 FIDE Congress.
Save as PDFWe send birthday wishes to GM Nick Pert born this day (January 22nd) in 1981 in Leeds. At an early age the Pert family relocated to Ipswich in Suffolk where Nick and Richard learnt chess from their father at the age of five. Fairly soon they were beating their Dad and he found the brothers a local club to play at. By chance in the same road was living FM Kevin O’Connell who became their coach.
Nick now resides in Fleet, Hampshire with his family. He teaches in a number of schools and coaches students on a one-to-one basis.
Nick won the Southern Counties (SCCU) championship for the 2016-17 season sharing with Richard Bates.
Here is Nick’s Wikipedia entry
In 2021 Nick took first place for the first time at the Covid affected British Championships in Hull with 6.5/9 with a TPR of 2414 reducing his rating by 4.2 Elo points. His highest rated opponent was 2480 (Danny Gormally).
In 2023 Chessbase produced a video interview of Nick which may be seen here.
Save as PDFWe send birthday wishes to GM Neil McDonald born on this day (January 21st) in 1967.
From Wikipedia :
Neil McDonald (born 21 January 1967) is an English chess grandmaster and a player on the international chess circuit. He is an English Chess Federation coach,[1] who has trained many of the country’s strongest junior players. McDonald is a regular coach of the English junior team and was Head Coach of the English Chess Federation team at the Greece World Schools Championship in 2013.[2] He regularly escorts blind and partially sighted chess players to international World Championship events and is also a chess writer.
McDonald authored the French Defence monthly updates on chesspublishing.com from October 1999 until March 2009,[3] 1 e4 … updates from November 2009 until January 2010,[4] 1 e4 … from June 2014 until February 2015[5] and returned to 1 e4 … in March 2017 until January 2018.[6]
Neil shared first place in the 1986 GLC Masters with Jonathan Levitt, was outright first at the Elekes Memorial, 1995, first at The Leinster IM Tournament in Dublin, 1997, and other tournaments since. Neil plays for Wood Green in the Four Nations Chess League (4NCL).
He became an International Master in 1986 and was awarded the Grandmaster title in 1996.
McDonald obtained his FIDE Trainer qualification in 2016.[7]
Neil is a prolific and successful author, most recently with
and prior to that “Coach Yourself”
but also thirty eight titles for Chess Press, BT Batsford Ltd. and Everyman Chess Books.
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