Final flame

I am very sorry to report the death of International Master Andrew Whiteley, a friend of mine for half a century and a well-loved character in British chess. Andrew represented Oxford on top board on two occasions in the annual Varsity match against Cambridge, won both the British Junior and English senior titles, took second prize in the 1971 British Championship and notched a highly respectable 70 per cent average over the three Olympiads in which he represented the British Chess Federation. He was also known for his indefatigable labours on behalf of the King’s Head chess club in Bayswater, where he organised powerful international events and led his team to victory on many occasions in local and national club championships. His favourite defence was the Dragon variation of the Sicilian Defence (Freudians might speculate that this was because his education commenced at the Dragon School, Oxford). Now sadly the Dragon’s fire has been extinguished.