The Jonathan Penrose Memorial Chess Challenge, held at Colchester Town Hall on 7 October, was a felicitous tribute to the ten-time British champion, who died in 2021, and would have turned 90 on that very day.
Before it was razed by Boudicca, Colchester was one of the earliest Roman settlements on these isles. More recently, it was awarded city status as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, and 2023 has been deemed a ‘Year of Celebration’ for the city, with a series of cultural events. Penrose, who was born in Colchester, was honoured with a simultaneous display given by eight-time British champion Michael Adams. The event marked the opening of the Jonathan Penrose Chess Park – a collection of public chess tables located by the Roman Wall side of the city’s Mercury Theatre, whose website carries an encomium for Penrose (www.mercurytheatre.co.uk/jonathan-penrose-chess-park/). It augurs well for the popularity of future chess installations in parks and public spaces, following the announcement of government support back in August.
Penrose, a psychology lecturer, came from an extraordinary family of scholars. His older brother Oliver Penrose, a professor of mathematics, was one of Adams’s opponents on the day. Jonathan’s younger sister, Shirley Hodgson, an eminent geneticist, made the ceremonial first move for Adams in the simultaneous display. Jonathan’s other older brother, Sir Roger Penrose, was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics in 2020, while his father, Lionel Penrose, was a psychiatrist, geneticist and mathematician as well as a prolific composer of chess problems.
The simultaneous display saw an assertive performance from Adams, who won all but two of his games. The two players who achieved a draw were Mae Catabay and Ruqayyah Rida, both promising young players from Colchester Junior Chess Club.
Michael Adams-Ruqayyah Rida
Jonathan Penrose Memorial Simul, October 2023
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6 5 O-O b5 6 Bb3 Bc5 7 c3 d6 8 d4 Bb6 9 Be3 O-O 10 h3 h6 10…Nxe4? 11 Bd5! is a standard trap.
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