CURRICULUM VITAE

Education:
Bishop Perrin Primary School (then called Bishop Perrin Memorial School) 1955-1961
Latymer Upper School 1961-1968
City of Leicester Polytechnic (now De Montfort University) studying Computer Science 1968-1972 and achieving a BSc degree

Employment:
I worked as a computer programmer in the Market Research Industry 1972-1986, writing programs to analyse market research data.
Between 1986 and 1997 I continued computer programming work on a freelance basis while working on chess projects. I was working for the Richmond Chess Initiative from its foundation in 1993 until its closure in 2005, and at some point in the mid 1990s I started being paid for running Richmond Junior Chess Club. I have been involved in running school chess clubs since 1993, but currently only in a small way because of my dissatisfaction with the tradition lunchtime or after-school chess club. I am always interested in hearing from schools who want to try a different approach and are prepared to listen to my views.
I am currently working at Hampton Court House, providing one-to-one chess tuition, teaching reasoning and logic to Y4 and Y5 and preparing children for 11+ Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning tests.

Chess:
Member of Richmond & Twickenham Chess Club since 1966.
Active tournament and occasional county player 1966-1977.
I started teaching chess informally in 1973 and in 1975, together with Mike Fox, founded Richmond Junior Chess Club. When Mike moved to Birmingham in 1979 I took sole charge of the Club - where I remained until July 2006. In September 2006 Peter Sowray took over the top section of the Club while I continued to run the lower group until July 2007. As of April 2012 I have returned to Richmond Junior Chess Club and will be running a new series of chess courses for young beginners and novices based on the curriculum in Chess for Kids and chessKIDS academy.
Author of chess books (on chess for children and chess trivia) and magazine columns.
Recipient of the British (now English) Chess Federation President's Award in 1996.
I have also worked on various chess editing projects, and am now writing for Right Way Books. My book Chess for Kids is a best seller on Amazon, receiving very positive reviews, and I am currently working on a companion volume for parents and teachers.

Interests:
Chess (obviously!), Contract Bridge, Cryptic Crosswords, SuDoku, Education and Childhood Studies, Neurodiversity (especially Autism/Asperger Syndrome), Classical and Folk Music, Contemporary Fiction, Local and Family History ... and much else.