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 was also involved in running school chess clubs between 1993 and 2008.
I am currently working at
Hampton Court House, providing one-to-one chess tuition. In conjunction with other staff at the school I am developing and teaching a
reasoning and logic course, which, while preparing children for 11+ Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning tests, also covers development of other cognitive skills.
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.
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.
Recently I have also been working on various chess editing projects.
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.