Roelof Westra

[JustinHorton]

Died this week at the age of ninety. Appreciation from Hull Chess Club. I think we may have met over the board, possibly at York in 2000. He had a simultaneous draw with Botvinnik to his credit.

[Matt Mackenzie]

Also played blitz (or similar) with Fischer, or at least it has been claimed.

[MartinCarpenter]

That is sad, if less so after living a full life!

I did get to play him a couple of times when I was starting out, but he was a little past his best even then. The respect he got from all the strong players round Yorkshire chess was very obvious. Seemed a nice person.

Those Hull teams that he was such a huge part of really were amazingly successful in the Yorkshire league. They won it every year in a row between 1987 and 2000 (inclusive.). Nothing like it either before or since.

[Ihor Lewyk]

So sad to hear this.
I always looked forward to meeting Roelof as he always had chess stories to tell and he could always see a hilarious side to everything.

He was still playing open congresses while into his seventies and I met him in the car park at one of his later congresses, where he began to explain how there was a mix up with the arbiters and they failed to give him a bye that he requested that morning. I told him not to worry, most opponents would take a draw if you explained your circumstances. Only when I reached the pairing board did I see who he was paired against. Yep me!
Not a problem as I enjoyed a coffee and long chat with him until the next round.

Roelof was a tremendously insightful chess player, a lovely person to analyse with and a wonderfully engaging and funny guy. Although I haven't met him for a number of years he will be sadly missed.

[Mick Norris]

I see his brother Duco has died according to Yorkshire chess

[James Plaskett]

Ach! Sad news.
I remember telling him some jokes in Dutch at a Rapids event in Leeds in 1996. I had him in stitches and it took some time afterwards to convince him that, "No", I never lived in Holland