Jim Montgomery

[Simon Rogers]

I am sorry to report that Jim Montgomery passed away last month.
Jim played for Inverclyde Central Chess Club in the Glasgow Chess League.
He was also a regular player in the West of Scotland Chess Championship.
Jim's last grade was 2048 back in August.
RIP

[John Cox]

Is this the same Jim Montgomery who was active in the Midlands in the 1970's, I wonder?

[Alex McFarlane]

Hi John,

Jim worked in IT. He also lived in Prague towards the end of the 70s. I think he may have spent (but I'm not sure) some time in England before going to Prague.
He had married a Czech girl hence going there at that time. He met her when she was the guide for a Scottish team that played in a (student?) event there.

[Leonard Barden]

If my memory is accurate, and it may not be, Jim Montgomery was my first round opponent in the Glasgow international of 1971. Round one was scheduled for Saturday at 9am on a Bank Holiday weekend.

I had arrived the previous evening, was tired after the long journey from London, didn't have an alarm clock, and failed to wake in my boarding house until around 9.30 am. The accommodation was some way from the tournament hall, and I could not reach it in time to beat the stipulated one-hour default.

My opponent graciously refused to accept the default point, so we played the game with an adjusted time limit and I won a long ending and, later, the tournament. It was the final first prize (not that there were that many) of my chess career, so I have felt grateful to Jim Montgomery ever since. RIP.

[Alex McFarlane]

Hi Leonard,

You won the 1970 Glasgow event and did beat Jim.

In 1971 you came second to Bob Wade but did not play him.

https://www.chessscotland.com/documents ... ngress.htm

[Roger Lancaster]

Leonard's post reminds me that Jim aIso pIayed in the 1967 GIasgow event, won by Keene ahead of Levy and Pritchett, aIthough my memory of him is faint as we didn't pIay one another.

[David Sedgwick]

Hi Leonard,

You won the 1970 Glasgow event and did beat Jim.

In 1971 you came second to Bob Wade but did not play him.

https://www.chessscotland.com/documents ... ngress.htm

Alex, your last sentence is ambiguous. I presume that you meant that Barden did not play Montgomery in 1971.

According to the link which you gave, Barden did play Wade. Wade won the game.

RIP Jim Montgomery.

[LawrenceCooper]

Is this the same Jim Montgomery who was active in the Midlands in the 1970's, I wonder?

I believe that there was a Jim Montgomery who was referred to as Stafford chess club's strongest ever player. Probably in the 70s as you mention.

[Phil Neatherway]

I remember the name as a strong Stafford player from my time at Keele University 1973-7.