English Chess Forum

Posted: **Tue Oct 13, 2015 1:56 pm**

I was very sorry to hear today of the death of John Moles who was my contemporary at Oxford and a good friend at that time (ca. 1967-1971).

The Irish Chess Union website has just announced:

The passing of a Champion - John Moles 1949-2015 2015-10-13.
It is very sad indeed to report the sudden death of John Moles, Professor of Latin at Newcastle University and founder and editor of the online journal Histos. John was working in the University Library in Durham on Sunday afternoon (4th October) when he collapsed.

His first two books were devoted to chess but he will be remembered especially as a classicist of penetrating intellect and unusual range, who never spared his efforts on behalf of fellow scholars, particularly those of a younger generation.

John was Irish Champion in 1966 and 1971 and a member of the Olympiad team in 1970 and 1972.

Thoughts and deepest sympathies to all his family, friends and associates. May he rest in peace.

John was the author of The French Defence: Main Line Winawer and a second volume on lesser lines which was completed by Kevin Wicker.

The last time I met him was at a tournament in Cork in 1977. I think he may have more or less given up chess by then.

Posted: **Tue Oct 13, 2015 2:22 pm**

That's very sad news. Coincidentally I was playing through one of his games just a day or so, which I keyed in from a bulletin which is on my desk at the moment for processing...

Posted: **Tue Oct 13, 2015 3:31 pm**

That game is on page 259 of the Moles/Wicker book. I actually played on a lower board in that match which was probably between the university 1st and 2nd teams if I recall correctly. (The second team was mostly freshmen I think and the captain was Martyn's future wife who some may recall from the British Championship at Warwick University a few years later.)

Posted: **Tue Oct 13, 2015 10:37 pm**

University Pieces and Pawns teams. When did that tradition end?

Posted: **Tue Oct 13, 2015 10:43 pm**

Mike Truran wrote:University Pieces and Pawns teams. When did that tradition end?

I have no idea but I think it started in my undergraduate days after the 2nd team won promotion to the top division so that the names were needed to differentiate them.

Posted: **Tue Oct 13, 2015 11:58 pm**

Tim Harding wrote:That game is on page 259 of the Moles/Wicker book.

As well as the Corden game, there was another in the French that became well known and in addition a contribution to theory.

There had been this game

A couple of years later, there was a demonstration of the refutation of Hartston's sacrifice.

Posted: **Wed Oct 14, 2015 5:02 pm**

I have put together a short profile of John at http://ulsterchesshistory.blogspot.co.u ... moles.html. There is also a game from Ballyclare 1968 against Wolfgang Heidenfeld (which, as far as I'm aware, is not in the standard databases) and annotated by him at http://ulsterchesshistory.blogspot.co.u ... -2015.html.

Posted: **Thu Oct 15, 2015 5:11 pm**

There's an announcement, including funeral arrangement, in the Northern Echo: http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/announ ... OHN_MOLES/

English Chess Forum

John Moles (1949-2015)

John Moles (1949-2015)

Re: John Moles (1949-2015)

Re: John Moles (1949-2015)

Re: John Moles (1949-2015)

Re: John Moles (1949-2015)

Re: John Moles (1949-2015)

Re: John Moles (1949-2015)

Re: John Moles (1949-2015)