English Chess Forum

Jonathan Penrose Chess Park
The first chess park in the UK dedicated to a titan of British chess.
Visit in person to play chess in Colchester or find on the website information on his life in chess, with access to his games including those in correspondence chess that took him to being the highest rated in the world.

https://www.mercurytheatre.co.uk/jonath ... hess-park/

It was a great honour to be commissioned to write a modest biographical article for JP a year or so ago.

This was for the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB).

If this should interest you then please feel free to visit

https://www.oxforddnb.com/display/10.10 ... &result=22

Of course I am tempting fate for those who delight in finding errors but contribute zilch themselves.

Once I had refound my library card, I read the ODNB article with much interest and found several insights that were new to me. I can recommend it to anyone interested in British chess. Thanks for mentioning the Chess Park!

David York wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 11, 2025 5:51 pm

Once I had refound my library card, I read the ODNB article with much interest and found several insights that were new to me. I can recommend it to anyone interested in British chess. Thanks for mentioning the Chess Park!

Really most kind of you David. I enjoyed writing it. ODNB have asked for further articles. John Saunders has written a few as I recall.

I have contacted (no, I did not reach out) the ODNB to seek permission to reproduce the article in the ECF Yearbook for 2026.

ODNB have got back to me giving permission.

All I have to do now is complete a couple of release forms.

Well done, John