Ian Duncan Wells : (Jun-22-1964, Jan-25-1982) UK

[John Upham]

I note that today of all days GM Larry Evans has published a very short article about ID Wells at http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/ar ... 2750.story which reads :

British star Ian Wells had a fatal accident in 1982 a day after he finished an international junior tournament in Brazil. Wells, 17, went swimming with a group of players at the famous Copacabana beach and got caught in an undertow. Rescued by lifeguards, he never regained consciousness and died after six days in a coma.

Wells gained worldwide attention by defeating Soviet grandmaster Alexander Kotov in a short match (2-1) in 1979. He qualified for the FIDE master title at the 1981 Benedictine Open in Manchester, then tied for first with grandmasters John Nunn and Anthony Miles at the Islington Open.

Harry Golombek, dean of British chess, described Wells as "a pleasant and modest personality who, had he lived only a few more years, would have become a great master."

In a field of 15 at Rio de Janeiro, Wells tied for fifth at 10 points a behind Thorstens (Iceland) and Zuniga (Peru) at 11, then Dlugy (United States) and Saeed (United Arab Emirates) at 10½.

I can't understand the significance of this story apart from the fact that Jan 25th is a few days away. Anyone have any suggestions?