Helge Wademark 1948 - 2023

[Andrew Smith]

At the recent World Team Championship in Krakow, I was very sad to hear that Helge Wademark had died last year. He was Swedish but came to live in our area and play for Bourne End for about 3 years around 2002 - 2005. He was a larger than life character in terms of both his build and personality and graded 191 in old money ( so about 2190 in today's terms). I remember he loved living in England with his wife Lotta and their dog, Bubba, and fully bought into the lifestyle of walking, drinking, and playing chess. When he arrived, he visited all the chess clubs in the area and chose to join Bourne End because our club meets in a bar ! Our Club Chairman sold him our club over the others in the area with the following sentence " Can you believe that some chess clubs don't actually have a bar ?! ". I particularly remember his sense of humour and a mastery of English language that some Europeans have, in saying things that are far more witty than we could ever say !
One of the great things I recall him saying was about non-chess players looking at a chess game in progress. Almost sympathically, he would lament " they can not possibly comprehend the drama that is unfolding on the chessboard in front of them." I haven't seen Helge for a number of years, but he was a good friend whilst he lived here, and he got me over to play for his team Uppsala in Sweden.