Malcolm John Lightfoot (1950-2026)
Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2026 2:53 pm
I’m sorry to report that my old friend Malcolm Lightfoot died on 27 May 2026 at the age of 75.
Born on 11 November 1950, Malcolm was a much valued member of Richmond & Twickenham Chess Club from the mid 1960s to the early 1980s.
He was graded about 190 (about 2100 Elo) for much of this period. Highlights of his chess career included sharing first place in the London Under 21 Championship in 1970-71, sharing second place with Mike Bulford and Jon Speelman in the Thames Valley Congress in August 1971, behind Colin Burton, but ahead of Leonard Barden and Michael Stean, and competing in the British Championship at Clacton in 1974.
He stopped playing on moving to Suffolk, but returned to the board in 2012, playing for Saxmundham and Woodbridge in the Suffolk League and for Iceni in the 4NCL. His last recorded games were in January this year.
Malcolm will be much missed by his friends in the Suffolk chess community and fondly remembered by many who knew him on the London chess circuit back in the 1970s.
Born on 11 November 1950, Malcolm was a much valued member of Richmond & Twickenham Chess Club from the mid 1960s to the early 1980s.
He was graded about 190 (about 2100 Elo) for much of this period. Highlights of his chess career included sharing first place in the London Under 21 Championship in 1970-71, sharing second place with Mike Bulford and Jon Speelman in the Thames Valley Congress in August 1971, behind Colin Burton, but ahead of Leonard Barden and Michael Stean, and competing in the British Championship at Clacton in 1974.
He stopped playing on moving to Suffolk, but returned to the board in 2012, playing for Saxmundham and Woodbridge in the Suffolk League and for Iceni in the 4NCL. His last recorded games were in January this year.
Malcolm will be much missed by his friends in the Suffolk chess community and fondly remembered by many who knew him on the London chess circuit back in the 1970s.