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Charles L. Tadiello
Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 12:30 pm
by John Upham
The following was sent by John Roper from Reading Chess Club:
Charles L Tadiello – born 17th October 1919, died 28th June 2014
Charles learned to play chess during a daily 10 mile school bus journey to Grammar School and was effectively self-taught. He was Andover Grammar School Chess Champion for 2 years.
Charles started at Lloyds Bank in Faringdon, Oxfordshire, in 1937 aged 17 years (he remained with Lloyds Bank until he retired in 1980). He was called up to the army in 1940 and remained in the forces until August 1946. He then returned to the bank in Faringdon. Charles moved to Reading in September 1948 and started club chess in 1949 at the age of 29. He says that prior to that time he had studied chess but had no match experience. In 1952 he became top board for Berkshire and remained so until 1962.
Charles joined Reading Chess Club in 1949 and left in March 2010 (at age 90) when he moved to Berkhamsted. Charles won various championships (in no particular order):
• Andover Grammar School x 2
• Berkshire Champion x 2
• London Banks champion x 1
• Reading Chess Club Champion x 15 (first won the Reading Championship in 1957-58 and the last of his 15 wins was in the 2007-08 season (at the age of 88!)
• Reading Chess Club Lightning Chess Champion x 10
• Bracknell Chess Club Champion x 2
• Berkhamsted Chess Club Champion x 1 (at the age of 93)
Charles married Barbara in November 1945. Barbara died in November 2011. Charles had two sons, Alan and Derek, two grandchildren (Carla and Marcus) and two great grandchildren (Anabel and Jessica). Charles lived independently in Berkhamsted until he died peacefully at home from heart failure on 28 June 2014, aged 94.
Charles was a long time subscriber and supporter of
BCM.
Re: Charles L. Tadiello
Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 2:13 pm
by John Townsend
Sad news. "Tad" was universally liked and respected in Berkshire chess. He joked that when people asked why he had no enemies, he replied that he had outlived all the b------s! The truth is that he had very few enemies. R.I.P., Tad.
Re: Charles L. Tadiello
Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2014 12:07 am
by Graham Borrowdale
I never played Tad in my early years playing in Berkshire, but I remember he was regarded as a bit of a legend locally.
Thanks for posting his story, John. It's inconceivable nowadays that anybody could work for the same employer and play for the same chess club for virtually the whole of their life.
Re: Charles L. Tadiello
Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2026 3:16 pm
by Gerard Killoran
- Reading Mercury _ Saturday 06 October 1956 _ p.3.png (1.06 MiB) Viewed 2767 times
Re: Charles L. Tadiello
Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2026 3:28 pm
by Jon D'Souza-Eva
That's a nice picture. Just for completeness, the 'L' stood for Luigi.
Re: Charles L. Tadiello
Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2026 3:51 pm
by John Townsend
"Tad" kept his form well through advanced age, and that applied very much to playing at speed.
For some time he was manager of a branch of Lloyd's Bank on Broad Street, in the centre of Reading. His banking experience made him a popular and appropriate choice for a treasurer.
Re: Charles L. Tadiello
Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2026 3:58 pm
by GrahamStuart
Maybe not the most accurate game, but certainly an entertaining one. Played on board 4 in the Berkshire vs Hampshire County match in October 1966. Many thanks to Arthur Brameld for his chess games.
Re: Charles L. Tadiello
Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2026 4:32 pm
by John Upham
At the risk of appearing to emulate GMRDKOBE...
and incurring the retort of hypocrite...
I was lucky enough to play Charles in 2006 when I could still recall how the pieces moved and when, of course, he was very much in his twilight years.
Anyway, he was charming gentleman who was now playing for the Reading B team but I knew him as Berkshire Champion from England's glory year at Wembley in 1966.
An entertaining game for those that like that sort of thing...