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The funeral of Chris Clegg (1.iv.1948-5.i.2015) took place at Kingston Crematorium Chapel on Tuesday 24th March 2015. It was a well-attended affair which is all the more remarkable because there were no relatives. Chris was immensely well liked not just for what he did for chess but for the person he was. He was the gentlest of people and completely without malice. Everyone at Kingston and Wimbledon chess clubs and in the wider chess world will be the poorer for his leaving us.
Chris was a private man and sparing in his conversation which tended to revolve around chess. However, we learned a few sketchy details about his life. Fellow Kingston Club member Peter Roche read a eulogy, from which much of what follows is largely derived. There was also an appreciation from Jeffrey Horstman, partner at the firm of soliticitors from which Chris had retired some 30 years earlier.
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Peter Roche with Jeffrey Horstman at the reception.
Chris was an only child and he never knew his father. When young, he moved with his mother from Bedford to live in Surbiton. He attended Tiffin Boys’ School where he excelled at chess. He took part in tournaments including the London U-14s where he played the future grandmaster Raymond Keene. Chris joined Kingston Chess Club whilst still at school – so he was a member for over half a century. There can hardly have been a more loyal or devoted member. In recent years, Chris also played for Wimbledon in the London League. His activities extended to playing for Surrey county (for at least 45 years) and he was a regular participant in weekend and one-day quickplay tournaments.
Peter Roche joined Kingston in 1971 when he met Chris who at that time had a rating of 182 (a high grading in old money) and was playing top board for Kingston. For a number of years Chris alternated on top board with another stalwart, Ken Inwood (British U-18 champion 1953, still playing and club President). Chris reached his maximum grading of 186 in 1973. In more recent years his grading dropped and he gradually floated down the first team although he was always an integral part of the squad. There is a natural decline in chess-playing ability with the ageing process but there is no doubt that Chris had to battle against ill-health over many years, which makes his contribution to the teams he played for all the more commendable. To give an idea of the extent of his devotion, last season Chris played 33 times for Kingston and only one other player achieved more than 20 games.
What sort of player was he? To judge from his choice of openings – particularly playing the French defence with black, you might think he would be a solid if not dull sort of player but this was not true. Many years ago, he tried to “shake up “ his defences and essayed the Sicilian Najdorf for part of the season but then reverted to the trusted French. Chris had excellent tactical ability and was good at spotting combinations. He was also keen on rapidplay 30-minute games and also at 5-minute chess. He was a keen participant in the summer 5-minute tournaments the club organised during the summers.
Apart from playing, Chris was also a longstanding team captain – for some years he was in charge of both first teams (Kingston play in the Surrey and Thames Valley leagues). At the time of his death, he was still running the Thames Valley league team. Anyone who has been captain and known the agony of ringing club members to persuade them of the joys of playing at Slough or Bracknell on a freezing January evening will appreciate the efforts that went into Chris’s captaincy. The challeng was not made any easier by the fact that Chris never adopted any technology after the home telephone. From time to time, he would ring up to give a position to be plugged into a chess engine to determine whether the game was worth going for adjudication. As well as his chess-playing ability, Chris had a remarkable talent for recalling bygone matches. If you referred to a game you had played he could instantly recall not only your opponent but also what happened. It was quite uncanny.
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The reception in the atmospheric ancient church vestry.
As mentioned earlier, there were two groups of people at his funeral. This cast another light on Chris’s life – of which the chess players were unaware. After his A Levels, Chris did his articles and qualified as a solicitor at Palmers in Kingston in 1972 and soon became a partner at a relatively young age. Several of his former colleagues were in attendance. They spoke of his high intellect and creative way of solving legal problems.
The critical period in his life came in the mid-1980s when two major events happened in close proximity. The first was the death of his mother with whom he was very close. Chris had remained living with his mother. She died suddenly during a train journey. He had been waiting for her at home where they were to have tea. He later recounted this episode with sadness. Subsequently, in this difficult period, he received kindness and sympathy from Jean Price, his secretary, with whom he had formed a romantic attachment. However, tragedy struck when Jean died young of ovarian cancer.
Soon afterwards, Chris suffered what appears to have been a serious mental breakdown. His illness was such that he was required to leave the firm. Thereafter he suffered periods of ill health but continued with his efforts to resume work as a solicitor. This meant constant study including taking written tests with the College of Law and keeping up to date by reading legal journals. Unfortunately he never recovered good health nor secured employment. On at least one occasion he had to be hospitalised.
Apart from chess, Chris was a keen and knowledgeable ornithologist. In earlier years, when still working he had gone on bird watching trips abroad including to Kenya and the Gambia. He spent time at weekends going far afield to important nature reserves. He was always a frequent visitor to Richmond Park and Bushy Park. The choice of music for the service included pieces with a bird theme – “The Bog” by Rautavaara and “The Lark Ascending” by Vaughn Williams.
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Alan Scrimgour, Stephen Lovell, Rob Willams, Usman Syed
In a departure from tradition, the reception was held in a church, All Saints in Kingston, the Saxon church at the heart of English history, where the Choir Vestry was equipped with chess sets for the mourners. Chris would have felt very comfortable at the event since he loved nothing better than playing a game of chess over the board. Kingston are contemplating returning to the centre of town and taking residence at the All Saints. This would itself be a fitting tribute to Chris.
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John Foley v Christopher Kreuzer (photo Richard James)
Those attending from the chess community included: Richard James, David Rowson, Alan Marshall, Ian Cross, David Ebbett, Peter Roche, Rob Williams, Usman Syed, Stephen Lovell, Paul Shepherd, Christopher Kreuzer, Alan Scrimgour, Andrew Blackburn, Adrian Waldock, Ken Inwood, Nick Grey and John Foley.
Apologies: Stephen Moss, David Sedgwick, David Shalom, Kevin Thurlow, Julian Way.