Jennifer Goldsmith (1949-2026)

[Peter Ackley]

Just been sent the sad news that Jennifer Goldsmith passed away. Jennifer played for Harrow, Middlesex, although was a regular at congresses across England. I mostly knew her en passant from running Doncaster and being arbiter of her section - in this respect she was a model competitor (in that she caused me no problems whatsoever!).

Her time at Harrow was after mine - hopefully posting this can lead to players who knew her better can add more appropriate comments.

My condolences to her friends and family, especially to her partner Patrick (Sartain) - also a regular on the congress circuit.

[Jon Mahony]

Not to speak ill, but I think a lot of minor and intermediate section congress players, in the early 2010's will have different memories.

She was certainly a... *ahem* character... nuff said.

[Brendan O'Gorman]

Jenny playing in the Frome Congress 2022

Jenny Goldsmith 2022.jpg (464.68 KiB) Viewed 811 times

Basically a good person, Jenny sometimes found it difficult to control her emotions when she lost at chess.

[Matt Mackenzie]

Any relation to the "famous" Goldsmith clan?

[Mike Truran]

De mortuis nil nisi bonum.

[Martin Crichton]

De mortuis nil nisi bonum.

My dad who recently passed away aged 90....told me this saying is absolute tosh and I agree with with him (in moderation) I am sure when I go there will be plenty to speak both good and ill of me
that said I do not know the lady above but I do recognise her from playing in local leagues or congresses.

[R G Edwards]

To avoid speaking ill of the dead in these obituaries, it's worth remembering that we have a wide choice of euphemisms to employ. To help I've put together a short list of the commonly-used ones:

• He liked a pint = He liked five pints
  He could be a divisive figure = Half the club hated him
  He was man of strong opinions = He would often raise his voice when expressing his views
  He wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea = Many people avoided him
  He was a colourful character = He was a crook
  He was quiet man = He wasn’t sociable
  He was a private man = He had no friends
  He was enigmatic = He was full of contradictions
  He was sometimes emotional = He would fly into rages
  He was a man of conviction = He was arrogant
  He didn’t suffer fools gladly = He was impatient
  He had a zany sense of humour = His humour could be incredibly irritating
  He was known for his run-ins with organizers = He would disrupt tournaments over petty issues
  He was never a strong player = He was always a weak player

If anyone has any more, we could expand the list.

[LawrenceCooper]

I played her in the 4NCL in 2018 and she was both polite and pleasant before and after the game when we had our post-mortem.

[Andrew Zigmond]

I played Jennifer Goldsmith at the 4NCL Huddersfield Congress in 2024 - it was something of a disaster as I launched an incorrect attack thinking I could blag it and was soon disabused. Despite her low grade she could clearly be a dangerous opponent.

She was a well known figure on the circuit and must have been among the country's most active female players. If she could be a strong personality there was no doubt that she loved chess.

My thoughts are with her family and especially Patrick Sartain who I have played several times over the years (including the round before Jennifer at Huddersfield).

[Nick Ivell]

De mortuis nil nisi bunkum.

[Fenella Headlong]

I first knew Jennifer in the 1980s at Finchley Chess Club, where we were both members. She was always a lively club member, very enthusiastic for the game, and loved playing in league matches and in the club tournaments. After a gap of many years, we bumped into each other at various tournaments over the last 10 years or so, and always enjoyed a quick catch up and reminisce. My condolences to her partner Patrick, always by her side in these last few years.