New Years Honours for chess

[John Upham]

Just downloaded the 2011 New Years Honours list http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/p ... ny2011.pdf and can find no references to honours for services to chess or junior chess.

Does anyone know when someone was last nominated by the ECF (or anyone else) for services to chess?

Happy New Year!

[Michael Jones]

Maybe if England ever win Olympiad gold the players will all get gongs... and an open top bus parade through London while they're at it.

[John Upham]

Just downloaded the 2012 New Years Honours list

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/p ... rs2012.pdf

and can find no references to honours for services to chess or junior chess.

Does anyone know when someone was last nominated by the ECF (or anyone else) for services to chess?

Can anyone advise about the likely success of a Freedom of Information Act request revealing a list of all nominations to the honours committee?

Of course, in the good old days chess had a friend in Sir Stuart Milner-Barry: do we have such a friend in this day and age?

Happy New Year!

[Michael Yeo]

There is a CBE (not for services to chess!) to someone whose last published ECF grade was 159 (in 2000) and who was graded over 200 in the early 1970s.

[John Moore]

Michael - are we allowed to know who it is!

[E Michael White]

probably Professor Trevor William Robbins,

[Michael Yeo]

probably Professor Trevor William Robbins,

Correct

[Roger de Coverly]

someone whose last published ECF grade was 159 (in 2000) and who was graded over 200 in the early 1970s.

His highest would have been in the 1968 grading list at 216 when he would have been between school and university. That grade ranked at 19th equal in England and Wales.

[Kevin Thurlow]

"Of course, in the good old days chess had a friend in Sir Stuart Milner-Barry: do we have such a friend in this day and age?"

It helped he was in charge of the Honours at one stage...

Anyone can nominate someone else - just fill in the form.

[Colin Patterson]

At the risk of sparking controversy, shouldn't the chess community be nominating Malcolm Pein for his London Chess Classic organisation (putting London/England back on the chess map and giving our top players a huge opportunity/platform) and for his Chess in Schools and the Community Campaign? Even prior to these projects, he was employing people in chess-related jobs, organising high profile visits from people like Kasparov and doing admirable work as a frontline journalist and magazine editor. Possibly his critics will say his own business interests will profit from many of these actions, but nevertheless, we depend on someone rising to these challenges, and the future of chess in this country is a huge beneficiary.

[David Robertson]

Do you propose the honour to Malcolm Pein for organising the London Chess Classic? Or to the hedge fund manager for putting up the large pile of cash that makes it possible?

On a more cheery note, a founding member of Atticus Chess Club (& former flatmate and longstanding friend of mine) was honoured the other day (for services to FE). Geoff Hall (c. 180 in the mid 70s, but long inactive) is now Sir Geoffrey Hall. Fine bloke; well-deserved

[Colin Patterson]

David, that's like asking me who takes credit for the fabulous Liverpool chess tournaments of 2006-8.

Central Government? The Merseyside Partnership? The Capital of Culture bidding team? Prof. David Robertson? How do I choose?

No, I'm sticking with Malc, unless some other suggestions are forthcoming.

[David Sedgwick]

Just downloaded the 2012 New Years Honours list

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/p ... rs2012.pdf

and can find no references to honours for services to chess or junior chess.

If you search for "chess" in the above link, you do indeed draw a blank.

However, everyone, including me, has hitherto overlooked that a similar search of http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/p ... ry2012.pdf produces a much more satisfying result.

From the ECF website:

"We are delighted to announce that, in the recent New Year Honours List, the OBE was awarded to Mr Brian Adam Hugh Callaghan for services to chess and tourism in Gibraltar.

Anyone who has ever had any involvement with the Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival (previously the Gibtelecom International Chess Festival) will appreciate that this is a richly deserved honour.

We send our warmest congratulations to Mr Callaghan."

[John Saunders]

Hear, hear - great news!

[Christopher Kreuzer]

probably Professor Trevor William Robbins,

I think I played him once, or at least played in a college match that he was also playing in. Nice to see a name you recognise. Good news about the award to Mr Callaghan. I expect to read all about it in the next issues of BCM and CHESS! (Or at least see a passing mention). Agree about the suggestion for nomination - but surely this forum can come up with more nominations than that? Would the ECF awards for Services to Chess be a good place to start? Or should it be something over and above that? I see Keene's OBE for services to chess was in 1985. Looking further back in the thread, I agree with John from a few years back in this thread that Mickey Adams should be recognised in some way.