James Bernard Adams

[James Pratt]

Jimmy Adams died this morning.

07.02.1947 London-06.06.2026.

I have no further details.
James

[JonManley]

FM Jimmy Adams was a fine chess writer and editor, and his scholarship has left a lasting mark on chess literature.
I am grateful to have known him as a friend. He seemed to embody the joy of chess. RIP.

[John Saunders]

Very sad to hear of Jimmy's passing. A very pleasant man and an excellent writer/editor.

The following linked article on Kingpin is a good example of his writing style and also showcases his strength as a player. I didn't know him well but had the impression of a self-effacing, mild-mannered man who might have gone further as a player if he had had the necessary drive. I played him once in the London League and drew, rather luckily. I sensed he was a fair bit stronger than me but was someone who had an aesthetic enjoyment of the game that transcended any interest he might have in the result. R.I.P.

https://www.kingpinchess.net/2013/09/pl ... game-back/

[Jon D'Souza-Eva]

You can hear him on a New in Chess podcast here:
https://www.newinchess.com/blog/post/ni ... immy-adams

[John Upham]

Very sad news indeed. JBA made a huge contribution to the British and English Chess Scene for sure.

The loss of both Jimmy and Kenny Harman is quite horrible for Islington Chess Club older members.

More to come...


Here is Jimmy and Ray Cannon at an early London Chess Classic

Here is Jimmy and Ray Cannon at an early London Chess Classic

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[John Upham]

An article that requires an update:


https://web.archive.org/web/20250306120 ... 7-ii-1947/

[SarahHurst]

Jimmy was a great inspiration to me and brilliant friend. After I offered him one interview he suggested that I should become a chess journalist and published dozens of my articles in CHESS in the 1990s as well as providing background information from his encyclopaedic knowledge of the chess world and chess history. He never lost his enthusiasm for the game and the players, and was still hoping to write an article about Korchnoi shortly before his death. We always had great meetups with other chess journalists in Italian restaurants and Jimmy's favourite food was spaghetti carbonara. Fortunately despite a lengthy illness he was able to see his book on Salo Flohr published and the arrival of his baby granddaughter.

[John Upham]

Viktor and Jimmy in happier times

Viktor and Jimmy in happier times

Kortchnoi_JimmyAdams.jpg (228.38 KiB) Viewed 4393 times

[John Upham]

Jimmy Adams and Michael Negele at the 2012 meeting of the Ken Whyld Association

Jimmy Adams and Michael Negele at the 2012 meeting of the Ken Whyld Association

norwich_05.jpg (31.26 KiB) Viewed 4365 times

[Andrew Martin]

Very sad, RIP Jimmy. A London Central YMCA stalwart.

[John Upham]

Jimmy and Ray Cannon at a 2012 meeting in Norwich of the Ken Whyld Association

Jimmy and Ray Cannon at a 2012 meeting in Norwich of the Ken Whyld Association

Jimmy_Adams_Raymund_Cannon_x1280.jpg (175.12 KiB) Viewed 4052 times

[John Upham]

James Bernard Adams was born on Friday, February 7th, 1947 to James Adams and Ivy F Soule in Islington, London. He attended Highbury County Grammar School for Boys.

Jimmy was married to Sharon and they had a daughter, Charlotte.

In 1958 Jimmy at the age of 11 joined his local Islington Chess Club (at the time Islington & North London Chess Club) and soon afterwards became a London Junior Champion. Following this Jimmy played little chess and was working for John Lewis (echoes of CHO’D Alexander and Leonard Barden). Following John Lewis Jimmy worked as a Health and Safety Officer for Islington Council.

At this time Islington Chess Club was one of the strongest in England and included such members as Kenny Harman, Ron Harman, Danny Wright, Stewart Reuben and others. Its most famous member was probably IM Simon Webb

The Spassky-Fischer match of 1972 re-kindled his lapsed interest and he won with a 100% score the London Amateur Championship.

He joined and was a staunch member of London Central YMCA (CENTYMCA) chess club and he wrote a privately published history of the club entitled The CENTYMCA Story. This is now a much sought after publication. His membership continued during the 1970s until around 1979.

During this period Jimmy was extremely active at the Endell Street premises.

In 1974 Jimmy embarked on a highly successful career as a writer and journalist. He contributed articles to both CHESS and the British Chess Magazine and authored a number of acclaimed books for Batsford, The Chess Player, Caissa Books and latterly, New in Chess. He also self-published the first book on Bobby Fischer’s successor entitled K is for Karpov! His books on Chigorin, Zukertort and Breyer are universally regarded as some of the finest chess biographies published.

In 1979 Jimmy joined Metropolitan Chess Club to play in the London League A Division. He played top board and scored very highly with many significant scalps.

Jimmy gained his FM title in 2014 (at the age of 67!). 67 must be one of the most advanced ages to acquire an FM title. According to Felice his peak rating was 2300 in January 1981 aged 34.

He joined Metropolitan Chess Club. He joined Barbican, as did many other CENTYMCA players, following the hiatus over their Tottenham Court Road venue loss.

Jimmy was Editor of Middlesex Chessletter and Bayswater Chess in the early 1970s and produced major bulletins on the hugely successful Islington Congresses of the same period. He then worked for Pergamon Chess Books which led to his editorship of CHESS / CHESS Monthly magazine from until 2010 although his name remained on the masthead until February 2012.

In January 2016 Jimmy (together with Josip Asik) became co-editors of British Chess Magazine taking over from James Pratt and John Upham.
Jimmy also jointly edited Chess Informants 109-132 up to 2017 before taking on the role of Deputy Editor of the newly created American Chess Magazine whilst continuing to work as editor for Batsford Chess which had changed ownership over the years and had now been taken under the umbrella of Pavillion Books.

More to come...

[Ian Thompson]

Jimmy gained his FM title in 2014 (at the age of 67!). 67 must be one of the most advanced ages to acquire an FM title. According to Felice his peak rating was 2300 in January 1981 aged 34.

Presumably because he chose to apply for the title in 2014, not because he had just qualified for it. Quite likely, he had qualified for it by 1981 if his rating was 2300 then. If ChessBase is to be believed, which it probably shouldn't be, he reached 2300 in January 1981 and his rating never changed again after that.

[John Upham]

Jimmy gained his FM title in 2014 (at the age of 67!). 67 must be one of the most advanced ages to acquire an FM title. According to Felice his peak rating was 2300 in January 1981 aged 34.

Presumably because he chose to apply for the title in 2014, not because he had just qualified for it. Quite likely, he had qualified for it by 1981 if his rating was 2300 then. If ChessBase is to be believed, which it probably shouldn't be, he reached 2300 in January 1981 and his rating never changed again after that.

I seem to recall that someone other than JBA applied for Jimmy's FM title on his behalf. I might be getting confused with PR Markland however.

[John Clarke]

This part-game of Jimmy's, played when he was only thirteen, featured on the BBC's Chess programme in 1961. His opponent (White) was none other than Hungarian great Laszlo Szabo, who was playing a clock simultaneous against Jimmy and five others. Leonard Barden commented in the broadcast: "Black lost a pawn by indifferent opening play, but then correctly decided to mass his pieces on the K-side for a counter-attack before White’s queen’s wing majority became too dangerous." This was the position:

r6k/1n4p1/2Np2qp/3Pppb1/1PP5/7P/B3QPP1/4R1K1

Play proceeded: 40. … Ra3 41.Kh1 Bh4 42.Rb1 f4 43.Rg1 f3 44.gxf3 Qf5 45.Rg4 Rxf3 46.Rxh4 Rxf2 47.Qe3 Rxa2 48.Rxh6+ gxh6 49.Qxh6+ Qh7 50.Qf8+ Qg8 51.Qh6+ ½-½

Leonard remarked in conclusion: “This was a courageous attack by young Adams – he’s considered one of our most promising junior players and I think we shall be hearing a lot more of him in the next few years.” Amen to that, Leonard!

PS: wasn't it Jimmy who wrote the "Ballad Of Bobby Fischer", which told RJF's life story in rhyming couplets and first appeared in Chess in the early 70s? The original stopped short of the 1972 WCM but an addendum covering that event was published not long afterwards. Maybe someone should dig it out and put it up here. I've searched the web to no avail - all I can find is a YouTube clip with the same title but totally different content, plus a slew of items about That Musical.