Games: Chess

David Hooper, who was one of Britain strongest players in the years around 1950, died last week at the age of 82. British correspondence chess champion in 1944 and London Champion in 1948, he played for England a few times in the Fifties, including the Olympiad at Helsinki in 1952, but without great success.

Hooper's meticulous analytical skills showed themselves to greatest effect in his writings, particularly on the endgame and the history of chess. His Pocket Guide to Chess Endings (published in 1970) is an outstanding work, encapsulating a great deal of knowledge and understanding into a slim and unpretentious volume, but Hooper's greatest achievement was his collaboration with Ken Whyld on The Oxford Companion to Chess (1984 and 1992), a work of phenomenal erudition and research.

White: DV Hooper

Black: JE Eriksen

British Postal Championship 1944

1 e4 e6 14 Bd3 c5

2 d4 d5 15 Qc2 g6

3 Nd2 c5 16 b3 Ne8

4 Ngf3 Nf6 17 Bh6 Ng7

5 Bb5+ Nc6 18 Qc3 f6

6 exd5 Nxd5 19 Ng5 e5

7 Nb3 cxd4 20 Be4 fxg5

8 Nbxd4 Bd7 21 Bxa8 Rxa8

9 Nxc6 bxc6 22 Bxg7 Kxg7

10 Be2 Qc7 23 Rxe5 Kf7

11 0-0 Be7 24 Rxe7+ Kxe7

12 Re1 0-0 25 Re1+ Kf7

13 c4 Nf6 26 Qf3+ resigns