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16/01/2025
Martin Pettinger (1969-2024)
Following the
untimely death of a relatively recently recruited Chesterfield player, Martin
Pettinger, the following tribute has been submitted by Martin Howard, who
comments,
“Obviously Martin was
much less well known in Sheffield than he was in Derbyshire. However, I
would just mention that his funeral will be taking place at Chesterfield
Crematorium on Friday 31 January at 3.10pm. Ella (Pettinger) has told me
that any of Martin’s chess friends will be most welcome to attend.
The following tribute
is also to be found on the Chesterfield Chess Club website: http://chesterfieldchessclub.weebly.com/obituaries
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Tribute from Martin Howard
We are sad to record the death of Martin Pettinger on the night of 28
December 2024 as a result of a pulmonary embolism. He was only 55 years of
age and was in apparent good health, so this has been a huge shock to us
all.
Martin was born in Grimsby in November 1969. He learned chess at the age of
eight when he was at Junior School. Within a year he was the best player in
the school. When he was twelve he became a member of Grimsby & District
Chess Club. His parents were grateful for the encouragement that he
received there from other members of the club. Soon he was winning cups and
trophies including the hotly contested Club Championship.
By the age of fifteen Martin was playing for Lincolnshire. Recently he
informed me that we had played each other almost 40 years ago (October
1985) in a County match between Lincolnshire 1 and Derbyshire 1 (Board 4).
Martin sent me a copy of the game. He was not quite sixteen at the time but
was better for much of the game and I was lucky to escape with a
draw!
When Martin was sixteen he was invited to
participate in the prestigious Lloyds Bank Masters Tournament in London.
This attracted players from all over the world. Of the nine games he
played, he lost only two, which was a considerable achievement.
In 1988 Martin went up to Leeds University. Sadly this coincided with him
giving up chess. He did not start playing again until a few years ago. It
did not take him long to reach a high level again and there is no doubt
that he was still improving. By 2022 he was playing top board for Rolls
Royce A in the Derbyshire First Division. That season he was the League’s
top performer, scoring 8.5/10. In 2023 he was awarded the League’s Best
Game Prize by Grandmaster Daniel King for his game against David Williams.
An analysis of this game even appeared on YouTube.
In 2022 it was our good fortune that Martin moved to live in Chesterfield.
He joined Chesterfield Chess Club and immediately volunteered to take over
from me the captaincy of our Derbyshire League side. In 2024, with Martin
as captain, we retained the Derby Trophy.
Martin also played for the club in the First Division of the Sheffield
League. His performance was outstanding. In 2023/24 he was unbeaten in both
the Davy Trophy and the Summer League, scoring 11/14.
By profession Martin was a structural engineer. He worked on projects not
only in the UK but also internationally. He was highly regarded by his
colleagues. Apart from chess he had a passion for photography for which he
also won awards.
Martin’s death is a huge loss to the club. We extend our deepest sympathy
to his wife, Ella, and to his family and friends.
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