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On
holiday in Cyprus, he fell on the stairs of the hotel, was taken by
ambulance to hospital but did not regain consciousness. Autopsy results
awaited. [Not a covid statistic.]
He
is survived by Sandra, his wife of more than 40 years.
David
was a keen hiker so when I heard he had died of a fall that was my first
thought, but fate is not like that. I understand he has left a bequest in
his will to provide a bench on Stanage Edge, something I hope to visit in
due course.
David
originated from Leeds, moved to Sheffield in 1971, and spent 3 years at
Sheffield University reading History. He played initially for the
University C team, then later also for the A team.
Post
University David’s chess improved and he played for the Sheffield Woodhouse
Cup team for many years. He suffered a traumatic experience in a match
Sheffield v Wakefield; David was substantial material to the good when his
opponent suddenly dropped dead at the board. Of another occasion he oft
related “I will never forget strolling along to a Sheffield Woodhouse Cup
game, expecting to arrive ten minutes late as usual, when Roger Hoole
spotted me and offered a lift, ruining my game plan!”
David
leaves us the legacy of the Nomads Chess Club. He was the prime motivator
for setting up the Nomads. He had identified that Sheffield no longer had
a ‘central chess club’. He personally visited a very large number of
potential venues and his enthusiasm drew others to the project. That led
directly to the formation of the Nomads club which won Division 4 and the
Richardson Cup in its first season, a unique achievement in the annals of
Sheffield Chess. The Richardson campaign included defeating the current
league champions (Aughton) in the semi-final followed by defeating the
champions elect in the Final. Here are the details of that 4-2 Final
victory against Ecclesall:
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Sheffield Nomads
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4-2
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Ecclesall
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C.Shephard
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1-0
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D.M.Adams
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M.D.Smith
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½‑½
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P.W.Hempson
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D.Greensmith
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½-½
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T.
Fernley
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K.Dewhurst
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1-0
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C.J.Marley
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I.Mortimer
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1-0
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A.J.Trafford
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P.Hulse
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0-1
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M.Grimsley
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David
also leaves us the legacy of the current format of the Sheffield
Championship. Historically the Sheffield Championship (and its minor
tournaments) were played as separate knock-out competitions. David
formulated and put to the AGM the proposal for the format we still use
today. He was the Tournament Controller for several years until work
commitments took him away from Sheffield.
Initially
he went to Derby where he captained the Derbyshire County first team for
several years. After that he moved to the North East and then to
Scotland. Many year later he returned to the Sheffield area and played for
Barnsley.
His
chess claims to fame include the Hope Valley tournament in which he was runner-up
to frequent winner Chris Shephard, both Nomads at the time, with another
Nomad one of the losing semi-finalists. In tournament chess he achieved a
long and hard fought draw with GM Mark Hebden, something few achieved in
those days.
In
a visit to the local area, David featured prominently (hijacked it) in the
Sheffield Star review of an Indian Restaurant in Totley that alluded to
‘the tousle haired businessman belching and burping his way through his
curry’.
In
autumn 2018 I received a photo (below), taken at a crêperie in Lyon.
Unusually the photo does not show him with his signature pint of lager
(Stella if available) but instead has the explanatory caption "Encore
une bouteille de cidre, s'il vous plait !!"
David
will be remembered for his flamboyant attire, those bright red or alternatively
bright green trousers at a time when others were sombrely dressed.
Mike
Smith
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