President's Awards for Services to Chess 2006

Three awards go to:
Dr Jill Barber from Manchester
Zoe Ryle from Middlesex
Paul Habershon from Bedford Modern School..

Congratulations to those receiving the awards and to those who did not succeed this year, we will be advertising next years awards towards the end of the year, so keep an eye on the ECF Website and ChessMoves.

John Wickham

Jill Barber

Jill has been a central figure in the development of Junior Chess in Manchester for a number of years. The core team of Julian Clissold, Andrew Wilson, Pat Murphy and Jill Barber have sustained a very large programme of junior chess activity since the early eighties. This has included Manchester Junior Chess Congresses (three per annum), Junior Coaching events, Manchester teams in the EPSCA County Associations matches at Under 9, and Under 11, and a County Association girls team. There have also been other junior representational events over the last ten years for children over 11 years. Jill has played a full part in helping to create successful Manchester teams that year on year have succeeded in reaching national finals.

Jill has also helped to open up chess in a particular school in the Didsbury area of Manchester. From a zero start, with no previous history of chess activity, Jill has encouraged the school and supported their children over a long period so that they are now active in the UK Chess Challenge and the EPSCA Schools team events, getting through to the final last year.

Jill has been particularly helpful in helping to open up and develop girls’ chess in Manchester. She initiated girls only training events and provided strong support for a girls team in the EPSCA events.

Finally Jill is also an active member of her local chess club. She plays for representative teams and has been active in organisation in the club as a team captain and a committee member. She has also been active in the organisation of Manchester league chess.

Paul Habershon

Paul has been an English teacher at Bedford Modern School for, I believe, virtually all his working life, and is due to retire at the end of August. For the whole of that time he has organised and encouraged chess-playing throughout the School at all levels. This has involved (amongst other things!) setting up and running after-school and lunchtime chess clubs aimed at both beginners and experienced players; taking squads of players to local congresses; arranging stays at the British Championships for anyone interested in playing in the various junior events there; arranging teams for the Sunday Times and Times National Schools Competitions; and arranging and playing in teams in the local Bedfordshire League.

As a result of his hard work, enthusiasm and diligence, Bedford Modern School has been the strongest school in the area for decades. Numerous qualifications to the National Stages of the Sunday Times and Times competitions have been achieved, and in 1974 the School travelled to London to play in the Finals, winning Silver Medals. Without his encouragement, Jim Plaskett would not be a Grand Master, and Peter Constantinou would not be current British U16 Champion. His work with juniors has not just revolved around Bedford Modern School, though - he has in the past also worked as a Regional Junior Coach, and encouraged all three Ledger brothers.

Paul has also been a successful player in his own right, playing Board 1 for the BMS team in the Bedfordshire League for many years, being a member of the winning Bedford National Open Club Championship team in 2001 (when they defeated the mighty Wood Green in the final), playing in various Minor County Championship-winning sides, winning the Bedfordshire Championship a number of times, and qualifying for the British Championships on at least one occasion.

It is right and proper that Paul's services to chess, particularly in the junior arena, are marked with a President's award in this year, his year of retirement as a schoolteacher. Bedford Modern School will miss him enormously.

Zoe Ryle

Zoe’s interest in chess began in the early 1960s, becoming serious in the mid 1980s when she started encouraging children in a local school to play and founding a school chess club, this at a time when there were very few chess clubs in state schools in Inner London. Around this time she joined Willesden & Brent Chess Club, becoming secretary in 1986 and involving herself in the local junior chess congress. She retired from formal teaching in 1992 but continued encouraging children to play, three of her ex-pupils being in the 2004 National Junior Squad.

Zoe being Zoe, retirement was not a tome for her to consider relaxing, quite the reverse as she was scared of being bored. She became secretary of the Middlesex Chess League in1994, seeing through the merger of the league with the county and becoming secretary of Middlesex County Chess Association in1996, representing the county on the SCCU and the BCF until her retirement in 2006. Her encouragement and teaching of children continues.

Not a long career in chess administration by national standards and no glamorous posts but then that is Zoe and why people like Zoe are so essential to assist in keeping chess as a popular activity in the public domain: the ground roots were her interest and to this she applied herself unstintingly and with good humour, winning widespread admiration for her work with children and for shaking up the County’s teams at a time when they were at their nadir and steering them to success. She would still be fully active had not ill health forced retirement upon her. To say she will be sorely missed is a gross understatement.

Footnote: As many who know her say affectionately “She’s fine as long as you do precisely what you are told to do”. But then her professional career was spent with children having special needs! Zoe laughed when she first heard this and she has continued laughing ever since.

Presentation of 2006 ECF President’s Award for Services to Chess to Paul Habershon

Below is the script of what was said by John Shaw (EACU Chairman), at Paul's school retirement party.

My apologies for breaking into your celebrations but, as I’m sure you’re aware, Paul has played the occasional game of chess during his time at the school.

Every year the game honours just one or two people for their outstanding personal contribution and this year the award goes, I’m delighted to say, to Paul.

Now I promise to keep this brief but we couldn’t let this pass without a brief review of his work – particularly as so much took place at the School

For the whole of his time at Bedford Modern School, Paul has organised and encouraged chess-playing at all levels. This has involved (amongst other things!) setting up and running after-school and lunchtime chess clubs aimed at both beginners and experienced players; he has taken squads of players to local congresses; arranging stays at the British Championships for anyone interested in playing in the various junior events there; arranging teams for the Sunday Times and Times National Schools Competitions; and arranging and playing in teams in the local Bedfordshire League.

As a result of his hard work, enthusiasm and diligence, Bedford Modern School has been the strongest school in the area for decades. There have been numerous qualifications to the National Stages of the Sunday Times and Times competitions and in 1974 the School travelled to London to play in the Finals, winning Silver Medals. This 1974 team included Jim Plaskett, already on his way to becoming a Grand Master and British Champion, and more recent teams have included Peter Constantinou, who was last year's British U-16 Champion.

However, Paul’s work with Juniors has not just revolved around Bedford Modern School - he has also worked as a Regional Junior Coach, and encouraged the Bedford-based Ledger brothers on their way to International Titles.

Of course, Paul has also been a successful player in his own right, playing Board 1 for the BMS team in the Bedfordshire League for many years. A career highlight was being a member of the Bedford team which won the National Club Championships in 2001 [when they defeated a frighteningly strong Wood Green in the final – a turn up not far short of Crewe Alexandra winning the FA Cup]. He has played in various Minor-County Championship-winning sides and he has won the Bedfordshire individual Championship a number of times. He’s also qualified for the British Individual Championship on occasion

All in all, I’m sure you’ll agree, quite an impressive record. Now this is a national award but, before we present it to Paul, could I just also extend the thanks of the East Anglian and Bedfordshire chess community for all that you have done for us. Thank you Paul.

Now, the formal bit. The ECF would like to thank Paul for all his chess work throughout his career, and I have great pleasure in presenting him with this token of its appreciation, the 2006 President’s Award for Services to Chess.

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