We were deeply saddened to hear about the tragic passing of WIM Sue Maroroa Jones on Thursday 11th of May, shortly after giving birth to her second child Daniel.
Sue was a very strong chess player, achieving the WIM title and playing for New Zealand in five Olympiads between 2002 and 2010, then for England in the 2014 Olympiad. Following her marriage to GM Gawain Jones, the couple settled in Sheffield, and Sue continued to play competitive chess at the highest levels, including her Olympiad appearance, as well as playing regularly in the 4NCL where she was part of the Chessable White Rose team. She achieved an IM norm from her games in the 4NCL in 2014 (including a win against GM Mark Hebden) and scored an impressive 6 out of 9 in the 2019 Rejkyavik Open.
As well as her interest in chess, Sue was passionate about rugby and a former Sheffield Ladies Rugby Club player. You can find a number of tributes to Sue, including some of her most memorable games, at these links —
https://www.newzealandchess.co.nz/
https://www.chess.com/news/view/sue-maroroa-jones-obituary-chess
Our thoughts are with her husband and family at this most difficult time.
For those that have requested the ability to support the family financially, a GoFundMe page has been set up here — https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-the-maroroa-jones-family
Picture by Gawain Jones – https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34649224