4NCL - The Four Nations League - www.4ncl.co.uk/pre2010

Richard Furness

BCF President's Award

Last November the BCF decided that Richard Furness, 4NCL Chief Arbiter, should receive the President's Award for his 40 years' work for British chess. This was before Richard’s illness was known. The presentation would normally have taken place at a 4NCL weekend but given the next is not until March, Gerry Walsh made the presentation at Richard’s home on January 27th.

Richard’s award was in recognition of his many achievements and services to British Chess, including:

40 years service to British Chess at all levels
organiser and/or arbiter at around 400 tournaments all over England, at Swansea, Wrexham, Ruthin and Llaandudno in Wales, at Dundee and Edinburgh in Scotland and in the Isle of Man
taught girls and boys how to play chess at Twiss Green County Primary School Culcheth throughout the 1980s
geography teacher and chess teacher at Tyldesley Boys County Secondary School 1959-1976 and at Fred Longworth High 1976-1987
organiser of the Benedictine International in Manchester 1978-1983
installed as a Knight of the Grand Benedictine Order at a ceremony at the Benedictine Palace in Fecamp, France 1981
author of a 70,000 word Centenary History of the Cheshire and North Wales Chess Association
former President of the Manchester & District Chess Association, the Cheshire and North Wales Chess Association and the Northern Counties Chess Union
organiser of the Oakham Young Masters Tournaments for Under 22s 1990 & 1992 : the latter is regarded as the strongest junior event ever held anywhere in the world
British Chess Federation Director of Junior Chess 1991-1993 and Grading Officer 2000-2002
organiser and/or arbiter for simultaneous displays given by Viktor Korchnoi (Free Trade Hall Manchester) and by Gary Kasparov at MANWEB Chester, at Simpsons-in-the-Strand, London and at Oakham School in Rutland
Chief Arbiter of the National Chess League (4NCL) since 1997 and a Director of the company since 1999
creator in 2003 of a piece of computer software devised to assist chess arbiters to calculate title norms and which is now being used worldwide

Richard is pictured receiving his award from BCF President, Gerry Walsh.