Profile of Peter Purland

Director of Junior Chess and Education

I have taken over as Director of Junior Chess and would like to thank Claire for all the effort she has put in over the last couple of years. Although we all have our own ideas and styles she has been a great worker for the furtherance of the junior game.

I learnt chess at the aged of 9 – from my father – and one of my primary school teachers was Noel Waugh, the first treasurer of the English Primary Schools Chess Association. I played for Vaughan Road Primary, Oldershaw Grammar School and St David’s College Lampeter. I even took part in the Liverpool Junior Congress as early as 1956. On getting a teaching job at Liverpool College I continued with my involvement and soon joined the EPSCA committee holding most jobs on it. At present I am chief arbiter and an U11 selector. I still play in the Merseyside League when time permits although Tuesdays (Club night now) I have a 40 year old commitment! Perhaps I shall find another club. As a secondary teacher I then became involved in the National Chess Junior Squad and am a trustee of the charity and also chairman. I have organised and taken many foreign trips for the squad as well as Rugby, History and Boys Brigade trips for other organisations.

Probably my main chess involvement is arbiting—being a FIDE arbiter and chief arbiter of Wales. I do junior, adult weekend and international events throughout Europe and have even run a junior tournament in South Africa. I have been involved with the Gibraltar Chess Festival since its inception and am in charge of developing junior chess there.

I am looking forward to the challenge of continuing the development of junior chess in England and hope to outline my ideas in a later issue of The Right Move magazine. The one thing I would say is that I fervently believe in players proving their credentials by playing and beating other players of the same age group. I would like to see the British Championships this summer won by the best English player in that age group. Please do enter your own age group for the relevant week, and by all means experiment in the other! I will try to make myself as available as possible at events so please do come and meet me and give me input in to my new job.