1997

David Malcolm

David Malcolm joined the Club in the 1960/61 season and has served the Club royally ever since, both as player and administrator.

Soon after coming down from Liverpool, he was to demonstrate that he was a major force over the board, but for the first season the Tournament Sub-committee exercised caution and placed him in one of the two sections of the Major. They probably thought their judgment about right when David came only second in his section, but he romped away with the final pool of four, winning by a clear point. In the following season, he won the Championship in emphatic style finishing 1½ points clear of a 10 player field including both defending Champions.

David won the Championship a further four times, five in all to date, and would surely by now have passed, or at least given a severe fright to, Len Durham‘s record of nine championships, had it not been for a lengthy absence from the tournament lists due to business commitments. He has, however, remained an active player in the Club‘s match fixtures frequently occupying board 1 and usually with distinction.

David Malcolm has also made an enormous contribution to the life of the Club in an administrative capacity. He has given over 30 years service on the Committee, having first been elected at the AGM on 28th June, 1965; 10 years as Chairman, from 1970/71 to 1979/80 and, after a brief spell as a Committee "back-bencher", from 1983/84 has been our President.

David Malcolm's choice of book for his Award was The Sorcerer's Apprentice by David Bronstein. In accepting the award, David explained that the choice was a natural one for him, recalling his having met Bronstein during his days in Liverpool.

1998

Cyril Dennis

In making the award, the President said that for his first choice, he was keen that the recipient should be someone who had a close connection with Rodney himself. The natural, and popular, selection was therefore Cyril Dennis. Cyril served on the Committee for many years as an Assistant Secretary. He took over the post of grader, following Geoffrey King, in the mid 70's and soon added to that the Inter-Office Competitions. These twin jobs he held until 1993/94, retiring from the Committee a year later.

1999

Tony Paish

Tony Paish joined the Club in 1955/6 while with the Prudential ("Ibis") and played for Ibis until he joined the British Insurance Association in 1966. He became one of the Club's Assistant Secretaries in 1967/68, running the Tournaments, was elected Secretary in 1983/84 and continues to do stalwart service in that capacity. He was elected a Vice-President in 1985 when the B.I.A. merged with five other insurance company trade associations to become the Association of British Insurers who have since had a team in the Inter-Office Competition. He has played in the tournaments virtually every season since joining the Club and has won the Championship eight times [to date of award] - just one short of Len Durham's nine successes. He is currently also serving as an office Representative for his team, now the combined force ABI/Zurich.

2000

Ian Hunnable

Ian joined the Club in 1969/70 with brokers Lowndes Lambert, playing in the Inter-Office Competition under the Noble Lowndes banner. He was elected to the Committee in 1975, becoming the first Deputy Chairman in 1983, when that post was newly created under the new Club Rules introduced that year, and was elected Chairman in 1985. He also undertakes the post of Assistant Secretary/Publicity and started the Club magazine ChessIns in 1983, which he still writes, and in 1998 brought the Club into the modern age by starting the Club's Internet Website. Since 1990, he has also been producing the Annual Report and the Programme Booklet using desktop publishing software. Ian is an "ever-present" in the Club's match programme and the speed chess events, although an infrequent entrant in the Tournaments, winning the Championship once.

2001

David Shipp

David Shipp joined the Club in 1969/70 with Noble Lowndes. He was elected to the Committee in 1975 as Match Captain and filled that post for two seasons. In 1990 he became an Assistant Secretary, running the Club's teams in external Correspondence competitions, in his first season bringing us promotion to the BCCL Championship Division. David subsequently added the running of the Inter-Office Correspondence Competition to his responsibilities two seasons later. David sat on the Club's Rules Sub-Committee in the 90s, providing guidance on the Rules for the Inter-Office Correspondence Competition, as well as a venue for a number of the Sub-Committee's many meetings. Though the Inter-Office Correspondence Competition has sadly ceased, David continues to organise the Club's Correspondence activities in external competition and has piloted the first team back into the Championship Division of the BCCL once more. He was a regular supporter of the Individual Tournaments during the '80s, and continues to support the OTB match program. David is very much a "behind-the-scenes" man, but is nonetheless industrious and effective for that.

2002

Martin Page

Notes to follow.

2003

Geoff Naldrett

Notes to follow.

2004

Kevin Parrott

Notes to follow.