Christopher J.A. Jones

Born: 6 April 1952, Newport-on-Tay, Scotland

• FIDE Grandmaster of Composition (awarded September 2012). Christopher is only the third Briton to receive this GM title, the others being Comins Mansfield and Norman Macleod
• Played in the Scottish Boys' championships of 1965-68 inclusive.
• Glorney Cup team member 1969, 1970.
• Member of the High School of Dundee team that won the Sunday Times National Schools Team Tournament 1969.
• Dundee CC Champion 1969 (shared) and 1970.
• Played in the Scottish Championships of 1970 and 1971.
• Member of Scotland team at Quadragular Tournament 1970 (Scotland, Lancashire, Cheshire, The Hague).
• Member of Scotland Junior team in correspondence match v West Germany, commenced May 1970.
• Awarded title International Master of Chess Composition in 2007.

Christopher James Austin Jones was educated at the High School of Dundee, where he was one of several promising juniors. As mentioned above, he was on the school team that won the 1969 Sunday Times National Schools Team Tournament, the first Scottish school to do so. [1]

Christopher would later attend Corpus Christi College [2], Oxford where he was Captain of Oxford University Chess Club 1972-73. From 1976-78 he played for Chester YMCA Club and from 1978, when he took up residence in Bristol, till about 1995 he played for Bristol & Clifton CC, for many years being captain of one of their local league teams. He then played about four seasons for Thornbury CC (also in the Bristol & District Chess League, of which he was President for two years). Thereafter, he played for yet another team in that league, Horfield & Redland CC.

From 1981 to 1986 Christopher was Match Captain for the Gloucestershire Chess Association, and at the time of writing (April 2010) he is President of the Association.

For many years the main focus of attention for Christopher has been chess problems. He has assisted the British Chess Problem Society administratively; he was President from 2007-2009, and for some years he has been Hon. Secretary. He also edits the helpmates section of the Society's journal, The Problemist. [3]

It is, however, as a composer of chess problems that Christopher has been successful. To date, he has produced over 500 examples, with particular emphasis on 'helpmates', and has received many awards for his compositions. Such has been his success that in 2007, Christopher was awarded the title of International Master of Chess Composition. (He jokingly adds that a large number of Bristol League players can claim to have defeated an IM.)

Although being "furth of Scotland" for many years, there was an interesting reconnection with the Auld Country in 1988 when Christopher was the non-playing captain of the Bristol & Clifton team that lost to Glasgow Polytechnic CC in the final of the National Club Championship, held in Peterborough.

Notes:
[1] In 1971 and 1972 Ayr Academy won the event.

[2] Several other people who feature in these Biographies attended Oxford University; John Montgomerie; Nicholas Perkins and Dr J.M. Aitken.

[3] Further information is available from the BCPS web site.

Sources: The Story of Dundee Chess Club, by Peter W. Walsh (1984); Christopher Jones, for his personal contribution; BCPS (photo).

Alan McGowan
Historian, Chess Scotland