15-06-2019, 11:23 AM
Rudolph (Rudi) Austin passed away on the 5th June 2019. He had been ill for some time.
He will have been well known to chess players all over Scotland for his idiosyncratic playing style.
He favoured the Hippopotamus opening as white and his opponents were soon "out of the book".
It was not uncommon for Rudi to have a totally unbalanced position with a couple of his pieces "hanging" only for him to clinch a win after a few "quiet" moves.
As a team captain you could never be sure what result Rudolph would achieve but his games were never dull.
He had been a member of Edinburgh Civil Service Chess Club for nearly twenty years and before that was a member of Edinburgh Chess Club.
Until recently he was a regular competitor at weekend congresses and enjoyed considerable success over the years.
In his younger days Rudi was a formidable player competing for the Scottish Championship.
In the 1967 championships he was unlucky not to win his round 6 game which would have left him a half point ahead of the field with one round to go.
Rudolph was always friendly to both chess players and others.
He was a regular in his local cafes with his chess set, where he was always made welcome despite his modest purchases.
Rudolph was always apologetic when defeating opponents and gracious in defeat.
Often resigning lost games with a "not even Capablanca could save this one" and a shake of the hands.
He will be sadly missed.
There will be a memorial service for Rudolph in the week of 15th July. Details to be confirmed.
He will have been well known to chess players all over Scotland for his idiosyncratic playing style.
He favoured the Hippopotamus opening as white and his opponents were soon "out of the book".
It was not uncommon for Rudi to have a totally unbalanced position with a couple of his pieces "hanging" only for him to clinch a win after a few "quiet" moves.
As a team captain you could never be sure what result Rudolph would achieve but his games were never dull.
He had been a member of Edinburgh Civil Service Chess Club for nearly twenty years and before that was a member of Edinburgh Chess Club.
Until recently he was a regular competitor at weekend congresses and enjoyed considerable success over the years.
In his younger days Rudi was a formidable player competing for the Scottish Championship.
In the 1967 championships he was unlucky not to win his round 6 game which would have left him a half point ahead of the field with one round to go.
Rudolph was always friendly to both chess players and others.
He was a regular in his local cafes with his chess set, where he was always made welcome despite his modest purchases.
Rudolph was always apologetic when defeating opponents and gracious in defeat.
Often resigning lost games with a "not even Capablanca could save this one" and a shake of the hands.
He will be sadly missed.
There will be a memorial service for Rudolph in the week of 15th July. Details to be confirmed.