Joseph Gallagher
Encyclopedia
Joseph Gerald Gallagher (born 4 May 1964) is a British Chess
Grandmaster and former British Champion, as well as a chess author.
Born to Irish
parents Norah and Patrick, Gallagher was the eldest child (his sisters Catherine, Noreen, Pauline and Marie, and brother Stephen also played chess). His sister Marie also played chess to an international standard at age 11. He played for many years on the European chess circuit, before marrying and moving to Neuchâtel in Switzerland, taking Swiss nationality, being awarded the title of Grandmaster, and then winning the British Chess Championship
in 2001 and the Swiss Chess Championship
in 1997, 1998, 2004, 2005 and 2007.
He has represented his adopted country Switzerland regularly at the Chess Olympiad
and at the European Team Chess Championship since 1997, his best result occurring at the 2006 Chess Olympiad, when he scored 6½/10.
Gallagher is a noted author on various aspects of chess opening theory
, being an expert on the King's Indian Defence
as Black and the King's Gambit
as White. Gallagher was one of four writers of the popular volume Nunn's Chess Openings (Everyman Chess
1999).
Gallagher is also interested in poker
.
He has a son, Geoff and a daughter, Donna.
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
Grandmaster and former British Champion, as well as a chess author.
Born to Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
parents Norah and Patrick, Gallagher was the eldest child (his sisters Catherine, Noreen, Pauline and Marie, and brother Stephen also played chess). His sister Marie also played chess to an international standard at age 11. He played for many years on the European chess circuit, before marrying and moving to Neuchâtel in Switzerland, taking Swiss nationality, being awarded the title of Grandmaster, and then winning the British Chess Championship
British Chess Championship
The British Chess Championship is organised by the English Chess Federation. There are separate championships for men and women. Since 1923 there have been sections for juniors, and since 1982 there has been an over-sixty championship. The championship venue usually changes every year and has been...
in 2001 and the Swiss Chess Championship
Swiss Chess Championship
The Swiss Chess Championship is held annually during two weeks of July. It is organised by the Swiss Chess Federation , which has been a member of the overall governing body, Swiss Olympic, since 2000...
in 1997, 1998, 2004, 2005 and 2007.
He has represented his adopted country Switzerland regularly at the Chess Olympiad
Chess Olympiad
The Chess Olympiad is a biennial chess tournament in which teams from all over the world compete against each other. The event is organised by FIDE, which selects the host nation.-Birth of the Olympiad:The first Olympiad was unofficial...
and at the European Team Chess Championship since 1997, his best result occurring at the 2006 Chess Olympiad, when he scored 6½/10.
Gallagher is a noted author on various aspects of chess opening theory
Chess opening
A chess opening is the group of initial moves of a chess game. Recognized sequences of opening moves are referred to as openings as initiated by White or defenses, as created in reply by Black. There are many dozens of different openings, and hundreds of named variants. The Oxford Companion to...
, being an expert on the King's Indian Defence
King's Indian Defence
The King's Indian Defence is a common chess opening. It arises after the moves:Black intends to follow up with 3...Bg7 and 4...d6.The Grünfeld Defence arises when Black plays 3...d5 instead, and is considered a separate opening...
as Black and the King's Gambit
King's Gambit
The King's Gambit is a chess opening that begins with the moves:White offers a pawn to divert the Black e-pawn so as to build a strong centre with d2–d4...
as White. Gallagher was one of four writers of the popular volume Nunn's Chess Openings (Everyman Chess
Everyman Chess
Everyman Chess is a major publisher of books and CDs about chess. The company was formerly called Cadogan Chess. "Everyman" is a registered trademark of Random House and the company headquarters is in London. Former World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov is their chief advisor and John Emms is the...
1999).
Gallagher is also interested in poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
.
He has a son, Geoff and a daughter, Donna.