William Hartston
Encyclopedia
William Roland Hartston is an English chess
player who played competitively from 1962 to 1987 with a highest Elo rating of 2515. He was awarded the title International Master in 1972, but is now best known as a chess author and presenter of the game on television.
At the 19th Chess Olympiad
, held at Siegen
1970, he won the gold medal for best score on board 3 (78.1%). He won the British Chess Championship
in 1973 and 1975. In international competition, he had many fine performances, but failed by the closest possible margin to achieve the results required for the formal award of the title of International Grandmaster
.
Since the early 1970s, he has made many TV appearances for the BBC
, usually in the role of expert commentator and analyst on world title matches, including Fischer-Spassky '72, Karpov-Korchnoi '78
, Kasparov-Short '93
and Kasparov-Anand '95
. He twice won the BBC Master Game competition before taking over from Leonard Barden
as its resident expert. During the 1980s he presented the BBC series Play Chess. In recent years he has diversified into a number of creative areas, running competitions in creative thinking for The Independent
newspaper and the Mind Sports Olympiad. He writes the off-beat Beachcomber
column for the Daily Express
and has authored books on chess, mathematics, humour and trivia. He has also been a regular guest on the BBC Radio 4
and occasional TV programme, Puzzle Panel
.
Aside from his chess and media-related activities, Hartston is a Cambridge-educated mathematician and industrial psychologist. During the 1980s, he was recruited by Meredith Belbin
, at the Industrial Training Research Unit in Cambridge
, to work as part of a multi-disciplinary team researching the dynamics of team roles.
"Bill" Hartston was the first of three British chess champions to be married to Woman Grandmaster Dr Jana Bellin
(née Malypetrova). His second wife, Elizabeth, bore him two sons: James and Nicholas.
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...
player who played competitively from 1962 to 1987 with a highest Elo rating of 2515. He was awarded the title International Master in 1972, but is now best known as a chess author and presenter of the game on television.
At the 19th 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...
, held at Siegen
Siegen
Siegen is a city in Germany, in the south Westphalian part of North Rhine-Westphalia.It is located in the district of Siegen-Wittgenstein in the Arnsberg region...
1970, he won the gold medal for best score on board 3 (78.1%). He won 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 1973 and 1975. In international competition, he had many fine performances, but failed by the closest possible margin to achieve the results required for the formal award of the title of International Grandmaster
International Grandmaster
The title Grandmaster is awarded to strong chess players by the world chess organization FIDE. Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain....
.
Since the early 1970s, he has made many TV appearances for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, usually in the role of expert commentator and analyst on world title matches, including Fischer-Spassky '72, Karpov-Korchnoi '78
World Chess Championship 1978
The 1978 World Chess Championship was played between Anatoly Karpov and Viktor Korchnoi in Baguio City, Philippines from July 18 to October 18, 1978. Karpov won.- Qualification :...
, Kasparov-Short '93
World Chess Championship 1993
The World Chess Championship 1993 was held from 1990 to 1993. It was one of the most controversial in history, with incumbent World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov, and official challenger Nigel Short, splitting from FIDE, the official world governing body of chess, and playing their title match...
and Kasparov-Anand '95
Classical World Chess Championship 1995
The Classical World Chess Championship 1995, known at the time as the PCA World Chess Championship 1995, was held from September 10, 1995, to October 16, 1995, on the 107th floor of the former World Trade Center in New York City. Garry Kasparov, the defending champion, played Viswanathan Anand, the...
. He twice won the BBC Master Game competition before taking over from Leonard Barden
Leonard Barden
Leonard William Barden is an English chess master, columnist, author, and promoter. The son of a dustman, he was educated at Whitgift School, South Croydon, and Balliol College, Oxford, where he read Modern History. He learned to play chess at age 13 while in a school shelter during a German air...
as its resident expert. During the 1980s he presented the BBC series Play Chess. In recent years he has diversified into a number of creative areas, running competitions in creative thinking for The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
newspaper and the Mind Sports Olympiad. He writes the off-beat Beachcomber
Beachcomber
Beachcomber may refer to:* Beachcomber * Beachcomber , a nom de plume used by several humor columnists* Beachcomber , the name of multiple characters in the Transformers universe...
column for the Daily Express
Daily Express
The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
and has authored books on chess, mathematics, humour and trivia. He has also been a regular guest on the BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
and occasional TV programme, Puzzle Panel
Puzzle Panel
Puzzle Panel was a light-hearted, though cerebral BBC Radio 4 panel game that was broadcast between 1998 and 2005. It was written and presented by puzzle columnist for The Guardian, Chris Maslanka....
.
Aside from his chess and media-related activities, Hartston is a Cambridge-educated mathematician and industrial psychologist. During the 1980s, he was recruited by Meredith Belbin
Meredith Belbin
Meredith Belbin is a British researcher and management theorist, best known for his work on management teams. He is a visiting professor and Honorary Fellow of Henley Management College in Oxfordshire, England.-Early Life and Work:...
, at the Industrial Training Research Unit in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, to work as part of a multi-disciplinary team researching the dynamics of team roles.
"Bill" Hartston was the first of three British chess champions to be married to Woman Grandmaster Dr Jana Bellin
Jana Bellin
Jana Bellin , chess player, was awarded her WIM of chess title in 1969, and WGM title in 1982....
(née Malypetrova). His second wife, Elizabeth, bore him two sons: James and Nicholas.