Sunday 8 December 2013

Richard Morton (1939-2013)

Richard Morton, a regular on the Canberra chess scene in the 1990's, passed away last week. He was a member of the Belconnen Chess Club, and was one of the strongest players at the club.
Born in England in 1939, he moved to Canberra in the late 1970's, working with the CSIRO as a researcher in mathematics and statistics. He joined the Belconnen Chess Club in the early 1990's and played there for around a decade. Suffering from poor eyesight since birth, he eventually had to retire from active chess, not due to a decline in ability, but due to difficulty in getting to and from the chess club at night. Nonetheless he still maintained an active interest in the game, often chatting to me about what was happening in the world of chess when our paths crossed.
Away from the chess board he had a successful career as a mathematician, rising to the level of Senior Researcher at the CSIRO. He was also played Bridge in his spare time, and had a great love for music. He is survived by his wife and 4 children.


Morton,Richard - Rout,Ian Clive [B20]
Premier Belconnen Premier (4), 1997



1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Richard was a wonderful guy. Always quiet, pleasant and polite he was willing to engage in intelligent conversation.

As Shaun noted he was also a really strong player and was an important player at Belco in the 1990's.