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Members
Dr Richard Sutton
Photo otago.ac.nz
Richard Sutton
It is with great sadness that Dr Richard Sutton passed away on Friday 17th April 2009. Our Club was represented at the
funeral by our Patron His Honour Justice Paul Heath. Dr Tony Booth, our President, sent a message of condolence (see below)
and we held a remembrance period of silence in Richard's memory on Tuesday. May he Rest in Peace.
Kees van den Bosch
Secretary-Treasurer
Howick-Pakuranga Chess Club
Dear Quentin and Greta,
We would be very grateful if you would pass on our sincere condolences to Kensie, Alister, Phillipa and Gregory following
the recent loss of our dear friend Richard. I was personally so privileged to see him at Queenstown in January this year. As
our Club founder in 1969 he and Kensie started the Cockle Bay Chess Club, which became the Howick Chess Club, and shortly
afterwards the Howick-Pakuranga Chess Club, which name has been retained to the present day. In the late eighties the
Remuera Chess Club wound down and some members and equipment merged into the Howick-Pakuranga Chess Club. Richard will be
remembered for his quiet leadership, his coaching ability, chess battles with Les Esterman, Dr Bill Fairhurst and FM Ewen
Green, amongst many others, commencing in the early 1970's. He was instrumental in my playing for Auckland against Otago in
a twenty board Bledisloe Cup match with Otago Chess Club, with communication by morse code over a telephone line, all day
costing I believe $100.
We, as a Club, held a minute's silence on Tuesday night in Richard's honour as a last tribute to the man. Richard was
delighted to know that our clubrooms are now in the basement of All Saints Anglican Church, Howick, where Richard and his
family worshipped before moving south.
Rest in Peace
Dr Tony Booth
President
Howick-Pakuranga Chess Club
I am sorry to have to advise you that Richard Sutton passed away last Friday, 17 April 2009. I attended his funeral in
Dunedin yesterday. It was a fitting tribute and a joyous celebration of a great life. People spoke, all with great
admiration, of his significant achievements; first family, and then, in no particular order, community, church, law, Maori
issues and chess. His efforts in setting up the Howick-Pakuranga Chess Club were expressly noted. A marvellous waiata from
the Maori Law Students gave him a great send off.
I passed on to Kensie (Richard's widow) the best wishes of the Club. Could you please advise Club members at your next
meeting.
His Honour Justice Paul Heath
Patron
Howick-Pakuranga Chess Club
Richard's name remains on the Richard Sutton Junior Championship Cup and the Richard Sutton Cup, our Grand Prix Swiss Rapid
tournament.
Clive Wilson, an active and founding member of our Club since 1976 passed away on Friday 21st November 2008
at the South Auckland Hospice after fighting a brave battle with cancer. Clive loved the game of chess and was very sad when
he became too sick to play. His name is on a number of chess trophies. He is survived by his wife Patricia Wilson, children
Andrew Wilson, Ian Wilson, and Anne Wilkins, and grandchildren.
Clive and Patricia married in 1961. In the mid 1970s they and their young children immigrated from England, in answer to New
Zealand's need for qualified teachers. Clive was a science teacher with not one, but three degrees, and taught at various
schools in Auckland. He is remembered as a teacher that made the subject come alive. He was also a teacher to his children
and grandchildren, investing his time in their futures. He was a family man. He set up a chess club in every school he
taught at. He was an avid collector of rocks, and a regular visitor of Crystal Mountain in Swanson. He was a good swimmer.
And he had a great sense of humour. When Anne asked her 4 year old what was the thing he most liked about Granddad, he said
"I liked him when he was alive!" He will be sorely missed by all.
See "Games2008" for a brilliant game 01/01/90 C Wilson vs A Dunn 1-0
Paul Spiller 25/01/08 Rapidplay winner Herman van Riemsdijk Jim Benson
of Brazil being congratulated by New Zealand New Zealand Chess
Chess Federation President Paul Spiller Federation Patron
Photo by Wayne Martin Photo by Helen Milligan Photo by Tony Booth
Paul Spiller is owner of
Spiller's Hammer Hardware in Howick, and supplier of batteries for our chess clocks!
Paul Spiller, stalwart of the Howick-Pakuranga Chess Club, was elected as the President of the New Zealand Chess Federation
at the Annual General Meeting on 19th January 2008. Jim Benson, another longstanding Club member, was elected the Patron.
This is a double-first for our Club.
Paul says he hopes to continue developing New Zealand chess juniors and to gain more government recognition for the game,
which is associated with the New Zealand Olympic Committee but receives no government funding.
He will also help organise around 25 chess events to be held in New Zealand each year, including international competitions.
When US player Bobby Fischer hit the world scene in the early 1970s, the number of chess players worldwide doubled, and
10 year old Paul was one of the newcomers. He has been a member of the Club since at least 1980, with his name being
engraved as winner 22 times
on numerous cups and trophies, a Club record. He also served as the President for 12 years.
He has played competitions in South America, Malta, China, Malaysia, Palau and Australia. He played in the 3rd IGB Dato'
Arthur Tan Malaysia Open Chess Championship in August 2006 coming 69th= from 85 players, scoring 4/11 in a very strong field
with 22 Masters, in the 4th IGB Dato' Arthur Tan Malaysia Open Chess Championship in August 2007 coming 60th= from 87
players, scoring 4.5/11 in a very strong field with 30 Masters, and in the 5th IGB Dato' Arthur Tan Malaysia Open Chess
Championship in August 2008 coming 69th= from 112 players, scoring 5.5/11 in a very strong field with 38 Masters.
He also played in the Ambassador Marino Cup in August-September 2007 in the Palau Islands, which is northwest of Papua New
Guinea, achieving 3rd place with 6/9.
He played in the Sydney International Open in March 2008, coming 62nd= from 106 players, scoring 4/9 in a very strong field
with 30 Masters. His first round game was against a Grandmaster, with New Zealand's only Grandmaster Murray Chandler coming
13th= on 6, and International Master Puchen Wang coming 19th= on 5.5.
He has organised countless events in New Zealand. He was the Chief Organiser for the Queenstown Chess Classic in 2006, and
is again in 2009. He is the only New Zealander to be recognised as an International Chess Organiser by the World Chess
Federation.
He says the popularity of chess among young people faces some serious competition from computer gaming and its lucrative
prize money, but he feels positive about the future of chess in New Zealand. “It looks very promising. We have a number of
talented young players,” says Paul, heralding the talents of 18 year old Puchen Wang who is now aiming to become
New Zealand’s second Grandmaster.
With around 30 clubs active across the country, Paul says chess has a lot to recommend it. “It takes a lot of skills:
discipline, strategy and planning skills you can apply to other areas. But it’s also an international language – you can
travel anywhere in the world and meet people.”
Howick and Pakuranga Times
"Howick player becomes NZ chess leader".
 
Stan Yee at Houhora Wharf Stan Yee and Jim Benson at Jim's BBQ
Photo by Stan Yee Photo by Stan Yee
Above Left When Stan is not working, studying or playing chess he goes riding on his Honda Firestorm 1000.
Above Right At Jim's now famous Waitangi Day BBQ 2010. It was here on Waitangi Day 2006 that Jim persuaded
Stan to return to chess, having not played since 1984. Jim is the Patron of the New Zealand Chess Federation. The chess
clock was a gift from "GB" (Grandbunny) Simon Ward of Christchurch, after Stan billeted him for the 2008 New Zealand Major
Open in Auckland, and is being put to good use!
Odd Spot
* Stan Yee and Ross Jackson are cousins. Ross' great grandfather and Stan's great grandfather were brothers.
* Ross' future wife Lin flatted with Stan's future wife's sister Lynne, in London.
* Stan was a member of the Wellington Chess Club. Ross is currently a member of the same Club.
* The Club premises is in the same building that once also housed the Alexander Turnbull Library (since moved to the
National Library), where the memoirs of Ross' grandfather Yue Henry Jackson as Chinese Consul to New Zealand were stored.
* Stan and Ross had exactly the same NZCF standard rating of 1770 in 2007, and FIDE rating of 1996 in 2009.
* Stan's NZCF rating code is 3111, Ross' is 4333.
* The only game they have played against each other was drawn.
Howick-Pakuranga Chess Club members are welcome to add their non-chess profiles and jpg files by emailing
Webmaster Stan Yee stanyee@ihug.co.nz
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