Keverel Chess

Ron Powis of Stroud, Gloucestershire, died peacefully on 11th June, aged 87.

In 1988 he was granted the President’s Award for Services to Chess, in only its fifth year of existence of existence, alongside another two luminaries, P. E. Morrish and P. E. Gibbs. His citation is a good summary of his activities up to that time, although that was a quarter of a century ago, and several of the the records quoted there were subsequently to be greatly exceeded.

It reads thus:- “Ron Powis has served chess at local, County, Union and National level for any years. Most players will know him as a Controller and organiser of Congress chess and he is a Senior Arbiter of the Federation. Events at which he has controlled include the B.C.F. Annual Congress ten times, from 1973 to 1983; the West of England Congress eight times and organised and controlled the Cotswold Congress since 1969″ (2013 was the 1st year he had not officiated at this event)

“At Union level he has been Congress Secretary since 1983 and President of WECU in 1984 - 86, besides representing his county numerous occasions at their meetings. However, it is for the benefit of his county that Ron Powis has also used his adminstrative skill. He has been Secretary of the Gloucestershire County Chess Association since 1956 and the North Gloucestershire League Secretary since 1980. In addition, he has held various other posts on the County Executive, including President, and Correspondence Chess Secretary. He is a member and match captain of the Stroud Club and for 5 years has been President of the North Gloucestershire Primary Schools Association.

Ron Powis is also the chess correspondent for the Gloucester Citizen and has written nearly 1,2000 columns over the past 23 years.

As a player, Ron Powis has been County Champion twice and North Gloucestershire Champion nine times. and his best win was in a local league match against the late C. H. O’D Alexander. In the last 32 years he has only missed one game for his county team, a truly remakable record, which only emphasises his loyalty to his county.

Through his contribution as Arbiter and Administrator Ron Powis has enabled many to enjoy playing chess and this award is in recogntion of his efforts”.

His son, Mike, adds that he had been Secretary of the North Gloucestershire Chess Association up to 1991, making 35 years in all. He had also arbited at many other events, such as the Stroud RapidPlay, Bristol Manor Tyres, Yeovil, Weymouth, Hereford.

1958: WECU Congress at Newquay. Ron is standing immediately in fron of the man in the back row smoking a pipe (I. T. Sifton). He was playing in the Championship, coming 9th= with 2.5 pts.

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