News

Robert Wallman

Published on: 26 -03-2023

It is my sad duty to inform fellow players of the death of former Olton player, Robert Wallman. Robert had stopped playing over-the-board during the restart after the Covid pandemic to look after his mother. We had not received any news from him recently, but he was playing internet chess against League players. It was only a few days ago that a player had remarked that he had stopped even that.

Robert had worked in accountancy for many years and enjoyed running. He was at the club when I joined in the early eighties. Playing in our second team. He was well known for playing extremely quickly, but well at the same time. Divisions 2 & 3 in BDCL were quite strong, but Robert’s results justified a place in the team. Robert rarely drew games. There were lots of double-edged games, spectacular wins and sharp openings with varied results. Robert was a keen player, travelling to matches by public transport and on occasion playing two or three games a week.

Later, Robert would be either in Division 1 or first reserve from the Division 2 side and contributed greatly to whichever team he was playing in. He particularly enjoyed the League 10-second tournament.
Having retired, he was hoping to spend more time on other pursuits, but took up some part-time work. He did not say much about his personal life, but was happy to discuss chess games at great length. He was 63.
At this time, we do not have any funeral details. We will pass on any details when known.

Richard Reynolds
Olton Chess Club

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