The sudden
death of Andrew Leadbetter has shocked not only the members of his club,
Stafford, but everyone in Staffordshire Chess and beyond.
Andrew had
been an official and a team captain at Stafford Chess Club for over fifty
years. He entered all the internal competitions and attended nearly every club
night. Indeed, it was his non-appearance that first alerted the club that there
may be a problem.
Andrew had
been involved in chess administration all his life. He began by starting a club
at his school as a teenager and in the last week of his life he was compiling
financial reports for the Staffordshire Chess Association. Over the years he
had been a committee member for all three Staffordshire Leagues. For the
Staffordshire Chess Association, he was the long-term treasurer. He captained county teams for many years and
continued to play in county matches. He was the financial director of the MCCU.
His work with the ECF is remembered on this link.
Besides chess
Andrew had many interests. He was a keen cyclist and he assisted with a
Stafford charity that provides low-cost bicycles. He liked art, literature,
classical music, and the wider outdoors. He was a regular visitor to the
Stafford Film Society and the only time he would refuse a game was on a Tuesday
when a good film was showing. He also
enjoyed a good game of bowls.
Andrew
worked as a teacher of history and general studies at King Edward VI Stafford
and later at Stoke 6th Form College. He was married to Jo for many
years, and they had three sons, one of whom pre-deceased them. He bore his
widowhood with fortitude. The chess world will send his sons and the wider
family their condolences and Stafford Chess club have set up a webpage to do
so.
