C.J.S. (Cecil John Seddon) Purdy (27 March 1906 – 6 November 1979) was an Australian

chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...

player and writer. He was awarded the

International Master FIDE titles are awarded by the international chess governing body FIDE (''Fédération Internationale des Échecs'') for outstanding performance. The highest such title is Grandmaster (GM). Titles generally require a combination of Elo rating and ...

title in 1951 and the Grandmaster of Correspondence Chess title in 1959. Purdy was the first

world correspondence chess champion The World Correspondence Chess Championship determines the World Champion in correspondence chess. Men and women of any age are eligible to contest the title. The official World Correspondence Chess Championship is managed by the International Corr ...

. He was also an influential chess magazine writer, editor, and publisher.

Early life

Purdy was born in

Port Said, Egypt A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manchest ...

, where his father

John Smith Purdy Dr John Smith Purdy FRSE DSO MID (1872–1936) was an early 20th-century Scots-born physician and military physician who came to fame in Tasmania and Australia. Life He was born on 31 January 1872 in Glasgow, the son of George Purdy a market ...

was stationed as a doctor in the Quarantine Service. When he was a child, Purdy moved with his family to

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

, and then to

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, before they settled in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

when he was 12, where he was educated at Cranbrook School. While in Tasmania, one of his classmates was future film star

Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian and American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Oliv ...

Career

Purdy began his chess career at age 16. He soon decided to become a full-time chess writer and player. Initially an over-the-board (OTB) player, he soon began to mix OTB play with correspondence play. He was a four-time winner of the

Australian Chess Championship The Australian Chess Championship is a tournament organised by the Australian Chess Federation and held every two years. The tournament is largely restricted to Australian chess players, although it is common to allow a small number of strong overs ...

, in 1935, 1937, 1949, and 1951. He also won the

New Zealand Chess Championship The New Zealand Chess Championship is an annual open tournament played to determine the country's chess champion. It is organised by the New Zealand Chess Federation. The first installment of the championship was held in Christchurch in 1879, and ...

in 1924/25. In

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

in 1952, Purdy drew a hard-fought match with

Ortvin Sarapu Ortvin Sarapu (born Ortvin Sarapuu; 22 January 1924 – 13 April 1999), known in New Zealand as "Mr Chess", was an Estonian-born chess player who emigrated to New Zealand and won or shared the New Zealand Chess Championship 20 times from 1 ...

, at the time by far the best player in New Zealand. They were thus declared

Australasia Australasia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising Australia, New Zealand (overlapping with Polynesia), and sometimes including New Guinea and surrounding islands (overlapping with Melanesia). The term is used in a number of different context ...

n co-champions. Purdy won the first two Australian Correspondence Chess Championships, in 1938 and 1945; and the inaugural World Correspondence Chess Championship in 1953. Purdy founded and edited the magazine ''Australasian Chess Review'' (1929–1944), which became ''Check'' (1944–45), and finally ''Chess World'' (1946–1967). He was described by

Bobby Fischer Robert James Fischer (March 9, 1943January 17, 2008) was an American Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster and the eleventh World Chess Championship, World Chess Champion. A chess prodigy, he won his first of a record eight US Chess Champi ...

as being a great chess instructor. Some of his writings are still in print. A famous remark of his is "Pawn endings are to chess what putting is to golf." In 1976 he was awarded the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...

for services to chess.

Personal life

He was married in 1934 to Anne Crakanthorp (1915–2013), the daughter of two-time Australian Chess Champion Spencer Crakanthorp. The marriage produced two children, John (1935–2011) and Diana. John Purdy followed in his father's (and grandfather's) footsteps in winning the Australian Chess Championship in 1955 and 1963. Diana, also a chess player, married leading

player Frank Hutchings in 1960.

Death

On 6 November 1979, Purdy collapsed while playing chess at a tournament at the Chess Centre of

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

and died later that day in the

Sydney Hospital Sydney Hospital, historically known as the Rum Hospital, is a major hospital in Sydney, Australia, located on Macquarie Street in the Sydney central business district. It is the oldest hospital in Australia, dating back to 1788, and has been at ...

. He was survived by his wife, daughter and son John, who twice won the

.Australian Dictionary of Biography - Purdy, Cecil John Seddon (1906–1979)
/ref>

Published works

* * * * A collection of articles from his chess publications.

References

External links

* *

''Australian Dictionary of Biography - Online Edition''

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Purdy, Cecil 1906 births 1979 deaths Chess International Masters Correspondence chess grandmasters World Correspondence Chess Champions Australian magazine editors Australian chess writers Sportspeople from Port Said Australian people of Irish descent Writers from Sydney People educated at Cranbrook School, Sydney Members of the Order of Australia 20th-century Australian chess players 20th-century Australian journalists Chess players from Sydney