Kevin John O'Connell (born 28 August 1949 in

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) is an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

chess master. He is the author of 28 books on chess, hundreds of magazine articles and a couple of thousand newspaper columns, mostly on chess but also on computing and sports psychology. Although he did head the Irish players on the rating list at the beginning of 1993, played in one Olympiad (1998) and won a few minor tournaments (e.g.

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1993), he is best known as an author, organizer and coach. He was awarded the titles of

International Arbiter {{No footnotes, date=April 2022 In chess tournaments, an arbiter is an official who oversees matches and ensures that the rules of chess are followed. International Arbiter ''International Arbiter'' is a title awarded by FIDE to individuals deemed ...

in 1998, FIDE Master in 2003 and FIDE Senior Trainer in 2010. He earned his MSc, with distinction, in Sports Science from

Essex University The University of Essex is a public research university in Essex, England. Established by royal charter in 1965, Essex is one of the original plate glass universities. Essex's shield consists of the ancient arms attributed to the Kingdom of Ess ...

in 1998. He was Ireland's delegate to FIDE 1977–2010, President of FIDE Zone 1 (1978–1994), Chairman of FIDE's Computer Chess Committee (1982–1990). He was a member of FIDE's Qualification Commission since 1978, he was Chairman (1990–1994) and Chairman of the Titles and Ratings Committee (1994–2002). He is Honorary Life Member of the Irish Chess Union 2002. He was Chairman of Appeals Committee,

Chess Olympiad The Chess Olympiad is a biennial chess tournament in which teams representing nations of the world compete. FIDE organises the tournament and selects the host nation. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, FIDE held an Online Chess Olympiad in 2020 an ...

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1996 and Chief Arbiter of the first European Union Chess Championship, Cork 2005. He is an experienced chess coach of both teams (Great Britain team at the Chess Olympiad for the Blind, Pula 1974, Irish Women's team at the Chess Olympiad, Elista 1998) and individuals (including GM Nicholas Pert, World U-18 Champion 1998). He originated, with David Levy, the Intelligent Chess Display system which, by automatically sensing moves played on a chessboard and transferring that information to a computer system, then generating a graphical display which can be shown by large screen projection, has enabled hundreds of major chess events to be presented as spectator events. This system was introduced in London in 1986. "Revolutionizing chess as a spectator sport,"

Garry Kasparov Garry Kimovich Kasparov (born 13 April 1963) is a Russian chess grandmaster, former World Chess Champion, writer, political activist and commentator. His peak rating of 2851, achieved in 1999, was the highest recorded until being surpassed by ...

.Kasparov, Garry (1987), ''Child of Change''; (1990), ''Unlimited Challenge.''

Books

* The Games of Robert J. Fischer, Robert Wade and O'Connell, Batsford 1972, 2nd ed. 1972, reprinted 1973, First limp edition 1981, Reprinted 1985, 1981, 1989, Second edition (The Complete Games of Bobby Fischer) 1992 * Les parties d'echecs de

Bobby Fischer Robert James Fischer (March 9, 1943January 17, 2008) was an American chess grandmaster and the eleventh World Chess Champion. A chess prodigy, he won his first of a record eight US Championships at the age of 14. In 1964, he won with an 1 ...

, Payot (Paris) 1974, 1993 (Tome 1, 1974), (Tome 2, 1974), (1993) * Todas las Partidas de Fischer (desde 1955 hasta 1973), Bruguera (Barcelona) 1973 * How to Play the Sicilian Defence Levy & O'Connell, Batsford 1978, 2nd ed. 1987 * Wie spielt mann Sizilianisch? Rau (Düsseldorf) 1979 * Comment jouer la défense Sicilienne, Grasset (Paris) 1983 * Oxford Encyclopedia of Chess Games, Volume 1 1485-1866, Levy & O'Connell, Oxford University Press 1981 * Bird's Opening, O'Connell, The Chess Player, 1983,

Notes

External links

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computer chessIrish Chess Union
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnell, Kevin 1949 births Irish chess players Irish chess writers Living people Chess arbiters National team coaches Chess FIDE Masters