Cecil John Seddon Purdy (27 March 1906 – 6 November 1979), often referred to as "C. J. S. Purdy", was an Australian

chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to dist ...

player and writer. He was awarded the titles

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 (chess), Grandmaster (GM). Titles generally require a combinatio ...

in 1951 and Grandmaster of correspondence chess in 1959. Purdy was the inaugural world

correspondence chess Correspondence chess is chess played by various forms of long-distance correspondence, traditionally through the postal system. Today it is usually played through a correspondence chess server, a public internet chess forum, or e-mail, email. Les ...

champion. 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 Ha ...

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

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

, and then to

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, Australia, before they settled in Sydney 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-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Olivia ...

Career

Purdy began his chess career at the age of 16, and 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 won the first two Australian Correspondence Chess Championships, in 1938 and 1945. He also won the

New Zealand Chess Championship The New Zealand Chess Championship was first conducted in 1879. Note: Up until 1934 foreign players were eligible for the title. The eligibility rules were changed in 1935 to preclude this; John Angus Erskine (twice champion in 1929 and 1935) was ...

in 1924/25. In

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...

of 1952, Purdy drew a hard-fought match with Ortvin Sarapu, at the time by far the best player in New Zealand. They were thus declared

Australasia Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecolo ...

n co-champions. Purdy founded and edited the magazine ''Australasian Chess Review'' (1929–1944); this became ''Check'' (1944–45), and finally ''Chessworld'' (1946–1967). He was described by

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 ...

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 honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Go ...

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 Spencer Crakanthorp, (17 February 1885 in Sydney, Australia – 1 August 1936) was a chess player and Australian Chess Champion in 1923−24, 1925−26, 1926 and 1927. He was the father-in-law of chess master Cecil Purdy Cecil John Sed ...

. 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 was also a keen chess player, and she married leading

player Frank Hutchings in 1960.

Death

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

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and died later that day in the

Sydney Hospital Sydney Hospital is a major hospital in 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 its current location since 1811. It first receiv ...

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

. Purdy was cremated.Australian Dictionary of Biography - Purdy, Cecil John Seddon (1906–1979)
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Published works

* * *

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 New Zealand chess players Australian magazine editors Australian chess players Australian chess writers People from Port Said Australian people of Irish descent Australian expatriates in New Zealand Egyptian emigrants to Australia Writers from Sydney People educated at Cranbrook School, Sydney Members of the Order of Australia 20th-century chess players 20th-century Australian journalists