Nicholas G. Pert (born 22 January 1981) is an English

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 ...

grandmaster.

Chess career

Pert was the World Under-18 Chess Champion in 1998 and British Rapidplay Chess Champion in 2004. He has represented England at the highest level, including the

37th Chess Olympiad The 37th Chess Olympiad (), organized by FIDE and comprising an openAlthough commonly referred to as the ''men's division'', this section is open to both male and female players. and a women's tournament, as well as several other events designed ...

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

. Having previously attained good results at the European U-12 and U-14 championships where he finished 3rd and 4th respectively, he attended

Ipswich School Ipswich School is a public school (English fee-charging boarding and day school) for pupils aged 3 to 18 in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. North of the town centre, Ipswich School has four parts on three adjacent sites. The Pre-Prep and Nur ...

and

Oakham School Oakham School is a public school (English fee-charging boarding and day school) in Oakham, Rutland, England. The school was founded in 1584 by Archdeacon Robert Johnson, along with Uppingham School, a few miles away. They share a common b ...

, the latter known at the time for its chess excellence and a venue for some of the strongest international young master events. He later took up a place at

Warwick University The University of Warwick ( ; abbreviated as ''Warw.'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The university was founded in 1965 as part of a ...

, graduating with a degree in Mathematics and Statistics. Pert then trained as an

actuary An actuary is a professional with advanced mathematical skills who deals with the measurement and management of risk and uncertainty. These risks can affect both sides of the balance sheet and require investment management, asset management, ...

, before returning to full-time chess playing and coaching. As with many chess professionals these days, he has also played poker as a means of supplementing his income. Although he has not devoted himself entirely to the advancement of his chess-playing career, his rating has nevertheless shown a steady rise over the years and he can now be regarded as one of England's leading Grandmasters and a coach of some of England's most promising new talents. At the Guernsey Festival tournament of 2010, he won the event on tie-break from Grandmasters

Tiger Hillarp Persson Tiger Hillarp Persson is a Swedish chess grandmaster. He is a Swedish Chess Champion. In Go he attained the level of amateur 1-Dan on KGS in 2015 and 3-Dan in the EGF ratings in 2023. Chess career He won tournaments in Gentofte (VISA Nord ...

and

Evgeny Sveshnikov Evgeny Ellinovich Sveshnikov (; 11 February 195018 August 2021) was a Russian chess player and writer who is credited with the development of the Sveshnikov Variation of the Sicilian Defence. He was awarded the title of Grandmaster by FIDE in ...

. This brought his run of undefeated games, since the 2008 British Championship, to fifty-two. In 2015, Pert tied for 2nd–4th with David Howell and

Daniel Gormally Daniel William Gormally (born 4 May 1976) is an English chess Grandmaster. His peak rating is 2573, achieved in the January 2006 rating list. Chess career Daniel was born in Hertford hospital, but soon moved to London. He first learned the m ...

, finishing third on tiebreak, in the

British Chess Championship The British Chess Championships are organised by the English Chess Federation. The main tournament incorporates the British Championship, the English Chess Championships and the British Women's Chess Championship so it is possible, although it ha ...

and later that year, he finished runner-up in the inaugural British Knockout Championship, which was held alongside the

London Chess Classic The London Chess Classic is a chess festival held at the Olympia Conference Centre, West Kensington, London. The flagship event is a strong invitational tournament between some of the world's top grandmasters. A number of subsidiary events cove ...

. In this latter event, Pert, who replaced Nigel Short after his late withdrawal, eliminated

Jonathan Hawkins Jonathan Hawkins (born 1 May 1983) is an England, English chess Grandmaster (chess), grandmaster. He was the British Chess Championship, British Chess Champion in 2015, having outscored David Howell (chess player), David Howell, with whom he sha ...

in the quarterfinals and

Luke McShane Luke James McShane (born 7 January 1984) is an English chess player. A chess prodigy, he was awarded the title of Grandmaster by FIDE in 2000, at the age of 16. McShane has become one of England's leading players and a member of the national t ...

in the semifinals, then he lost to David Howell 4–6 in the final. Pert won the 2021 British Championships outright in Hull in October 2021. He was succeeded as British Champion by Harry Grieve in 2022.

Personal life

Pert was married to Michele in October 2009. He is the twin brother of chess

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 ...

Richard Pert.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pert, Nicholas 1981 births Living people Chess Grandmasters English chess players World Youth Chess Champions Alumni of the University of Warwick Sportspeople from Ipswich English identical twins Identical twin males Chess Olympiad competitors People educated at Oakham School