Tom McClelland RIP

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  • Tom McClelland RIP

    Its with great sadness that I report the passing of Tom McClelland, avid tournament player (expert at his peak), CFC life member, and long time member of the KW Chess Club in Kitchener. Tom was a club champion in the early years, somewhere in the late 90's and took his tournament chess very seriously.
    Tom, in his seventieth year, passed away at the board at the KW chess club weekly meeting on Tuesday night which in some way I would call fitting as the club was the largest part of his life. I knew Tom for the best part of thirty years and he was totally committed to the club and lending a helping hand in keeping it functioning. He helped run the youth club for twenty years and was its most committed helper. I always got credit for the most successful students but Tom was always guiding them from week to week and nurturing them with his great knowledge of the little things and basics of tournament play. Tom was always there for me with advice or lending a hand or quietly adding his opinion when it mattered. He was a regular at the Kitchener Main Library and the Waterloo Main Library and always kept me informed of new books and new chess articles as well as excitedly pointing out new facts gleaned from chess research or "finds" in grandmaster games or even a rare used chess book that he found in his wanderings through the used book stores of Kitchener Waterloo and Toronto.
    Mostly though I would like to speak to Tom's dedication to the KW chess club. He was always there! and helping, lending a hand on just about any need or project. You could count on Tom, always. Many counted on Tom's quiet, thoughtful presence and his passing for many in the club will feel like the end of an era. There will be a big hole that will not be easy to fill. Rest in peace Tom, my old friend. I will sorely miss you.

  • #2
    My thoughts are with you.

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    • #3
      We crossed paths many times over many years at various KW events and we always managed to find a little time for each other to talk briefly, shake hands and back to the board. He had moved into the tournament assistance primarily while I knew him, but I do have a coupe of games against him. A good man, helping promote chess when he could.
      Sorry to see you go Tom, another time and another place we can meet and reconnect.

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      • #4
        Tom's passing is a huge loss for Canadian chess, especially in southern Ontario. I didn't know Tom well, but I fondly remember a two-hour blitz series with him in Toronto, circa 1999 or 2000. Honors wound up about even. Tom was most certainly a very keen chess person, exactly the sort who makes club chess thrive!

        We had a good discussion then, over a meal, on chess organizing, sharing some nice stories and a couple of horror stories!

        FM Hans Jung summed up Tom perfectly!

        He will be fondly remembered by many Canadian chess friends.

        Rest In Peace, Tom.

        Frank Dixon
        NTD, Kingston

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        • #5
          Thanks for writing this Hans, and thanks to everyone who's reached out to lend support and share their memories of Tom. His contribution to KW chess has been immense. The past few years he's come every tuesday as a player, but has always offered great insights and advice to those of us who are running the club now. He took tournament chess seriously, but I also have good memories of him in the casual room letting the more risky and creative side of his game loose, unleashing wild attacks and being able to have a laugh if they didn't work (although they often did). He will be missed. RIP.

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          • #6
            Kyle forgot to mention that there will be a celebration of Tom's life at the KW chess club at Rockway in Kitchener this Tuesday evening at 7pm. The address is 1405 King St East.

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            • #7
              https://obituaries.therecord.com/obi...and-1092868044

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              • #8
                Frank Dixon (2069) -- Tom McClelland (1922)
                Toronto 1999, played Dec. 26
                Friendly match, game 4 of 4
                Time control: G/30'
                Sicilian, Closed, B40
                Clock times in brackets
                Notes by Frank Dixon

                [I was in Toronto for the 1999 Pan American Intercollegiate Team Championship, as coach of the Queen's University team (we wound up as Best Canadian team!), and to play in the festival Open, Open section, run concurrently. The University of Toronto organizers did an exceptional job in putting everything together, including a scholastic tournament (won by future IM Stephen Glinert), and a multi-class-sections Open, in addition to the regular PanAm team competition, the third time hosted in Canada. With all the events, the site hosted close to 300 players! I met Tom at the site for the first time, a few hours before round one. He was hoping to play in the tournament, having just won the Kitchener -- Waterloo Club Championship, but something came up at home, and he had to change his plans. But before that, we got to chatting, and Tom, a very friendly fellow, and one of Canada's busiest players, challenged me to a rapid match! This was game four, and I needed to win to square the series; he had won game one; games two and three were drawn.]

                1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d3 Nc6 4.Nbd2 d6 5.Be2 Nf6 6.O-O Be7 7.c3 e5
                [I had started with a quiet rare line which I sometimes play, a form of reversed Old Indian. With Black's 7th move, we are now in a position which more frequently would arise from 1.e4 e5, so I decide to aim for a Spanish formation with my next few moves.]
                8.Re1 O-O 9.Nf1 a6 10.a4 Rb8 11.Ng3 b5 12.h3 h6 (4,4) 13.Be3 Qc7 14.Qd2 Kh7 15.axb5 axb5 16.d4 Bd7 17.Bd1 Ra8 18.Bc2 Rfb8
                [The morph into a Closed Spanish is now complete, with my light-squared bishop going f1-e2-d1-c2 to reach its regular Spanish spot!]
                19.d5 Na5 20.b3 Nb7 (9,13) 21.Nh4 Bf8 22.Nhf5 Ra5 23.b4 Raa8 24.f4 Bxf5 25.Nxf5 g6 26.Nh4 cxb4 27.cxb4 Nd7 (13,18)
                [So far just plenty of maneuver for both sides, with basically an even, quiet position. By this stage, I had a very healthy respect for Tom's chess skills!]
                28.Bd3 Rxa1 29.Rxa1 Nd8 30.Rc1! Qb7 31.f5 g5 32.Nf3 f6 33.g4 Nb6 34.Qe2 Na4 (17,21)
                [I had concluded that nothing could happen on the kingside, so decided to concentrate on the opposite wing, to try to generate some chances, with some potential there. I had also a slight lead on the clock.]
                35.Qc2 Kg8 36.Qc7! Qa8 37.h4 Nb2!? 38.Bf1 Nc4 39.Bxc4 Rc8!
                [A nice idea, zwischenzug, which gains him a passed c-pawn, but it also allows me a passed b-pawn!]
                40.Qd7 bxc4 (21,25) 41.Qb5!
                [This is a must; I need to retreat my Queen to defend against the black c-pawn's advance, while clearing space my own passer's progress.]
                41...c3! 42.Qd3 Qa3!? 43.b5 Nb7 44.hxg5 hxg5 45.Ne1!
                [I have big plans for this knight, eying the path f3-e1-c2-b4-c6! This works out for me, and wins the game, with some help from Tom!]
                45...Nc5 46.Qxc3 Qa2 47.Nc2 Kf7 48.Ra1! Qb3 49.Ra7+! Be7? (23,28)
                [A king retreat instead may have just held the position! Time pressure! White can now exploit this pin on the seventh rank.]
                50.Qxb3 Nxb3 51.Nb4! Nc5 52.Nc6! Re8 53.Bxc5!
                [Decisive.]
                53...dxc5 54.d6! c4 55.Kf2!, 1-0. (26,29)
                [White's king is within the square for the passed c-pawn. White will win a piece, exchange down, and then queen his b-pawn. A fascinating game, a fair and even match outcome, and a memorable afternoon with Tom, a tremendous Canadian chess knight!!]

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