Jon Speelman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jon Speelman |
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| Full name | Jonathan Simon Speelman |
| Country | England |
| Born | 2 October 1956 Marylebone, London, England |
| Title | Grandmaster (1980) |
| FIDE rating | 2503 (July 2025) |
| Peak rating | 2645 (July 1988) |
| Peak ranking | No. 5 (July 1988) |
Jonathan Simon Speelman (born 2 October 1956) is a famous chess player and writer from England. He was given the top chess title of Grandmaster in 1980. This means he is one of the best chess players in the world.
Early Life and School
Jon Speelman grew up in London, England. He went to St Paul's School, London, which is a well-known school. Later, he studied mathematics at Worcester College, Oxford, a famous university.
Chess Career Highlights
Speelman has won the British Chess Championship three times: in 1978, 1985, and 1986. He has also often played for the English team in the Chess Olympiad. This is a big international chess competition held every two years. It is organized by FIDE, which is the World Chess Federation.
He reached the Candidates Tournament twice. This tournament helps decide who will challenge the current World Chess Champion.
- In 1989, he played very well. He won against Yasser Seirawan and Nigel Short. He made it to the semi-finals but then lost to Jan Timman.
- In the next championship cycle (1990–1993), he played against Nigel Short again in the first round. He lost this match, and Short went on to challenge Garry Kasparov for the world title.
In 1989, Speelman had an exciting win against Garry Kasparov. This happened during a fast-paced chess tournament shown on TV. Speelman won that whole event.
On December 7, 1990, Jon Speelman was part of a special TV show on BBC Two called Your Move. It was a unique experiment where Speelman played chess against the TV audience! Viewers called in to vote for their moves, and the most popular move was played. Speelman won the game, which lasted about three hours.
Writing About Chess
Besides playing, Jon Speelman has written many books about chess. Several of his books focus on the endgame, which is the final part of a chess game. Some of his books include Analysing the Endgame and Endgame Preparation. He also helped write Batsford Chess Endings.
He has also written about famous chess games. His books Best Games 1970–1980 and Jon Speelman's Best Games look at some of the best matches played by top players. Today, he often writes about chess for newspapers like The Observer and The Independent. He also sometimes gives live commentary for chess games online on the Internet Chess Club.
See also
In Spanish: Jonathan Speelman para niños
- List of Jewish chess players
