William RAMSAY Obituary

Bill's passing is a loss for all chess players who were privileged to have known him. Bill made an enormous contribution to chess. In the 1970's he sold discounted chess books to Wellington players from Pastimes Games in Stokes Valley. He was Secretary of the Wellington Chess League. Bill also served as Secretary of the New Zealand Chess Association from 1988- 1993. He served at a time when New Zealand sought to host the World Chess Championship. This project had been initiated by former Prime Minister Sir John Marshall who died in 1988. Bill was also editor of the New Zealand Chess magazine from 1989-1993. His editorials can be read on the magazines section of the New Zealand Chess Federation web-site. Bill's greatest contribution was as a chess historian. He painstakingly researched and collated the games and cross tables of New Zealand Championships from 1879-1993. He located numerous Chess Championship photographs. These constitute the bulk of chess related historical material in the Alexander Turnbull Library section of the National Library. Bill shared his knowledge freely. I could telephone him years apart with a question about New Zealand chess history and within seconds he could find the answer. Bill was also an enthusiastic lawn bowler. In 2011he travelled New Zealand playing 80 games in 80 days to raise money for the Heart Foundation. I knew Bill for about 30 years. He was a wonderful man and has left a magnificent legacy. Thank-you Bill.
Ross Jackson
Former President of Wellington Chess Club.

Sorry to hear of Bill's passing he will be sadly missed by his friends at the Wilton Bowling Club