British chess has lost an inspiring figure. Grandmaster Jonathan Hawkins, two-time British champion, author and coach, died on 22 December at just 42 years old after battling a neuroendocrine carcinoma, an aggressive form of cancer.

   Hawkins’s achievements in chess are remarkable for answering a perennial question: can adult improvers really aspire to significant progress? As a young adult, his rating was that of an average club player and, living in northeast England, he had limited access to strong competition or coaching. But his dedicated study over more than eight years was transformative, as set out in his acclaimed 2012 book, Amateur to IM [International Master]. With lucid explanations, the book expounds on a clear credo: ‘I am convinced a careful study of the endgame sparked the biggest leap forward in my game.’

Hawkins’s improvement had further to go. In 2014, he won his first British championship (shared with David Howell), and the second finish below is taken from that event. Later that year he earned his grandmaster title, and in 2015 he won the British championship outright. He met his partner, Angela Eyton, at the championships in 2012 and they were married in the hospital shortly before Jonathan died. Together, they built a successful coaching business, and several of Jonathan’s pupils won medals in World and European championships.

A beautiful miniature from early in his career:

Stuart Conquest-Jonathan Hawkins

Four Nations Chess League, 2010

1 c4 Nf6 2 Nc3 e5 3 e3 Nc6 4 Nge2 Be7 5 a3 d5 6 cxd5 Nxd5 7 Nxd5 Qxd5 8 Nc3 Qd6 9 Bc4 O-O 10 b4 Be6 11 Nb5 Qd7 12 Bxe6 fxe6 13 Nc3 Qd3 14 Bb2? Already the decisive mistake (see diagram 1) Nd4!! A masterstroke, with the ingenious point that 15 exd4 is met by 15…Rxf2!! 16 Kxf2 Rf8+ and now 17 Kg1? Qxd4 is mate (revealing the point of the knight sacrifice). Alternatively, 17 Ke1 Bh4+ 18 g3 Bxg3+ leads to mate. 15 Rc1 There is no other way to meet the threat of Nd4-c2+ Bh4 16 Rf1 Qf5! Inducing the decisive weakness 17 g3 Nf3+ 18 Ke2 Rad8 19 d3 Ng1+! White resigns before a blow lands on d3 or f2.

Justin Tan-Jonathan Hawkins

British Championship, Aberystwyth, 2014

23…e4! Seizing the initiative. The Ng6 is striving to reach the f3 square. 24 Qd4 24 Rc1! was more stubborn, preparing to meet 24…Ne5 with 25 Qd5! Rh5! 25 Rh1 Qh3+ 26 Kg1 Re8 27 Qxd6 Kh8! 27…Ne5 fails to 28 Qd5+, but now the knight is bound for f3. 28 Bd4 Rg5! The key idea, preparing Ng6-h4. 29 Bxg7+ Kxg7 30 Qd4+ Kh6 31 Rd1 Nh4 White resigns