Sad News

I have just received the following message from Geoff Laurence of Macclesfield Chess Club :

You will be saddened to hear of the sudden death of Alan Sime on Saturday, December 29th. Alan was a long time member of the Macclesfield Club and played a full part in its activities for nearly 40 years. He served as club secretary for a long period and was for many years second team captain in the Stockport League. At a time when officers were hard to find, Alan served as President of the Stockport League for 3 years. Alan was a great supporter of chess in the area; he would frequently play in the many congresses in the region. He was always keen for the club to maintain its contacts with the North Staffs League and must have played in hundreds of matches over the years. Whenever the club was short of a player at short notice you knew that if Alan was not already in the team a quick phone call was all that was needed to get him to travel. Indeed, the only times I have known him decline were when Macclesfield Town played at home!  I was one of many to be made to feel welcome by Alan at the Macclesfield club on joining, and we regularly travelled together to play in congresses. Alan was a real gentleman, someone I never saw angry, generous with his time, and his loss will be hard felt.