View source for Simon Webb (chess player)

{{Short description|British chess player}}
{{More citations needed|date=April 2010}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2012}}
{{Infobox chess player
| name = Simon Webb
| image = 
| caption = 
| country = {{Unbulleted list|[[England]]|[[Sweden]]}}
| birth_date = {{Birth-date|10 June 1949}}
| birth_place = [[London]], England
| death_date = {{Death-date and age|14 March 2005|10 June 1949}}
| death_place = Sweden
| title = {{Unbulleted list|class=nowrap|[[ICCF Grandmaster]] (1983)|[[FIDE International Master]] (1977)}}
| rating = 2420 (January 1992)<ref name="FIDE ratings" />
| peakrating = 2445 (January 1978)<ref name="FIDE ratings" />
| ICCF_rating = 2609 (April 2005)<ref name="ICCF ratings" />
| ICCF_peakrating = 2665 (October 2001)<ref name="ICCF ratings" />
}}

'''Simon Webb''' (10 June 1949 – 14 March 2005) was a British [[chess]] player and writer who held the [[chess titles]] of [[International Master]] and [[International Correspondence Chess Grandmaster|Correspondence Chess Grandmaster]].

Born in [[London]], he was joint British under-18 champion in 1966, and fourth in the European Junior Championship in 1969. Webb was briefly a professional player in the late 1970s, participated in a number of strong tournaments, and met some strong players, including a 17-year-old [[Garry Kasparov]] at the 1980 [[European Team Chess Championship|European Team Championship]] (Webb lost). At one event, he was assigned a lady translator. Webb married her and took her to England. He was joint second in the 1975 [[British Chess Championship|British Championship]] behind [[William Hartston]]. Perhaps his best tournament result was joint first with [[Liuben Spassov]] at Hamburg 1977, ahead of [[István Csom]] and [[Milan Matulović]]. He was famous for his ability to save or even win from hopelessly lost positions, which earned him the nickname "[[Houdini]]". He became an [[International Master]] in 1977. His final [[FIDE]] [[Elo rating]] was 2420.<ref name="FIDE ratings">{{cite web |url=https://www.olimpbase.org/Elo/player/Webb,%20Simon.html |title=FIDE rating history: Webb, Simon |website=OlimpBase.org |access-date=20 December 2021}}</ref>

Webb took up [[correspondence chess]] in the early 1980s, and all but gave up over-the-board play for a long time. He gained the [[International Correspondence Chess Grandmaster]] title in 1983 and scored a number of impressive results. In the 14th World Correspondence Chess Championship, won by [[Tõnu Õim]], Webb finished fifth of the 15 participants with 8.5/14. His final [[International Correspondence Chess Federation|ICCF]] Elo rating was 2609.<ref name="ICCF ratings">{{cite web |url=https://www.iccf.com/player?id=210178&tab=3 |title=ICCF Ratings: Webb, Simon |website=[[ICCF.com]] |access-date=20 December 2021}}</ref>

Webb was perhaps best known for his humorous book on practical tournament play, ''Chess for Tigers'' (Oxford University Press, 1978, {{ISBN|0-19-217575-0}}).<ref name="Guardian" /><ref name="Times" /> As well as his chess achievements, he also represented England at [[contract bridge|bridge]], partnered by his brother Roger.

In the 1980s, Webb moved to Sweden.<ref name="Guardian" /> Since the late 1990s, he played in the Swedish team championship.

On 14 March 2005, he was fatally stabbed in the family hallway by his 25-year-old son, Dennis. Dennis subsequently drove into a wall at some 130&nbsp;km/hour but survived with a broken nose.<ref name="Guardian">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk_news/story/0,3604,1443803,00.html |title=Tributes to murdered grandmaster |work=[[The Guardian]] |first=Sandra |last=Laville |date=22 March 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130823232814/http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/mar/23/sandralaville |archive-date=23 August 2013}}</ref><ref name="Times">{{cite news |url=https://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1536094,00.html |title=Son held over knife killing of chess Grand Master |work=[[The Times]] |first=Roger |last=Boyes |date=22 March 2005 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060107202242/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1536094,00.html |archive-date=7 January 2006}}</ref>

==References==
<references />

==External links==
* {{ICCF|210178}}
* {{Chessgames player|23327}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Webb, Simon}}
[[Category:1949 births]]
[[Category:2005 deaths]]
[[Category:Chess International Masters]]
[[Category:Correspondence chess grandmasters]]
[[Category:Chess players from London]]
[[Category:British non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:British chess writers]]
[[Category:British expatriate sportspeople in Sweden]]
[[Category:English murder victims]]
[[Category:British male writers]]
[[Category:20th-century British chess players]]
[[Category:British male non-fiction writers]]