Denis Gray writes:

I have little time for chess these days, life being pretty hectic at the moment — I have just been elected President of the Royal College of General Practitioners. I appreciate your interest, as I have been retired from active chess for so long.

I was a home-grown Exeter player, having played here long before settling here to work (I currently live in the house I was born in). I won the Devon Junior Championship four times, and the West of England Junior Championship three times. I also had a good run at the British Boys Championship (Under 18) in 1954, being joint lead going into the last round, but lost and came fourth behind K.D. Sales.

I first secured the Championship of the Exeter Club while still a pupil at Exeter School.

My most important result was an invitation under-21 played at Hastings in 1955 or 1956. I was unbeaten and finished third or fourth.

In later years I was pleased to recover the Exeter Club Championship in 1964. At about the same time I remember being in a quadruple(!) tie for the Senior West of England Championship, but on the application of a tie-break system had to concede the claim of one of the others.

[Denis was Knighted in the 1998 New Year Honours. — DR]