Andrew Costeloe (1950-2025)

13 January 2026 (updated)

We are once again sorry to report, somewhat belatedly, a death in the Middlesex chess family. Andrew Costeloe, the long-serving Secretary of Muswell Hill Chess Club, died peacefully at his home in the early hours of Friday 21 November.

Andrew taught English, History and Maths at Highgate School for 29 years, and continued in his retirement to serve the Junior School as a chess coach.

Andrew also taught a chess course at the Highgate Literary & Scientific Institution, where he was a member.

I had dealings with Andrew occasionally before joining MCCA in 2023 and more frequently thereafter, and always found him helpful and courteous: “a fine man and a fine player, and always a pleasure to deal with”, as I wrote to his sister Jane when she informed me of his passing. I could have added, "and a fine club secretary"; in fact a Muswell Hill member told me the other day that he considered Andrew to be irreplaceable in that rôle.

Wil Ransome, who was a friend and team-mate of Andrew's, has written [edited]:

"I knew Andrew pretty well (we had been work colleagues for years - both teachers - and of course I also knew him through chess). He was an excellent raconteur and told very amusing stories.  He had the ability to inspire in the children he taught, and also in their parents, a great affection and respect, I think because he always put himself out to look after their welfare.

"When I retired and he took over the running of the chess in our school (even after his own retirement) he had the wisdom to employ a number of strong chess coaches: David Rumens, Lorin D'Costa and others whose names I forget."

IM Lorin D'Costa delivered the following eulogy at Andrew's memorial [edited]:

"I worked with Andrew since 2010 as a chess coach at Highgate Junior School.

"I remember a very friendly man who immediately helped me get the school chess club going all those years ago. We grew the club, and interest in chess at Highgate increased through our efforts. This culminated in July 2023 with the Under 11 team coming third in the country out of more than 300 primary schools. Whenever Andrew talked about that, it was clear how proud he was of those children for that achievement, which was definitely due to his huge efforts in organising them, discussing how to improve their play, and many other aspects. He came every week with me for 15 years, and despite his growing age he had the same, if not more, enthusiasm for the children in chess club than he ever did.

"It was clear to me that this was a man with passion: a key characteristic required of a top teacher. I could always rely on him, and we enjoyed talking about chess. Of course, conversation was never just about chess - we widened the scope at termly dinners over a steak where I learned of Andrew's passion for films and literature. I felt like a student again as he taught me so much about spaghetti westerns and regaled me with stories of various characters and his past activities, which included sailing boats and travelling. I could see why he was a teacher, and how he enthused those he taught. 

"Andrew will be greatly missed by the Highgate and Muswell Hill chess communities."

My thanks to Evan Beachley for helping me procure valuable content for this obituary.

MCCA sends its condolences to Andrew's sister Jane and his other relatives, and to his friends and clubmates at Muswell Hill Chess Club.

David Lewis

Jonathan Hawkins (1983-2025)

Saturday 27 December 2025

We are sad to report the death on 22nd December, aged 42, of GM Jonathan Hawkins.

Hawkins achieved the Grandmaster title in 2014. He won the British Rapidplay Chess Championships in 2012 and 2014, was British Chess Champion in 2014 (jointly with David Howell) and won the championship outright in 2015. His FIDE rating was 2570 in December 2025, not far short of its peak of 2592 in February 2018.

Jonathan Hawkins played frequently in the Middlesex League for Hendon Chess Club between 2012 and 2020.

Jonathan was the partner since 2012 of our friend and colleague Angela Eyton, MCCA's Junior Organiser and Safeguarding Officer. The couple married only three days before Jonathan passed away.

We send our heartfelt condolences to Angela, and to Jonathan’s family and friends.

Obituaries of Jonathan Hawkins have appeared on Chess.com and in the ECF's ChessMoves (page 30). Wikipedia is also informative.

From the report in ChessMoves [slightly edited]:

"Many of you will know that a GoFundMe appeal was set up recently in light of the complete loss of income for Jonathan as a chess coach during his illness and for his wife Angela Eyton, who had been caring for him. We understand that the appeal is being kept open for now; if you would like to contribute, please follow this link."

Middlesex shuffles the pack with three new team captains

Thursday 21 August 2025

MCCA has appointed three new captains ahead of the SCCU County Championships 2025/26 season, which starts on 4th October.

The new line-up is:

• Bob Eames (Open)*
• Evan Beachley (U2050)
• Keith Jones (U1850)
• Peter Grant-Ross (U1650 team)*
• Sam Fenton (U1450)*

*New captains

Veteran captain Keith Jones took charge of reorganising the captaincies following the departures of Anthony Fulton and Manoharan Dilukshan (Dilu), both of whom achieved notable successes as captains in the SCCU and ECF county championships.

FIDE Master Bob Eames, who joins us as Open captain, is a chess teacher, the architect of Hackney Chess Club's recent successes in the Middlesex League's Division 1, and a stalwart of Middlesex's Open team in the SCCU County Championships.

Evan Beachley has been U1650 captain for several years. His promotion to the U2050 captaincy is an opportunity to build on the higher team's success in winning the Montague Jones Trophy in 2025.

Keith Jones (his other MCCA job is Secretary) stays in place as captain of the U1850 team, after winning the Montague Jones (no relation) trophy in 2015, 2018, 2019 and 2025, and the ECF U160 trophy in 2016 and 2018.

Peter Grant-Ross (who doubles up as MCCA President) has captained various Kings Head teams over the years and will captain the U1650 team.

Sam Fenton played junior county chess at a teenager. He and his son are members of the Middlesex U1450 squad, which he now captains.

Congratulations to new captains Bob, Peter and Sam, and to Evan on his two steps up; and good luck to all five teams and their captains in the 2025/26 season!

Middlesex wins the Under 1850 section of the ECF Counties Championship

Saturday 5 July 2025

In a hair-raising finish, Middlesex beat Yorkshire 8.5 points to 7.5 to win the Under 1850 section of the ECF County Championships.

The 16- board match produced no fewer than eleven draws and only two losses. Congratulations to veteran captain Keith Jones, to the three winners (Bharath Jayakumar, David J White and Shlok Parakh), and to the eleven stalwarts who held their formidable opponents at bay. Captain Keith has promised a full report for News and Views once he's recovered from the shock of winning his third championship in four years.