Colin Crouch (chess player)

Colin Crouch
CountryEngland
Born14 October 1956
Bushey, Hertfordshire
Died16 April 2015 (aged 58)
Harrow, London
TitleInternational Master (1991)

Colin Stamford Crouch (14 October 1956 – 16 April 2015) was a British chess player and author.

Crouch was educated at Haberdashers' Aske's and read Geography at Christ's College, Cambridge.[1] He later finished a PhD at Durham University in 1989, the subject of which was the roots of unemployment in mining communities.[1][2][3]

A highly talented junior player, he won the British Under-16 Championship in 1972 and the Under-18 Championship in 1974.[1] He received his first international rating of 2300 in 1977, and following years of play in national and international tournaments, was awarded the International Master title in 1991.[4] Close to Grandmaster strength, his 'finest hour' as a chess player was his score of 7/9 in the Hastings Challengers of 1991-92, which included a 'highly original win' over Valeriy Neverov.[5] He achieved a peak rating of 2448.[4]

Despite suffering a stroke that damaged his sight in December 2004, he continued to compete against blind, near-sighted, and sighted players.[5] He won silver medals in both the 2008 and 2012 editions of the Chess Olympiad for the Blind.[2]

Bibliography

[edit]
  • Crouch, Colin (1990). Delayed Castling. Master Class Publications.
  • Mednis, Edmar; Crouch, Colin (1992). Rate Your Endgame. Cadogan Chess. ISBN 9781857440201.
  • Crouch, Colin (1993). Attacking Technique. Batsford. ISBN 9780713473476.
  • Crouch, Colin (1994). Pawn Chains. Olbrich. ISBN 9783929324105.
  • Crouch, Colin; Kulagin, Alexander (1995). Against the Maroczy Bind. Chess Digest.
  • Crouch, Colin; Haines, Kean (1995). Hastings 1895: The Centenary Book. Waterthorpe Information Services. ISBN 9780952403319.
  • Crouch, Colin (1998). The Queen's Gambit Declined: 5 Bf4!. Cadogan Chess. ISBN 9781857442076.
  • Crouch, Colin (2000). How to Defend in Chess: Learn from the World Champions. Batsford. ISBN 9780713486841.
  • Crouch, Colin (2009). Great Attackers: Learn From Kasparov, Tal And Stein. Everyman Chess. ISBN 9781857445770.
  • Crouch, Colin (2009). Move by Move: A Step-By-Step Guide to Brilliant Chess. Everyman Chess. ISBN 9781857445992.
  • Crouch, Colin (2010). Why We Lose at Chess. Everyman Chess. ISBN 9781857446364.
  • Crouch, Colin (2011). Analyse Your Chess. Everyman Chess. ISBN 9781857446708.
  • Crouch, Colin (2013). Fighting Chess: Move by Move. Everyman Chess. ISBN 9781857449938.
  • Crouch, Colin (2013). Magnus Force: How Carlsen Beat Kasparov's Record. Everyman Chess. ISBN 9781781941485.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Becker, Molly; Brown, Owen, eds. (2023). "Colin Stamford Crouch" (PDF). Christ's College Magazine (248): 153. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  2. ^ a b Crouch, David (29 April 2015). "Colin Crouch obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  3. ^ Crouch, Colin Stamford (1989). The economic geography of recession in the UK: the early 1980s and historical perspectives (PhD thesis). Durham University. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  4. ^ a b Stewart Reuben (May–June 2015). "Obituary – Colin Stamford Crouch Ph.D" (PDF). Chess Moves. English Chess Federation: 3–4. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  5. ^ a b Pein, Malcolm (1 May 2015). "Remembering IM Colin Crouch, one of England's most devoted players". The Telegraph. Retrieved 19 May 2025.