Our favourite pastime: "Chasing the Rabbits ..." - but some were even caught!

Jimmy Adams and Michael Negele, 2012
Jimmy Adams and Michael Negele, 2012

James "Jimmy" Bernard Adams (February 7th 1947 - June 6th, 2026) a British FIDE Master, chess author, and long-time editor of CHESS magazine, passed away on June 6, 2026, at the age of 79 following a long illness.

For me, following our first in-person meeting in June 2007, Jimmy became a humorous friend who always showed great respect for the achievements of fellow enthusiasts, despite his own prominent standing in the field. So I remember with warm feelings his comment to my talk in Norwich (KWA-meeting 2012): "Amazingly, Michael, you are making jokes, even in English language." And our "Chasing the rabbits ..." at the dinner.

The following compilation — which makes no claim to being exhaustive — bears witness to Jimmy's incredible contribution to the chess world.

Jimmy Adams helmed the renowned British magazine CHESS (formerly CHESS Monthly) for a total of 19 years, until his retirement in 2010. He also served as deputy editor for American Chess Magazine (ACM).

Being introduced as a member of the KWA since late 2006, I myself was delighted to meet Jimmy in person at the KWA gathering in London. He was an exceptionally friendly man with an ever-present smile and immense knowledge of chess and its leading figures.

Without people like Jimmy Adams — who dedicated nearly their entire active lives to chess — our little kingdom of 64 squares becomes steadily poorer. It is our task to act in Jimmy’s spirit and pass on his enthusiasm to a (hopefully) future generation.

A saddened Michael Negele

[Update 2026-07-15] An online memorial book has been set up by his daughter in memory of James “Jimmy” Bernard Adams. Colleagues, friends, and acquaintances have the opportunity to leave their condolences and share personal memories there.

You can access the digital memorial book here: Jimmy Adams | 1947 - 2026 | Online-Tribute.com [/Update]

Some photos with Jimmy Adams

  • Jimmy Adams, Leonard Skinner and Mark Huba, 2007
    Jimmy Adams, Leonard Skinner and Mark Huba, 2007
  • Jimmy Adams is flanked by the couple Corneth, on the right Andreas and Marie-Theres Saremba, 2007
    Jimmy Adams is flanked by the couple Corneth, on the right Andreas and Marie-Theres Saremba, 2007
  • Jimmy Adams with the dedicated item, 2007
    Jimmy Adams with the dedicated item, 2007
  • Michael Negele, Jimmy Adams, Calle Erlandsson and Tony Gillam, 2007
    Michael Negele, Jimmy Adams, Calle Erlandsson and Tony Gillam, 2007
  • Jimmy Adams, Owen Hindle, Tony Gillam and Leonard Skinner, London 2007
    Jimmy Adams, Owen Hindle, Tony Gillam and Leonard Skinner, London 2007
  • Vor dem „Simpson’s-in-the-Strand“, Sonntag, 10. Juni 2007
    Vor dem „Simpson’s-in-the-Strand“, Sonntag, 10. Juni 2007
  • Leonard Skinner, Jurgen Stigter, Calle Erlandsson, Tony Gillam, Jimmy Adams, Andreas Saremba and Regina Corneth, 2007
    Leonard Skinner, Jurgen Stigter, Calle Erlandsson, Tony Gillam, Jimmy Adams, Andreas Saremba and Regina Corneth, 2007
  • Jurgen Stigter, Tony Gillam and Jimmy Adams, 2012
    Jurgen Stigter, Tony Gillam and Jimmy Adams, 2012
  • Jimmy Adams with Raymond Cannon, 2012
    Jimmy Adams with Raymond Cannon, 2012

PS: Over the course of several decades, our friend Jimmy authored a multitude of significant chess books. His bibliography is best categorised into his monumental historical biographies and his earlier monographs on chess openings:

Major Biographies & Historical Works

  • Johannes Zukertort: ​​Artist of the Chessboard (1989; reissued by New In Chess in 2014)
  • Mikhail Chigorin: The Creative Chess Genius (1987; later expanded under the title Mikhail Chigorin: The Creative Genius, New In Chess 2015)
  • Gyula Breyer: The Chess Revolutionary (New In Chess 2017) – A work of over 800 pages on the pioneer of the Hypermodern school.
  • Paul Keres: The Eternal Second (Four-part biography series, published by New In Chess between 2022 and 2024)
    Volume 1: The Early Years
    Volume 2: The World Championship Candidate
    Volume 3: The Soviet Champion
    Volume 4: The Later Years
  • Salo Flohr: Master of Tactics (The Chess Player, 1985); reissued as a monumental later work in 2026 under the title Salo Flohr: From Chess Fighter to Chess Writer (New In Chess, June 2026).
  • Isaac Boleslavsky: Selected Games (Caissa Books 1988)
  • The Games of Anatoly Karpov (with Kevin J. O’Connell; Batsford 1974, expanded 1976)
  • Bled 1931: International Chess Tournament (Caissa Editions 1987) – Translation and historical analysis.
  • Much like Bled 1931, Adams translated the original — often rare — records and contemporary accounts of major tournaments and made them available in book form:
    Paris 1900;
    Baden-Baden 1925;
    Dresden 1926;
    Moscow 1935 (The Second International Chess Tournament);
    Moscow 1936

Books on chess openings (selection)

In the 1970s and 1980s, he authored numerous specialized books on opening theory, mostly for the publishers The Chess Player or Batsford:

  • Main Line Najdorf (1977)
  • Najdorf Poisoned Pawn (1977)
  • Sicilian Najdorf: Polugaevsky Variation (1978)
  • Richter-Veresov System (1978)
  • The Trompowsky Attack (1979)
  • The Torre Attack (1981)
  • Schliemann/Jaenisch Gambit (1982)

Instructional book

  • Chess for Absolute Beginner (2006)

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