Dr Timothy Harding's homepage

I am the editor of Chess Mail and webmaster of this site. I have added pages about my chess history publications and about my next chess book, Correspondence Chess in Britain and Ireland, 1824-1987: A History.

Also I have two new research pages. One lists articles that can be read here and the other raises queries about chess research I am currently engaged upon, including work for the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

My doctoral thesis on correspondence chess in Britain & Ireland, 1824-1914, was accepted in 2009.

On 10 July 2009 I was formally conferred with the PhD degree in History by Dr Mary Robinson (former President of Ireland), the Chancellor of the University of Dublin. The picture taken that day shows me in the front square of Trinity College Dublin. The statue is of Dr George Salmon, mathematician and theologian, played against both Morphy and Steinitz in simultaneous displays and once beat Harrwitz playing level. He was later Provost of the university.

I write the monthly column, The Kibitzer at The Chess Cafe website. An index table links to the article archive. I also write occasional articles on CC for the Spanish magazine Jaques.

I am now doing further research into the history of chess and other indoor games, and have started an entirely separate research and writing project about Burma.

Tim Harding, in doctoral robes, with the statue of George Salmon at TCD.

I have been playing chess both OTB and by correspondence since the 1960s and have written about chess for over 30 years. I played on board 6 for Ireland in the Final of the 15th CC Olympiad and captained the team. I am currently playing in a preliminary section of the 2nd ICCF Veterans World Cup.

I am a Senior International Master of Correspondence Chess (title awarded by ICCF in 2002). My first place in the ICCF Delegates & Officials IM-A tournament helped me to earn that title.

 I have edited an anthology of CC writings, The Write Move, and also compiled the MegaCorr4 CD series, now replaced by UltraCorr.

I am also the author of many chess books. Most are now out of print and many (on openings) are superseded.

My full bibliography is now available again.

 See our shopping cart for 50 Golden Chess Games and other books.
Since 1976 I have been living in Dublin, Ireland, where I was on the editorial staff of The Sunday Press up to May 1995, when it ceased publication. I founded Chess Mail Ltd. in 1996 and the magazine was published in nine volumes (82 numbers) ending in January 2006. I am married with two student daughters.

My best success as an OTB player was joint first with GM Bojan Kurajica at the 1973 Hammersmith Open in London ahead of many masters and GMs, but it was only 7 rounds and I didn't have to play Kurajica (we scored 6.5/7). The half point I dropped was against Jonathan Mestel.

I also won a good prize at the Le Havre 1980 international open.

I played on the Irish team at the 1984 FIDE Olympiad in Thessaloniki, scoring 50%.

History of the Hardings (website with research by Steve Harding, England: no relation, so far as I know!)

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