John J. Cox (born 22 May 1962) is a British

chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to disti ...

player who holds the title of

International Master FIDE titles are awarded by the international chess governing body FIDE (''Fédération Internationale des Échecs'') for outstanding performance. The highest such title is Grandmaster (GM). Titles generally require a combination of Elo rating and ...

which he earned in 2005.Cox was interviewed by

John L. Watson John Leonard Watson (born 1951) is an American chess International Master and author. In 2022, Watson was inducted into the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame along with GM James Tarjan and the late Daniel Willard Fiske. Watson is also a recipient of the U ...

for the Internet Chess Club. The entire interview is present a

(paysite), a free preview is available a

/ref> His peak

Elo rating The Elo rating system is a method for calculating the relative skill levels of players in zero-sum games such as chess. It is named after its creator Arpad Elo, a Hungarian-American physics professor. The Elo system was invented as an improved ch ...

of 2423 was achieved in January 2006. Cox was among the strong juniors in the 1970s and 1980s and finished tied for first in a British U18 championship. The need to earn a living made Cox leave the chess scene for several years. During this time he also played

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

. He eventually returned to chess after the hiatus.

Books

Cox has written a number of well-received chess books, and he has contributed to the New in Chess yearbooks. Four of his books were published by

Everyman Chess Everyman Chess, formerly known as Cadogan Chess, is a major publisher of books and CDs about chess. "Everyman" is a registered trademark of Random House and the company headquarters is in London. Former World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov is the ...

, three of them introductory level books in the ''Starting Out'' series. His 2004 book on the

Alekhine's Defence The Alekhine's Defence is a chess opening that begins with the moves: :1. e4 Nf6 Black tempts White's pawns forward to form a broad , with plans to undermine and attack the white structure later in the spirit of hypermodern defence. White's i ...

, ''Starting Out: Alekhine's Defence'' was credited by Watson as his main source on the Alekhine, and Carsten Hansen's review for the Chess Cafe credited the book for readability, an easy-going tone, and excellent annotations. Since the book was written, Cox has largely abandoned the Alekhine because of perceived trouble for Black in the Four Pawns Attack variation. Cox has since taken up 1.e4 e5. A manual for Black on

Queen's Pawn Game Queen's Pawn Game broadly refers to any chess opening starting with the move 1.d4, which is the second most popular opening move after 1.e4 ( King's Pawn Game). Terminology The term "Queen's Pawn Game" is usually used to describe openings begi ...

sidelines such as the

Colle System The Colle System, also known as the Colle-Koltanowski System, is a chess opening for White, popularized in the 1920s by the Belgian master Edgard Colle and further developed by George Koltanowski. The Colle is characterized by several moves. ...

and

Trompowsky Attack The Trompowsky Attack (or Trompowsky Opening, also known as the Opočenský Opening, the Ruth Opening, and the Zot) is a chess opening that begins with the moves: :1. d4 Nf6 :2. Bg5 White prepares to exchange the bishop for Black's knight, i ...

was published in 2005 under the title ''Dealing with 1 d4 deviations''. The idea of this book was proposed by Cox who believed there was a niche for a book on how to deal with these openings which are common at the club level. The 2006 White opening repertoire book ''Starting Out: 1 d4!'' also received high marks in reviews by Hansen and Watson, despite some skepticism of Cox's opening selections which included highly theoretical and complex variations. Cox recommended playing mainline openings and to avoid deliberately playing inferior sidelines. Watson also remarked the recommendation of such difficult lines for an amateur audience, but Cox notes that the complex mainlines may well appeal to players of club level strength. The 2007 book ''Starting Out: Sicilian Sveshnikov'' also received top marks from Hansen, who praised Cox's communication of the difficult lines which are a feature of the Sveshnikov line. Cox's book for

Quality Chess Quality Chess UK Ltd (known as Quality Chess) is a chess publishing company, founded in 2004 by International Master Ari Ziegler, Grandmaster (chess), Grandmaster Jacob Aagaard and Grandmaster John Shaw (chess player), John Shaw. The company is base ...

, ''The Berlin Wall'' which is about the solid Berlin Variation of the

Ruy Lopez The Ruy Lopez (; ), also called the Spanish Opening or Spanish Game, is a chess opening characterised by the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 Nc6 :3. Bb5 The Ruy Lopez is named after 16th-century Spanish priest Ruy López de Segura. It is one o ...

got top marks for its writing and thoroughness.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cox, John 1962 births Living people English chess players English sportswriters British chess writers Chess International Masters English male non-fiction writers 21st-century English male writers 21st-century British non-fiction writers