Bill (or William) Hook (May 28, 1925 – May 10, 2010), born in

New Rochelle New Rochelle (; older french: La Nouvelle-Rochelle) is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state. In 2020, the city had a population of 79,726, making it the seventh-largest in the state o ...

, New York, was a Chess master and the Captain of the

British Virgin Islands ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = Territorial song , song = " Oh, Beautiful Virgin Islands" , image_map = File:British Virgin Islands on the globe (Americas centered).svg , map_caption = , mapsize = 290px , image_map2 = Bri ...

chess team. Starting in 1968, Hook led the Virgin Islands team, and later the British Virgin Islands team, at numerous

Chess Olympiad The Chess Olympiad is a biennial chess tournament in which teams representing nations of the world compete. FIDE organises the tournament and selects the host nation. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, FIDE held an Online Chess Olympiad in 2020 an ...

s, mostly playing top board. At the Malta Olympiad of 1980, Hook won the gold medal on board 1 for best percentage result of any national team member. He defeated a grandmaster and several national champions along the way. To commemorate this achievement the British Virgin Islands issued a stamp in his honor. During the preliminary rounds of the 1970 Siegen Olympiad, the Virgin Islands were paired with the USA team and Hook faced the legendary

Bobby Fischer Robert James Fischer (March 9, 1943January 17, 2008) was an American chess grandmaster and the eleventh World Chess Champion. A chess prodigy, he won his first of a record eight US Championships at the age of 14. In 1964, he won with an 1 ...

. Playing the black pieces, Hook ventured a pet line of the

French Defence The French Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves: :1. e4 e6 This is most commonly followed by 2.d4 d5, with Black intending ...c5 soon after, attacking White's and gaining on the . The French has a reputation for solidity ...

whereupon an exciting encounter developed, culminating in a stylish rook sacrifice by Fischer.Fischer vs. Hook
/ref> Hook authored a book as well as various magazine and newspaper articles about chess. In the art world, he is known for his one-man shows in painting and photography. He lived in Washington DC, with his wife Mimi, until his death on May 10, 2010.

Books

*''Hooked on Chess'' by Bill Hook

References

Olimpbase - Olympiads and other Team event information

External links

* * * * ]
Bill Hook rating card at FIDE

Review of "Hooked on Chess"
1925 births 2010 deaths American chess players British Virgin Islands chess players Sportspeople from New Rochelle, New York American emigrants to the British Virgin Islands {{BritishVirginIslands-bio-stub