HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Simon Kim Williams is an English
chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...
grandmaster and author who is best known under the pseudonym and Chess Server Nickname "GingerGM".


Early career

In 1993, he received his first international FIDE rating of 2255. During the same year he finished seventh in the European Under-14 Championship. Williams regularly participated in youth tournaments throughout the 1990s, finishing seventh in the 1997 European Under-20 Championship and finishing second in the Smith and Williamson Young Masters in 1998.


Grandmaster

He became a Grandmaster in 2008, achieving the final norm at the Hastings International Chess Congress 2005/2006 and the 2500+ rating at Hastings 2007/2008. His peak rating so far is 2550, achieved in November 2009. In 2009, he organised the Big Slick International in Purley,
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, which comprised an invitational GM tournament and FIDE Rated Open.


National performance

In 2003, he finished seventh at the British Chess Championship. Williams later improved his performance in the tournament, finishing equal second in 2009.


International performance

In 2009, Williams finished equal first at the Southend Chess Congress all-play-all tournament. He was joint winner with Gawain Jones of the London Chess Classic FIDE Rated Open in December 2010, with a rating performance of 2690.


Blitz and rapidplay

In 2005, he won the British Blitz Championship.


Chess commentary

Williams works as a chess commentator at tournaments and through online streaming. Most notably, he has provided official commentary at the Gibraltar Chess Festival alongside
Irina Krush Irina Borisivna Krush (; born December 24, 1983) is an American chess Grandmaster. She is the only woman to earn the GM title while playing for the United States. Krush is an eight-time U.S. Women's Champion and a two-time Women's American Cu ...
,
Elisabeth Pähtz Elisabeth Pähtz (born January 8, 1985, sometimes spelt Elisabeth Paehtz) is a German chess Grandmaster.Jovanka Houska in 2017 and 2018. He has covered a number of other tournaments for ChessBase and Chess.com. Williams also maintains a YouTube channel where he uploads blitz chess (and other time controls) games with commentary as well as analysis of his previous games. He has also given commentary on the Chess.com Isle of Man tournament.


Chess publication company

In 2008, he founded a chess media publishing company called "GingerGM" with International Master Simon Ansell. The company produces print books,
ebook An ebook (short for electronic book), also spelled as e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in electronic form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. A ...
s and DVDs.


Pension company

Williams was director of the company SKW Investments, which was implicated by
HM Revenue and Customs His Majesty's Revenue and Customs (commonly HM Revenue and Customs, or HMRC, and formerly Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs) is a department of the UK government responsible for the collection of taxes, the payment of some forms of stat ...
in a pension liberation scheme. Williams said his role was "purely administrative", that he "did not understand the responsibilities required" and that he regretted involvement. In September 2023, the Deputy Pensions Ombudsman ordered him to repay roughly £700,000 into the scheme.


Works


Books

* * * * * * * * * * *


DVDs

* * * * * * * * * *Williams, Simon (2017). The London System with 2.Bf4 (DVD). Hamburg: Chessbase.


Other publications

* ''The Jobava London System'' (2019) on Chessable. * ''The Killer Dutch Rebooted'' (2019) on Chessable. * ''The Iron English: Botvinnik Variation'' (2020) on Chessable, co-authored with IM Richard Palliser. * ''The Black Lion'' (2020) on Chessable * ''Grandmaster Gambits 1. e4 Part 1'' (2021) on Chessable, co-authored with IM Richard Palliser. * ''Grandmaster Gambits 1. e4 Part 2: Aggressive Lines'' (2021) on Chessable, co-authored with IM Richard Palliser. * ''Best of British'' (2021) on Chessable, co-authored with IM Richard Palliser. * ''The Best Chess Moves of All Time'' (2021) on Chessable, co-authored with Alex Belsley. * ''The Killer Colle-Zuckertort System'' (2022) on Chessable, co-authored with IM Richard Palliser. * ''The Harry Attack: Fighting Kingside Fianchettos after 1.d4'' (2022) on Chessable, co-authored with IM Richard Palliser. * ''The British Grand Prix Attack'' (2022) on Chessable, co-authored with IM Richard Palliser. * ''Lifetime Repertoires: Modern Reti - Part 1'' (2023) on Chessable, co-authored with IM Richard Palliser. * ''The Killer Barry Attack'' (2023) on Chessable, co-authored with IM Richard Palliser


Checkmate Show

In 2017 and 2020, Williams filmed two seasons of a show named Checkmate with Anna Richardson as co-host. Each season showcased a prestigious tournament with both male and female competitors, including Richard Rapport, Ju Wenjun,
Alexandra Kosteniuk Alexandra Konstantinovna Kosteniuk (; born 23 April 1984) is a Russian and Swiss chess grandmaster who was the Women's World Chess Champion from 2008 to 2010 and Women's World Rapid Chess Champion in 2021. She was European women's champion ...
, Arkadij Naiditsch, and
Nigel Short Nigel David Short (born 1 June 1965) is an English Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster, columnist, coach and commentator who has been the FIDE Director for Chess Development since September 2022. Short earned the title of grandmaster at the ...
. The show was later released on DVD format in 2018 and 2021.


References


External links

* * * * * (1993-2003) * (2003-) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Simon British chess writers English Twitch (service) streamers Chess Grandmasters English chess players English sportswriters Living people Sportspeople from Surrey Year of birth missing (living people)