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It is not easy to write this while emotions are still raw.
Jonathan Hawkins and I were the closest of friends. He was kind, thoughtful and deeply empathetic, with an easy-going temperament, a sharp intelligence and an absolutely ingenious sense of humour. His company was always a pleasure. We shared similar views on many of the characters we both encountered, which only strengthened our camaraderie.
Jonathan helped me in more ways than I can properly express.
Although he later relocated close to me in Torbay, much of our contact - often an hour or two each day - took place online. Even so, in a rare foreign tournament for him, we travelled together to compete in the exceptionally strong Vienna Opens of 2014 and 2015. In the first, Jonathan scored 7½/9 to my 7; the following year, our scores were reversed.
There is little need to dwell on Jonathan’s achievements as a grandmaster, or on the quality of his writing, both of which will be rightly highlighted elsewhere. Those accomplishments, impressive as they are, tell only part of the story. To those who knew him well, it was the generosity, warmth and decency of the man himself that mattered most.
I have lost many friends over the years, often far too young, but I have never before felt quite so hit for six.
Farewell to one of the good guys.
Photo credit: John Upham.
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