I would like to pay tribute to Dave Welch who sadly died yesterday morning at the age of 74.

As well as being a great servant of British chess in a number of different roles, Dave was a long standing friend of Isle of Man chess extending back to the Monarch Assurance tournaments in Port Erin. A sign of the high regard with which he was held is that he was the first person I turned to in late 2013 after securing sponsorship for the 2014 Isle of Man International. His advice was indispensable, leading to him being our Chief Arbiter from 2014 to 2016.

Rest in peace, David. You will be sadly missed.

Alan Ormsby (Tournament Director – Chess.com, Isle of Man International)