We try to do things a little differently at Surbiton Chess Club.

One can look far and wide through the chess world and find plenty of trophies, some of which are very fine. On closer observation, though, one finds that many of those trophies are "in memoriam" to a worthy chess player or organiser. There is a slight problem with that approach. Namely that the party being honoured by the new trophy has departed this life and was, therefore, never able to appreciate the recognition bestowed upon them posthumously!

We decided to honour Paul personally with a trophy bearing his name that he can appreciate now. Paul has long been "Mr Surbiton". He is always there before matches getting the boards set up, always there afterwards getting everything put away. Paul seems to captain (or have a very big hand in the organisation of) most of the teams we field, whether they be Div 1 or Div X. Always generous with his time, Paul has helped many players with their games and he always ensures a warm welcome for those first coming to the club. The fact that our membership is expanding against a back-drop of generally lower levels of participation in club chess is largely due to Paul. How many miles must his car have done giving people lifts to matches? Paul has and continues to give a huge amount to the club and this trophy in his honour is the very least we can do to recognise his outstanding contributions.

The new "Paul Durrant Trophy" will be awarded to the winners of internal Surbiton Chess Club competitions from time to time.

Thank you Paul, from the whole of Surbiton Chess Club!