We are very sorry to report the death of Peter Ballard on Sunday, 16th May 2021.
Peter first came onto the Sheffield chess scene in the 1970s when he started working for British Steel. He was a Rotherham player of very long standing, having represented the club from around 1972 to 2018, when health problems made it too difficult for him to continue over the board. He played at an exceptional standard, being graded over 190 at points during his career (probably well above 2100 today).
During the pandemic Peter made a return to chess online, even winning the rapidplay Congress on his comeback in May 2020. He also enjoyed watching the games, and his username was regularly seen in the 'spectator rooms', where he would sometimes offer a few comments. Although I (Oli) sadly never had the opportunity to meet Peter in person, online he was always encouraging, unfailingly courteous, and often very funny as well.
Peter made an enormous contribution to Rotherham over many years, and all of us at the club would like to extend our sincere condolences to Peter's family and friends. A full obituary by Steve Mann has been posted on the S&DCA website.