Hero of the Month
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Jonathan Parker
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The
name "Jonathan" originates from Hebrew with the meaning "God's gift",
and England's 23-year-old Jonathan Parker (born on 19 May 1976)
certainly has a special talent for chess.Even though Jonathan is already extremely busy with his full-time professional job as an Investment Manager, he has also succeeded in improving his chess at a very high level. There were early indications of great promise when in 1987 Jonathan became the Nottinghamshire Champion at the age of 11. More years of hard work and practice really paid off in 1994 when Jonathan achieved his International Master title, and also won the Scottish Championship in Edinburgh, where he was then residing. Perhaps Jonathan's most impressive tournament victory to-date was his 1st place on 7½/9 in an incredibly strong 430-player field at the 1998 Berlin Summer Open.
With a superb current F.I.D.E. rating of 2523, Jonathan is Britain's highest-rated IM, and he also already has two of the three GM norms that he needs to become an International Grandmaster. He notched up the second GM norm last month by scoring 6/9 against extremely tough opposition at the Isle of Man Monarch Assurance Open tournament, and it's from there that I've chosen games G13.6 (a draw with Black against GM Lev Psakhis, rated 2581) and G12.5 (a smooth win with Black). Note also that Jonathan Parker already features on the site in G13.5.6, another win with Black! In fact, I am so grateful for young Jonathan Parker's lovely duo of wins in the games section, that in a bubbly mood today I discovered that the above 40 letters given in bold type can be rearranged exactly to make prayer of thanks, of joy, 'n love, sung loud in air now! A happy thought, especially near Christmas.
I'll conclude this passage now by wishing Jonathan all the very best when he goes for his third norm to complete the GM title.