We’ve learned with great sadness that Ken has died. We’re currently not sure of the circumstances, though we do know he died on 16th December. Ken had played continuously for Nomads since it was established in the 1980s – along with Chris Shephard and others, he was a founding member of the club. It’s hard to believe he won’t be around anymore.
We’re hoping to have a fuller obituary of Ken soon, which we’ll include on this and probably the Sheffield site. Please let us know if you have particular memories.
Here is a nice game Ken played in the local league in 2009: http://sheffieldnomads.co.uk/ken-dewhusrt-vs-richard-hall/
This was a shock to me when I heard – Ken was around when I joined Nomads way back in 2008 and although he had slipped out of the A Team reckoning a little while ago, he was still a dangerous player on his day as the game that Jeremy has included here can testify. It seems very strange to think that he will no longer be around at our matches, pint in hand, sharing his views on the game and Sheffield politics. RIP Ken.
Ken liked some of the finer things in life – chess, poetry, a drink. I used to see him around the university in the mid 1980s. He’d be carrying books under his arm, maybe reading one as he walked or gazing upwards as if digesting one. Ten years later I met Ken at Nomads upstairs at a long-gone Division Street pub. I remember seeing him play a number of games in bad time trouble when he’d still manage to place his piece gently and gracefully ease down the button of the clock. Most people reading this will have played Ken and got to know him. He was one of us and we’ll miss him
I was fortunate enough to play a few games with Ken. He was real gentleman and an imaginative and resourceful chess player. He will be missed.