Hugh Francis Blandford

Hugh Francis Blandford (England, 24.01.1917 - 20.09.1981)

Chessplayer and significant composer of endgame studies (about 160 works)

Biography
He spent several years of his childhood in Jamaica with his father, the Reverend Albert Francis (Frank) Blandford, a Minister in the Congregational church, his mother and two younger brothers, Evan Arthur and Philip Thomas Blandford. All three brothers then returned to England and attended Eltham College (the School for the Sons of Missionaries) in South-east London, while their parents remained in Jamaica. He married Marjorie Cox, whom he had worked with during the Second World War.

He played chess from his schooldays and as well as playing, also started to compose original chess endings. He became known in the field of chess endgame studies for a small but elegant body of compositions, expertly edited and published after Hugh's death by his long-standing chess endings colleague, John Roycroft.

Hugh Blandford was co-inventor with Richard Guy – and, later, with John Roycroft – of the Guy–Blandford–Roycroft code for classifying studies. In July 1951 he began as the endgame study editor for the British Chess Magazine. He was made an International Judge for Chess Composition in 1961.

A metallurgist, he continued to compose chess endgame studies until the end of his life, dying of a heart attack in early retirement in Hatfield, England, on 20 September 1981.

Source: Wikipedia

His style in composing endgames:
Blandford learnt to play chess at school and began composing at the same time in 1930, which he continued to do for the rest of his life.

He mainly composed endgame studies and favoured elegant and airy positions. Around 200 of his studies have been published. He also became known for his contribution to the GBR code.

Source: Germain Wikipedia

Others: On Dutch Website ARVES are slected 32 endgame studies with solution by him.