Paul was a very good friend, who I wished I had been friends with earlier and had known longer. He was clever, funny, enthusiastic and seemed to enjoy his everyday life. He had a genuine interest in other people, in a sincere way, which is not common to encounter nowadays. He had a great enthusiasm for playing chess. When I first met him and encountered his somewhat self-deprecating manner, I initially felt I should encourage him further, but it became obvious after a short while that he was doing more to encourage me! He enjoyed playing a lot, but would joking say 'he hated chess', whenever he had even a short run of poorer results. It was a great pleasure knowing Paul and chess tournaments will not be the same for me, without his presence. Sorely missed, you will always remain in my mind as a really special friend.

Dear Paul, I will miss our chats and laughs during chess tournaments. You always had a smile on your face! RIP Salvatore Pepe

Kcod, I feel truly privileged to have known you first as a colleague and, soon after, as a friend. You were kind, fun, generous, and delightfully quirky. During our short-lived office book club, you introduced me to the wonders of Daphne Du Maurier—proclaiming 'Last night, I dreamt I went to Manderley again' as the greatest opening line ever. It sparked an enjoyment of her works in me, and for reading more widely. I still have the copy of Brideshead Revisited you gave me and will be sure to remember your sage advice: give Jane Austen a wide berth! When I mentioned in passing that I had started playing chess regularly, I had no idea I was unleashing a torrent of daily lessons and tips via email. I probably have enough of your advice to publish a manual! Your calm, composed nature and exceptional organisational skills made you the perfect office manager. And just when things were getting too quiet, you'd break the silence with your loud and hilariously accurate impression of Scooby-Doo's laugh—something that always left me in stitches. More recently, I cherished our catch-ups in London, filled with your stories, humour and wisdom...oh, and, of course, the food (I've never met anyone who can eat more than me and who can stuff so much in their mouth in one go...'pythoning', 'Piggly-Wiggly')! I'll miss those moments. Till we meet again... Young Draw x

P . You were a huge presence in a lot of people’s lives. A big personality who was determined to live life to the full and enjoy everything you turned your mind to. You taught me golf and chess and would sing at every opportunity ..even on the packed Victoria Line. You were the Scottish version of Elvis and you would sing The Wonder Of You to me all the time!! We took different paths in life a long time ago but you gave me something so very precious and I am truly grateful for her every day .

Paul - we lived alongside you since 2001 and, in that time, you were variously an avid reader, a sportsman (golfer – until your patience gave out :), a gourmet, a raconteur, a philosopher and (of course) a hugely talented chess enthusiast. But most of all a friend. At certain periods you seemed able to effortlessly supplement this with other interests such as amateur engineer, DIY’er or gardener - and you always approached these tasks with the same logic and rigour that you applied to your day job. You were also a dab hand at getting up that scary-looking ladder to attend to the guttering of many of the houses on our road. Your theory was always that if you looked after the house exterior, the interior would look after itself. Wise words as usual. But, even amongst all these many things, to us grown-ups, you will always be ‘The Captain’ - and to our children you will always be ‘Uncle Paul’ . You were a part of our extended family, present at all important celebrations....a fixture in our lives. You were generous to us in everything you did - and the most generous of all with your time. So, for all the fun, all the insights, all the curries, all the advice, all the chess tutoring, all the singing, all the laughing, and all the living we did together, we say thank you - and we know that we are better people for having met you, and having spent some of our time with you. Rest easy.

Paul, “Captain” what can I say.. Firstly, thank you for being such a fantastic friend who was always so supportive, so positive and so genuine in all our time together. We clicked from day one and your advice, guidance and friendship will always stay with me. I have so many great memories of our time together which was always full of fun and laughter. Your energy and enthusiasm for life was so infectious and was something very unique to you. I hope that wherever you are right now, you are “laughing like a hyena” watching Fawlty Towers (Basil!) on loop, that you’re playing chess with legendary grandmasters, eating in all the finest restaurants (getting the chef to yourself!) and that you’ve exhumed your golf clubs from the bottom of the lake and are back playing 18 holes again. I will never forget you my friend, Robin

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