A brilliant strategist, champion of chess, scientist, and devastating squash player, Eddie Price was deeply loved. He died on 26 February after a long illness. He was 83.
A fierce believer in chess’s transformative power and a humble man who played the game in cafés, Price felt passionately about the eradication of homelessness in society and was deeply, outspokenly political. He was also a mensch with impeccable integrity.
Born in Johannesburg on 26 January 1939 to an ordinary couple from Oudtshoorn and Johannesburg respectively in a context where education wasn’t considered necessary after the age of 16 – even for a boy – Price’s life changed for good when he was 11. His head teacher at Kenilworth Junior School recognised his brilliance, and persuaded his parents to allow him not only to matriculate but even consider university.
At the age of 12, Price encountered chess. Within a year, he made astounded news headlines when he won a simultaneous competition featuring chess grandmaster and world champion, Max Euwe.
After matriculating at Forest High School, he attained a BSc Honours in physics at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), and won the Elsie Ballot Scholarship for study at Cambridge University, where he read for his MSc at St John’s College.
A Wits lecturing post brought him back to Johannesburg, where he grew his family. His life was also rich in bridge, puns, puzzles, and deep long friendships which Price tended steadfastly. Not to forget squash: as youngsters, his daughters were convinced squash was his real job as he seemed to be more on the courts than in the labs.
Darryl Accone, a friend of his, recalls, “Despite his size, Eddie was a demon squash player who would have younger, slimmer, fitter opponents rushing from one end of the court to the other, out of breath, trying to chase down his exquisitely positioned shots.”
Price represented South Africa in the Maccabi Games and two World Chess Olympiads. He contributed widely to the South African Chess Federation, serving often as president, but never afraid to roll up his sleeves for other tasks. He represented South Africa on the International Chess Federation’s arbitration committee which sets the world rules of chess.
Alongside Arthur Kobese, Price was dedicated to introducing chess to Sowetan children. He persuaded international grandmasters to visit to strengthen the game locally. His daughters recalled a braai at the Price residence in the early 1990s, where guests were astonished to find the world champion, Anatoly Karpov, hanging out, eating boerewors.
Until the outbreak of COVID-19, Price played weekly five-minutes-per-player blitz chess in a Greenside café; lookers-on had no idea that most of the players were former national champions.
Only weeks before his death, he still played chess regularly online with his grandson in London. When the video technology failed, the entire game would be played, from Eddie’s side, in his head. The absence of a board was no impediment to his extraordinary chess brain.
He was funny and wise, kind and honest. He was a man who lived every day true to himself. In the 1970s, Price and his wife, Joan, who died 40 years ago, used to host a game called Diplomacy. To win, you need to negotiate with other players and may need to switch allegiances; every deal must be treated with suspicion; you always must cover your back. Except, said his friend, Arnold Witkin, “when you did a deal with Eddie. You knew it was more solid than the Bank of England.”
Born Harold Edwin Price, Eddie leaves his daughters Vicki, Debbie, and Toni, grandson Joshua, loving carers, Lucy, Dora, Fenki, Godfrey, and Sam, and his chess players.
Ralph Green
Mar 6, 2022 at 9:22 pm
Eddie Price was a dear friend and a role model to me from the time that we were in high school together in the southern suburbs. Among my unattained goals was to play and win a game of chess against Eddie. We never played but next to Eddie, I was a relative putz at the game, so I’m sure what the outcome would’ve been! Over the years, each time that our lives intersected on my return visits to South Africa or when he visited in the US, my respect and affection for Eddie were renewed. His professorial air and calm demeanor were always an inspiration to me.
Condolences to his family and friends from me and my family
Melissa Elion
Mar 7, 2022 at 8:20 am
This is a beautiful and fitting tribute. Wishing the family “long life”
Victor Southern
Mar 11, 2022 at 1:09 pm
I worked and played with Eddie for many years. We played chess against each other, Bridge sometimes with and sometimes against each other and we were heavily involved in chess administration as well as devising a system for club Bridge ratings that went in to wide use. Apart from that he succeeded me as Chairman of the Johannesburg Chess Club and we worked long and hard on refining the art of tournament directing.
Eddie never had a sour word about anyone – he was one of nature’s gentlemen.
My condolences to Vicky and Debbie whom I knew well when they were kids.
Jeannette Menasce
Mar 20, 2022 at 1:14 pm
Deepest sympathies and long life to all Eddie’s dear ones.
Brian Donnelly I.M.
Jul 18, 2022 at 7:09 pm
I am sitting in my study doing some work on my computer. It is 30C, which for Britain is unusually hot, so I am dozily looking at my many pictures and photos on the walls. My eyes caught sight of the photo of the players in the 1970 South African Chess Championships, which I won. I am in the second back row next to Eddie Price. So I thought, what is Eddie now doing; I Goggled and your excellent article gave me the answer.
I first meet Eddie in the 1960’s when I was in Zimbabwe (Rhodesia) and we bumped into each other periodically mainly through chess until the 1980’s when my bank moved me to the Middle East.
I spent 1976 at Wits University doing an MBA and saw Eddie regularly not least playing chess for the Wits Team (very powerful with David Friedgood, Peter Sarnak, myself, etc in it).
Eddie was a great person. Fun to be with and a pain to beat at the chess board although you always had interesting games with him.
Do they make characters like Eddie any more? I hope so. I was honoured to know Eddie.
Condolences to the Family.
B.P. Donnelly I.M.
Jul 18, 2022 at 7:21 pm
Hello Vic Southern,
Last time I saw you was +/- 15 years ago in London at an Inter Counties Chess Match.
What lovely remarks about Eddie who we all admired.
I take this opportunity to say to you many thanks for all the outstanding work you did for chess in Southern Africa.
Do you remember our first meeting at the Saisbury Chess Club in Rhodesia when you gave me my first chess rating after an evaluation game?
Not playing as much chess now as still doing financial deals and now also teaching my grandchildren how to play chess in between beating the odd Grandmaster.
All the Best, Brian