Jonathan Hawkins (1983–2025): A Remarkable Rise in British Chess

Jonathan Hawkins (1 May 1983 – 22 December 2025) was born in Consett, County Durham, England, and became one of British chess’s most inspiring late improvers. Still a club-level player at the age of 20 in 2003, Hawkins made steady progress before a breakthrough in 2007, when he surpassed 200 ECF and reached master strength. From there his development accelerated dramatically, earning the titles of FIDE Master, International Master, and then Grandmaster within the next seven years. Hawkins’s most enduring contribution may be his 2012 book Amateur to IM: Proven Ideas and Training Methods. In it, he credited his rapid improvement to intense endgame study. While he valued openings and typical middlegame structures, he believed practical guidance on endgames was harder to find, and worked to fill that gap. Although demanding, the book remains accessible to strong club players willing to work. Most of Hawkins’s competitive career was based in the UK, with his joint first place at the 18th Vienna Open in 2013 standing out as a major international success. He came close to the British Championship title in 2014 after starting with six straight wins, eventually sharing first place. In 2015 he went one better, winning outright with 8.5/11 after defeating Keith Arkell in the final round. He also captured British Rapidplay titles in 2012 and 2014. In later years Hawkins focused on coaching with his partner Angela Eyton, mentoring players including rising star WFM Bodhana Sivanandhan. After his cancer progressed rapidly, he was unable to work and later passed away, marrying in hospital shortly before his death. A GoFundMe appeal was launched by friend Danny Gormally to support his family.