Paul Motwani
Encyclopedia
Paul Motwani is of Scottish/Indian descent and was Scotland
's first chess
Grandmaster
(1992). Born in Glasgow
but growing up in Dundee
, he became World Cadet (Under 17) Champion in 1978, and won the first of his seven Scottish Championship
titles that year. He was a secondary school mathematics
teacher at St Saviour's RC High School
in Dundee for a number of years after studying mathematics
and physics
at the University of Dundee
. In 1990, he took time out to pursue his final Grandmaster norm.
He has been a regular member of the Scottish Olympiad
team for the last 18 years, never having had a performance rating below 2500. He made his first two Grandmaster norm
s at the 1980 and 1988 Olympiads, then faced a race against time to achieve his third before the first one expired in 1991. (Although norms now last a lifetime, the FIDE rule in place at the time saw them expiring after five years.) He just failed to reach the required number of points in a hastily-organised tournament in Dundee days before the deadline, ironically, FIDE changed the rules shortly after this, and reset the expiry time for norms at six years. He duly achieved his final norm in 1992, and starred in a Grampian Television
documentary called "The Grandmasters of Dundee" along with Colin McNab, who had also achieved the title by then.
Motwani is a regular contributor to Scottish Chess (the magazine of Chess Scotland), The Scotsman
(for whom he writes a weekly column) and has written for many other chess publications. He has written five chess books - H.O.T. Chess, C.O.O.L. Chess, S.T.A.R. Chess, Chess Under the Microscope and The Most Instructive Games of the Young Grandmasters. His writings are known for his use of acronyms to remember key concepts and some of the non-chess 'general puzzle' content (including 'Mr Fab' the alien). He currently lives in Belgium with his wife Jenny and son Michael. He teaches third grade
and organizes an elementary school
chess club
at St. John's International School
in Waterloo, Belgium
.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
's first chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
Grandmaster
International Grandmaster
The title Grandmaster is awarded to strong chess players by the world chess organization FIDE. Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain....
(1992). Born in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
but growing up in Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
, he became World Cadet (Under 17) Champion in 1978, and won the first of his seven Scottish Championship
Scottish Chess Championship
The Scottish Chess Championship is organised by Chess Scotland, formerly the Scottish Chess Association. It has been running since 1884, and nowadays takes the form of a nine round tournament played over two weekends and the week in between...
titles that year. He was a secondary school mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
teacher at St Saviour's RC High School
St Saviour's RC High School
St Saviour's RC High School was a state secondary school in Dundee, Scotland. It was a denominational school within the Catholic religious tradition, although it welcomed students from all religious backgrounds. The school closed in June 2008 and merged with Lawside Academy.- History :St Saviour's...
in Dundee for a number of years after studying mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
at the University of Dundee
University of Dundee
The University of Dundee is a university based in the city and Royal burgh of Dundee on eastern coast of the central Lowlands of Scotland and with a small number of institutions elsewhere....
. In 1990, he took time out to pursue his final Grandmaster norm.
He has been a regular member of the Scottish Olympiad
Chess Olympiad
The Chess Olympiad is a biennial chess tournament in which teams from all over the world compete against each other. The event is organised by FIDE, which selects the host nation.-Birth of the Olympiad:The first Olympiad was unofficial...
team for the last 18 years, never having had a performance rating below 2500. He made his first two Grandmaster norm
Grandmaster norm
A norm in chess is one of the requirements to receive a title such as Grandmaster from FIDE.- Grandmaster norm :In order to qualify for the title of Grandmaster of chess, a title awarded by FIDE, the World Chess Federation, a player must achieve three or more grandmaster norms in events covering a...
s at the 1980 and 1988 Olympiads, then faced a race against time to achieve his third before the first one expired in 1991. (Although norms now last a lifetime, the FIDE rule in place at the time saw them expiring after five years.) He just failed to reach the required number of points in a hastily-organised tournament in Dundee days before the deadline, ironically, FIDE changed the rules shortly after this, and reset the expiry time for norms at six years. He duly achieved his final norm in 1992, and starred in a Grampian Television
Grampian Television
Grampian Television is the ITV franchisee for the North and North East of Scotland. Its coverage area includes the Scottish Highlands , Inverness, Aberdeen, Dundee and parts of north Fife...
documentary called "The Grandmasters of Dundee" along with Colin McNab, who had also achieved the title by then.
Motwani is a regular contributor to Scottish Chess (the magazine of Chess Scotland), The Scotsman
The Scotsman
The Scotsman is a British newspaper, published in Edinburgh.As of August 2011 it had an audited circulation of 38,423, down from about 100,000 in the 1980s....
(for whom he writes a weekly column) and has written for many other chess publications. He has written five chess books - H.O.T. Chess, C.O.O.L. Chess, S.T.A.R. Chess, Chess Under the Microscope and The Most Instructive Games of the Young Grandmasters. His writings are known for his use of acronyms to remember key concepts and some of the non-chess 'general puzzle' content (including 'Mr Fab' the alien). He currently lives in Belgium with his wife Jenny and son Michael. He teaches third grade
Third grade
In the United States, third grade is a year of primary education. It is the third school year after kindergarten. Students are usually 8 – 9 years old, depending on when their birthday occurs....
and organizes an elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
chess club
Chess club
A chess club is a club formed for the purpose of playing the board game of chess. Chess clubs provide for both informal games and timed games, often as part of an internal competition or in a league.-Organisation:...
at St. John's International School
St. John's International School
St. John's International School is an international private day school located in Waterloo, Belgium. The school was founded by a group of Catholic nuns belonging to Faithful Companions of Jesus in 1964. The school has a student body from a very international background with students from most...
in Waterloo, Belgium
Waterloo, Belgium
Waterloo is a Walloon municipality located in the province of Walloon Brabant, Belgium. On December 31, 2009, Waterloo had a total population of 29,573. The total area is 21.03 km² which gives a population density of 1,407 inhabitants per km²...
.