John Hillery

Less than three hours ago, I was shocked to learn that a major Southern California chess tournament director, Mr. John Hillery, passed away due to illness at the age of 58.

Ever since I started to play in “adult” chess tournaments, I have frequently run into Mr. Hillery as he directed most of the regional ones I attended. He has always appeared to me as a huge man in gray suits sitting behind a desk, quietly looking at his laptop doing tournament pairings, standings, or registration. But sometimes, he would raise his surprisingly loud voice and shout at the players and spectators, “Quiet please, quiet please! Games in progress!” This seemed to become his trademark quote.

Frankly, my encounters with Mr. Hillery have not always been pleasant. I still vividly remember once he yelled at my dad and me because we wanted him to correct a pairing mistake. “How can a TD treat a 9 year old girl chess player in such a manner?” This really puzzled me, until I realized he was under a lot of stress doing all the tournament organization himself. I have learned over the years that he was actually a knowledgeable and capable chess arbiter.

I can’t believe that Mr. Hillery has really died - he looked okay when I saw him directing the 2010 Southern California Open Chess Championships just last month. I’ll surely miss his loud “Quiet please!” RIP John Hillery.