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Conel Hugh O'Donel Alexander

January 01, 1970

Conel Hugh O'Donel Alexander CMG CBE (19 April 1909 – 15 February 1974), known as Hugh Alexander and C. H. O'D. Alexander, was an Irish-born British cryptanalyst, chess player, and chess writer. He worked on the German Enigma machine at Bletchley Park during the Second World War, and was later the head of the cryptanalysis division at GCHQ for 25 years. He was twice British chess champion and earned the title of International Master.

Conel Hugh O'Donel Alexander
Born(1909-04-19)19 April 1909
Cork, County Cork, Ireland
Died15 February 1974(1974-02-15) (aged 64)
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England
TitleInternational Master (1950)

Early life edit

Hugh Alexander was born into an Anglo-Irish family on 19 April 1909 in Cork, Ireland, the eldest child of Conel William Long Alexander, an engineering professor at University College, Cork (UCC), and Hilda Barbara Bennett.[1] His father died in 1920 (during the Irish War of Independence), and the family moved to Birmingham, England, where he attended King Edward's School.[1] Alexander won a scholarship to study mathematics at King's College, Cambridge, in 1928, graduating with a first in 1931.[1] He represented Cambridge in chess.

From 1932, Alexander taught mathematics at Winchester College, and married Enid Constance Crichton Neate (1900–1982) on 22 December 1934.[1] Their elder son was Sir Michael O'Donel Bjarne Alexander (1936–2002), a diplomat. The Alexanders' other son was Patrick Macgillicuddy Alexander (20 March 1940 – 21 September 2005), a poet who settled in Australia in 1960. In 1938, Hugh Alexander left teaching and became head of research at the John Lewis Partnership.[1]

World War II began while Alexander was competing in the 8th Chess Olympiad in Buenos Aires, Argentina, prompting him and the rest of the English team to abandon the competition and return to the UK.

Bletchley Park and GCHQ edit

In February 1940, Alexander arrived at Bletchley Park, the British codebreaking centre during the Second World War. He joined Hut 6, the section tasked with breaking German Army and Air Force Enigma messages. In 1941, Alexander transferred to Hut 8, the corresponding hut working on Naval Enigma.

Main article: Action This Day (memo)

He became deputy head of Hut 8 under Alan Turing. Alexander was more involved with the day-to-day operations of the hut than Turing, and, while Turing was visiting the United States, Alexander formally became the head of Hut 8 circa November 1942. Other senior colleagues included Stuart Milner-Barry, Gordon Welchman, and Harry Golombek. In October 1944, Alexander was transferred to work on the Japanese JN-25 code.

In mid-1946, Alexander joined GCHQ (under the control of the Foreign Office), which was the post-war successor organisation to the Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS) at Bletchley Park. By 1949, he had been promoted to the head of "Section H" (cryptanalysis), a post he retained until his retirement in 1971. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1946 New Year Honours,[2] Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1955 New Year Honours[3] and Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in the 1970 New Year Honours.[4]

MI5's Peter Wright, in his 1987 best-selling book Spycatcher: The Candid Autobiography of a Senior Intelligence Officer, wrote about Alexander's assistance to MI5 in the ongoing Venona project, as well as other important mutual cooperation between the two organizations, which broke down previous barriers to progress. "Any help is gratefully received in this department", Alexander told Wright, and that proved the case from then on. Wright also lauded Alexander's professionalism, and opined that the exceptional mental demands of his cryptanalytical career and chess hobby likely contributed to Alexander's early death at age 64, despite his healthy lifestyle.

Chess career edit

 
C. H. O'D. Alexander

Alexander represented Cambridge University in the Varsity chess matches of 1929, 1930, 1931 and 1932 (he studied at King's College, Cambridge). He was twice a winner of the British Chess Championship, in 1938 and 1956. Alexander represented England in the Chess Olympiad six times, in 1933, 1935, 1937, 1939, 1954 and 1958. At the 1939 Olympiad in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Alexander had to leave part-way through the event, along with the rest of the English team, because of the declaration of World War II, since he was required at home for codebreaking duties. He was also the non-playing captain of England from 1964 to 1970. Alexander was awarded the International Master title in 1950 and the International Master for Correspondence Chess title in 1970. He won Hastings 1946/47 with the score 7½/9, a point ahead of Savielly Tartakower.[5][6] Alexander's best tournament result may have been first equal (with David Bronstein) at Hastings 1953/54, where he went undefeated and beat Soviet grandmasters David Bronstein and Alexander Tolush in individual games. Alexander's opportunities to appear abroad were limited as he was not allowed to play chess in the Soviet bloc because of his secret work in cryptography.[7] He was also the chess columnist of The Sunday Times in the 1960s and 1970s.

Many knowledgeable chess people believe that Alexander had Grandmaster potential, had he been able to develop his chess abilities further.[8] Many top players peak in their late twenties and early thirties, but for Alexander this stretch coincided with World War II, when high-level competitive opportunities were unavailable. After this, his professional responsibilities as a senior cryptanalyst limited his top-class appearances. He defeated Mikhail Botvinnik in one game of a team radio match against the Soviet Union in 1946, at a time when Botvinnik was probably the world's top player. Alexander made important theoretical contributions to the Dutch Defence and Petroff Defence.

In popular culture edit

Alexander is portrayed by actor Matthew Goode in the 2014 film The Imitation Game, which depicts the British attempts to crack the Enigma machine at Bletchley Park.[9]

Books edit

  • C. H. O'D. Alexander (1972). Fischer v. Spassky. Vintage. ISBN 0-394-71830-5.
  • C. H. O'D. Alexander (1972). Fischer v. Spassky - Reykjavik 1972. Penguin. ISBN 0-14-003573-7.
  • C. H. O'D. Alexander (1973). The Penguin Book of Chess Positions. Penguin. ISBN 978-0-14-046199-2.
  • C. H. O'D. Alexander, Derek Birdsall (Editor) (1973). A Book of Chess. Hutchinson. ISBN 978-0-09-117480-4.
  • C. H. O'D. Alexander (1974). Alexander on Chess. Pittman. ISBN 978-0-273-00315-1.
  • Learn Chess: A New Way For All. Volume One: First Principles by C. H. O'D. Alexander and T. J. Beach. (RNIB, 1963). In One Volume.
  • Learn Chess: A New Way For All. Volume Two: Winning Methods by C. H. O'D. Alexander and T. J. Beach. (RNIB, 1973). In One Volume.
  • Alekhine's Best Games of Chess : 1938–1945 by Alexander, Conel Hugh O'Donel London: G. Bell and Sons, 1966 ISBN 4-87187-827-9
  • Learn chess : a new way for all by Alexander, C. H. O'D. (Conel Hugh O'Donel) Oxford : Pergamon Press, 1963–
  • A Book of Chess ISBN 978-0-06-010048-3, Harper & Row

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e Harry Golombek, revised by Ralph Erskine, "Alexander, (Conel) Hugh O'Donel (1909–1974), chess player and cryptanalyst" in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 2004
  2. ^ "No. 37412". The London Gazette (6th supplement). 9 January 1946. p. 275.
  3. ^ "No. 40366". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 1955. p. 11.
  4. ^ "No. 44999". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 1970. p. 4.
  5. ^ Sunnucks, Anne (1970), The Encyclopaedia of Chess, St. Martin's Pres, p. 184, LCCN 78106371
  6. ^ Hastings 1946/47 crosstable 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ Hooper, David; Whyld, Kenneth (1992), The Oxford Companion to Chess (2 ed.), Oxford University Press, p. 10, ISBN 0-19-280049-3
  8. ^ Hugh Denham (October 1974), (PDF), NSA, archived from the original (PDF) on 26 October 2015, retrieved 11 October 2015
  9. ^ Farndale, Nigel (31 July 2016). "The Imitation Game: who were the real Bletchley Park codebreakers?". The Daily Telegraph. from the original on 20 June 2017. Retrieved 18 June 2017.

External links edit

  • Conel Hugh O'Donel Alexander at ChessGames.com

Sources edit

January 01, 1970
conel, hugh, donel, alexander, april, 1909, february, 1974, known, hugh, alexander, alexander, irish, born, british, cryptanalyst, chess, player, chess, writer, worked, german, enigma, machine, bletchley, park, during, second, world, later, head, cryptanalysis. Conel Hugh O Donel Alexander CMG CBE 19 April 1909 15 February 1974 known as Hugh Alexander and C H O D Alexander was an Irish born British cryptanalyst chess player and chess writer He worked on the German Enigma machine at Bletchley Park during the Second World War and was later the head of the cryptanalysis division at GCHQ for 25 years He was twice British chess champion and earned the title of International Master Conel Hugh O Donel AlexanderBorn 1909 04 19 19 April 1909Cork County Cork IrelandDied15 February 1974 1974 02 15 aged 64 Cheltenham Gloucestershire EnglandTitleInternational Master 1950 Contents 1 Early life 2 Bletchley Park and GCHQ 3 Chess career 4 In popular culture 5 Books 6 References 7 External links 8 SourcesEarly life editHugh Alexander was born into an Anglo Irish family on 19 April 1909 in Cork Ireland the eldest child of Conel William Long Alexander an engineering professor at University College Cork UCC and Hilda Barbara Bennett 1 His father died in 1920 during the Irish War of Independence and the family moved to Birmingham England where he attended King Edward s School 1 Alexander won a scholarship to study mathematics at King s College Cambridge in 1928 graduating with a first in 1931 1 He represented Cambridge in chess From 1932 Alexander taught mathematics at Winchester College and married Enid Constance Crichton Neate 1900 1982 on 22 December 1934 1 Their elder son was Sir Michael O Donel Bjarne Alexander 1936 2002 a diplomat The Alexanders other son was Patrick Macgillicuddy Alexander 20 March 1940 21 September 2005 a poet who settled in Australia in 1960 In 1938 Hugh Alexander left teaching and became head of research at the John Lewis Partnership 1 World War II began while Alexander was competing in the 8th Chess Olympiad in Buenos Aires Argentina prompting him and the rest of the English team to abandon the competition and return to the UK Bletchley Park and GCHQ editIn February 1940 Alexander arrived at Bletchley Park the British codebreaking centre during the Second World War He joined Hut 6 the section tasked with breaking German Army and Air Force Enigma messages In 1941 Alexander transferred to Hut 8 the corresponding hut working on Naval Enigma Main article Action This Day memo He became deputy head of Hut 8 under Alan Turing Alexander was more involved with the day to day operations of the hut than Turing and while Turing was visiting the United States Alexander formally became the head of Hut 8 circa November 1942 Other senior colleagues included Stuart Milner Barry Gordon Welchman and Harry Golombek In October 1944 Alexander was transferred to work on the Japanese JN 25 code In mid 1946 Alexander joined GCHQ under the control of the Foreign Office which was the post war successor organisation to the Government Code and Cypher School GC amp CS at Bletchley Park By 1949 he had been promoted to the head of Section H cryptanalysis a post he retained until his retirement in 1971 He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1946 New Year Honours 2 Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1955 New Year Honours 3 and Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in the 1970 New Year Honours 4 MI5 s Peter Wright in his 1987 best selling book Spycatcher The Candid Autobiography of a Senior Intelligence Officer wrote about Alexander s assistance to MI5 in the ongoing Venona project as well as other important mutual cooperation between the two organizations which broke down previous barriers to progress Any help is gratefully received in this department Alexander told Wright and that proved the case from then on Wright also lauded Alexander s professionalism and opined that the exceptional mental demands of his cryptanalytical career and chess hobby likely contributed to Alexander s early death at age 64 despite his healthy lifestyle Chess career edit nbsp C H O D Alexander Alexander represented Cambridge University in the Varsity chess matches of 1929 1930 1931 and 1932 he studied at King s College Cambridge He was twice a winner of the British Chess Championship in 1938 and 1956 Alexander represented England in the Chess Olympiad six times in 1933 1935 1937 1939 1954 and 1958 At the 1939 Olympiad in Buenos Aires Argentina Alexander had to leave part way through the event along with the rest of the English team because of the declaration of World War II since he was required at home for codebreaking duties He was also the non playing captain of England from 1964 to 1970 Alexander was awarded the International Master title in 1950 and the International Master for Correspondence Chess title in 1970 He won Hastings 1946 47 with the score 7 9 a point ahead of Savielly Tartakower 5 6 Alexander s best tournament result may have been first equal with David Bronstein at Hastings 1953 54 where he went undefeated and beat Soviet grandmasters David Bronstein and Alexander Tolush in individual games Alexander s opportunities to appear abroad were limited as he was not allowed to play chess in the Soviet bloc because of his secret work in cryptography 7 He was also the chess columnist of The Sunday Times in the 1960s and 1970s Many knowledgeable chess people believe that Alexander had Grandmaster potential had he been able to develop his chess abilities further 8 Many top players peak in their late twenties and early thirties but for Alexander this stretch coincided with World War II when high level competitive opportunities were unavailable After this his professional responsibilities as a senior cryptanalyst limited his top class appearances He defeated Mikhail Botvinnik in one game of a team radio match against the Soviet Union in 1946 at a time when Botvinnik was probably the world s top player Alexander made important theoretical contributions to the Dutch Defence and Petroff Defence In popular culture editAlexander is portrayed by actor Matthew Goode in the 2014 film The Imitation Game which depicts the British attempts to crack the Enigma machine at Bletchley Park 9 Books editC H O D Alexander 1972 Fischer v Spassky Vintage ISBN 0 394 71830 5 C H O D Alexander 1972 Fischer v Spassky Reykjavik 1972 Penguin ISBN 0 14 003573 7 C H O D Alexander 1973 The Penguin Book of Chess Positions Penguin ISBN 978 0 14 046199 2 C H O D Alexander Derek Birdsall Editor 1973 A Book of Chess Hutchinson ISBN 978 0 09 117480 4 C H O D Alexander 1974 Alexander on Chess Pittman ISBN 978 0 273 00315 1 Learn Chess A New Way For All Volume One First Principles by C H O D Alexander and T J Beach RNIB 1963 In One Volume Learn Chess A New Way For All Volume Two Winning Methods by C H O D Alexander and T J Beach RNIB 1973 In One Volume Alekhine s Best Games of Chess 1938 1945 by Alexander Conel Hugh O Donel London G Bell and Sons 1966 ISBN 4 87187 827 9 Learn chess a new way for all by Alexander C H O D Conel Hugh O Donel Oxford Pergamon Press 1963 A Book of Chess ISBN 978 0 06 010048 3 Harper amp RowReferences edit a b c d e Harry Golombek revised by Ralph Erskine Alexander Conel Hugh O Donel 1909 1974 chess player and cryptanalyst in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 2004 No 37412 The London Gazette 6th supplement 9 January 1946 p 275 No 40366 The London Gazette Supplement 1 January 1955 p 11 No 44999 The London Gazette Supplement 1 January 1970 p 4 Sunnucks Anne 1970 The Encyclopaedia of Chess St Martin s Pres p 184 LCCN 78106371 Hastings 1946 47 crosstable Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine Hooper David Whyld Kenneth 1992 The Oxford Companion to Chess 2 ed Oxford University Press p 10 ISBN 0 19 280049 3 Hugh Denham October 1974 In Memoriam Conel Hugh O Donel Alexander PDF NSA archived from the original PDF on 26 October 2015 retrieved 11 October 2015 Farndale Nigel 31 July 2016 The Imitation Game who were the real Bletchley Park codebreakers The Daily Telegraph Archived from the original on 20 June 2017 Retrieved 18 June 2017 External links editConel Hugh O Donel Alexander at ChessGames com Documents written by Conel Hugh O Donel Alexander while working as a cryptanalyst at Bletchley Park Sources editHarry Golombek and William Hartston The Best Games of C H O D Alexander 1976 Sir Stuart Milner Barry A Tribute to Hugh Alexander in Harry Golombek and William Hartston The Best Games of C H O D Alexander 1976 pp 1 9 O Connor John J Robertson Edmund F Conel Hugh O Donel Alexander MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive University of St Andrews British Chess Magazine April 1974 p 117 amp June 1974 p 202 obituary and tribute Ken Whyld Chess The Records Guinness Books 1986 Obituary in The Times 16 February 1974 In Memoriam Conel Hugh O Donel Alexander NSA gov Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Conel Hugh O 27Donel Alexander amp oldid 1221664990, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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