Background
He was born in Sheffield, England.
He was born in Sheffield, England.
In 1939 he represented England at the Chess Olympiad in Buenos Aires. In 1948, he tied for second place at the British Chess Championship held in London. From 1946 to 1951 he was a president of the ICCA, a forerunner organization of the International Correspondence Chess Federation.
Wood represented England when it joined FIDE, the world chess federation.
He was longtime President of the British Schools Chess Association and also of the British Universities Chess Association. Her husband Peter Clarke was a full-time chess player and writer, who finished second in the British Chess Championship five times, represented England in the Chess Olympiads seven times, wrote five chess books, and was the Games Editor of the British Chess Magazine.
Woods" sons Christopher, Frank and Philip are also strong chess players.
Between 1938 and 1957, Wood won the championship of Warwickshire eight times. He won the tournaments at Baarn (1947), Paignton (1954), Whitby (1963), Tórshavn (1967) and Jersey (1975). He tied for 4th–6th, scoring 5 points out of 9 games, at the 1948-1949 Hastings Christmas Chess Congress, 1.5 points behind winner Nicolas Rossolimo. He won the British correspondence chess championship in 1944-1945. Wood was a FIDE Judge, an international chess arbiter, and the joint founder of the Sutton Coldfield Chess Club. Wood"s daughter Margaret (Peggy) Clarke won the British Girls" Championship in 1952, 1955, and 1956, and was the joint British Ladies" Champion in 1966.
