Joop van Oosterom
1937–2016Joop van Oosterom won the 18th and 21st World Correspondence Chess Championships despite health issues and controversy over assistance.
Particulars
Joop van Oosterom suffered a severe brain haemorrhage in 1993, yet he concluded the world correspondence chess championship and became the 18th World Champion in Correspondence Chess in 2005. His achievement was criticized because he had hired grandmaster Jeroen Piket as his personal secretary and previously employed two Dutch International Masters to analyse his games.
Van Oosterom also won the 21st World Championship Final in Correspondence Chess in 2008. Chess author Tim Krabbé compared his support to historic chess automata, stating that Joop van Oosterom was operated by Jeroen Piket.
Compiled from Wikipedia. Automated record.