Marino Ferreira RIP
7 March 1932-December 6, 2016
Marino Branco Ferreira passed away today after a long period of failing health. He is predeceased by his wife Alice. Closely connected with the rapid development of chess in Portugal in the mid-1970’s until the early 1980’s, Marino was organizer, teacher and player. He was the first to organize chess tournaments in Portugal (Guarda) with actual money prizes, attracting grandmasters from abroad and inspiring an entire generation of players with his passion for the game, including my future wife Aida and her brother Antonio. Marino would often take the youngsters to Spanish tournaments to gain experience and develop skills. More than a few would go on and win national titles.
Marino spent much of the first 40 years of his life living and working in Lourenco Marques, Mozambique as a journalist. He became president of the Clube dos Naturais de Mocambique and soon after started to organize Mozambique’s first international tournaments in Lourenco Marques., inspiring chess organizers in neighbouring countries to follow suite. When Portugal gave up all of its colonies, Marino and his wife returned to Portugal.
Despite advancing age and ill health, Marino never lost his passion for chess and was an avid player on the internet to the very end, playing not less than a couple dozen games every day. More than a few grandmasters fell victim to his provocative style of play. When I visited Marino in the hospital earlier this year, his computer was always by his side. I remember installing ChessBase for him!
He will be missed by all.
