Chris Geoffrey Ward is a British chess Grandmaster (GM), writer, and chess coach. He was born on 26th March 1968 in Beckenham, England. Ward earned the International Master (IM) title in 1990, followed by the GM title in 1996. He's widely known for his expertise in chess openings, particularly the Sicilian Dragon variation.
Ward won the British Chess Championship in 1996, and shared the title in 1998 at Jersey. He and Michael Adams jointly topped a strong field and embarked on representing England in the 1998 Chess Olympiad. He represented England in the World U26 Team Championship in 1990.
As a chess author, Ward has published books like "Unusual Queen's Gambit Declined" and "It's Your Move!" which have been well-received. His works primarily focus on the Sicilian Dragon, an opening he's heavily used in his professional play. He won the 2002 British Chess Federation Book of the Year award for his work, “Endgame Play.”
In addition to playing in tournaments and authoring books, Ward has created several instructional DVDs about the Sicilian Dragon to help other players. He also works as a chess coach at Dulwich College and Alleyn's School in London, helping young players improve. In addition to his coaching role, he's been part of junior squads at the World Youth Chess Championship.
He has served as a trainer to some of the UK’s top young talents, illustrating his commitment to nurturing next-generation chess players. Aside from chess, he has an interest in cricket, and he has been involved in coaching the England Women's team.