Prof. Sutton annotated this game in New Zealand Chess August 1980 (part of a profile on him by Robert Wayne Smith), as one of his most memorable games. Fenny had won five straight games before this, including the first ever win over Sarapu in a NZ Champs that day A Feneridis vs O Sarapu, 1962 (there were two rounds per day, and it was New Years Day). Graham G Haase won his only NZ Championship that year with 8/11, with Ortvin Sarapu and J Rodney Phillips 7.5 and Fenny 7.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.c3 d5 9.d4

Fenny was normally a d4 player, and Sutton was very experienced in the Marshall. However, this method of declining gives Black active play without having to sacrifice a pawn.

9...exd4 10.exd5 Nxd5 11.Nxd4 (cxd4 is better than this, despite the IQP)

11...Nxd4 12.Qxd4 Bb7 13.Nd2 c5 14.Qe4

[14.Qg4 was better but Black still has a very good game.] aiming for the Q-side

14...Bf6 [14...Re8] 15.Nf1 Re8 16.Qxe8+ Qxe8 17.Rxe8+ Rxe8 18.Bxd5

Giving up the B-pair can't have been pleasant, but Black was threatening ...c4 then ...b4, as I have carried out in a very similar position. Sutton liked the two bishops and knew well how to use them, cf. O Sarapu vs R J Sutton, 1979

18...Bxd5 19.Ne3 Be6 20.h3 b4! 21.cxb4 cxb4 22.a3 b3 23.Kf1 Rc8 24.a4 Bd4 25.Ke1 f5 The old Steinitz strategy of using pawns to drive back the N.

26.Nd1 Rc2 27.a5 Bc4 28.Ne3 Re2+ 29.Kd1 Bb5! 30.Nxf5 Bc5 31.Be3 Bb4

As a junior member of the Otago Chess Club he would come and spend time coaching some of the junior players on Friday nights. It was this sort of inspiration that helped some of us go on to become adult players.

When Richard attained the FIDE title I sent him the link to a famous game that he played in 1972.

R J Sutton vs M Todorcevic, 1972

Tony Dowden subsequently published this in the Otago Daily Times Newspaper.

In recent years I located an old informator of the Skopje Olympiad in 1972 and notified Richard that it was available on a NZ auction website.

Richard acquired it and found that there was a photo of the entire New Zealand Team at the opening ceremony.

Richard was a very modest man and there was allot more to him than met the eye. Richard's contribution to New Zealand law was legendary, and his valedictory speech at Otago University was attended by people from overseas.