Members of England's 1939 Chess Olympiad Team Became Codebreakers in WWII
On September 1, 1939, as Germany invaded Poland, the final stage of the 1939 Chess Olympiad commenced in Buenos Aires. England's team, consisting of five players, included Hugh Alexander, Sir George Thomas, Stuart Milner-Barry, Harry Golombek, and Baruch Wood. Following Britain's declaration of war on Germany on September 3, the English team withdrew from the competition, finishing third in their preliminary group.
After returning home, Alexander, Milner-Barry, and Golombek joined the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park, where they contributed to breaking the Enigma code used by German forces. Their skills in chess, such as concentration and pattern recognition, aided their codebreaking efforts, although the work required collaboration across various disciplines.
Alexander began at Bletchley in February 1940, eventually becoming Alan Turing's deputy in Hut 8, which focused on naval codes. Milner-Barry led a team in Hut 6, while Golombek also worked on naval Enigma. Their contributions were part of a larger team effort that included thousands of individuals working to intercept and analyze German communications. After the war, they returned to civilian life, with their wartime roles remaining classified for many years.
