Born in London and educated at Exeter College, Oxford, he represented Oxford University in the Varsity chess matches of 1963, 1964, 1965, and 1966, and represented England in the Chess Olympiads of 1966, 1968, and 1970.

He has won the English Bridge Union's National Pairs title six times, the first time in 2003, and has also been a member of the team that won the Gold Cup, the premier teams event in Britain, in 2003 and 2011.

This makes him the only person who has won British championships in both chess and bridge.

As a consultant in medical statistics and epidemiology, he has also published over 300 papers, many on the effects of tobacco on health.

[3] This biographical article relating to an English chess figure is a stub.