Narelle Kellner

Narelle Kellner (née Jorgensen, 18 October 1934 – 20 December 1987) was an Australian chess player who held the title of Woman International Master (WIM, 1977). She was a two-time winner of the Australian Women's Chess Championship (1972, 1974).

Narelle Kellner
CountryAustralia
Born(1934-10-18)18 October 1934
Died20 December 1987(1987-12-20) (aged 53)
Hurstville, New South Wales, Australia
TitleWoman International Master (1977)

Biography

Narelle Kellner won the Women's Chess Championships of New South Wales 21 times. Also she two times won Australian Women's Chess Championship (1972, 1974). In 1977, she was awarded the FIDE Woman International Master (WIM) title.

Narelle Kellner two times participated in the Women's World Chess Championship Interzonal Tournaments:

Narelle Kellner played for Australia in the Women's Chess Olympiads:[3]

She worked as a primary school teacher. From 1961 she was married to Australian correspondence chess champion and Correspondence International Master John Vincent Kellner (1931-1987).

In 1986, she co-authored Guide to Coaching Junior Chess Players with Kevin Harrison which was updated in 1993.[4][5]

Murder-suicide

Kellner died by suicide in the early hours of 20 December 1987.[6]

Initially responding to reports of a house fire at Kellner's address in Hurstville at around 4am on 20 December, firefighters found the decomposing body of Kellner's husband John Kellner in a bedroom.[6] Narelle Kellner was found still alive but with a self-inflicted bullet wound to her forehead in the loungeroom.[6] Kellner died from her injuries on the way to hospital.[6] It was believed she had deliberately set fire to the house.[6]

Police said they believed Kellner had murdered her husband about a week earlier and had been living in the house with his dead body.[6] They indicated that they would be treating the deaths as a murder-suicide.[6] Neighbours described the couple as reclusive.[6] The president of the New South Wales Chess Association described the couple as an "odd pair who were suited to each other" and suggested the game of chess had become an obsession. Australian chess champion Ian Rogers claimed that John Kellner had previously suggested there had been conspiracies against him, which did not exist.[6]

On 24 December 1987, a statement was issued by the Australian Chess Federation in which they said they wished to record their deep regret at the deaths of both John Kellner and Narelle Kellner before detailing their respective achievements.[7]

Kellner was cremated at the Rookwood Crematorium on 5 January 1988.[8]

References
  1. "1976 Tbilisi Interzonal Tournament : World Chess Championship (women)". www.mark-weeks.com.
  2. "1979 Alicante Interzonal Tournament : World Chess Championship (women)". www.mark-weeks.com.
  3. Bartelski, Wojciech. "OlimpBase :: Women's Chess Olympiads :: Narelle Kellner". www.olimpbase.org.
  4. Kellner, Narelle; Harrison, Kevin (1993). Guide to coaching junior chess players. Australian Chess Enterprises.
  5. Koshnitsky, Gary (3 October 1993). "Chess". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 100. Retrieved 23 March 2023. Guide to Coaching Junior Chess Players by the late Narelle Kellner and Kevin Harrison, extensively updated by Stuart Clarke, has been published...
  6. Williams, Daniel (21 December 1987). "The life and death of chess queen Narelle Kellner". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 1. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  7. Viner, P.J. (24 December 1987). "DEATHS: KELLNER, John and Narelle". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 20. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  8. "FUNERAL: Narelle Kellner". The Sydney Morning Herald. 5 January 1988. p. 22. Retrieved 23 March 2023. in a chapel at the Rookwood Crematorium today (Tuesday) at 2pm.
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