GG Willems

Laura Willems restores old-master paintings in an Antwerp studio, apprenticed for seven years, and has twice found signatures nobody knew were there. Before anything else she asks what your board is: the wood, the inlay, whether the points are painted or set, and if it is a decent one she will want a photograph. On a screen this is an odd opening question and she asks it anyway, every time, including of members she has played for years. She remembers the answers. Somebody mentioned a walnut set in 2021 and she asked after it again last month. Two members have bought better sets since being asked, and both told her before they told anybody else.