1. Who was the youngest Black player to earn the title of U.S. National Master?

This question had been the point of inquiry by many including NM Shearwood "Woody" McClelland III. Actually "Woody" comes in third at 15 years and 10 months behind K.K. Karanja at 15 years and 7 months and the youngest Howard Daniels at 15 years and 4 months. All of these players were highly-accomplished scholastic players. Daniels was noted for being a member of the famous Vaux Middle School in the inner-city of Philadelphia which won a stretch seven consecutive National Championships. Thanks to Jerry Bibuld for the age data.

2. Name this player who stands as a five-time U.S. Armed Force Champion.

This may be an easy question for those living in the U.S., but FM Emory Tate's dominance as a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Air Force is legendary. Tate won the Armed Forces Championship in 1983, 1984, 1987, 1988, 1989 defeating all comers from the other branches (Navy, Army and the Marines). A swashbuckling tactician, Tate is famous for his brilliant victories, creative ideas and spell-binding analysis sessions. He is truly a legendary figure in the history of Black chess.

3. This player studied in Germany with the legendary GM Ludek Pachman and has been a three-time World Championship Qualifier.

IM Watu Kobese of South Africa has been one of Africa's strongest players for a long time. His story is one of intrigue and triumph. The son of FM Arthur Kobese, Watu began his ascent at age 8, playing in his first tournament. His rise was rapid.

"In 1989, I obtained a purse to go study chess in Germany. In a tournament in South Africa, I had drawn against German GM, Ludek Pachman, and I had just won five tournaments in a row in South Africa. . . I had improved. Thus, I obtained the purse. I remained 3½ years in Germany, where I studied with Ludek Pachman and GMs Miroslav Filip and Lothar Vogt."

Kobese has represented the African region three times in the World Championship Cycle (1997, 1999, 2001). He caused a stir when he toppled super-Grandmaster Peter Leko before finally losing the match in a tiebreak. Kobese has played in several Olympiads and many top-level tournaments such as Linares, Groningen, Cap d'Agde, the World Open (US) and the World Cup (India).

4. Name this player who won the U.S. Amateur Championship in 1965.

This may be a tough question for most. Those who are history buffs may remember that the first Black National Master in the U.S. was Walter Harris who competed in the 1959 U.S. Junior Championship, but Frank Street was the 2nd to earn the National Master title. Street also won the U.S. Amateur Championship in 1965 and had the privilege of having his picture on the front cover of July 1965 Chess Life (right). Visiting the Wilbert Paige Memorial he told The Chess Drum's Daaim Shabazz, "Chess has been a great way to meet people and it has helped me to develop the confidence to go into many other intellectual areas." Today, he resides in Bethesda, Maryland.

5. This international star became national champion at age 15, later became African Junior Champion and won a gold medal in an Olympiad tournament. Name him.

I believe most people will guess IM Amon Simutowe for this one, but that would not be correct. Simutowe actually won his National title at age 14, but only pocketed the silver medal at the Istanbul Olympiad in 2000. IM Robert Gwaze of Zimbabwe gained notoriety by winning a gold medal at the Bled Olympiad in 2002 with an incredible score of 9-0. Both Simutowe and Gwaze have won the African Junior title and by that virtue, earned the IM title. Gwaze has a style that is uncomfortable for his opponents and is a capable attacker. At 21 years of age, he is still improving as a player and is currently based in England.

6. This player won the U.S. Junior Open in 1997 and has a sister who also was a national champion.

If you said R.O. Mitchell, it was a good try. Mitchell won in 1990 and was the 1st Black player to do so, but Shearwood "Woody" McClelland III repeated this feat in 1997. He is also unique not only because both of his parents are medical doctors, but he has a sister Kimberly McClelland who won a National High School Championship. McClelland had an outstanding scholastic career which included 11 state championships and four national championships including two titles as the New Jersey State Champion. McClelland is a medical student at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

7. The 1st Black woman to gain national acclaim in the U.S. ... she represented the U.S. in the under-16 championships in England. Who is she?

If you been reading the pages of The Chess Drum, you will have no doubt read about this female notable… Baraka Shabazz. Baraka, which means "blessed," burst onto the scene in the early 80s and became a media darling, particularly in the Black community. Having learned to play in an Alaskan cabin to ward off the boredom on the long winters. Baraka developed her talent after which her stepfather chaperoned her from coast-to-coast to major tournaments. Besides the under-16 Championship, she also competed in the U.S. Women's Championship.

8. This U.S. National Master also is a talented pianist and a master magician.

This chess master has quite a combination of skills. Charles Covington is a phenomenon. Besides being a U.S. Life Master in chess, he is a world-class pianist, a master magician, a 100-square checkers expert, a portrait artist, a former champion body builder, and the earner of a black belt in Karate. Covington once wrote an interesting compilation titled, "Memoirs of an African American Master" in which he chronicled his games (both annotated and unannotated), profiles and pictures of famous players he has played (GMs Samuel Reshevsky, Tigran Petrosian, Bent Larsen, Nona Gaprindashvili). Covington is a very personable and humble man and is one not often spoken of very often, but as a Kenyan proverb states, "It is humility that exalts one and favors him against his friends." Covington lives in Washington, DC.

9.  Can you identify the Afro-Cuban player who played in many European tournaments and competed against the following players: Tal, Spassky, Smyslov, Geller, Portisch, Reshevsky, Najdorf, Rossolimo, Bronstein and Horowitz.

Most have never heard of Rogelio Ortega including some Afro-Cubans I've met. Here is a man who competed with the best, as you can see. The only picture that is available of this pioneer is the group shot at the Polanica tournament in Zdroj, Poland in 1967. Of course, Fidel Castro, an avid chess player, supports Cuban chess which (besides José Capablanca) is why there is such a rich tradition. Ortega played fighting chess and in the Polanica tournament beat both Wolfgang Uhlmann and Seymon Furman, both top players at that time. How many can say they have played in the same tournaments with all of the chess giants in Ortega's scorebook?

Polanica-Zdroj, 1967. Seated (L-R): Furman, Flohr, Euwe, Uhlmann, Hort. Standing (L-R): Arlamowski, S. Witkowski, Graetz, Horbacki, Orbaan, J. Schmidt, J. Adamski, R. Ortega, Kalarow, Filipowicz, Suttles, Liebert, Sliwa, Kuszewski, Kozlowski, Kostro, Turski.

10. This notable player could not make his New York high school chess team, but later rose to prominence and eventually became a national chess phenomenon.

This answer may not be the most obvious, but it is none other than Grandmaster Maurice Ashley. At Brooklyn Tech, Ashley played his first game against a friend and lost horribly. This would begin his affair with a sport that would later make him one of the most recognizable figures around the world. Ashley would learn from the "Black Bear School of Chess," a Brooklyn-based club comprised of the top Black players in the New York area including players like William Morrison, Ronald Simpson and Ernest Colding. Competition was fierce, but Ashley rose to prominence first completing the International Master title in 1993 and then winning the coveted Grandmaster title in 1999.

Ashley is known for his success as a chess coach in Harlem having coached teams to national championships and served as a catalyst for a successful after-school program in Harlem. He is a world-class commentator having called the World Championship match between Kasparov and Anand, and three computer matches involving Kasparov (vs. Deep Blue, 1996; vs. Deep Junior, 2002; vs. Deep Fritz, 2003). Ashley typifies everything a chess ambassador should be.

11. Who earned an IM title in 1987 at the age of 21?

Have you forgotten about Manuel Mateus? He was a phenomenon and became the first of five Angolans to earn the International Master title. At the tender age of 21, he scored well in the African Championship and by virtue, earned his International Master's title. He became a model for other Angolan and African players.

Angola had benefited from the close relationship with the former Soviet Union and remains one of the strongest chess nations south of the Sahara. Mateus is active as the Angolan Women's coach. Below is a picture taken by Jerry Bibuld from the 1996 Olympiad in Armenia.

Kneeling (from left to right) - IM Alexandre Nacsimento, IM Manuel Mateus; standing (from left to right) - IM Armindo Sousa, IM Pedro Aderito, IM Eugenio Campos, Ludy Sousa. 

12. Of Jamaican ancestry, this player competed in the Canadian National Championship.

With Jamaican parents migrating to Canada, Michael Schleifer joins a host of islanders populating the sparsely-populated country. Schleifer has been one of top Canadian players for several years and earned his IM title in the Canadian Closed in 1999. With an unorthodox, but ambitious style of play, he thrives on the attack. Many may remember that he was joint 2nd with IM Watu Kobese in the historic Wilbert Paige Memorial tournament in 2001. FM Stephen Muhammad won the event in an impressive fashion.