The Chess Drum turns 7!
It all started with the page on the right. A crude banner, a few news stories, ugly diagrams, BUT a lot of good intentions. Seven years later, The Chess Drum has grown… and grown… and grown. Now at 6000 pages, the site has become a recognizable member of the chess community and provides an example of how universal chess has become.
Today, chess players have a wide variety of resources from which they can seek enjoyment and diversion. Websites happen to be the most important providers of information in the chess world and there are a many to choose from. This was not the case 20 years ago when the Chess Informant was king! The type of information about chess news was limited to national magazines which were very difficult to maintain and support financially. When the Internet era emerged, the chess world was treated to a virtual smorgasbord of content.
In 2001, The Chess Drum became a part of this wave. Back in the pre-Internet days, it was very difficult to find information on current chess news. Chess organizations essentially did a very poor job in marketing the game to the world community and it was stigmatized as a game for rich, white, male geniuses. With this reputation, it became hard for chess to gain broad appeal with people of other demographics. However, my research suggested that there was a big demand for such information… particularly among Blacks around the world.
Slowly, but surely, chess has begun to gain incredible momentum in far-flung places. With regard to reaching a wide spectrum of people, the Internet has made the game accessible to a wider audience. From this spirit, The Chess Drum was born and the beat of the drum began. With the focus of the site remaining of players of African descent, the site still remains popular worldwide and hopes to continue to provide chess services to the world.
KEEP THE BEAT GOING!!
Congratulations Dr Shabazz! It is obvious that, through your unswerving dedication, The Chess Drum has become extremely important to its followers. Not many individuals have the ability or resolve to keep going the way you have done with this site, always striving to make it more interesting and meaningful for its users. I look forward to its future development.
Regards from Trinidad and Tobago.
Got some issues with the media player in Firefox… working on it! The above video format is Windows Media Player and works fine in Internet Explorer, but unless I can get the Firefox browser to work, I will put try putting the platform-friendly Flash version up.
Thanks Carlyle!
I will continue to charge on. Sometimes I feel like I’m in a desert and no one is around. Thanks for your note. Hopefully I will be able to get back to Trinidad and finally see a bit of the island. I could go for more doubles! 🙂
The chess drum is one of the greatest web sites on chess in the net. Dr Shabazz this site seems like your calling! bringing people together. i love your web site, man keep the great work
Daaim, I thank God for your vision! The Chess Drum has turned out to be a great tool for helping to showcase the accomplishments of the Diaspora and other less visible players! It’s nice to have a place to go when you have something to say to the chess community, but when you’re not a well know player or chess personality! I think the Chess Drum provides such a forum. You’ve persevered for 7 long years without much financial recompense, but you’ve nevertheless put together a very nice Web site for the whole world to enjoy! Thank you very much for your dedication and for not giving up on your vision!
Daaim:
As your father, I am very proud of this accomplishment. I know how dedicated that you are to the world of chess and that love of the game has spread to your readers. Keep up the good work.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Daaim Shabazz for his excellent coverage over the the years of chess events affecting all Africans, African-Americans and Carribean brothers throughout the world. I think that your coverage of my nephew ,Joshua Colas, was impeccable and i’m glad to say that he has recently passed the 1700 mark after winning 6 months free entry to the Marshall Chess Club.
P.S. Keep up the great work. You are an inspiration to a lot of people, starting with myself.
Congrats Daaim on 7 years of work…it is an inspiration to me for what hard work can do…all the best!
Happy 7th anniversary. The site continues to be very informative. I especially liked the coverage of your colleague who was in Louisiana during Hurricane Katrina. I also like the 65th square, little known tidbits and history of chess, and interviews of Grandmaster Maurice Ashley. Keep on drumming!
Your brother, Abrhm