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The Chess Drum
Historic Moments: The Wilbert Paige Memorial Chess Tournament
The Wilbert Paige Memorial Chess Tournament was a historic event that gained worldwide attention as ten masters of African descent gathered for the first tournament of its kind. Played in historic Harlem, the tournament was named in honor of NM Wilbert Paige, a Philadelphia Master possessing a deep passion for…
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The Chess Drum
Chess and the Art of Business Strategy
Chess is a fascinating ancient war sport (also an art and science) combining the excitement of tactics with the intricacies of long-range strategy. Those strategists able to distinguish the subtle transitions between the different phases of battle (opening, middlegame and endgame) will certainly maintain a tangible advantage over the opponent.…
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South Africa
IM Watu Kobese: The African Lion
A couple of years ago, KasparovChess.com interviewed South African IM Watu Kobese. This interview is refreshing look at one of Africa’s brightest hopes for its next Grandmaster. In the interview, Mark Rubery asked a question pertaining to the legendary story of an 8-year-old Kobese challenging then-champion GM Anatoly Karpov in a match!! IM Watu Kobese Other…
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A LEGACY OF EXCELLENCE: A Brief History of Black Chess Masters in America (1998)
Reproduced at The Chess Drum with written permission from Mr. Gregory Kearse This article appeared in Chess Life, July 1998 edition eputations are not easy to come by in chess. Only a history of excellence and success over the board will propel a player into the limelight, push him into…
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Caribbean
Lateral Thinking in Chess
Lateral Thinking in Chess by Mark Bowen (Kingston, Jamaica, WEST INDIES) Prior to the start of the 1998 Winter Olympics at Nagano, the World Powers in Ice Hockey were considered to be the USA, Canada, and Russia. Facing these daunting opponents the Czech Republic team adopted an unexpected defensive approach.…
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Historic Moments
Historic Moments: CHESS from around the World!
Atlanta, Georgia (USA) Clockwise: Frank Johnson at one of his many study sessions with Shredder. A blitz session between a determined Issac Hinch (L) and a trash-talkin’ Donald Jackson (R) draws an audience of FM Stephen Muhammad and Sulaiman Smith (standing). Smith and Muhammad set battle into motion with a…
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The Chess Drum
Chess and Hip-Hop Culture
GZA of Wu Tang Clan Chess has been perceived as the game of the “nerds,” the term for a person characterized as a socially-detached genius. Of course, chess suffers from this image problem in that much of the international community writes chess off as an esoteric game that they could…
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USA
Historic Moments: Black History Month: A Special Tribute!!
The Moors of Spain The month of February brings us much reverence from those who have blazed the trail so that we may strive for higher heights. In this “Black History Month,” and on the 1st anniversary of The Chess Drum (12 February 2002), we take time to honor those…
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Drum Majors
Historic Moments: A Sketch of the Legendary Frank Street
The first thing you may have noticed about this page is the pensive pose of a young man on the cover of America’s national chess magazine, Chess Life. The figure on the cover is a living legend by the name of Frank Street, Jr. Mr. Street was blazing the trails…
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The Chess Drum
The Making of The Chess Drum
From time to time, I’m asked a number of questions about the website, The Chess Drum. The site has developed over the past year and players who I meet at tournaments want to know the hows and the whys, so to speak. Well… there’s a short answer and a long…
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