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Drum Majors
Bernard Parham, chess innovator, passes away
Bernard Parham I, the 1967 Indiana State Champion and creator of the Matrix Chess System, has passed away. His son Bernard II relayed the news to The Chess Drum, “Resigned against diabetes on Wednesday, June 19th—one day after reaching his 58th wedding anniversary.” Born on October 30, 1946, to Eddie…
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Opinion/Editorials
The Rise of Deborah Quickpen
In the aftermath of the “Battle of the Ages” match between Nigerians Tunde Onakoya and rising star Deborah Quickpen, we are possibly witnessing the beginning of a new era in African chess. While many are raving about the top-level prodigies from around the world (specifically Asia), Africa has yet to…
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Media Stories
Chess molds NBA Champion, Jaylen Brown
A couple of nights ago, Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics became an NBA Champion. He was also voted the Most Valuable Player of the series, justifying his mammoth five-year, $304 million contract signed the previous year. There were questions about whether the dynamic duo of Brown and fellow All-Star…
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Nigeria
Nigeria’s “The Battle of the Ages” fought to exciting draw!
“The Battle of the Ages” kicked off on June 11th, pitting global ambassador Tunde Onakoya against Nigerian phenom Deborah Quickpen. The atmosphere was electric, and the venue was splendid, with many dignitaries attending the intergenerational match. The Daniel Ford Foundation sponsored the match, which took place in Lagos. The Initiatives…
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Dominica
2024 Dominica Chess Championships
Dominica The island of Dominica recently held its National Chess Championships, including its first Women’s Finals from May 30th to June 6th. The venue was the Dominica State College, which attracted the island’s best. In fact, Dr. Jones Murphy, Jr. came from the U.S. to compete in the tournament for…
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Nigeria
Nigerian Chess Action, “Battle of the Ages”
Nigeria is hosting a “Battle of the Ages” on June 11th between global chess activist Tunde Onakoya and teen phenom Deborah Quickpen. Onakoya recently entered the Guinness Book of World Records by playing chess for 60 hours in Times Square. While setting a mark for the records, Onakoya is most…
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Obituary
Warren Seymour, legend of Bahamian chess, dies
According to press reports, Bahamas chess legend Warren Seymour passed away Tuesday morning, and the country now mourns his loss. If anyone can be called the “father” of Bahamaian chess, it would be Mr. Seymour. He is widely known in the country as one who single-handedly put chess on the…
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USA
HBCU Chess Spotlight: Alan Cowan
Alan Cowan was co-valedictorian of Morehouse College’s 2023 graduating class. He kindled an intense interest in finance and now works in venture capital for Mosaic General Partnership in San Francisco. Apart from his academic achievements, he executed one of the most potentially impactful ideas in American chess. In 2020, Cowan…
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Namibia
Robert Gwaze resurfaces, wins Namibia Open
IM Robert Gwaze is always in conversations about Africa’s brightest moments in history. Since his 2002 gold medal at the Bled Olympiad, he has written his memoirs, Life and Games of Robert Gwaze. There had always been the thought that Gwaze was poised to earn his Grandmaster title. However, his…
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Drum Majors
Watu Kobese premiers in new podcast!
South African International Master Watu Kobese International Master Watu Kobese has a chess resume as long as he is tall. He has added yet another venture into his portfolio. In what has become a popular trend in chess, Kobese sent The Chess Drum a message introducing a podcast titled “Chess,…
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