Drum Majors
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Brazil’s rising star Ryan Wesley Caetano
Ryan Wesley da Costa Caetano of Brazil is an aspiring Grandmaster and was the 2019 Brazilian Junior Champion. Aged 19, he currently has a FIDE rating of 2243. Five months ago, Ryan was profiled in an interview on chess.com where he discussed his beginnings, inspirations, and aspirations. Here is the…
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Jerald Times… 2021 “Chess Educator of the Year”
Good Times in South Africa!! Jerald Times with some of the members of his Guguletu team. Photo courtesy of Jerald Times. It can be said that Jerald Times has a story to tell. Having trod the stony roads of Harlem, New York, and the pastures of South Africa, he has…
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GM Román Hernández… Afro-Cuban trailblazer
During “Black History Month” in the U.S., there is a lot of pride taken in the pioneers who made proud accomplishments while fighting against the odds. Of course, this is an American invention, but we would do justice to extend accolades to the greater African Diaspora. Cuba is one such…
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“Black Squares” leaps into action
IM-elect Justus Williams has been known to The Chess Drum audience since he was a pre-teen aspiring to great feats. Now a young collegiate, he is seeking to make a difference in his community, and has launched an initiative called “Black Squares.” The idea is to promote the Chess-in-Schools (CIC)…
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The History of Chess in Jamaica: 1834-1978
In June 2020, Jamaica’s Bertram Scott has released a seminal work chronicling the chess history of the island nation. The book titled, The History of Chess in Jamaica: 1834-1978 has important content in tracing the activities of history, not only on the island but important events in the chess world.…
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Mazda ad features Watu Kobese
International Master Watu Kobese tells his story about his passion for chess in a Mazda ad.
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Thank you Drum Community!
Dear Drum Community! I am back from a month-long hiatus from writing and news coverage. Toni and Abraham Bolden, Jr. on their honeymoon in Dunn River Falls (Ocho Rios, Jamaica) in 1989. I would like to extend my thanks to those of you who extended well-wishes to me after the…
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Pan-African Chess thrives in 2020!
Without a doubt, there is a lot of online activity during the global crisis and it is creating energy in places that were rather isolated. Particularly in the African Diaspora, there has been a fire ignited with a number of cage matches and activity on lichess.org and broadcast on streaming…
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The Mystery of Theophilus Thompson Solved!!
Theophilus Thompson is well-known figure in The Chess Drum community. Throughout the years we have honored him as perhaps the first Black player of note in the U.S. He was preceded by James McCune Smith and succeeded by William Griffin. Thompson is famously known for his book on chess problems…
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Chess Reflections in Black History (2020)
In the U.S., each February we celebrate the accomplishments of prominent figures in the African Disapora. Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a man of prodigious intellectual standing, was the innovator of the idea in 1926. He attended venerable institutions such as University of Chicago, the Sorbonne and Harvard University and penned…
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