Drum Majors
-
2019 African Championships: Round #2
Round #2:Tense battles in Open Section… Lorita Mwango breaks through! OPEN One of the truths about African chess is you never really know how strong a player from the continent is. The idea that Africans play in so few international tournaments is lost on the fact that the continent is…
Read More » -
2019 African Championships: Round #1
Round #1: Tournament starts off with a few nicks Venue for the 2019 African Individual Chess Championships OPEN In general the top seeds prevailed… except for one result. IM Rodwell Makoto got a taste of home cooking with a loss to an unheralded Tunisian Jmila Omar. Nevertheless, it is a…
Read More » -
Renewed Energy @ Chicago Open!
The Chicago Open has been one of the marquee tournaments for two decades. It is the first major of the summer season and generally attracts a healthy mix of professionals, norm seekers and scholastic phenoms. However, what made this tournament different was the buzz created by the online battles that…
Read More » -
Vasif Dararbayli wins 2019 Chicago Open!
Illia Nyzhnyk and Vasif Dararbayli face off in round 7.The game was drawn. Aided by a strong 5.5/6 start Vasif Dararbayli held off a field of strong GMs to win the 2019 Chicago Open. Perhaps the key win was his 6th round win over then-co-leader Jeffery Xiong (2015 Chicago Open…
Read More » -
The Chess Journey of GM Maurice Ashley
I met Maurice Ashley nearly 30 years ago at the 1989 U.S. Open held just outside of Chicago at the Rosemont Hyatt. At this time, I had already started the groundwork for a chess network for players of African descent. During a graduate-level marketing class, I was able to write…
Read More » -
Charles Covington… Life Master, multi-talented virtuoso
Life Master Charles Covington is a man of many talents. A former bodybuilder, master magician, draughts expert, USCF Life Master and jazz pianist par excellence, Covington is a renaissance man. The Chess Drum interviewed him back in 2002 and he stated, “Those who know me for my music don’t know…
Read More » -
Where are they now? Kayin Barclay
Kayin Barclay Hometown: Chicago, Illinois Education: B.A. Morehouse College (2012), M.B.A. Harvard University (2019) Peak Chess Rating: 2215 (USCF) 2220 (FIDE) Chess Accolades: National Master (2012), 2-time state champion (Whitney Young Magnet H.S.), beat GM Jaan Ehlvest Activities: Phi Beta Kappa (honor society) Current Profession: Investment Banker, full-time MBA student…
Read More » -
Where are they now? Dr. Shearwood McClelland III
Dr. Shearwood McClelland III Hometown: Teaneck, New Jersey Education: B.A. Harvard College (2000), M.D. Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons (2004) Peak Chess Rating: 2311 (USCF), 2210 (FIDE) Chess Accolades: National Master (1994), All-American, 3-time National H.S. Champion, U.S. Junior Open Champion (1997), 2-time New Jersey State Champion, 12 state…
Read More » -
Colas in the Sunshine state!
FM Joshua ColasPhoto by Webster University (Paul Truong) Joshua Colas is making his rounds. The native New Yorker is studying in the “Show-Me State” of Missouri and is now going to take his talents to the “Sunshine State” of Florida for spring break. The Webster University collegiate is going to…
Read More » -
Black History Chess Reflections for 2019
Was this an aged Theophilus Thompson? This year Black History commemorations highlighted the events of the day including a rare photo of Theophilus Thompson, a chess icon known mostly for this book of chess problems, Chess Problems: Either Play or Mate. Until recently, the only photo known of Thompson is…
Read More »
