Drum Majors
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Drum Majors at Philly Open
GM Amon Simutowe at 2010 Philadelphia Open. Photo by Chris Bird. Chess Grandmaster Amon Simutowe has been flying under the radar since enrolling at University of Texas-Dallas for a second tour. He is completing his Master’s degree and was spotted in Philadelphia for the Philadelphia Open. The Zambian Grandmaster scored…
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Ashley to commentate at 2010 U.S. Championship
SAINT LOUIS– Grandmaster Maurice Ashley, the first African-American GM in the history of chess, will provide expert analysis and commentary at the 2010 U.S. Chess Championship, set for the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis May 13-25. Ashley was featured on ESPN in 1996 when he provided commentary…
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The ‘Matrix Man’ still at it!
Bernard Parham, I Photo by Daaim Shabazz. Bernard Parham has a claim to fame. No it is not as the 1967 Indiana State Champion, or even as a long-time chess educator. He is famous for something else… “The Matrix System of Chess.” This system was created decades ago when Parham…
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Carlsson battling in Euro Championships!
GM Pontus Carlsson (Sweden) Pontus Carlsson of Sweden is currently competing in the European Individual Championship being held in Croatia. The tournament is extremely strong despite not featuring any of the top 20 players in the world. Carlsson sits in the #204 position in a field of 408 participants. Carlsson…
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Theophilus Thompson’s Problem Book!
Theophilus Augustus Thompson Theophilus Thompson is recognized by most as the first Black player of note in the U.S. Born in 1855 in Frederick, Maryland, Thompson took to chess after seeing two gentlemen playing. He learned the moves from observing and was soon kibitzing in the games. It was interesting…
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IM Michael Schleifer: 1967-2009
IM Michael Schleifer (Canada) Photo by Mark Dutton. It is with great sadness that I learned from Neil Sullivan of the death of International Master Michael Schleifer. According to a Canadian chess board, “Chess Talk“, someone placed a call into the Montreal City morgue to verify the story. Morgue officials…
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Kassa Korley at Philly Congress
New York’s Kassa Korley has graced these pages several times, but he is perhaps known best for breaking the age record for a player of African desent to earn the National Master’s title. There are a lot of age records falling these days, but Kassa has moved on to vying…
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Street Legends Battle in New York!
New York is known by most accounts to be the “Mecca” of American chess. There are so many legendary stories borne in the “Big Apple” including Bobby Fischer and Hikaru Nakamura fame. Other colorful personalities such as Maurice Ashley and Asa Hoffman have made their marks. The latter being known…
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Jamaicans at FIDE Invitational
Both Jomo Pitterson and Shane Matthews have long been among Jamaica’s strongest players. The question has always been how strong they are internationally. Both are competing in the 23rd North American FIDE Invitational in Skokie, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Shane Matthews of Jamaica battling GM Alfonso Romero Holmes of…
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Games from 2009 Caribbean Carnival
The 2009 edition of the Caribbean Chess Carnival had some interesting games. In these games, one can see why IM Humberto Pecorelli reigned supreme over his competition. His positional understanding seemed to carry the day over nine rounds. The games had a mixture of styles… ebb and flow, vicious attacks,…
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