Drum Majors
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Black History Month 2022-Day 6: Theophilus Thompson
Theophilus Thompson as one of the most intriguing figures in the modern American chess era. Born April 21st, 1855, he worked as a 14-year old domestic servant. According to the 1870 U.S. Census, he was living in the home of William Higgins, a County Constable. Two years later, he returned…
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Black History Month 2022-Day 5: Wilbert Paige Memorial
NM Wilbert Paige (1959-1994)Photo by Jerry Bibuld One of the most important chess events in Black history had to have been the Wilbert Paige Memorial. The tournament was held in honor of Philadelphia master Wilbert Paige who died in 1994 in his mid-30s. A product of West Philadelphia High School…
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Black History Month 2022-Day 3: Leroy Muhammad
St. Louis is known as a center of chess activity today with its Chess Center and Scholastic Center and as the host of the World Chess Hall of Fame. It is also a magnet for attracting international chess talent to several universities in the area. However, St. Louis had a…
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Black History Month 2022-Day 2: Rogelio Ortega
Cuba has long been a country of great courage and pride. It has a proud tradition of chess in the memory of José Raúl Capablanca and has produced a number of strong players. Unbeknownst to many, there has been a strong cadre of Cuban players of African ancestry and we…
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FM Ignacio Pérez (1967-2022) passes away
FM Ignacio Perez (1967-2022) Photo by Washington State Chess Federation The Seattle chess community is in mourning after the passing of Ignacio Pérez on January 11th, 2022. The long-time Seattle resident succumbed after a lengthy battle with throat cancer but remained active in the chess community despite his illness. He…
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Brewington Hardaway continues to climb!
Brewington Hardaway winning Pan-Am Youth Chess Festival last October Photo courtesy of ChessKid.com After Brewington Hardaway’s recent success at the K12 Championship in Orlando, it is apparent that he has been on an improvement course that has been slow and steady. Two years ago, Hardaway became a National Master at…
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Justus Williams clinches IM title!
IM-Elect Justus WilliamsPhoto by CCSCSL At long last… another International Master in the ranks! Justus Williams has put together a string of strong results to eclipse the 2400 barrier, thus fulfilling the last requirement for the FIDE title of International Master. Over Labor Day weekend Justus scored 7/7 to win…
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NM Rene Phillips devastated by Hurricane Ida
Unfortunately, National Master Rene Phillips of New Orleans knows a thing or two about hurricanes. His memories are still fresh from the 2005 onslaught known as “Hurricane Katrina,” a disaster that resulted in scores of damage to the iconic city and destroying everything he owned. Katrina, a Category 3 hurricane,…
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Brewington Hardaway 4th at NAYCC, wins blitz
Brewington Hardaway at 2019 World Open Photo by Daaim ShabazzNational Master Brewington Hardaway recently competed in the under-12 group at the 2021 North American Youth Chess Championships (NAYCC) in Chicago placing 4th. Coming in with a USCF rating of 2301 he was the top-seed and had a string of strong…
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Justus Williams reaches chess heights on Black Squares
Many times we sometimes think about what role we want to play in the greater chess community. Are we teachers? Organizers? Arbiters? Politicians? Journalists? Authors? Commentators? Are we those who only want to compete? For Justus Williams, who is a USCF Senior Master, he happens to be in another category……
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