North America
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“GMCanty,” “Coach Frank” sign up with Esports
Online chess has experienced a boom and has been the subject of many news stories. The “Queen’s Gambit” TV series made a contribution, but chess streaming had catapulted chess into the spotlight through the platform, Twitch. Hikaru Nakamura was the first elite chess player to gain a footing after nearly…
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Chicago Public Schools learns about Black Chess!
During Black History Month, Chicago Public Schools hosted a Black History Empowerment program featuring Howard University Chess Team and Daaim Shabazz of The Chess Drum. The “Howard Bison” (Michele Bennett, Malcolm Wooten, Azeezah Muhammad and Naomi Baptiste) talked about their successful participation in the 2020-2021 Pan American Intercollegiate Championship held…
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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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Levon Aronian to play for U.S. after emigrating
Levon Aronian has completely started a new chapter in life. He is with his new love, Ani Ayvazyan and dog “Ponchik“. Photo by Armenian Aravot Shocking report out of Armenia today as the chess world is grappling with news that Levon Aronian, the country’s top player will emigrate to the…
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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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Kentucky hosts Chess-Kwanzaa celebration
Louisville, Kentucky will host their 2nd Annual Kwanzaa Chess Bowl during the weeklong festival. Lailah Hampton-El, Executive Director of Liberated Minds Homeschool Academy, posted a flyer announcing the event on Friday, January 1st, 2021 (New Years Day). The event was also announced in an article on WLKY.com which announced other…
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Caribbean vs. Chicago is a massive hit!
A wonderful development has resulted during the past few years and spearheaded by the Chicago Chess Blitzers (CCB). It started with traveling matches (Detroit, Cleveland, St. Louis, New York) and when the distance was an issue, online cage matches were arranged. After the National Blitz League was launched in 2017…
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Orrin Hudson chats with Les Brown!
Back in 2003, The Chess Drum ran a story about Orrin Hudson’s BeSomeone, (then) a rather new organization touting life skills through a chess metaphor. Hudson was seen playing motivational speaker Les Brown and credited him with helping him to learn the craft of motivation. Seventeen years later, the two…
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Jessica Hyatt making moves… nets $40K scholarship
Jessica Hyatt is the latest of a string of Black girls to come out of the New York area and destined for chess success. Recently, she won a $40,000 scholarship, but it was not the usual full ride to chess powerhouses like Webster or UT-Dallas. It was the Daniel Feinberg…
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USCF Nominating Committee looking for Board Members!
During the August 2020 Special Delegates Meeting, the Delegates adopted a recommendation from the Governance Task Force to create a Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee (“Committee”) will: Recruit candidates to stand for election to the Executive Board Vet the prospective candidates Endorse candidates who receive the Committee’s majority approval. The…
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