North America
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2019 Chicago Open (Wheeling, Illinois)
Summer is here and just outside of the “Windy City” in the suburb of Wheeling, the Chicago Open has begun. Aleksandr Shimanov is the defending champion, but Jeffery Xiong is the top seed and wants to repeat his 2015 win. Then only 14-years old, he has since evolved into a…
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Detroit Chess podcast features Daaim Shabazz
Detroit’s Derek Wilder hosted his weekly podcast and invited me on the show. We discussed a number of issues including the founding of The Chess Drum, the autobiography of Emory Tate (Triple Exclam), methods of chess improvement, the value of blitz chess, harnessing talent in the Black community, and possibilities…
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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…
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Nakamura, Yu… 2019 U.S. Chess Champs!
U.S. Overall (by FIDE Rating) # Name Title Rating Residence 1 Caruana, Fabiano GM 2828 St. Louis, Missouri 2 So, Wesley GM 2762 Minnetonka, Minnesota 3 Nakamura, Hikaru GM 2746 Sunrise, Florida 4 Dominguez, Leinier GM 2739 Miami, Florida 5 Shankland, Sam GM 2731 Orinda, California 6 Robson, Ray GM…
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Where are they now? Jacob Wamala
Jacob Wamala Hometown: Milford, New Hampshire Education: B.S. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2012), M.B.A University of California-Berkeley (2019) Peak Chess Rating: 2097 (USCF) 2078 (FIDE) Chess Accolades: 2-time Massachusetts H.S. State Champion Activities: MIT varsity football, OmegaBrite Scholar, MIT Minority Business Association (co-founder), Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. (Rho Nu…
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Where are they now? Rochelle Ballantyne
Rochelle Ballantyne Hometown: Brooklyn, New York Education: B.A./B.A. (double major) Stanford University (2017) Peak Chess Rating: 2127 (USCF) 1957 (FIDE) Chess Accolades: Polgar All-Girls under-14, Polgar All-Girls under-16, All-Girls under-18 title, World Youth Championship – Caldas Novas, Brazil (2011), United Arab Emirates (2013) Activities: subject in movie, “Brooklyn Castle,” Starfish…
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Where are they now? Darrian Robinson
Darrian Robinson Hometown: Brooklyn, New York Education: B.A. University of Chicago (2016), London School of Economics (study abroad) Peak Chess Rating: 2128 (USCF) 2035 (FIDE) Chess Accolades: World Youth representation – Batumi, Georgia (2006), Antala, Turkey (2009); Pan-Am Games – Cuenca, Ecuador (2006), University of Chicago Chess Team Pan-Am Intercollegiate…
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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…
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Where are they now? Jessica Wamala
Jessica Wamala Hometown: Milford, New Hampshire Education: B.A. Villanova University (2013), M.A. Villanova (2014), MPhil Middle Eastern Studies, University of Oxford (2016) Peak Chess Rating: 1790 (USCF) Chess Accolades: Massachusetts Junior High co-champ, U.S. Open “C” champion Activities: Phi Beta Kappa (honor society), Rhodes Scholar, Villanova varsity women’s basketball, Delta…
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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…
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