Obituary
-
Glenn Umstead, “The Chess Artist” passes away
National Master Glenn Umstead was one of the most dedicated chess enthusiasts on the East Coast. “Supercoach” passed away on October 24, 2024, at his home in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and was laid to rest on November 2nd. Glenn had suffered a stroke in 2022 and was reportedly not…
Read More » -
Bernard Parham, chess innovator, passes away
Bernard Parham I, the 1967 Indiana State Champion and creator of the Matrix Chess System, has passed away. His son Bernard II relayed the news to The Chess Drum, “Resigned against diabetes on Wednesday, June 19th—one day after reaching his 58th wedding anniversary.” Born on October 30, 1946, to Eddie…
Read More » -
Warren Seymour, legend of Bahamian chess, dies
According to press reports, Bahamas chess legend Warren Seymour passed away Tuesday morning, and the country now mourns his loss. If anyone can be called the “father” of Bahamaian chess, it would be Mr. Seymour. He is widely known in the country as one who single-handedly put chess on the…
Read More » -
South Carolina’s Keith Eubanks (1965-2022)
Keith Vernon Eubanks, 56, of Columbia, SC was born on September 27, 1965 and passed away on September 23, 2022. He was a lifelong resident of South Carolina and was a mainstay in the South Carolinian chess scene. No cause of death is known, but Keith had a long struggle…
Read More » -
Howard chess activist, Sultan-Diego Sulayman (1995-2022)
Sultan-Diego Abdullah Sulayman, a 2020 finance graduate of Howard University, passed away suddenly on October 30th after being found by his mother at their home. The news came as a shock to the Howard community as he was only 26, weeks away from his 27th birthday. At the time of…
Read More » -
IM Nestor Velez passes away
IM Nestor Tomas Velez BetancourtMay 5th, 1956 – June 28, 2022 It is with regret that The Chess Drum announces the passing of Cuban International Master Nestor Velez. According to social media sources, he passed away this afternoon. Correspondence International Master MI José Guillermo De La Rosa Solórzano sent the…
Read More » -
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…
Read More » -
Chicago chess legend FM Albert Chow dies
FIDE Master Albert Chow died shortly after 5pm on Saturday, October 30, 2021. According to his friend Bill Brock, he had been diagnosed with metastatic squamous cell carcinoma (neck cancer). Chow was born on January 26, 1964, and was 57 years old on the day of his passing. FM Albert…
Read More » -
Philadelphia loses Jerome Works (1955-2021)
Jerome Works(April 1, 1955 – September 5, 2021)Photo Jerome Works (Facebook) There is a unique power in humility. It has an endearing quality when one wears it. It puts us at ease but also empowers. It is the trait that Jerome Works carried with him until his last words this…
Read More » -
Detroit’s Joseph Gadson passes away
Joseph Gadson (Detroit, USA) Photo by Joseph Gadson (Facebook)The Detroit chess community is mourning the devastating loss of Joseph Nathan Gadson. He died yesterday a day shy of his 36th birthday from the complications of gastroparesis, a rare disease that primarily affects the gastrointestinal system. Joseph stated that he was…
Read More »
