The Chess Drum
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Webster’s New York chess crew makes history
Four young men from New York have continued their ambitions in chess at Webster University under the tutelage of Grandmaster Susan Polgar and Paul Truong. Shawn Swindell was the first to enter Webster and he also plays on the basketball team. He was followed by FIDE Masters Joshua Colas and…
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Kenneth Clayton, chess pioneer (1938-2017)
“When an old man dies, a library burns to the ground.” ~ African Proverb The chess world lost another pioneer the other day when National Master Kenneth Roger Clayton passed away on December 26th. The 79-year old Maryland resident was a person of consequence: a scholar, chess master, loving father/husband…
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Revisiting Baraka Shabazz
Baraka Shabazz at Dupont CirclePhoto by Washington Post Recently on Facebook, BJ McCurdy of Los Angeles raised a question on the whereabouts of Baraka Shabazz (unrelated to this writer). For the uninitiated, Baraka was a teenage sensation who experienced a meteoric rise in the late 70s. She was the subject…
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Will there be a FIDE election in 2018??
The chess horizon has been quiet since capping off a busy year with the Grand Chess Tour. Last week, I started wondering about 2018 chess year. Apart from the Alpha Zero buzz and the firestorm over the World Championship logo, there hasn’t been much in the way of chess news.…
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2018 WCC logo design creates firestorm
We’ve all heard the numerous puns concerning chess. They dot the tournament halls on t-shirts and many are very catchy and humorous. In this season, we will hear blitz players sing any number of holiday songs adapted for chess. Instead of “chestnuts roasting on a open fire,” my high school…
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2017 London Chess Classic (London, England)
The last event of the Grand Chess Tour will culminate with the London Chess Tour and perhaps will be the last major event of the year. There is still the Tata Steel Chess January 12th-28th, the World Candidates tournament in March to be held in Berlin, Germany and the World…
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Chicago-St. Louis rivalry on chessboard!
IM Angelo Young will lead the BlitzersPhoto by Nathan Kelly Chicago Chess Club has been keen on igniting the chess scene with spirited cage matches. However, the club is back at locking horns in a city vs. city battle and there is no matchup more fierce than Chicago-St. Louis. The…
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What is the Emory Tate Gambit?
The Tate Gambit?? Recently I had a lengthy call with FM William Morrison. It was a pleasant conversation which was originally about his ailing mother, but ended up on a chat about his fellow chess legend in the African Diaspora, IM Emory Tate. He mentioned the praise circulating about Triple…
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2017 Cote d’Ivoire Team Invitational
Cote d’Ivoire, also known as the “Ivory Coast,” has been an active chess presence in West Africa. Under the leadership of Dr. Jean-Claude Essis Essoh, the Chess Federation of Cote d’Ivoire (FIDEC) has participated in the past few Olympiad tournaments and has been helping to lead an increase in popularity…
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Seattle Chess Youth love Officer Cookie!
Officer Denise “Cookie” BouldinPhoto by Joe Dyer With all of the tension that exist between urban youth and the police force, there have been so many suggestions to bridge the gap. There have been meetings with celebrity athletes, summits and other initiatives. There are a number of videos of police…
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