The Chess Drum
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The Mind of a Grandmaster
In the chess world, GMs are considered the elite thinkers. Perhaps it is safe to say that a GM is superior in the handling of one or more key areas of the game which most times leads to finding the clearest path to victory. In his popular book, Road to…
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Historic Moments: The Wilbert Paige Memorial Chess Tournament
The Wilbert Paige Memorial Chess Tournament was a historic event that gained worldwide attention as ten masters of African descent gathered for the first tournament of its kind. Played in historic Harlem, the tournament was named in honor of NM Wilbert Paige, a Philadelphia Master possessing a deep passion for…
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Chess and the Art of Business Strategy
Chess is a fascinating ancient war sport (also an art and science) combining the excitement of tactics with the intricacies of long-range strategy. Those strategists able to distinguish the subtle transitions between the different phases of battle (opening, middlegame and endgame) will certainly maintain a tangible advantage over the opponent.…
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A LEGACY OF EXCELLENCE: A Brief History of Black Chess Masters in America (1998)
Reproduced at The Chess Drum with written permission from Mr. Gregory Kearse This article appeared in Chess Life, July 1998 edition eputations are not easy to come by in chess. Only a history of excellence and success over the board will propel a player into the limelight, push him into…
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Chess and Hip-Hop Culture
GZA of Wu Tang Clan Chess has been perceived as the game of the “nerds,” the term for a person characterized as a socially-detached genius. Of course, chess suffers from this image problem in that much of the international community writes chess off as an esoteric game that they could…
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The Making of The Chess Drum
From time to time, I’m asked a number of questions about the website, The Chess Drum. The site has developed over the past year and players who I meet at tournaments want to know the hows and the whys, so to speak. Well… there’s a short answer and a long…
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What does the future hold for Black Chess?
Leroy Muhammad during a brief comeback in 1978. Muhammad, born Leroy Jackson, was a scholastic star in the 60s and the third Black player to achieve National Master title. Photo by Bill Merrell. When one looks at the current state of affairs of chess among people of the African diaspora,…
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IM Oladapo Adu rampages through Maryland with trifecta win!
IM Oladapo Adu IM Oladapo Adu (pictured right) took on all comers in a set of Maryland tournaments during Labor Day weekend. First was the Maryland Quick Chess Championship (15 minutes per player). Some of the top players in the field were IM Lawrence Kaufman, FM Enhbat Tegshsuren (Mongolia), FM…
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Philadelphia’s Akeem Gregory-Thompson
The Twin Dynamos Akeem Gregory-ThompsonPhoto by Daaim Shabazz Bruce Thompson Sr., beams with pride when speaking of his chess playing sons, Bruce Jr. and Akeem. Akeem was persistent in his request to learn the game that had captured his imagination. Bruce Sr. states, “Akeem used to ask me occasionally, to…
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The Benefits of Scholastic Chess
The Carver H.S. chess team, 1981. Pictured above is a picture taken from The Chicago Defender (April 14, 1981). The photo accompanied a story titled, “Checkmate with Soul” about the chess team at Carver High School, a public school powerhouse of the late-70s to mid-80s. Melvin Alsberry (seated left) was…
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