Marvin Dandridge brings Chicago Fire!
Just posted an oldie, but goodie. The game is actually one-sided attack, but shows how to conduct an attack against the king. Chicago native National Master Marvin Dandridge is one of the most gifted tacticians I have ever seen. I had the opportunity to train with him and was on the wrong side of his stunning sacrifices. In analysis sessions, he was quick with tactical variations. When you played him you could sometimes feel that something bad was about to happen when the position got complicated. As I matured, I was able to do better against this style, but he certainly made a positive impression on me.
Marvin Dandridge and Daaim Shabazz at 1989 U.S. Open
Dandridge was also one of the funniest chess players around. His sense of humour was raucous and sometimes off-color, but he kept things enjoyable around Chicago’s Tuley Park chess club back in the 80s. He was also the best trash-talker and would perform any number of songs, foreign accents and chants during a blitz game and yell “MATE!” when he chalked up another victory. We all loved it! He is now affectionately known in the Chicago area as “Uncle Marv.”
Back in the glory days, Dandridge was a chess terrorizer… a muscular fit of a man and champion wrestler. We both attended the same Chicago Vocational High School (CVS) and played under Tom Fineberg. Dandridge was several years ahead of me, but by the time I met him, his fame had already preceded him. He has a twin brother Martin Dandridge, who was the captain of the football team. Marvin was also on the team, but not as accomplished as his brother. If you asked Marvin what position he played, he’d laugh, “I played the bench.”
Marvin Dandridge watching Sedrick Prude and Vincent Bazemore analyze
during the 2008 Chicago Open. Photo by Frank Johnson/shootfilm.net.
I have seen people get angry at Marvin’s barbs, but end up laughing at themselves. I remember Dandridge was in a blitz session with (now FM) Albert Chow at Jules Stein’s Chess Center on North Halsted. After Dandridge’s antics and a couple of losses, Chow got very, very angry. Chow later chuckled, “I don’t know why I got so mad at Marvin Dandridge.” He also got under the skin of (now FM) Larry Chachere after humiliating him in blitz games. Chachere, a rising star then, dismissively said to Dandridge, “You’re just a bowl of tactics.”
Marvin was never confrontational, but his raucous laughter was infectious. Nowadays, he doesn’t play in weekend tournaments, but had he put time into his game, he could have certainly been stronger than his 2350 maximum rating. Here is one of his bashings against Boris Kreiman, who was then a young star and now a Grandmaster.
what a thrashing! very nice game
great attacking game with the 2 knight sacs!!
I was there at the tournament and saw this game live and was
in awe of Marvin. At that time I really didn’t know him and
thought him to be somewhat standoffish, but Marvin is quite the
gent. His comments can be rather sharp, but they are truthful and
offer considerable constructive criticism.
Nice to see an article about Marvin.
Great games!
The big ‘D’ strikes again!
I am in Chicago right now and have had the pleasure of sparring with Mr. Dandridge. Even today he is no slouch. 😯
I played Marvin D way back in 1977 in the American College Union International Championship in Whitewater, Wisconsin. I was 20 and he must have been 18 or 19. What a long time it’s been since then. Also, I played Marvin D a few blitz games right around 1990 at the Oak Park Club where he visited one night. As I recall he beat me up pretty badly in those blitz games.
All the best to Marvin D. 🙂
They have been playing at the Borders bookstore in Hyde Park near Harpers Court. They also play at the University of Chicago in the library. The library seems to be the after Borders spot.
Sorry I didn’t get a chance to talk to you last weekend, Daaim: I just happened to read the first half of your father’s book last night….
I hadn’t seen Uncle Marv for a couple years myself…we chatted for 20 minutes and analyzed a little. Here’s a photo (apologies for poor quality)
https://www.ilchess.org/icaforum/view_topic.php?id=369&forum_id=2
I went -2 as well. Neurons are dying every day….
I had the privilege of playing a few games against Marvin. Lost all of them. “I had a feeling you might to swing those rooks around” he said during one middle game as he made a game-deciding move I hadn’t anticipated. He smoked me at Scrabble, too. I think he’s a great guy. Once when he was playing blitz against Gene Scott he had a losing position, and moved his king out of check, leaving his queen exposed to capture. Gene triumphantly snatched the queen, and Marvin smilingly played king takes king. Gene hadn’t noticed that Marvin had placed his king diagonally next to his. That got a good coffehouse laugh — even from Gene eventually.
My earlier quote omitted the word “try” — it should’ve been ” … might try to swing those rooks …”, not “… might to swing …”. As Marvin says, “there are no takebacks in chess”, but on the net, we can at least try to correct our errors.
I’m a systems programmer, and I worked with another systems programmer at the Merc who said he played chess regularly with Marv when they were young. He conceded that Marv had the edge between them. The guy was apparently a close enough friend of Marvin’s that he probably knows the popcorn ingredients. Was it cheesy (“it’s not easy being cheesy”) or, sweet or salt or both, or spicy, or something else?
Good to see the article about Marvin.I remember back in the day when we went to New York. Pam AM College Games 1981-82. Me, Marvin, Hickman, Bolden,(shabazz) and i forget. We had a blast. Tuley Park will always be remembered. Miller, Mitchell, Tom, Marvin, Darren, Hickman, Keith(Bradley) myself, and the occasional buster that happened to come play. Backgammon! and of course Chess. Game 30, Game 15, and of course Speed!! Although I must say Carver ruled 78-81! First board yours truly. Yes, I remember Marvin and i playin speed! He was a bit faster, But i managed to win a few….
Daaim,
Good to hear from you. I’m in Peoria, ILL right now. Not active with USCF but play from time to time. Had a Chess Club for a time and gave lessons. Now jus BZ. Yeah your right, Pam AM was an experience. About 80, we had a young team. But remember we won City 3out of 4 yrs I played. Keep up the good work! Keep n touch. Melvin
Brother Shabazz thanks for posting that game i missed that one, it got awfully Talactical quite fast! hehe.
MARVIN DANDRIDGE has always, always been a remarkable Chess Player and I was amazed when he spent time teaching me the Basics of the Game! He’s a born Winner and I’m very Proud of his accomplishments! Growing UP MARVIN, always gave You a piece of his Mind, Humor and more! Ann Dandridge, Sister of Marvin Dandridge
I believe that I was the person who originated the term “bowl of tactics,” which I used to derisively refer to Dandridge after Chow told me of a game where Dandridge had played the gambit 1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 e4!? 4.Ng5 b5!??! He later became a well-rounded player, not just a bowl of tactics, but certainly that too. We played only one tournament game, where I played the Bronstein-Larsen Caro-Kann for the first and only time. It went badly and I ended up with my king on c7! I expected him to mate me into oblivion in characteristic Dandridge fashion, but I somehow survived to draw.
When Dandridge was playing blitz and losing, he’d be very quiet, but then when he started winning he’d whoop it up and trash-talk. This could get infuriating. Dandridge liked to recount a time when he’d particularly gotten under Chow’s skin and Chow yelled, “I hate you, Marvin Dandridge! I hate you!” I sometimes did too on such occasions, but it was very transitory. I haven’t seen Dandridge for close to a decade, unfortunately. He’s a great guy, a very strong player, and a real character – not at all consistent with the popular stereotype of the nerdy chessplayer.
I visited Chow’s apartment, too. As I recall, Tony Sillars and Eric Sindelar were his roommates. I wasn’t suggesting that Dandridge’s 1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 e4 4.Ng5 b5 game was against Chow. Chow just mentioned to me that Dandridge had played a game with that line. Actually, it works pretty well unless White finds 5.d3!, in which case Black is in serious trouble.
And yes, the Slupik-Chow incident was a travesty, which won the state championship for Proviso West over Lane. The Illinois High School official who ruled that Slupik had won the game (and thus that Proviso West had won the championship) was Larry Stillwell, who was also the coach of the Proviso West team!! Teensy little conflict of interest there . . . .
Yes, as you doubtless know, the Illinois High School Association had an inane rule that high school chess team members couldn’t play with adults. The IHSA treated chess as just another “sport”: since football and baseball players weren’t allowed to play chess with adults, neither could chess players. Tom Fineberg must have been one of the few school coaches who actually made his players adhere to that. At one point I got kicked off Lane’s team for a while because someone from another team had reported me for violating that rule. Hell, they could have disqualified Lane’s whole team, and I suppose most other strong players (except CVS’s, evidently) for violating that rule. I’m told that the rule is no longer in force, thank goodness. A high school player who aspires to chess greatness certainly isn’t going to get there just playing other high school players. The competition was so weak that out of about 40 games I played in high school matches, I won all but one.
I believe the rule still IS in force, except that there’s a summertime amnesty. (Everything done after Memorial Day is forgiven by Labor Day, and eligibility resets.) This was the rule circa 2005.
My Brother eugene passed away 1/13/10 in round rock texas he was only 44 years old he leaves behind a wife and two small kids
and one adult son
Happy Belated Birthday Dr, Shabazz ( June 19th )
You will be pleased to know that Chess is flourishing on the south
side like the Tuley Park days in the 80s. Dandridge, Hickman and
I are battling in 5-min. speed chess games along with Sam Ford
and dozens of sometimes lucky opponents. Sites of daily combat
include Burger King (95th Stony Island), U of C rec hall ( 57th
University) and Outside in the park ( 53rd Hyde Park Blvd, when
weather permits) by the way Hickman’s birthday was June 16th.
Keep up the good work. Marvin ( Dr. X) Johnson
Does anyone remember Raheem muhammad who taught self defence at tuley park in the 70’s and 80’s. I am an old student of his and haven’t seen him since i went into the military. If there is someone in contact with him, I would really like to reconnect. please contact me.
Thanks.
Daaim, good to hear about Marvin Dandridge. I hadn’t seen him in about 6 years.If you have an Email address, refer it to me.
Remember playing basketball with Marvin
between rounds at Proviso West tourney circa
1976. I never had the pleasure of playing
Marvin; however, I remember Coleman playing
my teammate and 1st board Kurt Stein at 1975
state tourney. (CVS-Proviso West)
I also remember playing against Fineberg’s
Tuley Pk while playing for Hillside CC.
Allen Coffey
Yes, Mr Fineberg’s and Mr Stilwell
changed many young lives with their
passion and dedication to the game
of chess.
Were you there when Slupik played
Chow? If so what was the team score
of the match as a result of Slupik’s win?
Thanks,Allen
Thanks Daaim,
I like that there is an archive records
which reflect my 2nd place on Board 1
in 1978.
Any good chess clubs in around Chicago?
Days & times if you know them.
Regards, Allen
Wow, It’s good to see people in touch from back in our power Carver Challengers Chess Team from 77-81 and all the other names I remember too well from Tuley park and chess tournaments from back in the day. remember this “Chess checkers backgammon or cards name you game :).” I have not been able to free my time up these days to play I only get a chance to play 2 or three times a year with worthy opponents but I still and will always love the game.