The Chess Drum
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Historic Moments: DC/Maryland Legends
Most large cities in America have some type of a chess tradition. It is interesting to travel to another city and hear about the “local legend,” or the player in town that everyone is in awe of. Granted, on the national stage, this person fails to register so much as…
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White Supremacists discuss Black Chess
Part of my efforts in gathering information for The Chess Drum entails browsing the expanse of the Internet using search tools. Typically, I punch in words, combinations of words and full phrases to sift through the billions of pages and often cross some very interesting information. I often Google “www.thechessdrum.net”…
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Kujichagulia and Chess
Kujichagulia and Chess:Self-Determination vs. Resignation in a Bad Position!by Kimani Stancil, Ph.D. Before I begin, please remember that this article is a sharing piece directed to inspire, add insight, and to convince you that there is more to competitive chess than finding the best move. However, the truth behind the…
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Reflections on the Mallorca Olympiad
Looking back on my first Olympiad, it was by all counts a very positive experience. I got to reunite with a few chess friends, see players whom I have covered for the past four years and interact with some of the top chess personalities in the world. On the other…
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Confessions of a Former Chess Jerk
Confessions of a Former Chess Jerkby Steven B. Dowd, Ph.D. As we age, dates blend, so forgive me for not giving exact dates. I remember Judge George Leighton not because he was an African-American, but because of his sportsmanship. One day David Sprenkle, the future Illinois and now Washington FM,…
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Generation Chess at the 102nd New York Masters
Generation Chess at the Mastersby GM Maurice Ashley Last year I wrote an article that protested the high incidence of so-called “Grandmaster Draws” in top level chess. The world-wide outpouring of support for this point of view was tremendous: fans from Germany to Australia vented their ire via numerous emails…
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Is Chess Being “Outsourced?”
Outsourcing in Perspective With all of the discussion about U.S. jobs moving offshore to low-cost areas, there is an interesting parallel in chess. Both of these phenomena involve the emergence of technology. In the former case, multinational corporations seek to maximize efficiency and profits by moving production to cost centers…
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Historic Moments: Medina Parrilla at 2003 World Championships in Greece
Lapshun and Parrilla play a game against a picturesque backdrop. Bronx native, Medina Parrilla journeyed to Halkidiki, Greece to compete in the Under-12 championships and scored a respectable 6-5. The Bronx Times’ Noah Fowle penned an article about the 12-year old star and although she downplayed the attention she has…
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The Dynamics of Critical Thinking
In my profession, we use our body of intellectual knowledge to make complicated concepts understandable to the uninitiated. However, there is an irony to being part of this elite body of scholars. Just what does it mean to have a Ph.D. or to be a Doctor of Philosophy? How does…
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Historic Moments: Country Spotlight… Martinique
When one thinks of chess in the Caribbean, perhaps only the English-speaking countries come to mind. Of course, Cuba is by far the strongest chess nation in the Caribbean, but most seem to forget due to the strong affiliation to Latin America. The Dutch-speaking Caribbean territory has been active in…
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