Drum Majors
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Theophilus Thompson’s Problem Book!
Theophilus Augustus Thompson Theophilus Thompson is recognized by most as the first Black player of note in the U.S. Born in 1855 in Frederick, Maryland, Thompson took to chess after seeing two gentlemen playing. He learned the moves from observing and was soon kibitzing in the games. It was interesting…
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IM Michael Schleifer: 1967-2009
IM Michael Schleifer (Canada) Photo by Mark Dutton. It is with great sadness that I learned from Neil Sullivan of the death of International Master Michael Schleifer. According to a Canadian chess board, “Chess Talk“, someone placed a call into the Montreal City morgue to verify the story. Morgue officials…
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Kassa Korley at Philly Congress
New York’s Kassa Korley has graced these pages several times, but he is perhaps known best for breaking the age record for a player of African desent to earn the National Master’s title. There are a lot of age records falling these days, but Kassa has moved on to vying…
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Street Legends Battle in New York!
New York is known by most accounts to be the “Mecca” of American chess. There are so many legendary stories borne in the “Big Apple” including Bobby Fischer and Hikaru Nakamura fame. Other colorful personalities such as Maurice Ashley and Asa Hoffman have made their marks. The latter being known…
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Jamaicans at FIDE Invitational
Both Jomo Pitterson and Shane Matthews have long been among Jamaica’s strongest players. The question has always been how strong they are internationally. Both are competing in the 23rd North American FIDE Invitational in Skokie, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Shane Matthews of Jamaica battling GM Alfonso Romero Holmes of…
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Games from 2009 Caribbean Carnival
The 2009 edition of the Caribbean Chess Carnival had some interesting games. In these games, one can see why IM Humberto Pecorelli reigned supreme over his competition. His positional understanding seemed to carry the day over nine rounds. The games had a mixture of styles… ebb and flow, vicious attacks,…
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Pecorelli ‘three-peats’ in Trinidad!
After winning the inaugural Caribbean Chess Carnival, International Master Humberto Pecorelli has travelled from Cuba to Trinidad’s Port-of-Spain the last two years to defend his title. He now qualifies for a nickname given his historic ‘three-peat’… winning three times in a row. Humberto Pecorelli Garcia wins the 2009 Caribbean Chess…
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Simutowe in Norway!
GM Bartosz Socko battling GM Amon Simutoweat the Artic Chess Challenge in Norway. Amon Simutowe is in Norway after competing in the African Championship in Libya. He mustered a +1, but was not among the top six qualifiers for the World Cup. However, things are looking well for the Zambian…
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South Africa Open goes online!
ChessCube’s Headquarters in South Africa. In a very intesting experiment, Mark Levitt, the CEO of chesscube.com, is holding the South Africa Open with players who are not at the tournament venue. Three players are located in Australia and are playing via the Internet under the supervision of arbiters. The SA…
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