Drum Classics #3

Photo 1

Who is this 8-time National Champion?


I just found an exciting game involving Emory Tate (who else?) and Sheldon Wong from the 1991 World Open. Wong is a Jamaican national of Chinese descent and is considered a legendary figure in the annals of Jamaican history. According to Ian Wilkinson,

In 1976 sixteen year-old Sheldon Wong, regarded in some circles as Jamaica’s greatest ever chess talent, won the National Championship and then represented Jamaica the same year at the 15th World Junior Chess Championships in Groningen, Holland, winning a brilliancy prize for his second round Grunfeld win against the Israeli Nir Grinberg. Wong became a national master in 1977 and retained his national title the same year. (see game)

Many years after his sensation burst on the chess scene, Wong faced another legend in Tate and the game showed what happens when two tacticians meet. Marvin Dandridge once told me that you cannot attack a tactician. Maybe he’s right!

Play over game!


Photo 2

Five IMs in his photo. Who are they?
(Hint: They are all from Africa.)

5 Comments

  1. Good! 😉

    I first saw her at the 2004 Olympiad. I didn’t get a chance to talk to her, but I’ll look for her if I go to Dresden this year. I’m not sure how good her English is. My practice of capoeira hasn’t taught me a whole lot of Portuguese either!

  2. No one knew this. 😕 This remains one of the strongest African contingents on the continent. It is the land of Angola.

    The Angolan team at the 1996 Chess Olympiad in Yerevan, Armenia. Pictured in above picture are: kneeling – IM Alexandre Nacsimento, IM Manuel Mateus; standing – IM Armindo Sousa, IM Pedro Aderito, IM Eugenio Campos, Ludy Sousa. They have since produced a couple of other strong players including 15-year old phenom Roberto Erickson.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button