Drum Majors
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Hurricane Katrina: A Black Chess Player’s Story
Hurricane Katrina: A Black Chess Player’s Story by Glenn Bady Hurricane Katrina slammed ashore New Orleans producing 110 + Kt winds, flooding 15-20 feet above normal. August 30, 2005 levees “broke” in New Orleans and water pours in covering 80% city and raising 20 feet in some areas. Fortunately, during…
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Historic Moments: Jorge Renteriá & Afro-Colombian Chess
Colombia, a land of 37 million lying at the northwest region of South America, has long been one of the most active nations in the sport of chess. GM Alonso Zapata is perhaps the most famous player and remains as the country’s top player. However, other players are rising. One…
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The HB Global Chess Challenge
The HB Global Chess Challengeby GM Maurice Ashley May 8, 2005 Hello everyone! The HB Global Chess Challenge is now less than ten days away! It’s hard to believe that over a year and a half of hard work is about to come to fruition. I have heard from many…
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Historic Moments: Stephen Muhammad at the U.S. Championships
FM Stephen Muhammad at the 2003 U.S. Chess ChampionshipPhoto by Daaim Shabazz IM-elect Stephen Muhammad faces eventual winner Hikaru Nakamura round 1 of the 2005 U.S. Chess Championship. Photo by U.S. Chessmaster Championships Stephen Muhammad’s consecutive appearances at the U.S. Championship will stand as a historic landmark for many years…
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Historic Moments: ‘Magnificence in Bled: The 35th Chess Olympiad’
“Magnificence In Bled: The 35th Chess Olympiad” Author: Ian WilkinsonPublisher: LMH Publishing LimitedReviewed by: Balford Henry For the past two years “chess don” Ian Wilkinson has not only served the Jamaica Chess Federation (JCF) as its president, but has worked feverishly on completing his book, “Magnificence In Bled: The 35th…
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Historic Moments: African-American Unity Chess Tournaments (1992)
When those following chess in the Black chess community worldwide are asked about a famous tournament in Harlem comprising of strong chess players of African descent, they will invariably mention the Wilbert Paige Memorial. However, there was a precedent. Maurice Ashley (right) sent a provocative letter calling for an initiative…
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Historic Moments: Africans in the 2004 FIDE World Championship
Clockwise (L-R) GM Hichem Hamdouchi (Morocco), IM Amon Simutowe (Zambia), IM Ahmed Adly (Egypt) and IM-elect Kenny Solomon (South Africa). The Dawn of a New Beginning The 2004 FIDE World Knockout Championship was a historic event for many reasons. First, it is the next step toward unification; secondly, the tournament…
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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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Historic Moments: 1989 U.S. Open Photo Gallery
Reflections on the 1989 U.S. Open The year of 1989 was an interesting year for Black chess. Maurice Ashley and Emory Tate had begun to get the recognition they had long deserved and had continued to prove themselves. Both starred at the 1988 New York Open earning IM norms. In…
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The Curse of the Chess Expert
In almost every sporting activity, there is one thought that inevitably enters a competitor’s mind… the quest for mastery. This level of attainment would place the individual in an elite group of competitors in that sport and they would stand as an example of the discipline and fortitude required to…
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