North America
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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: 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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Historic Moments: 1981 US Amateur Team Covington leads DC Capitol Punishers!
Chess in the Washington, DC area has a long history… particularly as it relates to the Black community. This fact was highlighted in an essay written by Gregory Kearse, “A Brief History of Black Chess Masters in America.” Charles Covington was mentioned as one of the pioneers of the 60s…
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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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Why Nakamura’s Victory is Good for Chess
The site champions the success of Black chess players, or those of African ancestry... includes interviews, playble chess games, puzzles, essays, and current chess news from around the world.
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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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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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FM Sunil Weeramantry: Reflections on Libya
Ever so often the chess community is blessed with a special personality. Sometimes that person is heralded as the next great player, but how often do we here about the people that are responsible for helping those players become great? A native of Sri Lanka, FM Sunil Weeramantry has been…
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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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Historic Moments: The Honorable George Neves Leighton
Oftentimes we see chess players at tournaments and do not realize who they are or what kind of life they lead in the “outer world.” Many of us have sat across from very powerful individuals and may not have known. George Leighton is one of these individuals. Born in New…
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