Jensen's Masterpiece
This is a story of a trinity: a store, a man and a masterpiece. Nearly a century ago, a man named William Lindenberg opened a jewelry store on 1314 E. 45th St. in Seattle. This was in...
The Julien Levy Gallery
Chess as Art had been debated over and over. Whether or not Chess is Art, there does seems to be some affinity between the two disciplines. Marcel Duchamp, a devotee to both, explained that it was the compl...
The Dean of American Chess
The expression "Dean of American Chess" officially refers to specific individuals whose contribution to American Chess deserves special recognition and, as such, the title is considered the highest honor the national organizat...
Double the Fun
A few months ago Chess.com introduced an individual version of four player chess called "Free For All." Just recently a second version called "Teams" has been released. Four player chess is hardly a new concept....
The First Computer Chess Championship in the USA
For nearly 20 years computers have dominated chess. These advanced devises not only defeat the best players, but have become indispensable as training tools, analyzing partners and always-ready opponents. &...
Havana '66
Fulgencio Batista, president of Cuba during WWII and again from 1952-1959, backed by the US government as well as by organized crime, enriched himself at the expense of his citizenry. One of his methods of enrichment was to e...
The Forums
When I first came to chess.com, it was to avail myself of its wonderful blogging tools and its chess-centric community. After 6 years of blogging, I chose to devote my time instead to the generally more involved pu...
Dancing
Johannes Jacobus van Oosterom Joop van Oosterom, the Dutch business and chess maecenas, died in October of 2016. The Association Max Euwe of Monaco, which Oosterom, along with his hi...
Advance to Ventnor III
1943 The 1943 tournament was held from July 5th - July 11 Anthony Santasiere and Pfc. George Shainswift shared the $50 first prize award. Santasiere, who espoused Romanticism, played defensi...
Advance to Ventnor II
1941 The 1941 Ventnor City Invitational took place on the Municipal Pier from July 5-13. Of those initially invited, Jack Collins, Harry Morris and Olaf Uvestad couldn't accept and were replace...
Advance to Ventnor I
Introduction Ventnor City is a charming resort community on New Jersey's Absecon Island, snuggled between Margate City and the more famous Atlantic City. In the Spring of 1939 Richard W. Wayne...
War Games: Reshevsky-Kashdan
In the latter part of 1941 the USCF, only three years old, started finalizing its plans for the 1942 performance of its crown jewel, the U.S. Championship. But in December the unthinkable happened and the United St...
Morphy-Time
Probably no timepiece with a connection to chess is more famous than Morphy's watch. Earlier this year, inspired by it's uniqueness and historic significance, the RGM Watch Co. of Mt. Joy, P...
Links to the Past III
As in attics where things once used get stored out of sight and mind, old articles have a way of burying themselves under the weight of those that follow, becoming lost and forgotten. Sometimes it pays to put on an apron and gloves, wall...
Game of the Month
The United States in the 1940s had many splendid chess players such as Sammy Reshevsky, Reuben Fine, Al Horowitz and Isaac Kashdan. The following story involves all those legends in some fashion. &nb...
Santasiere's Thoughts and Remembrances
While wanting to write an introduction, putting my thoughts on the topic into words has proven to be a most difficult undertaking. Although I predominantly scour books, newspapers and periodicals for the bulk...
Santasiere's Folly
Anthony Edward Santasiere - This name evokes images of the New York chess scene during the 1920, 30s and 40s: Frank Marshall, Edward Lasker, Albert Pinkus, Fred Reinfeld, Sammy Reshevsky, Abe Kupchik, Isaac Kashdan, I.A. Horowit...
American Woman - Part VI
Preface: An official U.S. Women's Chess Championship has existed for nearly 80 years. The USCF lists 1937 as the first year. There have been many strong and important women players over the early...
American Woman - Part V
Preface: An official U.S. Women's Chess Championship has existed for nearly 80 years. The USCF lists 1937 as the first year. There have been many strong and important women players over the early...
American Woman - Part IV
Preface: An official U.S. Women's Chess Championship has existed for nearly 80 years. The USCF lists 1937 as the first year. There have been many strong and important women players over the early...
American Woman - Part III
Preface: An official U.S. Women's Chess Championship has existed for nearly 80 years. The USCF lists 1937 as the first year. There have been many strong and important women players over the early yea...
American Woman - Part II
Preface: An official U.S. Women's Chess Championship has existed for nearly 80 years. The USCF lists 1937 as the first year. There have been many strong and important women players over the early year...
American Woman - Part I
Preface: An official U.S. Women's Chess Championship has existed for nearly 80 years. The USCF lists 1937 as the first year. There have been many strong and important women players over the early year...
Willa and Edith
Nowadays information lies at our fingertips. One might even argue that there is such an overflow that the effect is numbing and that the preciousness of the information lowers in an inverse ratio to the quantity.&n...