Chess opponents and acquaintances
by Bill Wall
I have played over 35,000 opponents and over 42,000 games since 1969. Here are some of my opponents and acquaintances.
Acosta, Mariano A (1949 - )
Life Master. He works in accounting and is a chess tutor in Chicago. I lost to him in the 1977 US Open, held in Columbus, Ohio. He is a chess instructor in the schools in Northern California.
Anchondo, Francisco (1960 - )
Chess expert. I lost to him twice in the Pacific Armed Forces Championship. I won the Pacific Armed Forces Championship several times.
Anderson, Selby K. (1955 - )
Strong master from San Antonio. He tied for 1st place in the 1995 Texas championship. His peak USCF rating was 2367. He has won the San Antonio Chess Club and the San Antonio City championship 10 times. He was editor of the Texas Knights, the magazine of the Texas Chess Association. I lost to him in the 1991 San Antonio Open.
Andrews, Steven (1957 - )
Master from Florida. He was rated over 2300. I lost to him in the Space Coast Open, overlooking a perpetual check.
Atkins, Christopher G. (1960 - )
Attorney from Dayton, Ohio area. Active Dayton Chess Club member. His peak rating was 2032. I have 1 win against him.
Attig, Doug
Correspondence chess player. He maintains the University of Pittsburgh chess archives website. I have 2 correspondence wins against him.
Barcarola, Louis G.
Chess master who I played several time in the US Air Force championships. He was last active in the USCF in 2000. I have 1 draw and 2 losses against him.
Beard, Brian
Active member of the Dayton Chess Club. In 1980, he won the Dayton Chess Club Championship. He became the president of the Dayton Chess Club in 1984, succeeding me. His last USCF rating in 1990 was 2115. I have two wins and a draw against him.
Beardsley, Bruce D. (May 29, 1927 - )
One of the stronger chess players at the Tacoma Chess Club in the 1960s and 1970s. He was Tacoma Chess Champion in 1971. He was rated around 1900. He was an active tournament director of the Tacoma Chess Club. He is a retired Army officer. He was active in the USCF until 1998.
Bechstein, Henry
Air Force buddy and chess opponent while stationed at Sheppard AFB in Wichita Falls, Texas.
Behnen, Bill (1936 - )
Active member of the Dayton Chess Club. He served as Treasurer. He was the editor of the Ohio Chess Bulletin for many years (1976 to 1982). He was rated around 1326. In later life, he took an interest in marathon runs. He visited me in Mountain View, Ca in 1987 to play chess and run a marathon. He worked as a railroad crew. He now lives in Indiana.
Benjamin, Joel (Mar 11, 1964 - )
American chess Grandmaster. I first met him when he was 13 at the US Open in Columbus, Ohio. I interviewed him and his father. At the age of 13, he broke Fischer’s record as the youngest U.S. master.
Bhat, Vinay (Jun 4, 1984 - )
Chess grandmaster (2007) who I helped coach when he was a young boy at the Palo Alto Chess Club when I served as president and tournament director.
Blackmer, Roy H.
Chess expert and member of the Palo Alto Chess Club. His last USCF rating was 2151. He has beaten me twice.
Blaine, Roger
Active chess player and organizer. In 1964, he played Bobby Fischer in a simul in 1982, he was elected president of the Ohio Chess Association after I stepped down after two years as its president. He was rated around 1863. He was a librarian. He now lives in Indiana.
Blocker, Calvin (Jun 28, 1955 - )
International Master (1982) from Cleveland. He won the Ohio championship 12 times. I handed out trophies and checks to him several times as President of the Ohio Chess Association. His peak rating was 2578. He played a simul in Cleveland, winning 110 games, drawing 6 games, and losing none. He is an accomplished pianist.
Blossom, Donald M.
Active member of the Dayton Chess Club. In 1987, he won the Dayton Chess Club championship. His peak rating was around 1800. I won 5 and lost 3 games against him in Dayton.
Bosse, Edward (Sep 19, 1908 - May 1, 1985)
Chess organizer at the Tacoma Chess Club in the 1960s and 1970s. I bought my first chess clock from him and several chess books when I joined the Tacoma Chess Club in May, 1969. He was an older gentleman of the club. He was a former Army Colonel. In the 1960s, he was the vice-president and president of the Washington State Chess Federation. He was rated around 1400.
Britt, Thomas J.
Chess master from Dayton. In September, 1983, he won the 1983 Dayton Invitational. His peak USCF rating is 2270. I lost to him twice in tournament play.
Brown, R. Grady
Strong southern chess player and tournament director. He won the 1957 and 1958 South Carolina State Chess Championship. He was an active player in North Carolina in the 1970s. His last USCF rating was 1925. I have one draw and one loss against him.
Browne, Walter (Jan 10, 1949 - )
I first met GM Walter Browne at the American Open in November, 1969. He played board 1, rated 2477 (not a grandmaster yet). I met him again at the World Open in New York in 1973, which he won. I met him again at the World Class Championship in Vancouver, BC in May 1975. He played his last round game with Paul Keres. I ran the wallboard for them. In December 1975, Walter did a nationwide simul tour. I played him in Henderson, NC and lost. I challenged him to a tennis match, and the next day, I beat him in tennis. I have run into him at several other national tournaments, such as the World Open and the National Open. I ran his demo board for his games at the 1991 San Francisco International.
Buchanan, Richard W.
Chess master and organizer from Dayton and Colorado. Also known as Buck Buchanan. In 1967, he won the Dayton Chess Club Championship. From 1971 to 1976, he was the editor of the Dayton Chess Club Review. I was its editor from 1980 to 1984. In 1976 he was president of the Dayton Chess Club. I was president of the Dayton Chess Club in 1980 and 1981. He moved to Colorado in 1977.
Buntin, Steven L. (Nov 5, 1950 - Jan 1, 2013)
Editor of the Carolina Gambit. I was a co-editor in the 1970s. He was rated a little over 1600. He lived in Chapel Hill, NC. He was also the editor of Kxe6s Verein, a chess periodical. I defeated him in 13 moves at the 1976 NC championship, held in Winston-Salem.
Burk, Vernon Dale (Mar 31, 1942 – Dec 20, 1991)
Active Dayton Chess Club (DCC) member and rated around 2058. He won the Dayton Chess Club championship in 1969, 1977, 1981, 1982 and 1991. He was President of the Dayton Chess Club from 1969 to 1971, and in 1977. I was its president in 1981 and 1982. He was the editor of the DCC Review chess magazine from 1977 to 1979. I was the editor from 1980 to 1984. His last USCF rating was 2058. He suffered from diabetes, which caused his early death. I only had 1 win, 3 draws and 4 losses against him.
Campelli, Crispaldo
Chess opponent in Dayton, Ohio and Air force officer. He now lives is Boston and is a computer software engineer. I played 104 games against him.
Chance, John (Oct 5, 1930 - Sep 16, 1986)
Active member of the Tacoma Chess Club in the 1960s. He was rated around 1500.
Chou, Tien S. (1937 - )
Strong Dayton chess player. In December 1987, he won the Dayton Chess Club championship. He was rated over 2130. I lost to him in the 1981 Gem City Open in Dayton.
Christiansen, Larry (Jun 27, 1956 - )
I first saw Larry Christiansen at the American Open in Santa Monica in 1969. I played him in a simul game and a blindfold game at the Dayton Chess Club in 1980 when he was touring for Church’s Fried Chicken. I lost both games, probably missing a win in both games.
Cooley, Allen M
Life master who lived in North Carolina in the 1970s. His peak rating was 2342. He tied for first place in 1975 in the North Carolina high school championship, and won it in 1976. I had 2 draws and 1 loss against him.
Cunningham, Walter (Oct 17, 1943 – Jul 31, 2010)
PhD in Psychology who was a professor at the University of Florida at Gainsville for 30 years. He was a USCF Life Master. He was the youngest chess master in the U.S. in the late 1950s. I drew with him at the Space Coast Open.
Curtin, Eugene (Apr 3, 1960 - )
Strong 2400 player. He won the Irish championship in 1984 and 1985. He won the Texas State Championship in 1990, 1991, and 1998. He has a PhD in mathematics and teaches at a Texas State University. I lost to him in the UT San Antonio Open.
Davidson, Dennis R.
Regular chess opponent, rated around 1600. He lives in Taylorsville, NC. We have played dozens of games against each other.
Del Rosario, Frisco (Aug 1, 1963 - )
He has taught hundreds of students through Success Chess schools and the Kolty Chess Club. As a writer, he has been the editor of the Redwood City Weekly News Chess Column (1989-1991), California Chess Journal (2001-2003), SCS Dragon (2004-2005), and has written the book, A First Book of Morphy (2006). He also won the Chess Journalist of the Year Award for 2005. I drew against him in a 1988 LERA event in Sunnyvale, CA.
Demers, Rex A. (Oct 9, 1956 – Apr 10, 2010)
Strong North Carolina master who later moved to Savannah, Georgia. He was a high school math teacher. His peak rating was 2385. He coached kids in chess for 24 years. In 1974, he won the North Carolina high school championship. I had 1 draw and 2 losses against him.
Dimazana, Eric B. (Oct 23, 1965- )
Active San Antonio master in the 1990s. He won the San Antonio City championship in 1996 and took 1st place in the Texas Southwest Open in 1998. His peak rating was 2291. I have 2 losses against him.
Donaldson, William John (Sep 24, 1958 - )
International master and member of the Palo Alto Chess Club. We both were members of the Tacoma Chess Club. He runs the Mechanics’ Institute Chess Club in San Francisco. We have corresponded many times together. I beat him in a simul in Palo Alto.
Dorsch, Thomas (1942 - )
Chess master who was active in the Palo Alto Chess Club. He now lives in Nebraska. He is a former president of the CalChess Association. I lost to him in the 1989 Palo Alto Club championship.
Dorff, Stephen J.
Chess master from Cincinnati. I played in during one of the Dayton vs. Cincinnati matches in the 1980s. I have 3 losses against him.
Downing, Richard
Strong chess player at Northrop Institute of Technology, which we attended in 1969. He had formally been a member of the Manhattan Chess Club.
Driver, Riley Daniel
Active member of the Dayton Chess Club (DCC). His peak rating was around 1980. In 1980 and 1983, he was the president of the DCC and I was the vice-president. In 1981, he was the editor of the DCC Review. I became the editor in 1983. He was editor of the Ohio Chess Bulletin from 1997 to 1999. I have 5 wins, 5 losses, and 2 draws against him.
Dudley, Bobby G.
My editor and publisher at Chess Enterprises, Inc (CEI). He edited En Passant for the Pittsburgh Chess Club for 24 years. He is rated around 1705. He published 29 of my chess books. He has published over 500 books at Chess Enterprises. He is an accomplished pianist. In 1962, he won the first USCF-rated chess tournament in France. He served in the Air Force from 1951 to 1971, retiring as Lt. Colonel. He was a college educator at Robert Morris College from 1971 to 1992. In 1965, he was President of the Texas Chess Association. I ran for President of the Texas Chess Association in the early 1990s, but did not get elected. He has over 8,000 chess books in his library.
Echaure, Samuel (1952 - )
Air Force Colonel and surgeon. We played several times in the Air Force championships, held at Andrews AFB, MD. His peak rating was 2116. I have 2 draws and 1 loss against him. He once told me that playing chess was harder than surgery.
Edmundson, Ed (Aug 13, 1920 – Oct 21, 1982)
Ed Edmundson was President of the USCF from 1963 to 1966, and Executive Director from 1966 to 1975. He was an Air Force navigator and retired as a Lt. Colonel. I met him at the 1977 U.S. Open in Columbus, Ohio. I beat him in a round of putt-putt golf during the tournament.
Espedal, Bruce W. (1943 - )
Active Dayton Chess Club member. In 1973, he won the Dayton Chess Club championship. His last USCF rating was 1781. I have 2 wins and 1 loss against him.
Farmer, Steve
President of the Palo Alto Chess Club in the 1980s. I later became its President from 1985 to 1991.
Ferrara, John
Air Force Master Sergeant and roommate that occasionally played chess. We were stationed at Beale AFB, CA and U Tapao AB, Thailand in the early 1970s.
Foo, Nathan
Young active chess player in Melbourne, Florida. He has won many scholastic tournaments. I am his coach.
Foster, Ursula L. (Jan 12, 1927 – Aug 9, 2004)
Active chess player in Northern California. Holocaust survivor and former classmate of Anne Frank. Her peak rating was 1753. She lived in Modesto, California. I have 1 wins against her in Fremont, CA.
Frenkel, Vera (Sep 29, 1940 - )
Active chess player with her husband, Filipp. She is a woman FIDE master. Her rating was around 2146. I have 2 losses against her in LERA events.
Friscoe, Lou
Active Columbus, Ohio chess player and president of the Central Chess Club of Columbus. Peak USCF rating around 1874. He is an attorney. I have 2 wins against him.
Fuerstman, Leland L. (May 21, 1947 - )
Master from Charlotte, NC. He served in Vietnam in 1967 and 1968. In 1975, he founded the Charlotte Chess Club. He has organized and directed hundreds of chess tournaments in North Carolina. He is a past president of the North Carolina Chess Association. I was its president in 1978-1979. I have one loss against him.
Gallagher, James (1958 - May 10, 2004)
San Antonio master who ran the San Antonio Chess Club. He tied for 1st place in the 1989 Texas championship. He won the San Antonio city championship in 1987, 1991, 1992, and 1993). He died of a heart attack at the age of 46. I lost to him in the 1992 Southwest Open. I used to run chess tournaments in San Antonio that conflicted with his tournaments that he organized after I announced my events. He once called me up to day that he was going to bury me. James, I’m still alive and you are not.
Garris, John
Chess opponent while living in North Augusta, SC. He was a computer programmer and lived in Augusta, Georgia. He was rated around 1600.
Giannotta, Salvatore F
Former Air Force LtCol and active chess player in the Dayton area. His last USCF rating was 1748. I have 4 wins and 2 losses against him.
Giertych, Henry A. (Dec 31, 1929 – Feb 16, 2002)
He was a LtCol and my painful dentist at Beale AFB in Yuba City in the early 1970s. He was a strong expert and played in the first Air Force and Armed Forces championship in the early 1960s. In 1972, I defeated him the first time we played in the Beale AFB championship. At the time, he was rated 2067 and I was rated at 1597. I have 1 wins and 2 loses against him.
Glasscoe, Alan (March 23, 1943 - )
Director of the Berkeley Chess Club since 1979. Assistant National TD in 1988. He was USCF Regional VP for 1987-1989, President of Cal Chess in 1989, and has been on the Board of Directors of the Berkeley Chess School since 1995. Besides being co-author of the Budapest Defense, Thinkers' Press 1980, he was also associate Editor of the California Chess Journal in 1991. He was rated around 1950. I have 1 draw and 2 losses against him.
Gray, Ronald (1934 – Dec 28, 1983)
Active North Carolina chess player from Raleigh. At one time, he played professional baseball. He was employed by the NC Department of Community Colleges. He was rated around 1800. He defeated me at the 1975 NC Amateur championship, held in Chapel Hill, NC.
Greer, Ken
Active Palo Alto Chess Club member. I have played 146 games against him.
Gufeld, Eduard (Mar 19, 1936 – Sep 21, 2002)
Soviet Grandmaster whom I met at the Karpov-Hjartarson quarterfinals match, held in Seattle in January, 1989. He may have been a suspected KGB agent and I was asked by the FBI to keep an eye on him. During breakfast, I was sitting with Gufeld when FIDE president Campomanes came by with another Russian and remarked that the KGB agents were meeting the CIA agent (which I was not). During the match, I visited him in on the 10th floor of his hotel room next to Karpov. Gufeld almost set the place on fire by cooking and leaving the stove on. I put out the grease fire. I later invited him to play a simul at the Palo Alto Chess Club, which he did in February, 1989. He offered me a draw in our game and I accepted. He won 19 and drew 1 (me).
Harris, Neal D.
Strong chess player from western North Carolina. He is a National Life Master and teaches chess in elementary schools. He defeated me in the 1976 NC Championship, held in Winsston-Salem.
Harwell, George
Medical doctor from Durham, NC and former North Carolina Chess Association President. He is also a former NC champion. I have two wins against him.
Hatherill, Charles W.
Active Dayton Chess Club member in the 1980s. We were both active while students at the Air Force Institute of Technology. He teaches High School chemistry and math. He was rated around 1600.
Hayes, Dan
Mathematics professor at the Air Force Institute of Technology in Dayton, Ohio. We played dozens of chess games together. I use to tell him to study a certain opening that I would play against him, but the next time I would play him, I played another opening. He would ask why I told him to study one opening, but then I would play a different opening. I said that’s what you do on our tests. You tell us to study certain math principles that will be on the next day’s test, and then on test day, we get different math problems.
Heuston, George Z.
Ex FBI agent who played chess. I introduced him to several Soviet defectors who played chess. We caught a few bad people. He lives in Portland, Oregon.
Holsapple, Boyd
Chess partner while working at the Air Force Avionics Laboratory in the 1980s. He was later a defense and space consultant at GD. He was rated around 1503. We have played 189 OTB games together, more than any other opponent.
Holmes, Vernon
One of the strongest chess players of the Tacoma Chess Club. He was club champion in 1946, 1952, 1961, and 1967. He served as President of the Tacoma Chess Club in the 1940s.
Howard, Chuck (Feb 28, 1933 – Dec 12, 2001 )
President of the North Carolina Chess Association in 1975. He directed many chess tournaments in North Carolina, such as the Dogwood Festival tournaments in which I played in, held in Statesville. He lived in Lake Norman, NC.
Ivanov, Igor (1947-2005)
Russian GM who defected in 1980. He stayed at my house in the late 1980s when he played in events in Silicon Valley. He was also a concert pianist and studies mathematics. He told me he learned English by watching television shows, and that his favorite TV program was The Untouchables, starring Robert Stack.
Jordan, Jim
Master from Dayton, Ohio. In 1983 and 1985, he won the Dayton Chess Club championship.
Karch, Robert A. (March 24,1930-March 23,2010)
One of the most active organizers in chess in the United States. I first met him at the USO club in Naha, Okinawa in 1971. We were friends for many years. He enlisted in the Army in 1949 and retired in 1972 as a Major. He was very active in correspondence chess, especially the All Service Postal Chess Club (ASPC) and its publication, King’s Korner. He served as editor of Northwest Chess in the 1970s and 1980s, and editor of Chess International (which I appeared on the cover in one issue). In 1990, he helped organize the quarterfinals match between Karpov and Hjartarson in Seattle. I assisted in that event and ran the wallboard at one time after being asked by Karch to do so. His peak rating was around 1890.
Issac Kashdan (1905-1985)
Corresponded with me in 1969 when I attended Northrop Institute of Technology in Inglewood, California and got me to join the US Chess Federation and play in my first tournament, the 1969 American Open.
He was an active chess player in San Antonio and I was his coach. We played 86 games together. He currently works as a corporate auditor (previously with IBM, Honeywell, and SGI). He lives in St Paul, MN. His FICS rating is 1894. I am his chess coach and he is my chess webmaster.
Keres, Paul (Jan 7, 1916 – Jun 5, 1975)
I met GM Paul Keres at the World Class Championship in Vancouver, BC in 1975. I ran the wall board for him when he played Walter Browne. He was kind enough to look over my chess games. He played a few table tennis games together. Hope that did not contribute to his heart attack a few days later.
Koltanowski, George (Sep 17, 1903 – Feb 5, 2000)
I met George Koltanowski several times. I first met him when he was the president of the US Chess Federation and I was a delegate representing North Carolina in 1977 at the US Open, held in Columbus, Ohio. He visited the Dayton Chess Club in October 1980 and I met him during his stay as he gave one of his famous knight tours. When I was President of the Palo Alto Chess Club, I invited him to the club to give a chess lecture. I visited him and his wife, Leah, once at his apartment in San Francisco and we discussed chess. He put one of my chess games in his chess column that appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle. His wife, died on Dec 23, 2005.
Korchnoi, Viktor (Mar 23, 1931 - )
I played Korchnoi in a simul he held in Charlotte, NC in April, 1979. He played 50 boards at once. I interviewed him in his hotel room before that match, and as we were taking the down to the playing hall, I mentioned he was playing 50 boards. He was unaware of that and thought that was too many, but I convinced him that they were not strong players and he would have no problem at all.
Lacrimosa, Leopold
Ran the Melbourne Chess Club in Florida for several years. He coaches chess to children. His peak USCF rating was 1787. He lives in Scottsdale, Arizona. I have 10 wins and 1 draw against him.
Lankey, Brian J.
Chess expert and opponent in several US Air Force championships. In 1986, he won the Colorado Open. He was last active in 2002. I have 2 losses against him.
Lawless, Kerry H. (Sep 15, 1949 - )
California chess master and chess historian from San Francisco. He edits the chess website ChessDryad. I have several chess articles on his website. I have 2 short losses against him.
Levi, Ariel S.
Chess master that I lost my first rated to at the 1969 American Open. He won his section for top A player.
Lieberman, Donald ( -Sep, 2012)
Medical doctor from Santa Clara. He was an active player in the Bay Area. His peak rating was 1947. I have 1 win against him from a LERA event.
Ling, Richard (Nov 24, 1923 - Dec 11, 1989)
Active player in Dayton and was one of the founding members of the Dayton Chess Club in 1957. He won the Dayton Chess Club championship 5 times (1961, 1965, 1966, 1967, and 1973). Richard Ling and his wife were killed in a car crash in 1989. The Dayton Chess Club championship trophy was renamed the Richard Ling Memorial Trophy in his honor. I have 4 wins and 1 draw against him.
Lipkin, Alan H.
PhD in chemistry who taught in the NC universities. He also had a glassblowing business. He organized many chess tournaments in North Carolina, including the Lawrence Pfefferkorn Open (LPO), which he founded in 1973. I played and directed several LPO tournaments. Dr. Lipkin and I traveled together to play in several out-of-state tournament, including the World Open in New York in the mid 1970s. He was the chairman of the Southern Chess Administration. I was the vice-chairman. Lipkin later moved to California to become a day trader. He served as Vice-President of the North Carolina Chess Association (NCCA) and helped me to become its president a few years later. I think I am the only person to be the president of two state chess associations at the same time. In 1980, I was president of the NCCA when I was elected president of the Ohio Chess Association. I have 2 wins and 1 loss against him.
Long, Parley C.
Editor of the Ohio Chess Bulletin from 1990 to 1992. His last USCF rating was 2013. I have 1 wins against him.
Lovegren, Bob
Neighbor in Dayton, Ohio. Air Force officer who later worked for the civil service ast Wright-Patterson AFB.
Manson, John F.
Regular opponent while stationed at Beale AFB, CA in the early 1970s. He was an Air Force Captain and electrical engineer. He won the Beale AFB championship in 1972. His highest rating was 2012. He now lives in Louisiana. He was last active in the USCF in 1997. I have 1 win, 1 loss, and 1 draw against him.
Mantia, Anthony M.
Active member of the Dayton Chess Club and collector of chess books. He had over 5,000 volumes and 15,000 chess magazines. We always traded chess books and magazines. He played Bobby Fischer in a simul in Columbus, Ohio in 1964. He won the 1976 and 1977 Dayton Chess Club (DCC) championships. He was the DCC President in 1965 and 1974. He was the DCC Review editor in 1988. His peak USCF rating is 2160, but has not been active since 1994. I have 1 win, 2 losses, and a draw against him.
Matthews, Spencer
Former South Carolina champion. I defeated him in the 1975 Dixie Open in Greenville, SC.
Mazuchowski, Thomas J
Chess master originally from Dayton. In 1964, he defeated Bobby Fischer in a simul. He became involved in the Michigan Chess Association. I lost to him in the 1981 Buckeye Open in Dayton.
McKone, Peter L (Dec 31, 1948 - )
Active chess player at the Palo Alto Chess Club. He lives in Redwood City. His peak USCF rating was around 1937. We probably played over 100 games together.
McDaniel, Dan A.
In 1985, he edited Chess Voice in California. His peak USCF rating was around 1856. I have 2 losses against him at LERA events.
Meidinger, Charles
Chess opponent for many years in Dayton, starting when we were students at the Air Force Institute of Technology. He later moved to Alabama, became a master, and took 1st place in the Alabama Championship in 1991, 1992, 1994, and 2002. He is a computer software professional in Huntsville, Alabama. I have 3 wins and 9 losses against him.
Menas, Borel (Feb 24, 1921 – Jul 27, 1998)
National master. In 1966, he won the Northern California chess championship. He was last active in the USCF in 1993. I have 1 win and 1 loss against him.
Millimaci, Sam
US Navy enlisted chess player assigned to Moffett Field Naval Air Station while I was at NASA Ames Research Center. We played dozens of games in the big dirigible hanger. He is now an instructor at a driving academy in Anaheim, Calfornia.
Moeser, David
Active Cincinnati chess player and organizer. His last USCF rating was 1806. I played in several of his tournaments. He was a former editor of The Chess Journalist, put out by the Chess Journalist of America (CJA). I was the CJA Secretary-Treasurer of the CJA in 1985.
Mont-Reynaud, Jordy (Aug 16, 1983 - )
I coached Jordy in his early career as a chess player in Palo Alto. In 1994, he became the youngest ever chess master in the United States at the age of 10. His peak rating was 2383. We have played 45 games.
Montakhab, Frank (Jun 22, 1938-Aug 18, 1988)
Active chess player in North Carolina in the 1970s. He lived in Mooresville and we played many games together.
Moore, Bobby G. (Dec 14, 1954 - )
Chess master and opponent at several Air Force championships. In 1985, he tied for 1st at the 26th US Armed Forces championship. He is an expert at the smith-Morra gambit. I have 3 losses against him.
Multhopp, Hans
FIDE master and USCF Life Master from Cincinnati with a peak rating of 2302. I lost to him twice.
Neely, Elizabeth (Liz) A. (Apr 25, 1968 - )
Woman International Master. She represented the USA at the 1988 women’s Junior World Championship in Australia. She played in the 1998 and 1991 US Women’s championship. She was last active in the USCF in 1995. I have 2 draws against her.
Owens, Willa White (Apr 13, 1910 – Mar 26, 2003 )
Her peak rating was 1835. I played her a twice at the Melbourne Chess Club in Florida in 1998. I have 1 win and 1 loss against her. She died in Wyanesburg, PA.
Panzel, Kenneth R
Chess master with a peak rating of 2219. He was editor of the Ohio Chess Bulletin in 1992. I lost to him at the 1981 MOTCF tournament in Columbus, Ohio.
Paxton, Larry R.
Active Dayton Chess Club member and national chess tournament director. In 1982, he became editor of the Ohio Chess Bulletin. I was a co-editor two years. His last USCF rating was 1658. I have 3 wins against him.
Pennell, D. Gary
One of the top high school players in North Carolina in the 1970s. He was a member of the Alexander Central High School chess team that won the state championship three times in a row. I was its coach in the final year. His USCF rating is around 1726. We have played over 30 games against each other.
Perks, Grant
Strong junior player. In 1979, he won the Dayton Chess Club Junior Championship. I have 1 draw against him.
Pohl, Ira (1943- )
Chess master. In 1998, he tied for 1st in the USCF Seniors Open. He has a PhD in computer science from Stanford. He was last active in the USCF in 1999. I defeated him in a 1987 LERA event.
Post, Alfred
Active North Carolina chess player. In the mid 1970s, he was the Secretary-Treasurer of the North Carolina Chess Association (NCCA). I was its Secretary-Treasurer in 1979. He had a PhD in Literature. I have 2 draws against him.
Powell, Charles (1945-1991)
In 1964, he beat Bobby Fischer in a simul in Richmond, Virginia. In 1968, PFC Charlie Powell won the 1968 US Armed Forces Chess Championship with the score of 11-1. Virginia chess champion in 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1971, 1972, and 1976. I have one loss against him, played at LERA in Sunnyvale in 1987.
Rasmussen, Ernst W
Chess expert and one of the strongest players at the Tacoma Chess Club in the 1960s. His highest rating was 2033.
Regan, Neil
Chess expert with a peak rating of 2174. He ran the Koly Club in Campbell, CA. He is a manufacturing engineer who lives in Fremont, California. I have 3 losses against him.
Richey, Chester
Served in the Air Force from 1976 to 1996. He now lives in Alabama. His highest USCF rating was 2201. I have 1 win, 2 losses, and a draw against him. My win at the Air Force championship in 1991 appeared in Chess Life magazine.
Robinson, Gary
Opponent of my most famous game, played at the World Class Championship in Vancouver, British Columbia. The game appeared in Chess Informant 19. The opening appeared in the Encyclopedia of Chess Openings (ECO). The ending of the game appeared in Chess Life.
Root, Alexey Rudolph (1965 - )
Chess master, Woman International Master, and wife of IM Doug Root. In 1989, she won the US women’s championship. She had a PhD in education from UCLA. She teaches at UT Dallas in Richardson, Texas. I lost to her in the 1982 UT San Antonio Open.
Rowan, Clifton (1917 – Oct 3, 2007)
Active Dayton Chess Club member and one of the early members, joining in 1959. He spent three years in the US Navy. He worked at the Liberal Market Distribution Center. He was rated around 1900. We played 23 tournament games against each other.
Rufty, Alan E.
Alan won the 1967 NC championship and the 1967 US Junior Open. In 1977, he won the Virginia championship. He is rated around 2100.
Eric Schiller (1955- )
I first met him at the 1990 world chess championship between Kasparov and Karpov in New York. He have teamed up to play chess computers and we have a drawn a few games by correspondence over the Internet at chess.com.
Schlich, Ernest W.
Active chess player and organizer, along with his wife, Joan. His rating has been over 1930. He is a senior USCF tournament director. He lives in Norfolk, VA. I defeated him in the 1976 South Carolina amateur championship. I won that event.
Sharp, Dale E. (Jun 21, 1953 - )
Chess master from Ohio. I lost to him in the 1981 Buckeye Open, held in Dayton, Ohio.
Sierra, Francisco A.
Active tournament director and chess player in San Jose. His last USCF event was in 1993. He was rated in the 1600s. I have a win against him from a 1986 LERA event.
Sikes, Haskel
Retired Chief Master Sergeant (E-9) who was active at the USO club in U Tapao, Thailand when I was there in 1973-74. He served in the USAF from 1954 to 1978.He is the director of the All Service Postal Chess Club (ASPCC). He was last rated at 1922. He lives in Amarillo, TX. I have 4 wins, 2 losses, and 1 draw against him.
Spencer, Steven C. (Oct 2, 1948 – Dec 14, 2008)
Strong master who traveled the country to play chess. In 1967, he was a member of the UC Berkeley chess team that won the US Intercollegiate Championship. In 1969, he played in the U.S. Junior championship. In 1970, he was the 6th highest rated junior in the USA, with a rating of 2213. I first met him at a chess tournament in Kentucky in 1975, which he won. We played poker when not playing chess. I gave him a ride to the Lawrence Pfefferkorn Open in Winston-Salem, NC and was paired with him in the first round. He died of lung cancer in San Diego, CA.
Stein, Alan R. (Sep 9, 1975 - )
International Master from Mountain View. He was an active junior at the Palo Alto Chess Club. He won the 1991 Denker Tournament of HS Champions. His peak rating is 2471. I have 5 wins, 3 losses, and 1 draw against him.
Stern, Howard (Jan 12, 1954 - )
American radio personality. I played him online at zone.com twice in 1996, winning both games.
Szarka, Frank J.
Editor of the Canadian Chess Chat in 1975. He was also the main organizer of the 1978 Canadian Open, held in Hamilton, Ontario. He won his class section in the 1975 World Class Championship, held in Vancouver, BC. After 5 rounds, Szarka and I were the only ones with a perfect score of 5-0. He then defeated me in round 6. He won with the score of 9.5-0.5. As White, he always played the Grob, 1.g4 and always won. He was originally from Yugoslavia and should have played in the master section.
Tal, Mikhail (1936-1992)
I ran the wall board for him at the 1991 Pan-Pacific chess tournament. During the tournament, he gave me all his scoresheets, tournament bulletins, and others to protect.
Tinkler, Paul
1977 South Carolina chess champion. In 1976, I drew with him in the South Carolina Amateur championship, which I won.
Trogdon, Timothy M.
Active member of the Dayton Chess Club and active member in the San Antonio, Texas area. His peak rating was 1926. I have played him in 34 games.
Tuttle, Gary
Active California player. His peak rating was 1966. I have 5 wins, 3 losses and 2 draws against him.
Unruh, Charles D. (1953 - )
Active Dayton chess master. In 1975, Charles Unruh won the U.S. Armed Forces championship. He currently lives in Oklahoma. I lost to him in the 1980 MOTCF team tournament in Columbus, Ohio.
Urquhart, Donald
National master. Active chess player in Northern California. I have 1 loss against him in San Jose.
Vaughan, Stan
Chess master from Nevada who once played a record number of correspondence games. I played him in one of these correspondence matches and drew. I have 1 wins and 1 draw against him.
Vitko, Greg (1962 - )
Chess master that was active in Dayton on the 1980s. I defeated him in the 1985 Wright-Patterson AFB championship. In 1985, he won the Dayton Chess Club championship.
Waldowski, Paul J.
1983 Nebraska Invitational champion and 1983 Nebraska Amateur champion (both events were held the same weekend). He was a regular opponent in the Air Force chess championships. His peak rating was 2142. He retired from the Air Force. I have 2 draws and a loss against him.
Wall, William, R. (Jan 4,1920-May 12,1980)
My father, who taught me the game of chess when I was around 10.
Ward, John R.
Active member of the Tacoma Chess Club. He was last active in the USCF in 1998. His rating was around 1750. I have 2 draws against him.
Watt, Billy (1959-1979)
High school chess player that was on the North Carolina State champion chess team at Alexander Central HS in Taylorsville, NC. I was his chess coach. He was later killed in a car accident. His father started the Billy Watt Memorial, which I was the first director in Statesville, NC. We played 18 games together.
Wikle, Earle P.
Dayton expert. Winner of the Dayton Chess Club (DCC) championship 6 times (1986, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2008). He was editor of the DCC Review in 1986 and 1987. In 1987, he became President of the DCC. I have 1 win against him.
Williams, Stewart
Air Force roommate and regular chess partner in the early 1970s.
Wilson, Elvin
National master. He was in the Air Force from 1990 to 2000. I have one win and one draw from him at the Air Force chess championships, in which he usually was the top board. He won the Texas Armed Forces Championship in 1992, in which I directed. He won the Air Force Championship in 1992. He won the Armed Forces championship in 1993. He tied for 1st in the 1998 Armed Forces Championship.
Wolford, David G.
One of the early members of the Dayton Chess Club (DCC), joining in 1958. He was the editor of the Ohio Chess Bulletin from 1959 to 1961, and from 1964 to 1976. He won the DCC championship in 1963, 1964, 1969, and 1972. He was President of the DCC in 1960. I have 5 wins, 3 losses, and 2 draws against him.
Yost, Kenneth W.
Dentist and chess opponent in 1970 while living in North Augusta, SC.
Zachary, Joseph L
Top high school player from Taylorsville, NC. He later went to MIT and graduated with a PhD in computer science. He is a professor in the department of Computer Science at the University of Utah. I have 7 wins, 2 losses and 1 draw against him.