Helen Warren organized and ran the Midwest Masters tournaments in the 1980s and 1990s, which brought top chess players from around the country and the world to Chicago. “Those tournaments were run to perfection, as was everything (Helen) did,” according to Fred Gruenberg, himself a prominent national chess organizer and contemporary of Helen Warren's.
1982 Midwest Masters Invitational I
December 3-5, 1982 Palmer House Organizer: Helen Warren 36 players from 6 states (1/4 from out of state) Average rating 2234
Won by IM Leonid Bass/FM Michael Brooks/SM Leonid Kaushansky, scoring 4-1 Two $100 best game prizes, one awarded to Erik Karklins for E. Karklins-Chow; one split between Steven Szpisjak for Kus-Szipsjak and Albert Chow for Szpisjak-Chow
1984 Midwest Masters Invitational II
March 9-11, 1984 International House, University of Chicago Organizer: Helen Warren 43 players from 10 states (half from out of state) Average rating 2279 Won by Michael Brooks (again)/SM Leonid Kaushansky (again)/SM Paul Kuroda, scoring 4-1
Best game Moore-Mills (This game, which featured an important theoretical novelty on move 12, was also published in Chess Informant 37 (game 139), with Moore's annotations, and in Leonard Barden's column in the Manchester Guardian.)
1985 Midwest Masters Invitational III March 8-10, 1985 International House, University of Chicago Organizer: Helen Warren 56 players from 12 states and Canada (3/5 from out of state) Average rating 2312 Won by Vince McCambridge, Bruce Leverett, and Igor Ivanov, scoring 4.5-.5 Best game Colias-Kreckler
Honorable Mention A. Karklins-Bass, McCambridge-Kaushansky, Kaushansky-Leverett, Mills-Chow, Leverett-Bisguier, Igor Ivanov-Formanek
1986 Midwest Masters Invitational IV
March 7-9, 1986 Lincolnwood Hyatt Organizer: Helen Warren 76 players from 17 states, Canada, and Israel (53% from out of state) Average rating 2339 Players included 6 GMs and 6 IMs Won by GM Yehuda Gruenfeld, then-IM Joel Benjamin, and GM Sergey Kudrin, scoring 4.5-.5
Best game Dmitry Gurevich-Benjamin Honorable Mention Kudrin-Ivanov, Blocker-Poschel, Ivanov-Chow
Best Endgame Robert J. Fischer (no, not that Robert J. Fischer)-Ben Finegold Honorable Mention Lester Van Meter-Robert Gruchacz
1987 Midwest Masters Invitational V
March 6-8,1987 Lincolnwood Hyatt Organizer: Helen Warren 85 players from 19 states (59% from out of state)
Average rating 2321 Won by GMs Benjamin (again), Kudrin (again), and Leonid Shamkovich, scoring 4.5-.5
Best game Mark Ginsburg-Marc Lonoff Best Endgame Peter Pelts-Dmitry Gurevich
1988 Midwest Masters Invitational VI
Lincolnwood Hyatt Organizer: Helen Warren 77 players from 15 states (58% from out of state) Average rating 2310 Won by IM Victor Frias, scoring 5.5-.5
Best game Bruce Leverett-Kamran Shirazi (drawn) Best Endgame Walter Browne-Pierre Moulin
The 1989 Midwest Masters VII was won by IM Michael Brooks.
The 1990 U.S. Masters & Midwest Masters VIII was won by GM Tony Miles.
The 1996 U.S. Masters & Midwest Masters IX was won by GM Dmitry Gurevich.
1997 U.S. Masters/Midwest Masters X March 6-9, 1997 Hyatt Regency Oak Brook Jerry Hanken, author of the tournament bulletin, thanks "Helen and Jim Warren for the incredible amount of work they have put in to make this tournament happen." 129 players, including players from Canada, Mexico, Israel, Argentina, Estonia, Illinois, New York, Michigan, Ohio, New Jersey, Kentucky, Virginia, Alabama, California, Oregon, Florida, Indiana, Tennessee, Missouri, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Maine, Wisconsin, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Washington.
Won by GMs Alexander Shabalov, Dmitry Gurevich, and Suat Atalik, scoring 6-1
Note