Illinois has a long and well-recorded chess history. Collected here are profiles, tributes and milestones — the players, organizers and moments that shaped the game across the state.
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Wayne Clark: A Personal Tribute
By Tim Just, NTD, NA Wayne Clark was a very close friend. I mentored him as a TD until he surpassed me—the student became better than the teacher: IA, NTD, Organizer, Multiple…
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“Chess State” Video
Below is a link to the “Chess State” video which was produced by Naperville Community Television in 2017. It presents an excellent overview of the history of organized chess in Illinois, particularly…
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ICCM, NM Dr. Steven R. Tennant, DDS, 1948-2017
On December 4th of last year, we lost Dr. Steve Tennant, a chess player of note and some notoriety in Illinois. Steve was 69 years old. The earliest records of Steve’s playing…
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Grandmaster William Lombardy Passes Away at 79
[Editor’s Note: Mike Klein has since updated his insightful Chess.com piece and has included thoughts from many in the chess community including Bruce Pandolfini.] Grandmaster William Lombardy has passed away at…
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Former ICA President, Treasurer Carl Dolson Passes Away
For a man with a lot of heart, it’s hard to comprehend that his would give out. Former Illinois Chess Association President Carl Dolson passed away September 30 at the age…
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First IL High School Chess Champion DeFotis Passes Away
Back in the 1960’s, long before the IHSA team format and before the upsurge in chess popularity from Bobby Fischer, there was something called the Illinois High School Students Chess Championship.…
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Illinois Loses Chess Legend Erik Karklins, 102
Weeks after celebrating his 102nd birthday, Erik Karklins has passed away. Born in Riga, Latvia, the city which also brought us Mikhail Tal, Mr. Karklins was an architect who immigrated to…
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Funeral Services for LWW Coach Miller Set for Wednesday
Longtime chess coach, tournament director and former ICA-board member Steve Craig Miller passed away December 14 two weeks shy of his 60th birthday. Miller was also a recent president of the…
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Illinois Chess Loses Strong Supporter; Jim Warren, 81
James E. Warren of Lombard, Illinois, died earlier today, December 12, 2014, at the age of 81. Jim’s contribution to Illinois chess as a player, organizer, patron, and volunteer is truly unparalleled. He…
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En Passant: Ron Washington 1951-2012
For over three decades Ron Washington was a significant part of the Chicago chess scene. In the 70s you might have spotted him downtown at his chess club where Jeremy Silman briefly…
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En Passant: Isaac Braswell, 1979-2012
Expert Isaac Braswell died last Friday, March 2. His cheerful good humor and ability to instantly light up a room will be missed by all who knew him. Isaac’s family will hold…
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The Father of High School Chess in Illinois is My Dad
A Daughter’s Memories and Her Father’s Words I grew up in the chess world. I was taught the game by my father, Mike Zacate, a High School Science and Math teacher, when…
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Erik and Andrew Karklins: 143 Years of Chess and Counting
Editor’s Note: ICA thanks Editor Dan Lucas for giving us permission to publish this article, which originally appeared in the December 2010 of Chess Life. Metropolitan Chicago has a history of significant…
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FM Ricardo Szmetan (1952 – 2010)
I met Ricardo at a chess tournament in Chicago in the summer of 1975. This young chess master, age 22, had traveled from his native Argentina to spend a few months visiting…
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Winter Open Celebrates 25th Year
This January Illinois chess players will compete at the 25th edition of the Tim Just Winter Open Tournament. In honor of the occasion, ICA caught up with Tim Just and asked for…
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Midwest Masters Tournaments
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…
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Helen Warren and the Warren Junior Program
This article was originally published as Bill Brock’s “President’s Podium” column in a 2006 edition of the Illinois Chess Bulletin. Most of us think of Helen Warren as the emeritus heart and…