I have been active in Philadelphia chess since 1966. I thought
it might be interesting to create a Local Chess Hall of Fame to honor those
who have contributed greatly to Philadelphia chess. This Hall-of-Fame
is, of course, purely subjective and any subjectivity is purely my own;
the purpose is to have a little fun and generate some interest. In
order to qualify, one must:
Dr. Max Cohen - A mainstay of Philadelphia chess in the earlier part of this period, Dr. Cohen was a master when no other local player was able to hold the title. He was pretty much retired by the late 1960's, but I did have the pleasure of playing - and losing - to him at the PA State Chess Championship in the early 1970's in Valley Forge.
Mike Shahade - Mike is now better known as the father of Greg and Jennifer, but his multi-PA State Champion titles are no accident. A fierce competitor, Mike has also been a contributor to the Franklin-Mercantile Chess Club for many years. Mike was a mainstay of the Philadelphia Quakers phone-league team in the 1970's. He still competes with the "Shahade" team at the US Amateur Team East. He now captains the 21st century Philadelphia Masterminds in the US Chess League (started by his son Greg!).
Boris Baczynskyj - Big Boris recently passed away - he had been active in the area for over 40 years. Boris held the FIDE title of "FM" (FIDE Master), and was well known as - still - one of the most active of the masters from 30 years ago. Boris got an additional fifteen minutes of fame as Philadelphia 76ers President Pat Croce's chess instructor. Another Philadelphia Quaker - and Philadelphia Masterminds - team member. We will miss you, Boris!
Ross Nickel - Ross doesn't play any more, but still writes his "Chess in the 19th Century" column for Pennswoodpusher, which he has for many years. If you heard, "Hey, there is a master playing the Latvian Gambit!" or some other crazy opening, it was always Ross, a real gentleman. I once showed my game with Ross to Donald Byrne and he said "When Bobby (Fischer) sees games like this, he says, 'This is chess'?"
Richard J. Pariseau - Another fierce competitor, Rich originated the Philadelphia Invitational Championship and served as the President of the Germantown Chess Club, during its heyday, when it actually was stronger than the Franklin-Mercantile. Rich's rating peaked over 2300 and his lifetime record against Multi-US Champion GM Walter Browne is 3 draws in 3 games! He is still active, an an officer at the Main Line CC.
Dr. Leroy Dubeck - Dr. Dubeck is a physics professor at Temple and a former President of the US Chess Federation. An avid speed player, Leroy joins Boris as one of the still-active players from 30-40 years ago. Leroy had his peak rating around 2400, and his Cherry Hill-Germantown duels on first board with Rich Pariseau are legendary. Leroy loves to play action (G/30) chess, a rarity among the older set. Another member of the Philadelphia Quakers.
Richard Costigan - Rich Costigan and his twin brother Tom both became masters in high school at St. Joseph's Prep. They then teamed with FM Karl Dehmelt at Penn to win that University's only Pan-Am Championship in the mid-1970's. Rich became an IM and currently serves as the President of the Franklin-Mercantile Chess Club. Yet another Philadelphia Quaker and Philadelphia Mastermind.
Bruce Rind - IM Rind may be the strongest player ever to be born and stay in the Philadelphia area. A terror with the White pieces, Bruce gathered many GM scalps with his precise opening play and positional acumen. Bruce helped tutor one of the area's best junior players in the early 1990's, NM Danny Benjamin. It is no surprise he played a high board for the Philadelphia Quakers in the 1970's. Bruce was perhaps the most internationally visible player from Philadelphia during the last half of the 20th century. While other strong players like Charles Kalme and Tim Taylor moved away, Bruce stayed and played.
Jim Politowski - Jim would be the first to tell you that his chess play is not the reason for inclusion on this list, but Jim was a solid player with a rating around 1800 - still is! When Ed Strehle and James Van Horn stopped organizing tournaments in the late 1960's, Jim filled the void and was soon directing all the major events, such as the Philadelphia Open and the Philadelphia Closed Championship. He was also active in the Philadelphia Chess Association. Without Jim's TD and organizing skills, Philadelphia "local" chess started to decline in the late 1970's and the lack of good, local, medium-sized adult tournaments continued (except for the one North Penn event) until Main Line Chess Club's Dr. John Bayley revived them in the early 21st century.
Dr. Ira Lee Riddle - Ira is a 1500 player, but rarely does anyone see him play. He was the President of the PA State Chess Federation so long that I can't remember who was his predecessor. When FIDE ratings became available to non-international players through "Futurities", Ira began organizing these tournaments and holding them in his basement - many area players (including myself) got their FIDE rating there. Ira is still active in organizing PSCF tournaments, mostly at Philadelphia Community College. Ira is a math teacher by trade and has his PhD in math education.
Norm (Pete) Rogers (2001)- Pete just got another IM norm in the 2001 World Open, so he is still going strong. His career spans the time from the late 70's when he played against many of the other players listed here, until today, when he is still as active as ever. Pete keeps his rating near 2300+ even with deflation. Liked by all, I have never heard someone say something bad about him - even behind his back. That makes my HOF!
Dan Heisman - (2001) Dan won the 1972 US Team Champ, the 1973 Philadelphia Invitational Championship, and the 1971 & 1976 Phila Opens. Mr. Heisman wrote 8 chess books, worked at both Kasparov-Deep Blue matches, won CJA writing awards for Novice Nook (Best column in North America in 2005) and other columns, and served as an officer at Chaturanga, Main Line, and HCT. He is also a Senior TD who has directed the Philadelphia Championship 2001-2005 and has a radio show on www.chess.fm Thursdays at 9-10 PM. Mr. Heisman served as PSCF Scholastic Coordinator from 1999-2002 and currently is the SE PA Scholastic Coordinator. He is a FIDE CM with a rating of 2285 and has the USCF NM title.
Steve Shutt - (2002) - Steve is an expert level player, but is more widely known for his position as the chess coach, first at Vaux Middle School and now Masterman. His success at Vaux led to a successful made-for-TV movie. From 1996-2002 Masterman won five national HS Championships in the seven year period! Steve first served on the USCF National Scholastic Council and then for several years as a member of the US Chess Federation's Executive Board. He also coordinates the Chess-in-Schools program for Philadelphia.
Karl Dehmelt - (2003) - Karl, an FM, achieved three IM norms but retired and did not attempt to get the minimum FIDE rating for IM; however, he is an International Correspondence Chess Federation IM. Like Dan Heisman, Karl is a graduate of Hatboro-Horsham HS. With the Costigan brothers, Karl was instrumental in helping Penn win the Pan-Am title in the mid-1970's, and he also served as the Penn Club President. He was also an active member of the Philadelphia Quakers in the National Chess League. Karl served on the Franklin Mercantile CC Board of Directors and Treasurer starting in the early 1980s through 1991.
Arnold Chertkof - (2004) - Arnold was a legendary Philadelphia master, a tournament regular who was always hanging around local events. Everyone knew Arnold, and he could give a good game to anyone. An unforgettable chess character with a keen sense of humor.
Clarence Kalenian - (2005) - Clarence has been the holder of both the US Amateur and the PA State Championship title. Famous for his dapper bow-tie appearance and his English Opening, Clarence is STILL active in his 80's - you can find him and his grey beard at most Philadelphia CCA events, like the World Open. Like Heisman, Rind, Politowski, and Pariseau, he was a member of the Germantown CC in the late 60's and early 70's.
David Gertler - (2006) - After growing up in South Jersey (and becoming a master), Dave stayed in the area to attend Swarthmore College. He was U.S. Junior Open co-champion in 1982 and earned his FM title in the mid-'80s while working as assistant editor of Chess Life magazine. Other chess highlights include beating GM Miguel Quinteros on board 1 of the World Open and being a US Amateur Team champion twice. Now living in Wilmington, Dave has been Delaware champion seven times and runs many scholastic chess activities.
Ed McKenney - (2007) - Ed is an expert level player and a long-time member of Chaturanga Chess Club. Even more prominently, Ed has been a chess coach in the Philadelphia area for more than 30 years. During the 1980s and 1990s, his team from the George Washington High School won numerous tournaments and leagues, including 12 state championships, one national championship, and four national runner-ups. After leaving George Washington, Ed started an equally successful program at Pennsbury HS before retiring to work for the Silver Knights chess program.
Ken Potts - (2008) - Ken was another one of the South Jersey Fischer kids of the 1970's. He quickly rose to USCF master and later even Senior Master (2400+) when he ruled the G/30 circuit. Ken is an outstanding openings player and a very practical one as well. At several times he held various titles in the area.
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