For the October edition of One Move at a Time, US Chess Senior Director of Strategic Communication Dan Lucas sits down with Michael Tisserand to discuss his chess writings, his books (especially his biography of George Herriman), and chess and comics. Learn more about Tisserand at michaeltisserand.com .
For the September edition of One Move at a Time , US Chess Senior Director of Strategic Communication Dan Lucas sits down with GM Alejandro Ramirez to discuss his chess history as the first grandmaster from Central America, being a commentator for the Sinquefield Cup, and the new World Chess Hall of Fame exhibit about the 1972 World Championship.
For the July edition of One Move at a Time, US Chess Senior Director of Strategic Communication Dan Lucas sits down with Fred and Bonnie Waitzkin to discuss both the book and film versions of Searching For Bobby Fischer and what it all meant to the Waitzkin family, more than three decades after the book's release. Among the topics covered, we learn that Bonnie has an extensive history as a chess teacher. Publications Editor Melinda Matthews joins this episode as a co-host. -- “One Move at a Time...
For the June edition of One Move at a Time , US Chess Senior Director of Strategic Communication Dan Lucas sits down with Elliott Neff, founder and CEO of Chess4Life and author of A Pawn’s Journey: Transforming Lives One Move at a Time to talk about the history of his organization, chess as a transformational tool, and being a chess teacher and coach. Chess4Life is a platform that teaches kids critical thinking skills, problem-solving, EQ, and other important life lessons through chess. Elliott ...
For the May edition of One Move at a Time , US Chess Senior Director of Strategic Communication Dan Lucas sits down with GM John Fedorowicz. From his 2009 US Chess Hall of Fame induction plaque: "Inspired to begin playing chess by the Fischer-Spassky World Championship match in 1972, "The Fed" won the National High School Championship in 1975, tied for the U.S. Junior Championship in 1977, and won the competition outright in 1978. Both before and after attaining the GM title in 1986, Fedorowicz ...
Welcome to the April edition of One Move at a Time! Our guest today is IM Greg Shahade, who founded the US Chess School in 2006 and which resumes classes this year in a victory for a post-covid world. He also founded the New York Masters and the U.S. Chess League which is now known as the PRO Chess League. He is a former member of the Executive Board of US Chess. Greg won three national scholastic championships: tying for first in both the 1993 National Junior High School Championship and the 19...
For the March edition of One Move at a Time, US Chess Senior Director of Strategic Communication Dan Lucas sits down with Tyler Schwartz, the co-founder of Chess at Three and Story Time Chess. Both companies use an original, story-based method to teach chess to children as young as three years old. This innovative method is explained in Tyler's 2018 TED Talk, “ Can Three-Year-Olds Play Chess? ” Tyler is also a professional magician and currently performs in "Speak Easy Magick" at the McKittrick ...
Welcome to the February 2022 edition of “One Move at a Time,” the US Chess podcast in which Dan Lucas, the Senior Director of Strategic Communication, talks to people who are advancing the US Chess mission statement to “Empower people, enrich lives, and enhance communities through chess.” Our guests today represent the Manasota Chess Center in Sarasota, Florida. Nicholas Lewis is the Executive Director and Grandmaster Pascal Charbaneau supports the coaching and advisory team. Nicholas is a gradu...
Welcome to the January edition of One Move at a Time and Happy New Year! Our guest today is David Llada, joining us via Skype from San Sebastian, Spain. David was our April 2021 guest , but I decided to interview him again focusing only on his behind-the-scenes work for the recently completed World Championship during with Magnus Carlsen successfully defended his title against Ian Nepomniachtchi. David’s photos have often appeared in Chess Life and he has taken chess photos around the world. He ...
Welcome to the December 2021 edition of “One Move at a Time,” the US Chess podcast in which Dan Lucas, the Senior Director of Strategic Communication, talks to people who are advancing the US Chess mission statement to “Empower people, enrich lives, and enhance communities through chess.” Our guest today is Grandmaster Maxim Dlugy, joining me in person from the 2021 National K-12 Grade Championships. He is here doing a simul, all-comers blitz, and lecture. He was born in Moscow when it was still...
Welcome to the November 2021 edition of “One Move at a Time,” the US Chess podcast in which Dan Lucas, the Senior Director of Strategic Communication, talks to people who are advancing the US Chess mission statement to “Empower people, enrich lives, and enhance communities through chess.” Our guest today is Brian Karen. Originally from Merrick, Long Island, Brian discovered chess around the age of 16 in the mid-80s. While in high school, he worked at the computer chess store, Your Move. After c...
Welcome to the October 2021 edition of “One Move at a Time,” the US Chess podcast in which Dan Lucas, the Senior Director of Strategic Communication, talks to people who are advancing the US Chess mission statement to “Empower people, enrich lives, and enhance communities through chess.” Our guest today is Brian Flowers, the marketing manager for the World Chess Hall of Fame (WCHOF) and the buyer for their award-winning gift shop, Q Boutique, having worked with the organization since its Saint L...
Welcome to the September 2021 edition of “One Move at a Time,” the US Chess podcast in which Dan Lucas, the Senior Director of Strategic Communication, talks to people who are advancing the US Chess mission statement to “Empower people, enrich lives, and enhance communities through chess.” Our guest today is Stephanie Berk, the Chairperson of the Accessibility and Special Circumstances Committee- a volunteer position in US Chess. She is a mom of 4 boys ages ranging from ages 12- 20 years old, as...
Welcome to the August 2021 edition of “One Move at a Time,” the US Chess podcast in which Dan Lucas, the Senior Director of Strategic Communication, talks to people who are advancing the US Chess mission statement to “Empower people, enrich lives, and enhance communities through chess.” Our guest today is Mike Nolan, a longtime employee, consultant, and volunteer for US Chess. We recorded live at the 2021 U.S. Open in Cherry Hill, New Jersey on August 5. Mike was here because after serving as Pa...
Welcome to the July 2021 edition of “One Move at a Time,” the US Chess podcast in which Dan Lucas, the Senior Director of Strategic Communication, talks to people who are advancing the US Chess mission statement to “Empower people, enrich lives, and enhance communities through chess.” Our guest today is Young-Kyu Yoo, the father of Christopher Yoo, who in 2019 became at that time America’s youngest international master at the age of 12. Young is here today to talk about raising a top-tier schola...
Welcome to the June 2021 edition of “One Move at a Time,” the US Chess podcast in which Dan Lucas, the Senior Director of Strategic Communication, talks to people who are advancing the US Chess mission statement to “Empower people, enrich lives, and enhance communities through chess.” Our guest today is Alan Losoff, a retired Vice President at Bank of America who is best known these days as the impresario of the National Open . He is President of Nevada Chess, but he has also served as president...
This month's guest is Russ Makofsky. Russ is the Founder & Director of Impact Coaching Network which partners with 18 Elementary Schools across New York City, engaging over 4,000 students annually. Quoting from their website, “ICN was founded with the vision of establishing a network of high performing chess programs, where each school embodies their own unique chess culture while still maintaining a network-wide commitment to excellence.” He also founded The Gift of Chess , which is giving away...
Welcome to the April 2021 edition of “One Move at a Time,” the US Chess podcast in which Dan Lucas, the Senior Director of Strategic Communication, talks to people who are advancing the US Chess mission statement to “Empower people, enrich lives, and enhance communities through chess.” This month's guest is David Llada. David has long been connected to the chess world and in 1999 he became a professional chess journalist, publishing contributions in all the world’s major chess magazines as well...
This episode touches on FM Jon Jacobs' 50+ years as an amateur competitor, his pending upsets book The Fish That Roared, his time as a pioneer anti-cheating activist during the mid-2000s, the dozen Chess Life articles he has authored since 2005, and his new project in collaboration with IM Yury Lapshun to drive international chess tourism to important locations in chess history, starting with a few sites in the New York City area. (For an introduction to the latter, see the December 2020 Chess L...
Welcome to the February edition of One Move at a Time. Our guest today is FIDE Master Wesley Wang, who along with his brother Warren Wang founded the non-profit Chessanity in 2014, which has a mission to teach and promote chess among K-12 students around Long Island, New York to build self-esteem and cognitive outreach. Wesley has a peak rating of 2441 and has been Silver Medalist at the 2019 North American Youth Chess Championships (U18 Open) and 2016 North American Youth Chess Championships (U...
This month’s guest is is Dr. Mark Taylor talking about chess fiction and narrative--we thought this would be a fun time to have this discussion as The Queen's Gambit continues to be popular on Netflix, and of course it was based on Walter Tevis' 1984 novel. Taylor is an Associate Professor of English at Berry College in Rome, Georgia. He is currently at work on Chess and Chessic Motifs in English Prose Narrative Since 1700: An Annotated Bibliography, a comprehensive work featuring approximately ...
Welcome to the December 2020 edition of “One Move at a Time,” the US Chess podcast in which Dan Lucas, the Senior Director of Strategic Communication, talks to people who are advancing the US Chess mission statement to “Empower people, enrich lives, and enhance communities through chess.” This month’s guest is is John Davison Rockefeller V, who is the catalyst for our December 2020 Chess Life cover story announcing his $3 million gift to US Chess. He is a chess dad, Scholastic Director of the Ma...
This month’s guest is Tim Just, a National Tournament Director and a FIDE National Arbiter and editor of the US Chess Rule Book since the 5th edition (we’re on the 7th edition now). He is the co-author of My Opponent Is Eating a Doughnut (with Wayne Clark) and Just Law: Common-sense answers to frequently asked questions on chess rules, regulations, and policy from players, tournament directors, and organizers. He is the longtime chair of the Tournament Director Certification Committee, current T...
This month’s guest is the US Chess Development Director, Geoff Isaak, talking about not just his own chess history and impressions of the chess world, but the challenges of creating a Development Department from the ground up.
This month’s guest is collector extraordinaire Jon Crumiller, who is also a recipient of the Special Services award this year from US Chess. He was our September 2013 Chess Life cover subject (photo), he is co-author with GM Lev Alburt of Carlsen vs. Karjakin - World Chess Championship, and has multiple exhibitions at the World Chess Hall of Fame.
This month’s guest is Christina Schweiss, the Executive Director of the non-profit Hampton Roads Chess Association. The club was named the 2017 US Chess Club of the Year and Schweiss was awarded the 2020 US Chess Scholastic Services Award for an Individual.
This month’s guest is GM Alexander Onischuk, the head coach and program director of the Texas Tech University chess team which just was named the US Chess College of the Year for the second time. Lucas talks to Onischuk about all the characteristics of the TTU program that has made it so successful, as well as about Alex's own chess career that has landed him in the US Chess Hall of Fame.
This month’s guest is FM Robby Adamson, a member of the US Chess scholastic council, a past president and a current board member for the Arizona Chess Federation, and a board member for the Southern Arizona Chess Association. We talk to him about building a scholastic chess team and his own chess history, which includes being the 1988 Denker Tournament of High School Champions co-champion.
This month’s guests represent the Mechanics' Institute Chess Club in San Francisco, California, which is the oldest continuously operating chess club in the United States. Abel Talamantez is the Chess Room Director, a position he has held since 2018, and Judit Sztaray is the General Manager of Youth Outreach and Events, a position she started in last year. Abel has been a US Chess Delegate from Northern California since 2017 and is a current member of the Clubs Committee and a former member of t...
This month’s guest is Fred Wilson. In 2019, Fred Wilson was given the Outstanding Career Achievement Award by US Chess. IM John Donaldson wrote for our awards ceremony, “Fred Wilson has taught thousands of young players over the decades. He has edited and authored important chess publications, including very inexpensive books for novices, and has generously provided copies of these novice works to chess associations to help bring in new players. He has edited and authored historical works that h...
