Blanco Gramajo Cesar August (14.01.1959)

Guatemalian Correspondence Grandmaster. Winner: CADAP 13 Championship Final, CADAP 9 Championship Semif.3 (10/12), CADAP 11 Championship Semif.4 (7,5/8), CADAP 12 Championship Semif.3 (7,5/8), CADAP 13 Championship Semif.1 (5,5/6), CADAP M/A/90 Amistad (11,5/14), CADAP 16 Championship Semif.1 (11/14). In 2005 his ICCF ELO was 2594.

ZNOSKO-BOROVSKY, Eugene (16.08.1884-31.12.1954)

Russian-born, Paris-domiciled master. His great lucidity as a lecturer and writer had made him one of the greatest teachers the game has known. Such works as The Middle-game in Chess (a pioneering exposition of the fundamental concepts of time, space, and material), How Not to Play Chess, How to Play Chess Openings, and The Art

Yates, Frederick Dewhurst (16.01.1884 – 11.11.1932)

One of the strongest English players from 1910 to the 1930s. Chess man of letters. Yates worked as a chess correspondent of the Manchester Guardian; also, as the chess column editor of the Yorkshire Post from 1910 until 1932 and the Daily Telegraph from 1925 to 1932. He dealt with bookkeeping. Yates took part in

Wood, Baruch Harold OBE (03.07.1909 – 04.04.1989)

A British chess player, founder, publisher and editor of the periodical Chess from 1935 to 1989 and chess correspondent of the Daily Telegraph and the Illustrated London News. He was awarded the title of FIDE Life Member in 1953. A participant for the British Chess Federation in the Olympiad in Buenos Aires (1939) and represented

Wisker, John (18.01.1884)

English editor of IM strength who won the British Championships in 1870 and 1872. He edited the Chess Player’s Chronicle during 1872-76. He also wrote a chess column in the Sporting Times. In 1877, he immigrated to Australia (hoping to cure his tuberculosis) where he wrote a chess column for the Australasian.

White, John G (1845 – 1928)

US lawyer, bibliophile and founder of the largest chess library in the world (32,568 volumes of books and serials, including 6,359 volumes of bound periodicals): the White Collection in the Cleveland Public Library, Ohio. He also left money to purchase new books and to keep the collection up to date.

Walker, George (13.03.1803-23.04.1879)

Leading English chess player and writer on chess. In 1827, he was regarded as one of the strongest players in England. In 1831, he was one of the founders of the Westminster Club and eight years later, he founded the St. George’s Club. He was also the chess columnist of Bell’s Life from 1834 to

Vincent, Pierre (17.10.1878 – 02.04.1956)

French chess amateur. General Secretary of the French Federation from 1924 until 1928. He was the organiser of the first Tournament of Nations (renamed later Chess Olympiad) in July 1924 in Paris and named the Father Founder of FIDE, a new international organisation representing 15 national chess federations which was created during the same event.

Vida, Mark Ieronim (1490 – 1566)

Italian humanist, a poet, Bishop of Alba since 1532. Author of the poem “Game of Chess” (Scacchia ludus, 1513 in Latin, was published in 1525 anonymously, later in 1527 under the author’s name. It tells about the chess game between Apollo and Mercury, in which new rules of chess were reflected, with a description of

Verat, Laurent (25.06.1963)

French FIDE Master (3 IM norms). Technical Director of the FFE  since 2005, journalist, organiser and co-author. Champion of Paris 1993 and eight times a member of the team of Clichy which won the French Team Championship. Chief editor of Top Echecs (1988-90) and columnist of the French weekly Le Nouvel Observateur (1992-98). Author (with