
Distinguished Service Registry
Distinguished Service Registry “The Distinguished Service Registry honors those individuals who have fostered chess activity in New Mexico. This includes sponsors, coaches, teachers, club & tournament directors and organizers as well as others whose philanthropic efforts have served our state’s chess community in significant ways. Those listed here have distinguished themselves in this manner. This is NMCO’s way of showing our gratitude and appreciation for their service..”
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Dale Gibbs Inducted on: 07-07-12 ![]() Rod Avery Inducted on: 06-30-13 ![]() Art Bayley The F-M Chess Ass’n also conducted Scholastic tournaments in towns across the state and at one time was the most active chess Association in ND. Mr. Bayley was elected to the ND Chess Hall of Fame primarily for his chess activity, not for his playing ability. He also coached chess in ABQ schools. Monte Vista elementary school won 3rd in the ABQ competition the year he coached there. Inducted on: 06-30-13 ![]() Jeffrey Burch He became serious about chess at age 14 when helped form his high school’s chess club (North Olmsted, OH) and his school’s chess team which participated in the Cleveland High School Chess League. The NOHS team came in 2nd place for 3 straight years (losing to expert-rich Cleveland Heights each time). During his senior year, Dr J finished 15 ½- ½ in regular season CHSCL play to win the 2nd board prize, and went 2 ½- ½ during the playoffs. Also while a senior he won the Great Lakes Championship Tournament in 1972 in Cleveland, OH. In his initial blitz chess tournament in the German-American Club in Cleveland, he finished 17.5-1.5 to win. He defeated his first expert when he was a Class C player in the US High School Championships in Chicago in 1972. In simultaneous play, Dr J played former world champion Tigran Petrosian (loss), former Cleveland city champion Ross Sprague (loss), GM Larry Christiansen (loss), and GM David Bronstein (win). He himself played 24, 28, and 23 students during a 5 week chess instructional period during the summer of 2006 at the Albuquerque Academy, winning all 75 games. Dr J has won tournaments in Kentucky, Ohio, Illinois, New Jersey, Georgia, and New Mexico during his residence in those states. In Kentucky he helped the University of Kentucky win the Southeast Regional Games Tournament in 1976 and come in 2nd place in 1977. He represented the University of Chicago in team play during 1977-78, and Rutgers University in the New Jersey Industrial Chess League between 1979 and 1985. His maximum rating of 2115 was reached on two occasions, during graduate school at Rutgers in mid-1980s and while working in Atlanta in the early 1990s. He served 4 terms as president of the New Mexico Chess Organization during the early 2000s, and contributed to the state chess magazine The Desert Knight. Dr J has taught chess classes for adults at the University of New Mexico’s Continuing Education department and at the Lockheed Martin Aerospace Company in Marietta, GA. Inducted on: 06-30-13 ![]() Art Byers Inducted on: 06-30-13 ![]() Martin Cooper Inducted on: 06-30-13 ![]() Galen Farrington Inducted on: 06-30-13 ![]() Lloyd Gustafson Inducted on: 06-30-13 ![]() Mike Hibner Inducted on: 06-30-13 ![]() Elliott Higgins In Clevlend Ohio, he arranged a Telephone Tournament on a Saturday at a phone bank in a corporation to play Miami Florida. Two grandmasters and two masters on each team. All went well until Miami’s monitor decided there was a mistake on board one. While trying to reconcile the game, Florida hung up. After calling back later, the Janitor answered so they forfited the match. Elliott started Hummingbird Chess Camp in 1980 to supplement the music camp and now has 23 years. Many masters have taught including Alexi Root, Douglas Root, John Donaldson, Larry Evans, and Jack Peters. It began as the National Chess Camp and was the only advertiser in Chess Life for a summer camp. Sometime in 1985 the USCF said that title could not be used. So Elliott asked for his advertising money back and never heard from them again. Soon, then name was changed Hummingbird Chess Camp to signify the location. Elliott was also chess director of the Albuquerque Chess League for two years. Inducted on: 06-30-13 ![]() Jim Johnston Inducted on: 06-30-13 ![]() Kevin Scott Kerns Inducted on: 06-30-13 ![]() Andy Nowak Inducted on: 06-30-13 ![]() Oren Stevens Inducted on: 06-30-13 Steve Perea Inducted on: 06-30-13 Annabelle Romero Inducted on: 06-30-13 ![]() Richard Sherman Inducted on: 06-30-13 ![]() Art Glassman He came to New Mexico in the 1980’s and has been here ever since. He has enticed many local players into taking road trips to out-of-town tournaments and he has a special affinity for team tournaments that build bonds of friendship among team members. This is a great manifestation of his selfless approach to the greater chess community. One memorable car trip took him from Albuquerque to St. Louis to spectate at the US Championships held at St. Louis Chess and Scholastic Center. He has an inquisitive mind. In addition to chess, his other interests include being an avid cyclist (once biking to the top of the highest peak in Hawaii, over 11,000 feet above sea level); a competitive table tennis player and a top-of-his-age-class, 5k runner. To emphasize his amazing breadth, he has also appeared in an episode of the long running TV show, Breaking Bad, but not as a crowd extra, rather as a equity actor. His lifelong interest in exercise and nutrition has allowed him to remain active in chess and life for years to come. Now a solid septuagenarian, Arthur has also continued to maintain a Class A level of play, but it is an open question whether his hours of playing exceeds his hours volunteering. His online USCF info sheet lists him as a Senior Tournament Directors, and gives the following numbers. Since 1991 he has worked directing a total of 351 tournament sections and of that total, he has been the chief director for 140 tournaments. He has worked hard to introduce innovations into his tournaments to entice both newcomers and semi-retired players to enter (or reenter) the tournament scene. His ideas have included free entrance for USCF members who have not played in a tournament in three or more years and holding warm-up tournaments prior to major tournaments to help player get into shape. When directing, his goal has always been to present on-time and correct pairings each round and to minimize confusion and distractions in the playing hall for the players. While it’s hard to describe all of Arthur’s contributions to chess in less than one page, he has been a player, a teacher, an organizer, a mentor, a club official and an enthusiast for chess for very many years.. Inducted on: 02-09-19 |
Scholastic Financial Assistance
The New Mexico Chess Organization (NMCO) Board has begun a new program to assist Scholastic Chess families dealing with either temporary or extended financial hardship. The program is to administer United States Chess Federation (USCF) Vouchers to any Scholastic Chess...
States Cup Round 4
Monday night 9/28/2020 at 8:00pm, our New Mexico team takes on Washington. The link for the live stream will be on https://m.twitch.tv/llrchess/profile and https://www.twitch.tv/slothychess Here are the teams, BOARD 1: Jesse Vicario 2035 and NM Rushaan Mahajan 2209...
States Cup Round 3
Thursday night 9/24/2020 at 8:00pm, our New Mexico team takes on Nevada. The link for the live stream will be on https://www.twitch.tv/johnyblaze28 Here are the teams, BOARD 1: Jesse Vicario 2035 and Tom Brownscombe 2200 BOARD 2: Eric Stuart 1981 and Jeff Gallegos...
States Cup Round 2
Tuesday night 9/15/2020 at 8:00pm, our New Mexico team challenges Hawaii. The link for the live stream will be on https://m.twitch.tv/llrchess/profile There are the teams, BOARD 1: Jesse Vicario 2035 and Jason Loving 2119 BOARD 2: Eric Stuart 1981 and Likeke Aipa 1981...