California Chess History

HALL OF FAME

by Kerry Lawless



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Alan Benson ALAN BENSON (1947-2015): This Intermediate Tournament Director was originally an over-the-board USCF Master (1971), ICCF Master (1975), and simultaneous blindfold chess expert (up to 10 boards). He personified Berkeley tournament chess during the post-Fischer era. Some of the many tournaments he directed were the Annual People's Chess Tournament (starting in 1971 through 1980; the 1st Annual Capps Memorial (1971); (Assistant Director) all eight Paul Masson Chess Tournaments; (Assistant Director) 1975 Lone Pine; and the Calchess Masters Open in 1979 and 1981. He also assisted in the Mechanics' Institute Pan Pacific Grandmaster Chess Tournament (San Francisco 1987) and the Pan Pacific Grandmaster Chess Tournament (San Francisco 1991). Alan ran the SF Bay Area portion of the National Telephone Chess League from 1976-1979 (The Berkeley Riots team were the National Champions from1977-78). He was also the Director of the East Asia Book & Game Center Chess Club during Fischer's rein and the Director of the UC Berkeley Campus Chess Club (under the auspices of SUPERB Productions) from 1976 to 1981. He was Games Bulletin Editor of the Lone Pine tournaments from 1976 to 1979. He was Chess Editor of several East Bay newspaper chess columns: the Berkeley Gazette and the Daily Californian. He started as Treasurer of the Professional Chess Association (PCA) and eventually became its President. He was also the Promotions Coordinator for ProChess from 1979-1980. Recently (2004) he worked for Games of Berkeley and ordered the chess books for them.

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