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billwall's Blog


    • "Brooklyn Castle" and I.S. 318

        I recently watched a very good documentary on chess.  “Brooklyn Castle” (originally called Chess Movie) is a 101-minute documentary about Intermediate School (I.S.) 318 Eugenio Maria de Hostos, an inner-city public school in Williamsburg... | Read More

      • billwall
      • | Sep 1, 2012
      • | 1832 views
      • | 7 comments
    • NASA and chess

      I was assigned to NASA for 6 years in my old Air Force days and still work on NASA contracts providing computer security.   I’ve played chess at Cape Canaveral, Johnson Space Center, NASA Ames, and NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC.  A lo... | Read More

      • billwall
      • | Aug 26, 2012
      • | 912 views
      • | 12 comments
    • Comic Book Characters and Chess

      I have found about 200 comic books that feature chess on its cover or has a chess story.  Here are some comic book characters that play chess.  Are there any more? Aladdin - Disney’s Aladdin plays chess.  He appears on the Cover of Disney’... | Read More

      • billwall
      • | Apr 9, 2012
      • | 3098 views
      • | 19 comments
    • Sore Losers in Chess

      The Reverand Arthur Skipworth was a poor loser.  He had the habit of suddenly getting "ill" when he lost a few games, then would petition the tournament committee to return his entry fee due to his poor health.  He dropped out of the BCA London ... | Read More

      • billwall
      • | Mar 15, 2012
      • | 6894 views
      • | 59 comments
    • Bobby Fischer Quotes

      Here are a few Bobby Fischer quotes. After his trip to Havana to play chess, Fischer said, “The Cubans seem to take chess more seriously.  They feel more the way I do about chess.  Chess is like fighting, and I like to win.  So do they.” ... | Read More

      • billwall
      • | Mar 11, 2012
      • | 5242 views
      • | 26 comments
    • Capablanca Quotes

      Here are a few Capablanca quotes. “I don’t care much for blindfolded chess, and other stunts like that…I’ve played that way, but it seems to me too much like charlatanism.” – Montreal, 1909 When asked why he avoided blindfold play, C... | Read More

      • billwall
      • | Mar 7, 2012
      • | 4586 views
      • | 64 comments
    • Sir Walter Scott and Chess

      Walter Scott was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on August 15, 1771, descended from one of the most ancient families of Scotland.  He was a Scottish lawyer, sheriff, journalist, novelist, playwright, and poet.  His works contains many references to ... | Read More

      • billwall
      • | Feb 29, 2012
      • | 2092 views
      • | 8 comments
    • Chess and television

      In 1952, “The Game of Chess,” starring Vincent Price, was one of the episodes in the Lux Video Theatre (TV series from 1950 to 1959) In 1953, an episode called “Cagliostro and the Chess Player,” starring Jack Palance, appeared on Suspense... | Read More

      • billwall
      • | Feb 22, 2012
      • | 3050 views
      • | 11 comments
    • Chess Patrons and Philanthropists

      Faneuil (Fan) Adams, Jr. (1923-1999) was a former senior executive with the Mobil Oil Corporation and former president of the American Chess Foundation (which later became the Chess-in-the-Schools).  He was also the Treasurer and Director of the... | Read More

      • billwall
      • | Feb 20, 2012
      • | 1283 views
      • | 1 comment
    • Fred Reinfeld

      Fred Reinfeld was born in New York City on January 27, 1910.  His father, Barnett Reinfeld, came from Poland.  His mother, Rose (Pogrozelsky) was from Romania.  Fred had a sister, Lily (Lena Blake), born in 1912. Reinfeld wrote over 100 chess ... | Read More

      • billwall
      • | Feb 11, 2012
      • | 3939 views
      • | 33 comments