John Chalmers was born on March 10, 1940 in Live Oak, Florida. After his father returned from naval service in World War II, John grew up in Charleston, SC. He attended Charleston Day, North Charleston Schools, Admiral Farragut Academy in St. Petersburg, Florida, and graduated from St. Andrew's Parish High School in Charleston. He studied pre-med at the University of South Carolina and graduated from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1973. He practiced law in Charleston for 41 years, primarily in personal injury, and he also served as a Charleston County Magistrate for West Ashley.

Mr. Chalmers most outstanding accomplishments in chess came during his life in Columbia, SC while attending school. While an undergraduate, he was active in the Columbia Chess Club and the South Carolina Chess Association. In 1965, he competed in the SC Chess Championship held at The Foster School of Dance on Trenholm Road in Columbia, SC from Nov. 26-28, 1965. There he tied former multi-time champion Alex Edelsburg for a share of the state title. While a student, John also won the Peter Grant Memorial Tournament, establishing himself as the Columbia-area champion in 1968. He also served as Secretary-Treasurer of the South Carolina Chess Association from 1967-1968, and John continued to play chess in Charleston for many years after he returned to his home town.

Outside of chess, John enjoyed playing piano, golf, and tennis. He was a voracious reader and was interested in everything from history and art to quantum physics and woodworking. He also helped the Public Defender's Office in Charleston with its changeover to computers in the early 80's--his fascination with computers beginning when he was hired by SCE&G in Columbia to program computers that, in the early days, covered an entire wall.

Mr. Chalmers passed away on October 4, 2024 and is buried at Long Cane Cemetery in Abbeville at Highway Bypass 28 and Greenville Street.