How a Vile Alcatraz Prisoner Became IM

When you think of an International Master, you likely think of a studious person who spent most of their life learning chess, a vicious convict definitely doesn't come to your mind. However, Norman T. Whitaker is a cosmic exception to this. Although perhaps having one of the craziest backstories in chess history, Whitaker is an unrecognizable name for most players. Growing up in a cultured background but quickly turning for the worst, the 20th-century IM for sure had many ups and downs in his life. From serving sentences to befriending the notorious Al Capone, here is the true story of how a depressing convict became one of the world's best players.

Promising Beginnings

Norman Tweed Whitaker was born on April 9, 1890 in downtown Philadelphia. He grew up in an upper middle class prominent family with successful parents. His father, Dr. Herbert Whitaker, was a respected mathematician with a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania, while his mother was a well known champion whist player.

Whitaker passed high school in 1908, and was seen as a valuable prospect for UPENN and Georgetown. He graduated with a Bachelor's and Law degree, and was set for a prosperous future.

Chess Participation

Whitaker was taught chess by his father at the age of 14, and learned more about the game by watching his favorite player Harry Pillsbury in 1905. He was a member of the nation's second-oldest chess club, the Franklin Mercantile Chess Club in Philadelphia, and often represented it in team matches.

In his teens, Whitaker won exceptional games in simultaneous exhibitions against Emanual Lasker and Jose Raul Capablanca, spurring his motivation for chess and to further capitalize as a young talent.

Whitaker successfully represented the University of Pennsylvania in intercollegiate play, gaining him more popularity as a gifted chess player. He also famously played for the United States in 2 transatlantic cable matches against England, coming up victorious overall with a 1.5/2 score.

Whitaker went on to achieve many chess accomplishments during his reign, including representing many different cities in transatlantic matches, placing second in the American Chess Congress, and even getting scheduled to play a match against Marshall for the U.S. Chess Championship.  Unfortunately, things only went downhill from here for Whitaker.

Turn for the Worst

After being disbarred from the practice of law in 1924, Whitaker plotted with several of his family members an elaborate insurance fraud scheme, and was arrested in November 1921 for violating the Dyer Act. After 3 more desperate delays and appeals, he was eventually sentenced to 2 years in federal prison.

At the time, most people thought that fraud was the worst of Whitaker's actions and he would go back to his chess career without a second thought. After all, he still had a chance to redeem himself and continue chasing a better chess title. However, unlike what most people thought, the rise of his criminality caused his reputation to briskly decline.

In March 1932, Whitaker gained major notoriety during the Lindbergh kidnapping. Famous aviator Charles Lindbergh's child was kidnapped from his New Jersey estate. The crime was so severe, that Whitaker and all of the involved criminals were sentenced to one of the harshest US prisons at the time, Alcatraz.

Although serving only 18 months, Whitaker learned many confidence tricks and befriended Al Capone, who reconciled to join his prison strike. His advanced education and command of foreign languages from earlier in life aided him in fooling many unwary guards and victims. Whitaker practiced several confidence scams and was arrested on multiple more accounts later in life, serving at various prisons.

Aftermath

After his parole and various prison terms, Whitaker returned to regular OTB chess and, for a couple of years, became one of America's most active tournament players. Consistently scoring solid in tournaments even after a 16-year long prison hiatus, Whitaker once again showed that he was capable of mastering this game. During this period, he also served as a chess organizer to supplement his earnings.

After years of campaigning, Norman T. Whitaker was finally awarded the International Master title in 1965. Worldwide rating systems gave Whitaker a level of 2420, while Chessmetrics gives him a peak rating of 2568. Since they were only introduced in the 1950s, chess ratings/titles were a bit wonky. But one thing's for sure, Whitaker finally achieved his lifelong goal, and rode quite a roller coaster along the way.

Conclusion

Whitaker holds one of the most interesting chess-player backstories to date, and will forever be remembered as a criminal and chess mastermind.

Thank you so much for reading this blog, I hope you learned something new today. Some of my upcoming blogs will probably be about OTB, so stay tuned for that. Share your thoughts in the comments, any feedback would be appreciated. Have a great day.

Sources: chessgames.com, Wikipedia, chesshistory.com, Silman's article