Bruce Monson

USCF National Master (Life Master, 1996)

A native of Kansas, I recently retired after 30 years of service as a professional firefighter and paramedic for the city of Colorado Springs, Colorado, though my fire service career actually began in southern California with Orange County Fire and Anaheim Fire after graduating from the Rancho Santiago Basic Fire Academy.

A Language of Action

Public service is in my blood and I live by a philosophy of improving conditions for life in the here and now, not just for people but for all life on our tiny blue dot in the universe.

I have always been fascinated with activities people engage in which allow them to communicate through means other than just spoken languages, which can often be a hindrance. I learned early on that sports (in my case wrestling and karate) and chess are wonderful for crossing those language barriers. For example, it is fascinating how two people engaged in a chess match do not have share a spoken language to have a ‘conversation.’ Throughout that game they create a unique dialogue and even after the game has ended they may ‘discuss’ variations that did (or did not) occur, and each understands the other.

When I married a native Hawaiian (now over 30 years ago!) my understanding of these human connections that transcend language only deepened. I learned the traditions of dance (hula) and how each movement carried meaning to a story that could be easily understood if only you took the time and attention to observe. That is the basis of connection and empathy, of being present in the moment.

Chess author, chess historian and chess coach.

My passion for chess began when I was five watching my father and uncle playing. But I was most influenced by seeing Paul Morphy’s legendary ‘Opera’ game against the Duke of Brunswick and Count Isouard I saw printed in a small pamphlet (Drueke’s Chess Primer) that came with my father’s Renaissance Chess Set. Morphy became an obsession. To this day I consider the ‘Bible of chess’ to be Morphy’s Games of Chess, by Philip W. Sergeant!

I am perhaps best known for my work on an opening called the Belgrade Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.d4 exd4 5.Nd5!) and my 1997 book, The Complete Guide to the Belgrade Gambit, of which I am currently working on the long overdue second edition!

I also co-authored (with Dale Brandreth and Bob Sherwood) the book Pasadena 1932 International Chess Tournament (Caissa Editions, 2011) and I have numerous articles published chess magazines in the U.S. and internationally, including Chess Life, New in Chess, Inside Chess, Chess Mail, Kaissiber, and ChessCafe among others. My 2021 New in Chess article, America’s Forgotten Women’s Champion, featuring the intriguing story (and mystery) of LaVieve M. Hines, won first prize for Best Historical Article by the Chess Journalists of America.

I am a chess coach with numerous students going back decades, both in person and online. I am delighted to see the wave of interest in chess in recent years among our youth, no doubt inspired in no small part by the Netflix sensation, The Queen’s Gambit, but also by the rise of quality chess content in online media platforms. I have a conversational style of teaching, always with positive reinforcement and an emphasis on having fun and encouraging communication, not just with coach and student, but with students with other students.

bamonson