Persons celebrating an Anniversary in September 2004

With the first birthday greeting of this month we meet Eric Fisher from the English town of Hull, he looked back on 69 years on 7th September. The chess historically orientated Eric is "a guy well known in chess circles for his love of chess books and collecting chess items" (Internet) and as the secretary of his Hull Chess Club he has published for some years a club magazine for the members: "The Hull Chess Club Magazine" – at that time (end of the nineties) it was considered as the best of its kind nationwide.

Only one day later J. Ken MacDonald was next in line, the correspondence chess specialist from the Canadian city of Toronto completed his 59th year on September 8. The strong CC player - he has the CCCA Master title (CCCA = Canadian Correspondence Chess Association) - was appointed an ICCF Arbiter as early as 1985. At least in two cases (as far as I know) he appeared as a chess author: The Thirtieth Canadian Correspondence Chess Championship, 1974-5 (1975) and The Games of Daniel "Abe" Yanofsky (1997). You will find a photo of Ken on p. 81 of the book ICCF GOLD 50th Jubilee Celebration (1951-2001), published in 2002.

The same day our – in a double meaning – youngest member celebrated his birthday as Lawrence Totaro has just joined the KWA as a new member and with only 23 years he is simultaneously our KWA junior. Lawrence comes from the world-famous gambler’s paradise Las Vegas, according to his own words his specialty is Autograph Authentication. You will find numerous photos, autographs and chess memorabilia of maximum rarity at his website, it is worth a visit!

The next on our birthday list is a well-known figure in the German chess scene, Johannes Fischer from Berlin is now - 12th September – 41 years "young". He pursues his profession as a freelance translator, interpreter and journalist, and he should be widely known to most KWA members as an editor of the "Cultural Chess Magazine" KARL as no issue of this magazine is published without columns, contributions to main subjects, essays or reviews by his lively pen (for 18 years KARL was a club magazine of the chess friends Schöneck till it became available to the public as a quarterly magazine from No. 2/2001 onwards). You may find many additional articles by J. F. being worth reading at the KARL-online-Column. FIDE master Johannes Fischer is as well active as a chess player as he strengthens his club SC Leipzig-Gohlis in the 2nd "Bundesliga" (German Chess League). An expressive photo of "J. F. over the board" is available to you in a recommendable online review (in German only) by Harald Fietz.

Our next greetings go to the most northern federal state of Germany, Hanspeter Suwe (hps) celebrated his 56th birthday in Winsen/Holstein on September 13. Already in his early years the initial OTB player had devoted himself to problem chess in the course of which he developed a particular liking of "castling problems". The passion for this chess peculiarity "0-0/0-0-0" never left him any more as is shown among other things by his publishing work (supported by two additional companions) on König & Turm since 2000 – we have already briefly appreciated this magazine at our pages Publications. Some of his further commitments to problem chess can be mentioned here only shortly: his "unfinished" (because being left in disorder) collection of about 14,000 castling problems; his working as a Schwalbe editor (end of 1976 to 1979) in the category "Experimental Chess" – at that time fairy chess was temporarily called this way; and the publication of the castling magazine "0-0", this forerunner of "K & T" saw 11 issues (since 1978). For the first time he became familiar with historical chess literature by the unforgotten Hamburg problemist Hans Klüver, for hps a stimulation to devote himself in depth to chess historical investigations on the genesis of castling – that’s also a field he deals with till today. hps pursues his profession as a teacher/deputy headmaster of a primary school at Norderstedt and it is surprising that he has still some time left for non-chess hobbies – they include mountain hiking, literature (particularly Marcel Proust) and music (jazz). You will learn more about hps by reading his self-portrait in Caissas Schloßbewohner 3 (1986), additionally "K & T" No. 3 / 2000, p. 97-98.

We will turn now to one of the three grandmasters in KWA ranks, Raj Tischbierek looked back on 42 years on September 24. The native Leipziger who was successful as a double GDR champion (1987 and 1990) made his name later on especially as a publisher: since 1991 he has been editor-in-chief of the magazine Schach which at the beginning of 1997 absorbed the "unified magazines" Deutsche Schachzeitung - Deutsche Schachblätter - Schach-Report. Since 2000 Schach – Die Zeitschrift mit Tradition und Anspruch – is published by the Berlin Exzelsior Verlag (E. Publishing House) which was founded by Raj Tischbierek in the year before. Due to the time-consuming editorial work he naturally hasn't got much time for active participations in chess tournaments, especially as he competes for his club SC Kreuzberg in the 1st "Bundesliga" (German Chess League) as well.
Raj Tischbierek has authored two books: Sternstunden des Schachs. 30 x Olympia. London 1927 – Manila 1992 (Berlin 1992) – we have briefly presented this work at our pages Publications of our members; as well as the fine tournament book of the SKA-Turnier München 1994 (Berlin 1994). He has additionally collaborated as an editor on the four-volume series ATTACKE – Das Beste vom Sowjetschach/Schach der Sowjets (Berlin 1991-2). Up to now two interesting book projects have been realized by the Exzelsior Publishing House, we are confident that also the third one – namely the Zukertort biography initiated/prepared by the KWA – will meet the special interest of the collectors' community.

One day later our new member John Donaldson celebrated his special day in San Francisco, he turned 46 on September, 25. Only in this summer our secretary Michael Negele had visited him at the Mechanics’ Institute, IM John Donaldson holds there the leading position of a Chess Room Director (surely Michael will still report on this visit on his website). We will mention here at least that this institute houses the oldest US chess club – the Mechanics' Chess Club was founded in 1854! A short biography of John (including a photo) will provide information about the most important stages of his (chess) life and save myself further explanations. Many publications in book form have established his excellent reputation as a chess writer at home and abroad, so the enclosed list of his existing chess books (no responsibility for completeness!) is not only impressive by its mere size. Typically he was chosen as the Chess Journalist of the Year in 1994 ...

Congratulations to all!