One Move at a Time

EP #21: FM Robby Adamson

This month’s guest is FM Robby Adamson, a member of the US Chess scholastic council, a past president and a current board member for the Arizona Chess Federation, and a board member for the Southern Arizona Chess Association. We talk to him about building a scholastic chess team and his own chess history, which includes being the 1988 Denker Tournament of High School Champions co-champion.

EP #20: Abel Talamantez and Dr. Judit Sztaray

This month’s guests represent the Mechanics' Institute Chess Club in San Francisco, California, which is the oldest continuously operating chess club in the United States. Abel Talamantez is the Chess Room Director, a position he has held since 2018, and Judit Sztaray is the General Manager of Youth Outreach and Events, a position she started in last year. Abel has been a US Chess Delegate from Northern California since 2017 and is a current member of the Clubs Committee and a former member of the Outreach committee.  Judit is the current chair of the US Chess Clubs Committee and a member of the Scholastic Council and a former Vice Chair of the Accessibility and Special Circumstances Committee. US Chess named her the 2017 Organizer of the Year and then in 2018 she won the Chess Club of the Year. We discuss operating a club in a time of COVID-19, as well as the aspects of the club's programs during normal times that speak directly to the US Chess mission statement. 

EP #19: Fred Wilson

This month’s guest is Fred Wilson. In 2019, Fred Wilson was given the Outstanding Career Achievement Award by US Chess.  IM John Donaldson wrote for our awards ceremony, “Fred Wilson has taught thousands of young players over the decades. He has edited and authored important chess publications, including very inexpensive books for novices, and has generously provided copies of these novice works to chess associations to help bring in new players. He has edited and authored historical works that have preserved and disseminated much lost chess history. His work in preserving rare chess books, and making these accessible to historians, has been of great value in new chess historical research.” He has written or co-written 14 books with Bruce Alberston and was the Chess Journalist of the Year in 2003. He also was recently one of only a handful of people to achieve the Master rating after reaching the age of 70.

EP #18: Justin Morrison

This month’s guest is Justin Morrison, the founder and owner of Kid Chess, a metro Atlanta chess teaching company reaching thousands of children, mainly in after school programs. We discuss what it takes to start and run a chess business and also his ideas on attracting the masses to our game.

EP #17: Michael Propper

This month’s guest is Michael Propper, the Director of ChessNYC and President of New York City Chess Services Inc, a non profit focused on expanding the reach and impact of chess as far as possible. We discuss ChessNYC's innovative programs such as their $10,000 Championship Challenge and their prison programs in the Queensboro Correctional Facility and Rikers Island. 

EP #16: Dr. Karen Aronian

This month’s guest is Dr. Karen Aronian, M.A., Ed.M., Ed.D., who is the principal of Aronian Education Design LLC, a full-service education design firm which creates irresistible environments and content for children and families in private and public venues. We talk about how being a professional educator has informed how she is a chess parent to her two active scholastic players. Dr. Aronian considers all places learning spaces, and the dynamic energy of her work reflects this philosophy. She has worked in the art, design, and education fields for over 30 years, and is an award-winning educator. She is widely considered an expert on education and parenting; her columns on the topic appear regularly in a broad range of newspapers, and her work has been featured in international publications, including Parents Magazine.

EP #15: Allen Priest

This month's guest is Allen Priest, the president of the US Chess Executive Board. We talk about where US Chess has been, where we are going, and take an in-depth look at the just-revised US Chess Values.

Allen Priest has been the US Chess president since 2018 and is the 29th president in our 80 year history. He was first elected to the executive board in 2011. He lives in the Commonwealth of Kentucky where he is a CPA, a field he has worked in since 1982 and which has allowed him to bring his experience in non-profit audit, tax compliance, and benefit plans to US Chess. He first became a US Chess delegate from Kentucky in 2007 and has served on various committees including finance, audit, bylaws, forums, and LMA.

EP #14: Jim Egerton

This month's guest is Jim Egerton, who uses chess to help businesses achieve their goals.

Jim Egerton is the CEO and founder of Business on the Board® and the author of the book of the same name which is subtitled, "How the World's Greatest Game Can Build Better Leaders." A respected teacher, coach, manager, leader, and entrepreneur, his speaking has impacted the lives of thousands. His management, information technology, and training experience come from serving in the health care, energy, and finance industries. He does workshops for firms like Amazon, UBS, FedEx, RRDonnelley & Wrigley who want to use a game-based approach to developing the skills their leaders need to be successful. He uses his speaking platform to show people that chess is a powerful tool for developing skills our future leaders will need. He has a degree in mathematics from Northern Illinois University and an MBA degree in finance from Illinois Tech.

EP #13: Dr. Alexey Root, WIM

Dr. Alexey Root is our guest today on this October edition of "One Move at a Time." She holds the title of WIM and was the 1989 U.S. Women's Champion. Before earning her Ph.D. in education, she taught high school social studies and English and ran the school's chess club. She has written seven books on chess in education; some are available at USCF Sales and all are available on Amazon. She teaches online courses about chess in education for The University of Texas at Dallas and the courses have been taken by students all over the world. She has been a long time writer for Chess Life, Chess Life Kids, and CLO, and she seems naturally drawn to topics that speak directly to our US Chess mission statement. 

EP #12: David Grimaud

David Grimaud is this month's guest. Grimaud has been the President of the South Carolina Chess Association since 2006, the Chair of the US Chess Senior Committee, a member of the Scholastic Council, and a member of the States Committee. Along with his wife Maureen, the couple was awarded the Koltanowski Silver award this year for their support of senior and women’s events. In his non-chess life, David is president of the Automotive repair and maintenance company Precision Tune's largest area developer, Grimaud Enterprises Inc., which oversees 93 stores in 11 states, from Utah to Texas to South Carolina.