It is the ability to mentally picture things. That seems the most natural thing in the world, but some people are unable to do it at all. They cannot imagine a sunset, see any vivid details, vibrant colours, in their minds. Or they may only produce a mental image that is blurry and lacks detail. Michael Bacon, the Armchair Warrior, is a USCF Expert with aphantasia. He has written about how the condition relates to chess. | Image Credit: Andrew Mason
Today, legendary Grandmaster Vlastimil Hort celebrates his 80th birthday. A long stay of several weeks in the hospital when he was five years old and a caring doctor who played correspondence chess and explained the chess rules to him gave way to his great passion. Eduard Frey celebrates the legend’s anniversary!
Hello chess friends! This month’s column is dedicated to Abraham Wilson of Mililani, Hawaii, a long-time competitor in the Absolute Championships and the Golden Knights Championships. Abe has retired from competitive correspondence chess after 36 years of competition. His accomplishments are worthy of recognition, and so this month we salute Abe Wilson, Correspondence Warrior!
Few individuals have had as great an influence on American chess as IM Jeremy Silman, who died on September 21 in Los Angeles, California. The cause was complications from primary progressive aphasia frontotemporal dementia.