William Root

William Root was a public school music teacher. William also taught chess in schools and camps. Now, he works in a library. His US Chess rating is 1743.

Norman Tweed Whitaker

Al Capone, Norman Tweed Whitaker, Chess, and Taxes

Part of Al Capone’s sentence was served on Alcatraz Island, where chess master Norman Tweed Whitaker was a fellow inmate. Willie Harris, a journalist living in Denton, Texas, investigated this chess and crime connection. More 🡢
MUNY Chess

The MUNY Solved Chess

For the chess player at the MUNY’s production, the joys of Chess began even before the show started. Employees of the Saint Louis Chess Club and the World Chess Hall of Fame staffed tables where theatergoers played chess and received promotional chess items. Many attendees were playing chess for the first time, as I found out when I taught some of those beginners the two-rook checkmate. The employees also conducted chess trivia contests and handed out prizes. More 🡢