World Chess Hall of Fame celebrates players, authors, journalists, scholars, organizers
The World Chess Hall of Fame (WCHOF) today announced the 2024 U.S and World Chess Halls of Fame inductees. Members of both Halls of Fame are chosen for their impact on the sport and have included players, authors, journalists, scholars, organizers and supporters of the game.
The WCHOF celebrates the accomplishments of the game’s greatest players from the United States and across the globe. The institution houses recognition of both the U.S. and World Chess Halls of Fame, which include 73 and 43 members, respectively. New inductees will be honored during ceremonies held during October in Saint Louis, where they’ve been held since 2011.
“On behalf of the World Chess Hall of Fame in Saint Louis, we are incredibly honored to congratulate and recognize the 2024 inductees on this incredible accomplishment. We look forward to celebrating their unique achievements at this year’s induction ceremonies,” said Emily Allred, Curator of the World Chess Hall of Fame.
U.S. CHESS HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
In 2024, one candidate has been selected for induction into the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame by the US Chess Recognitions Committee and confirmed by the U.S. Chess Trust. The US Chess Trust opened the first U.S. Chess Hall of Fame in 1988 and the first World Chess Hall of Fame in 2001.
The induction ceremony for the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame will take place on October 10, as part of the opening ceremony for the 2024 U.S. and U.S. Women’s Chess Championships–two elite, national tournaments featuring the strongest players in America. This year’s inductee is Charles Henry Stanley.
Charles Henry Stanley (1819–1901)
Few individuals played a larger role in the early development of chess in the United States than Charles Henry Stanley. British-born Stanley immigrated to the United States in 1843 and soon made an impact as a writer and player. His accomplishments include starting the first regular chess column in the United States, which appeared in the New York newspaper The Spirit of the Times, and editing one of the country’s first chess periodicals, The American Chess Magazine. Stanley is best remembered as the first U.S. chess champion, a title he earned by defeating Eugene Rousseau in an 1845 match.
“The induction of the very first U.S. champion squares a circle,” US Chess Trust Managing Director Al Lawrence said. “And the fact that Charles Henry Stanley was an immigrant mirrors America’s path to its multi-cultural, world-class chess cadre of today.”
WORLD CHESS HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
The World Chess Federation (Fédération Internationale des Échecs or FIDE) will also induct 10 new members for the World Chess Hall of Fame. These honorees will be recognized during a special ceremony held on October 20 in Saint Louis. Inductees from the 2024 class include:
Nana Alexandria (1949-)
Nana Alexandria of Georgia is a two-time women’s World vice-champion who drew her World Championship match with Maya Chiburdanidze in 1981. Alexandria won the European Countries’ Champions’ Cup in 1970 and became the only 3-time women’s champion of the Soviet Union (1966,1968, and 1969) before her 21st birthday. She won 12 gold medals in the Women’s Chess Olympiad, where she was a member of six Soviet teams (1969, 1974, 1978, 1980, 1982, and 1986) that won the Women’s Chess Olympiads and later served as the captain of the gold-medal-winning Georgian Women’s Olympiad teams in 1992, 1994, and 1996. For 16 years (1986-2002,) Alexandria was the Chairperson of the FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess and served as the Chairperson of the GMA Women’s Council (1989-1991).
Chen Zhu (1976-)
Showing exceptional promise from an early age, Chen Zhu went from success to success, winning the World Girls Under 12 World Championship in 1988 and twice finishing first in the World Junior Girls Championship in 1994 and 1996. Zhu reached the apex of her career by winning the 2001 Women’s World Championship and playing a key role in China winning the Women’s Chess Olympiad in 1998, 2000, and 2002. Zhu played an important role in making China the dominant power in women’s chess during the past three decades. Zhu is now representing Qatar.
Robert Hübner (1948-)
Robert Hübner was one of the strongest players in the world from the 1970s to the early 1990s. A four-time candidate for the World Championship (1971, 1980-81, 1983, and 1991), rated as high as number three in the world (July 1981), he helped lead Germany to second place in the 2000 Chess Olympiad in Istanbul. Hübner, who has a PhD in papyrology and is reputed to be fluent in 22 languages, accomplished all of this despite being an amateur player for much of his career. A major variation in the Nimzo-Indian Defense is named after him.
Vladimir Kramnik (1975-)
Vladimir Kramnik pulled off one of the biggest upsets in chess history in 2000 when he defeated Garry Kasparov 8 ½ – 6 ½ to become the 14th world champion. Kramnik went on to successfully defend his title two times. A top-ten-rated player from his late teens until his retirement from the game at the age of 43, Kramnik won every accolade a chess player can, but his theoretical contributions to the game are arguably even greater. This is particularly true of his development of the Berlin Defense to the Ruy Lopez, which he successfully rehabilitated in his match with Kasparov.
Irina Levitina (1954-)
Irina Levitina has the rare distinction of being world-class in two endeavors—chess and bridge. She first made her mark in the former when she won the Soviet Women’s Championship in 1971 at the age of 17. She repeated this accomplishment in 1978, 1979, and 1981 before defeating Nona Gaprindashvili, Nana Alexandria, and Lidia Semenova in the 1982-84 Women’s World Champion cycle, losing only to Maia Chiburdanidze in the Women’s World Championship final. Levitina won the U.S. Women’s Championship three times (1991, 1992, and 1993) after immigrating in 1990. She has won five world championship titles in women’s bridge.
Elena Donaldson-Akhmilovskaya (1957-2012)
One of the strongest Russian female players of the 20th century, Elena Donaldson-Akhmilovskaya made her international debut at the 1976 Women’s Interzonal where she tied for first. A frequent participant in the Women’s World Championship cycle for over 20 years, the highlight of her career was winning the 1986 Women’s Candidates tournament. This qualified her to play a title match, which she lost to Maya Chiburdanidze. Donaldson-Akhmilovskaya had some sensational results in Olympiads while representing the Soviet Union, scoring 10 for 10 in 1978 and 8 ½ – ½ in 1988. She later emigrated to the United States, winning the U.S. Women’s Championship in 1990, 1993, and 1994.
Efim Geller (1925-1998)
Efim Geller was one of the dominating figures of the chess world in the 1950s and 1960s, qualifying six times for the Candidates (1953, 1956, 1962, 1965, 1968, and 1971). While he never played a match for the World Championship, Geller defeated eight world champions (Euwe, Botvinnik, Smyslov, Tal, Petrosian, Spassky, Fischer, and Karpov). Most impressively, he had a winning lifetime record against Bobby Fischer (+5, -3, =2). His overall record against the titleholders was an outstanding +39−36=131. Geller was a famous theoretician who made significant contributions to the development of many openings, particularly the King’s Indian Defense. He played on seven gold medal-winning Soviet Olympiad teams.
Fridrik Olafsson (1935-)
Fridrik Olafsson of Iceland is remembered not only as an outstanding player but also for serving as the president of FIDE from 1978 to 1982. Olafsson’s best performance was his tie for 5th-6th with Bobby Fischer in the 1958 Interzonal, a result that qualified him for the Candidates and made him a national hero. He accomplished this despite not being a professional player. Other highlights of Olasson’s career include tying for first at Wijk aan Zee 1976 with Ljubomir Ljubojevic and tying for third in the First Piatigorsky Cup in a field composed entirely of world-class grandmasters.
Oscar Panno (1935-)
Oscar Panno first came to the chess world’s attention when he won the 1953 World Junior Championship ahead of Boris Ivkov, Bent Larsen, and Fridrik Olafsson. Two years later he qualified for the Candidates by placing third in the Interzonal ahead of Efim Geller, Tigran Petrosian, and Boris Spassky. The first strong player born in South America, Panno never played professionally but won many strong international events and represented Argentina in eleven Olympiads, winning team medals in 1954 (silver), 1958 (bronze), and 1962 (bronze). A major line in the King’s Indian variation bears his name.
Lev Polugaevsky (1934-1995)
Lev Polugaevsky was one of the strongest players in the world from the 1960s to the mid-1980s. During this time, he won many important competitions, including three Soviet Championships. A four-time world championship candidate, he defeated Mikhail Tal and Henrique Mecking in matches, twice reaching the quarterfinals stage of the World Championship. Polugaevsky represented the Soviet Union in seven Olympiads, winning team gold six times and silver once. Despite his considerable successes as a player, Lev Polugaevsky is best remembered for the books he authored and the opening variations he discovered, particularly the one that bears his name in the Najdorf Sicilian.
“The 2024 World Chess Hall of Fame inductees exemplify the global impact and inclusivity chess has to offer, and we’re honored to include their contributions to the game’s rich history,” said Willy Iclicki, Chair of the FIDE Historical Committee.
For more information, please visit worldchesshof.org.
About the World Chess Hall of Fame
The World Chess Hall of Fame (WCHOF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to building awareness of the cultural and artistic significance of chess. It opened on September 9, 2011, in the Central West End after moving from previous locations in New York, Washington, D.C., and Miami. Housed in a historic 15,900 square-foot residence-turned-business in Saint Louis’ Central West End neighborhood, the WCHOF features World Chess Hall of Fame inductees, United States Chess Hall of Fame inductees selected by the U.S. Chess Trust, artifacts from the permanent collection and exhibitions highlighting the great players, historic games and rich cultural history of chess. The WCHOF partners with the Saint Louis Chess Club to provide innovative programming and outreach to local, national and international audiences. For more information, visit worldchesshof.org and on social: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube channels.
How Inductees Are Chosen
Each year, candidates for induction to the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame are nominated by the US Chess Recognitions Committee, which includes leading chess historians. The Committee’s selections are sent to the US Chess Executive Board for review, and the Board’s recommendations are then forwarded to the U.S. Chess Trust, whose Trustees have the official authority to determine inductees into the US Chess Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony takes place at the World Chess Hall of Fame or at the annual US Chess Awards luncheon. A representative of the US Chess Trust performs the official induction, using the official Hall of Fame gavel.
Representatives of the World Chess Federation (Fédération Internationale des Échecs, or FIDE) nominate and select new candidates for induction into the World Chess Hall of Fame. Members of the World Chess Hall of Fame are chosen for their total contribution to the sport. Players as well as others who have made an impact as authors, journalists, organizers and in other ways are eligible for induction.
About the US Chess Trust
The US Chess Trust is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization. Through the Trust, the Samford Fellowships have helped develop our nation’s top young chess players. Typically, nine of 12 players in the U.S. Championship are former or current Samford Fellows.
The Trust sponsors the senior, junior and girls’ national invitational events for state champions at the annual U.S. Open and provides numerous college scholarships. For more information, visit uschesstrust.org.