PHOTO CREDIT: RICHARD SHORMAN
Cover Story / GM Walter Browne
“My favorite memories of Walter are away from the board. Browne was intensely competitive in all games and sports. I remember our tennis matches, softball games, basketball, swimming, shuffleboard, table tennis, bridge, air hockey, and horseshoes (he was excellent). In the Lone Pine softball games he loved to organize, Walter was usually the pitcher, and he enjoyed razzing his softball opponents the way he did blitz customers. He hated to lose, even at pitching pennies.” —GM LARRY CHRISTIANSEN
“Walter was one of the players that indirectly taught me how to play chess; his style and involvement always fascinated me. I am sorry that he is leaving us so early, it was an honor to work with him on our joint book, Champions of the New Millenium, co-authored by IM Danny Kopec. [One from the] great generation of
chessplayers is leaving the scene.”
—GM LUBO FTACNIK, Bratislava, Slovakia
“Walter was a consummate professional, and not shy about disputing playing conditions or pairings with
organizers and directors (myself included). I recall him dispensing avuncular advice to the younger players after one of the Lone Pine tournaments, recalling how after blowing a win against Bobby Fischer in 1970 he consoled himself with the thought that he'd have future games with Bobby—which of course didn’t happen. Moral: exploit your opportunities when they arise!”
—NTD RANDALL HOUGH
“Walter founded the WBCA—the World Blitz Chess Association. He called blitz chess the ‘Gymnastics of the Mind.’ For many years he was one of the best blitz players in the world. And this complemented well the severe time-pressure situations he got himself into where he might have to make 20 or 25 moves in one minute. Certainly many a player tried to exploit such situations only to discover that they were the underdogs!
“Walter was a many-faceted person with many interests. To me he was a great friend, regularly in touch, and always positive.
“Not too long ago, I also asked Walter what he learned from Fischer regarding chess and he said, ‘From Fischer I learned that in order to get something, you have to be willing to give something up.
“I think that is something that both Walter and Bobby shared—they both gave so much to chess.” —DR. DANNY KOPEC, IM
www.uschess.org 39
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76