1982 Badger Chess Interview with Arpad Elo - Part 1

  • Written by Mike Nietman
  • Published: 27 February 2023
  • Last Updated: 11 March 2023
Reprinted with permission of Bill Williams, Badger Chess editor from the June 1982 edition.

An Interview with Arpad Elo

Badger Chess Assistant Editor Ted Babcock interviewed Professor Arpad Elo, “father” of our rating system during this year’s Elo Open in Madison, April 2-4. Babcock described Elo as being “most gracious, anticipating many of my questions, and giving answers in great detail. . . an enjoyable experience for me.” This is part one of the Elo interview, part two will appear in the July issue.

When and where were you born?

Well, I was born in Hungary on August 25, 1903. A long time ago.

And when did you move to the United States?

In 1913. I just escaped World War I; that is our family did. That was lucky. We moved into the Cleveland area, where I went to high school. In 1921 I went on to the University of Chicago and played chess there in the Chicago Chess League. Chicago was a good chess center, a good many strong players. Then in 1926 I took a position at Marquette University in Milwaukee and, except for a break during the war years, I was there until my retirement in 1969.

Who were some of the better players in Chicago at that time?

There was Samuel Factor, who won the Western Championship a number of times. He was a strong master. And Herbert Albohm. Those were the outstanding players.

Edward Lasker lived in Chicago for a while; although I have never played against him—I did against the others.

For many years we had an annual match between Milwaukee and Chicago. It was a pleasant, generally late in the summer.

Read more: 1982 Badger Chess Interview with Arpad Elo - Part 1

1982 Badger Chess Interview with Arpad Elo - Part 2

  • Written by Mike Nietman
  • Published: 27 February 2023
  • Last Updated: 11 March 2023
Reprinted with permission of Bill Williams, Badger Chess editor from the July 1982 edition.

An Interview with Arpad Elo

Badger Chess Editor, Ted Babcock, concludes his interview with Wisconsin’s steadiest and most supportive champion: Professor Arpad Elo, known in the outre places as the father of the rating system. Yes, the Elo number of every major player in the world is named for a man. In this part he scores Edmondson and appraises his compeers of the 1930-50 era,

How long did you play in tournaments?

Well, the last tournament that I played in was 1968. I started playing in state championships in 1933; I played in 37 consecutive state championships from 1933 to 1969, and during that time I won or tied for first eight or nine times, roughly 25% of the time. It’s a long history of chess; actually from 1926 when I first started to play in Milwaukee, I played for 43 years in Wisconsin chess.

Read more: 1982 Badger Chess Interview with Arpad Elo - Part 2

2022 WCA President's Report

  • Written by Mike Nietman
  • Published: 02 April 2022
  • Last Updated: 11 March 2023

2022 WCA President’s Report

April 1, 2022

Although not at full strength yet, I’m happy to report that over-the-board tournaments are slowly coming back! Proving the need for events, two recent one day events drew over 100 participants each. One problem that tournament organizers are experiencing are greatly increased site costs. Whether it be hotels trying to recoup lost revenue during the pandemic or an increase in the number of weddings that were delayed due to the pandemic now vying for space with us, hotels are getting more expensive for chess tournaments. And more expensive hotels mean higher entry fees, reduced prize funds or both. If you have any suggestions for venues, please contact a Board member.

With minimal activity in the past year, WCA’s financials remain on strong ground.

Likewise, US Chess is running national events and doing very well financially.

Guy Hoffman, James Coons and myself have terms as Board members expire in 2022. All three were re-nominated and accepted nomination. With only three nominees all are re-elected to the Board for three year terms. We thank two others who were nominated, both former WCA Presidents, but each declined nomination.

Read more: 2022 WCA President's Report