NYSCA

Rochester Chess Center

So I was trying to get recognition in the various organizations that existed: CCA, Marshall, NYSCA and USCF.  FIDE was not so important locally in those days.

An editor of the NYSCA magazine, Howard Simms said that I was just trying to get my name on everything.  There was some truth to that, but I was always willing to do work in exchange.

NYSCA Chess Congress 1926

I went to a few NYSCA meetings.  I liked traveling to Albany where they used to be held, but my allergies were always terrible around that time of year.

I met a couple of people who I would hear from again: Ed Frumkin and Ron Lohrman who later operated the Rochester Chess Center.  I would correspond with him years later when I was promoting bughouse.

Ron Lohrman

I volunteered to be the clearinghouse director.  That meant I would do a calendar of upcoming events with the idea of avoiding conflicts, mainly for upstate New York.  I corresponded with a number of people who I never met.  I think I did a good job for awhile, but eventually I lost interest in it and someone else took it over.

In those days the president of NYSCA appointed the USCF Delegates.

This is very hard to admit, but I was unhappy the first time Alan Benjamin was appointed instead of me.  He did infinitely more for chess, but at the time, to my knowledge, he hadn't done it yet, and I didn't know why he was being appointed.  I didn't become from friendly with him until the Manhattan Chess Club had been destroyed.  We both wanted very much to prevent that.  I feel bad he didn't live a much longer life.

One time the president of NYSCA was Robert Nassiff.  I got him to appoint me as a Delegate even though I don't think the downstate (NYC area) people wanted me appointed.

In retrospect I think the appointment of USCF Delegates was an is fairly democratic.  My impression is that so few people vote that one person can make a difference.   I think I'm going to vote in the USCF election for the first time this year.  The registration process seems a little more complicated than it should be.  There are organizations where I would worry about voter fraud, but not USCF or NYSCA.