Members · Prefs · Laboratory · Collections · Openings · Endgames · Sacrifices · History · Search Kibitzing · Kibitzer's Café · Chessforums · Tournament Index · Players · Kibitzing

Ed Edmondson

Search Sacrifice Explorer for Ed Edmondson
Search Google for Ed Edmondson

ED EDMONDSON (born Aug-13-1920, died Oct-21-1982, 62 years old) United States of America [what is this?] Colonel Edmund "Ed" Edmondson was a major figure in the rise in the popularity of organized chess in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s, and in particular in the ascent of Robert James Fischer to the Spassky - Fischer World Championship Match (1972). Edmondson served as President of the United States Chess Federation (USCF) from 1963 to 1966 and its Executive Director from 1966 to 1977. He made great efforts to ensure Fischer's participation in the 1972 world championship cycle. This included clearing the way for him to participate in the Palma de Mallorca Interzonal (1970) despite not having played in the USA-ch / Zonal (1969) qualifier, serving as Fischer's manager during the 1971 Candidates' Matches, and working on his behalf in Reykjavik in 1972. The Federation prospered greatly in the aftermath of the championship match, with membership exceeding 70,000 members in 1973, compared with a figure of fewer than 12,000 six years earlier. Edmondson then attempted to negotiate terms for Fischer to defend his title but was unable to broker an agreement between Fischer and FIDE, which led to Fischer's default of the title to Anatoly Karpov in 1975. After the default, the USCF faced severe financial pressures in the wake of declining membership. Edmondson's management came under criticism, and he retired as Executive Director in 1977. In retirement, he served as one of the arbiters of the Karpov - Korchnoi World Championship Match (1978). Wikipedia article: Ed Edmondson (chess official) Last updated: 2023-04-27 17:13:40

Try our new games table.

page 1 of 1; 5 games    Game   Result Moves Year Event/Locale Opening 1. Koltanowski vs E Edmondson   1-0 33 1960 Simul blind 1/56 B60 Sicilian, Richter-Rauzer 2. E Edmondson vs W Slifer   1-0 31 1962 63rd US Open D00 Queen's Pawn Game 3. T Lux vs E Edmondson 1-0 13 1962 63rd US Open B23 Sicilian, Closed 4. E Edmondson vs S Sloan   0-1 27 1963 Chess Friends of NorCal Money Tournament B01 Scandinavian 5. E Edmondson vs M Wennstrom 0-1 39 1964 Nevada Open C10 French

REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2) | Edmondson wins | Edmondson loses

Jan-28-11    Caissanist: I'm surprised there have been no comments yet about this important figure in US chess history. I have entered a brief biography for him. Jan-28-11    rapidcitychess: <Caissanist> Brief=Short :) Apr-27-23    perfidious: On reading this bio, one would have the impression that Fischer did not play in 1975 due to Edmondson's inability to negotiate terms for the match with Karpov, when in truth, Fischer's intransigence would have made it impossible for <God> to come to an agreement to sit opposite Karpov. Nov-23-23    Caissanist: Fischer's conditions were first player to reach ten wins, draws not counting, with the match declared tied if the score reached 9-9. The conditions under which Karpov defended were first player to reach six wins, with the champion having the right to a rematch if the challenger is victorious (this was Karpov's idea). Since that is clearly a bigger advantage than what Fischer was proposing, one wonders if he would have accepted those conditions if someone had proposed them to him. So far as I know, nobody ever did. Nov-23-23    beatgiant: <Caissanist> <Since that is clearly a bigger advantage> That is actually not at all clear. Euwe, Smyslov and Tal all lost the title in rematches, but what do we call them? World champions.

NOTE: Create an account today to post replies and access other powerful features which are available only to registered users. Becoming a member is free, anonymous, and takes less than 1 minute! If you already have a username, then simply login login under your username now to join the discussion.

Please observe our posting guidelines: No obscene, racist, sexist, or profane language. No spamming, advertising, duplicate, or gibberish posts. No vitriolic or systematic personal attacks against other members. Nothing in violation of United States law. No cyberstalking or malicious posting of negative or private information (doxing/doxxing) of members. No trolling. The use of "sock puppet" accounts to circumvent disciplinary action taken by moderators, create a false impression of consensus or support, or stage conversations, is prohibited. Do not degrade Chessgames or any of it's staff/volunteers. Please try to maintain a semblance of civility at all times. See something that violates our rules? Blow the whistle and inform a moderator. NOTE: Please keep all discussion on-topic. This forum is for this specific player only. To discuss chess or this site in general, visit the Kibitzer's Café.

Messages posted by Chessgames members do not necessarily represent the views of Chessgames.com, its employees, or sponsors. All moderator actions taken are ultimately at the sole discretion of the administration.

Copyright 2001-2025, Chessgames Services LLC