With the recent news of his passing, this week we look at the remarkable and wide-ranging chess legacy of FM Bill Goichberg. Among many other distinctions, Bill was the founder of the Continental Chess Association and the creator of the U.S. National Scholastic Championships, and he left an indelible mark on the U.S. chess scene.
My guest is chess journalist FM Jon Jacobs, who is working on an independent biography of Bill. Jon grew up in New York and got to know Bill personally as a top young scholastic player, with a young Bill Goichberg directing some of his formative tournaments in Brooklyn. Decades later, Bill sat down for 15 hours’ worth of interviews with Jon, which Jon has been crafting into a book.
In our interview, we discuss Bill’s business legacy, chess accomplishments, family life, and much more. Bill changed the course of American chess, and I am grateful to Jon for joining me and fleshing out his life story.
00:00 - Intro and remembering FM Bill Goichberg
0:02- Maurice Ashley tweet regarding Goichberg-
https://x.com/MauriceAshley?lang=en
06:13 - Jon’s first memories of Bill
08:14 - How Bill got started organizing tournaments
14:16 - Growing chess in the pre-Fischer era
18:21 - Bill’s proudest contributions to US chess
22:54 - Continental Chess and its competitors
24:39 - How big a business did CCA become?
29:50 - Bill’s wife Brenda and their life together
35:35 - Bill’s beginnings as a chess player
39:48 - How strong was Bill as a player?
44:07 - Did Bill ever work outside of chess?
Mentioned: CCA and Domainvision.com
https://www.chesstour.com/aboutcca.htm
47:38 - The Continental Chess business model
51:54 - Why Jon is writing Bill’s biography
57:01 - Where to follow Jon’s work
1:00:00- Thanks to Jon for coming on, you can follow his Facebook page here-
https://www.facebook.com/p/A-Pawn-Made-Flesh-61568668591626/
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