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Donald Byrne
A Lover of Chess
 | Chessbase.com page on Byrne |
| Byrne Bio from Penn State Intercom newsletter |
| Byrne Memorial Chess Tournament -- Penn State College |
One of the strongest U.S. players through the 50s and 60s, Donald Byrne left his mark on chess in this country and the world. His accomplishments include:
| Winning the U.S. Open in 1953. |
| Representing the U.S. in its historic matches against the Soviet Union in 1954 and 55. His 3-1 win over Averbakh in the 1954 match was one of the few bright spots for the U.S. team. |
| Serving as a player and/or captain on five U.S. Olympic teams between 1962 and 1972. |
| Receiving the International Master title from FIDE in 1962, a time when the award meant quite a bit more than it does today. |
Born
June 12, 1930, Byrne obtained a Bachelor's Degree from Yale and an M.A. from the
University of Michigan. He taught English at Indiana's Valparaiso University,
moving to Penn State in 1961, with the expectation that he would teach English
and coach the university's chess team.
A great natural talent, Byrne had no great love of formal chess study. The limited opening repertoire that resulted was considered one of his few weak points. His brother Robert Byrne, also a Hall of Fame member, attributed his strong endgame play to his study of and play against, the many strong masters at the Manhattan Chess Club.
A pleasant personality, Byrne was known for making many friends for the United States through his participation in international chess events. Byrne died on May 6, 1976 from complications from lupus, an illness that had plagued him much of his life. In 2002 the USCF awarded his wife, Madge the Honorary Chess Mates Award for her "contributions and unselfish support on behalf of chess." In recognition of his significant contributions to American chess, Donald Byrne was inducted into the Chess Hall of Fame in 2003.
Other Views of Donald Byrne
- At a time when the phrase was "Ugly American," Professor Byrne must have been the "Handsome American." I attended the Chess Olympiad in 1970, and it was obvious the affection that the world chess community had for him. His never-failing good nature, sense of humor and ability to enjoy the world around him made him one of those people that you always wanted to be around.
- -- NM Dan Heisman
- Byrne "may have been the strongest IM in U.S. history never to have achieved the GM title."
- -- Jerry Bibuld, arbiter of 2003
Donald Byrne Memorial tournament.
- Long before the Cold War thawed and trade pacts and tourism made many formerly communist and socialist nations more familiar to Americans, the United States and Penn State had an ambassador to the far corners of the world who waged both war and diplomacy against determined opponents on the smallest of battlefields -- the chess board.
- -- Gary Cramer, Penn State Intercom