Chess Publisher Bob Long of Davenport dead at 74

Bob Long was a colorful personality in Iowa Chess History. Bob was found murdered in his home on Tuesday. The suspect was apprehended and confessed to the murder and robbery. Bob was 74. Bob was most famous for his publishing companies Chessco and Thinkers Press and most lately the Chess Buttler. Bob served as the editor of the Iowa Chess News En Passant for a few years. Bob was a connoisseur of books on Magic and Math along with Chess. Bob was most recently working on an update to a Purdy book, CJS Purdy’s Search for Chess Perfection. The book started shipping just recently and will become a hot collector’s item as were many of the Thinkers Press books. Bob held several Chess Festivals over the years bringing in high caliber players and speakers such as IM John Donaldson, IM Andrew Martin, GM Jonathan Rowson, GM Igor Khmelnitsky and GM Alex Yermolinsky amongst many others. The Chess landscape will be forever changed with Bob’s passing.