Book Review

By Bill Broich

“The Chess Traveler and Pioneer”

Michael Abron

When I moved to St, Louis in July of 2024, one of the first chess players I encountered at the St. Louis Chess Club was Michael Abron. Michael is a regular at the club playing in events almost every Saturday and Sunday, in addition to Tuesday night tournaments. Michael is a 71-year-old African American born in Tennessee. His fantastic accomplishment is that he has played in chess tournaments in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. This book tells his story. Michael was assisted with  writing this book by Major Zachary Z. Kinney, a retired Colonel, DCDF.

Michael’s first US Chess rated tournament listed on his journey was played on 12-08-1991 at the Tennessee Southeastern Amateur Team Championship in Knoxville, Tennessee. The 50-state journey ended on 10-12-2019 at the Alaska National Chess Day tournament.

The book begins with a short biography of Michael’s life describing his education from elementary school to his graduation from the University of Tennessee in 1977. Additional topics include family and career outside of chess. Michael moved frequently over the years and worked as a teacher and held various positions to support his family. He made many friends and played chess as much as he could.

Next, is a discussion on the game of chess and competitive chess events. Michael describes how  he learned to play the game. The remainder of the book describes his journey as he pursued his goal of playing in a chess tournament in all 50 states, and the District of Columbia.

The book includes information for each state including the date the state entered the Union and its capital city. There is also a picture of each state’s flag. Many events and the names of many players are included. As I read the book, I recognized many names of players I have met and who played in tournaments I have been involved with. I have even played some of the players he played. If you are or have been in the military, you will recognize many of the bases where Michael played.

The book is 134 pages with many pictures. Chess is a game, yes, but it is about people, friendships, and camaraderie. This book documents Michael’s travels, the people he has met, the friendships he has made, and 30 of his games. Michael played in the Hawkeye Mind Challenge, held in Iowa City on 02-19-2006. There are photographs of magazine and newspaper articles. This book is easy to read, and it is also an incredibly fun read! Pick up a copy! See how many people you know mentioned in this book.

Available at many outletsincluding Amazon and Barnes & Noble!

Hardcover: $27.95Paperback: $17.95Kindle: $8.99

Mission accomplished!!

2019-10-12 Alaska NATIONAL CHESS DAY 1 (AK) FINISHED!

2019-03-17 South Dakota 2019 JACKRABBIT OPEN AND RESER (SD)

2018-11-10 Wyoming 2018 NEW WYOMING OPEN (WY)

2018-09-16 Montana 2018 BIG SKY COUNTRY (MT)

2018-09-03 Hawaii 2018 HAWAII STATE OPEN (HI)

2018-07-22 Nebraska 2018 CORNHUSKER (NE)

2018-07-14 North Dakota MIKE ABRON INVITATIONAL (ND)

2018-07-07 Arkansas SEVEN MORE STATES (AR)

2018-06-25 Mississippi MICHAEL’S TOUR (MS)

2018-06-24 Louisiana 2018 US SENIOR OPEN (LA)

2018-05-20 New Mexico MINI SENIOR (NM)

2018-05-20 Arizona UNITY WEEKLY MAY 20TH, 2018 (AZ)

2018-05-12 Utah GAME-IN-SIXTY CHAMPIONSHIP (UT)

2018-05-05 California 18TH CHARLES POWELL MEMORIAL (CA)

2018-04-29 Washington CLARK HARMON MEMORIAL (WA)

2018-04-22 Oregon APRIL 2018 PCC SUNDAY QUADS (OR)

2018-04-15 Idaho 2018 IDAHO OPEN (ID)

2018-03-04 Colorado 2018 COLORADO SPRINGS OPEN (CO)

2018-02-24 New Hampshire 5TH QUEEN CITY TORNADO (NH)

2018-02-20 Maine SACOVALLEY QUASI QUICK QUADS (ME)

2006-07-29 Wisconsin SCORCHING 15 (WI)

2006-07-23 Kansas KANSAS OPEN (KS)

2006-07-16 Oklahoma OKLA OPEN 2006 JERRY SPANN MEM (OK)

2006-06-27 Rhode Island CRANSTON-WARWICK JUNE MONTHLY (RI)

2006-06-25 Michigan 2006 MICH BOTTOM-HALF CHAMPION (MI)

2006-06-10 Indiana JUNE OPEN (IN)

2006-05-28 West Virginia UNITED STATES AMATEUR SOUTH (WV)

2006-04-23 Kentucky 2ND LOUISVILLE OPEN!? (KY)

2006-02-19 Iowa HAWKEYE MIND CHALLENGE XIII (IA)

2005-06-12 Nevada 2005 NATIONAL OPEN (NV)

2004-02-22 Texas SOUTHEAST AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP (TX)

2003-08-10 Vermont 13TH VERMONT RESORT OPEN! (VT)

2003-06-15 New Jersey 2003 SOUTH JERSEY OPEN (NJ)

2002-11-29 Massachusetts 2002 NORTHEAST CHESS FALL GETA (MA)

2002-11-29 Delaware DELAWARE STATE QUICK CHAMP (DE)

2000-09-04 New York 122ND NYS CHAMPIONSHIP! (NY)

2000-08-13 Minnesota 101ST ANNUAL US OPEN – 2000 (MN)

2000-06-16 Virginia BOOZ ALLEN 2ND CLUB CHAMPIONSH (VA)

2000-06-09 Maryland FMCA EVERY FRI KNIGHT QUICK (MD)

2000-04-23 Connecticut 2ND ANNUAL FOXWOODS OPEN (CT)

1999-06-20 Ohio 1999 COLUMBUS OPEN (OH)

1999-06-13 South Carolina SOUTH CAROLINA OPEN (SC)

1999-05-31 Illinois 8TH ANNUAL CHICAGO OPEN (IL)

1999-03-28 Florida 7TH ORLANDO OPEN! (FL)

1998-12-29 District of Columbia 25TH EASTERN OPEN (DC)

1998-10-25 North Carolina NC OPEN (NC)

1998-11-29 Missouri US CLASS CHAMPIONSHIPS (MO)

1996-03-17 Alabama 1996 SPACE CITY OPEN (AL)

1994-07-04 Pennsylvania 22ND ANNUAL WORLD OPEN (PA)

1991-12-08 Georgia 21ST ANNUAL ATLANTA OPEN (GA)

1991-12-08 Tennessee SOUTHEASTERN AMATEUR TEAM CHAM (TN)