2017 Award Winners
Congratulations to this year’s CJA Award Winners!
Joshua Anderson, CJA Awards Committee Chairman and Chief Judge, has provided the following list of awards for the 2017 competition for best chess journalism, as announced at the annual CJA meeting on 4 August 2017.
TOP FOUR:
Chess Journalist of the Year — Winner: Vanessa West
(Honorable Mention — Pete Tamburro)
Best Story of the Year — Winner: Chess Life Turns 70! by Al Lawrence – September 2016 Chess Life, p. 20. Submitted by US Chess
(Honorable Mention — GM Timur Gareyev Sets Blindfold Chess World Record by Jay Stallings and Jennifer Vallens – March 2017 Chess Life, p. 38. Submitted by Jennifer Vallens)
Best Chess Column — Winner: Chess to Enjoy by GM Andy Soltis – June 2016 and August 2016 Chess Life p. 16
(Honorable Mention — The Practical Endgame by GM Daniel Naroditsky – July 2016 and October 2016 Chess Life p. 46/48)
Best State Magazine — Winner: Northwest Chess edited by Jeffrey Roland – June 2016 to May 2017
BEST BOOK:
Best Book – Instructional (paper copy)– Winner (tie): Maneuvering: The Art of Piece Play by Mark Dvoretsky – Russell Enterprises
Best Book – Instructional (paper copy)– Winner (tie): Chess for Hawks by IM Cyrus Lakdawala – New in Chess
Best Book – Other (paper copy)– Winner: H.E. Bird: A Chess Biography with 1,198 Games by Hans Renette – McFarland
(Honorable Mention — W. H. K. Pollock: A Chess Biography with 523 Games by Olimpiu G. Urcan and John S. Hilbert – McFarland)
VISUAL ARTS:
Best Chess Magazine/Newsletter Layout — Winner: American Chess Magazine, Spring 2017, edited by Josip Asik, Submitted by American Chess Magazine
Best Chess Photojournalism — Winner: David Llada: A Common Thread, Chess Life, October 2016, pp. 28, photos by David Llada, Submitted by US Chess
(Honorable Mention — The Shaman Sees Checkmate: Teaching Chess in the Amazon, USChess.org, May 2017, photos by Vincent Roazzi Jr., Submitted by USChess.org)
Best Single Photo — Winner: Karjakin Set to Challenge Carlsen, June 2016 Chess Life p. 20 – by David Llada, submitted by US Chess
Best Chess Art — Winner: Chess Life Turns 70!, Chess Life, Cover, September 2016, by Scott Raymond, submitted by US Chess
NEWSPAPER MEDIA:
Best Regular Newspaper Column — Winner: Chess Column: Thoughts from the champ on chess, intuition, and fashion and Hans Berliner, the D.C. boy who conquered the postal chess world
(September 27, 2016 and February 22, 2016) by David Sands, Washington Times
Best Regular Newspaper Article of Local Interest — Winner: “Chess: A Knight’s Tour” (April 28, 2017) by Bill Cornwall, The Los Angeles Times
The following categories are open to journalist and publications in print.
NEWS or FEATURES, PRINT:
Best Tournament Report – National/International — Winner: A Golden Age Returns by FM Mike Klein, January 17, 2017 in Chess Life p. 22
(Honorable Mention — Olympiad by GM Sam Shankland, et al, American Chess Magazine, Fall-Winter/2016 -2017, p. 9-64)
Best Tournament Report – State/Local — Winner: IM’s Nagle and Brooks Win 62nd Iowa Open by Mark Capron, Sean Nagle and Joseph Wan, October 1, 2017, submitted by the Iowa State Chess Association
Best Features Article — Winner: A Complicated Man by GM Yasser Sierawan – October 2016 US Chess, p. 36
Best Instructive Lesson – Print — Winner: Queen Endings Demystified by GM Alex Fishbein, American Chess Magazine, Spring 2017
(Honorable Mention — How to Lose to a 1400 by FM Jon Jacobs, Chess Life, August 2016, p. 40)
Best Analysis — Winner: Top Three US Games by GM Ivan Sokolov – American Chess Monthly, Spring 2017 American Chess Magazine, p. 14-25
Best Historical Article — Winner: John W. Griggs, when Chess Touched Politics by John Hilbert – Annual NJ Chess
(Honorable Mention — The Murky Origins of Chess by Dr. Gerald M. Levitt – May 2017 Chess Life, p. 40)
Best Humorous Contribution — Winner: How to Lose to a 1400 by FM Jon Jacobs, Chess Life, August 2016, p. 40
Best Interview — Winner: It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over by Josip Asik – American Chess Magazine, Fall-Winter/2016 -2017, p. 84-89
Best Review — Winner: Dvoretsky Retrospective by John Hartmann – December 2016 Chess Life, p. 14
(Honorable Mention –: Everyman Roundup by John Hartmann – October 2016 Chess Life, p. 12)
Best Chess Club Newsletter — Winner: En Passant by John Barraso – June 2016 to March 2017 Pittsburgh Chess Club
Best Single Club Publication — Winner: David Elliott Memorial Cup Booklet by Eric Johnson – February 2017 Allentown Center City Chess Club
The following categories are open to journalist and publications found online.
NEWS or FEATURES, ONLINE:
Best Tournament Report – National/International – Online — Winner: Carlsen Wins Rapid Playoff, Defends World Championship by FM Mike Klein, November 30 on Chess.com
(Honorable Mention — Carlsen Beats Nakamura to Win GM Blitz Battle by FM Mike Klein, October 27 on Chess.com)
(Honorable Mention — A Winner’s Tale: GM Chirila on Millionaire Chess 2016 by GM Cristian Chirila, October 16 on USChess.org)
(Honorable Mention — Kostya’s Magical Reykjavik Open: A Recap! by IM Kostya Kavutskiy, May 18 on USChess.org)
Best Tournament Report – State/Local – Online — Winner (tie): Amsterdam Pub Crawl Tournament Marks 25th Anniversary by Peter Doggers, May 17, 2017 on Chess.com
Best Tournament Report – State/Local – Online — Winner (tie): Lucky and Good: Lenderman and Yip Score at the Eastern Open by Jamaal Abdul-Alim, January 1, 2017 on USChess.org
(Honorable Mention — Reunions and Victories at the Chesapeake Open by Jamaal Abdul-Alim, January 18, 2017 on USChess.org)
Best Features Article – Online – Winner: Inventions, Part I – III (Part I, Part II, and Part III) by Jamaal Abdul-Alim, June 27-29, 2016 on www.worldchess.com
Best Instructive Lesson – Online — Winner: What is Your Goal in Chess? by Vanessa West, June 16 on USChess.org Certificate
(Honorable Mention — How to Study Chess by Vanessa West, November 1 on USChess.org) Certificate
Best Humorous Contribution Online — Winner: US Chess Launches Dating App to Bring Like-Minded Couples Together, Promoting the Romance of Chess by Bill Feldman
– April 1, 2017 on www.il-chess.org
(Honorable Mention — Pete’s Pathetic Chess: The Worst Move Imaginable by Pete Cilento – Feb 22, 2017 on Chess.com)
Best Historical Article Online — Winner: Inventions, Part I-III. (Part I, Part II, Part III by Jamaal Abdul-Alim – June 27-29, 2016 on worldchess.com
(Honorable Mention —The Forgotten Wizard: Reshevsky in Tulsa, 1921. by Tom Braulich – May 2017 on www.ocfchess.org)
Best Interview Online — Winner: Ousted Iranian Player: ‘My Wardrobe Should Not Be Anyone’s Business!’. by Mike Klein – Feb. 28, 2017 on Chess.com
Best Review – Online – Winner: Chess Tech University: Philosophy and Game Analysis(Part I and Part II by John Hartmann, March 17 on USChess.org
(Honorable Mention — Magnus Carlsen on the Simpsons: The Portrayal of Chess in Pop Culture by Vanessa West, March 17, 2017 on USChess.org)
Best Article in Mainstream Publication — Winner: Blindfold Chess King Reveals His Memory Tricks by Gus Lubin – April 6, 2017
Best Club Newsletter/Magazine — Winner: Off da Rook. by Jennifer Vallens – June 1, 2016
The following categories are open only to online journalist and their websites.
ELECTRONIC MEDIA:
Best [USCF] State Chapter Website — Winner: Maine Chess Association www.ChessMaine.net, Webmaster: Daniel DeLuca
(Honorable Mention — Illinois Chess Association. Webmaster: Bill Feldman)
(Honorable Mention — Iowa State Chess Association. Webmaster: Bethany Carson and Assistant Webmaster: Daniel Carson)
Best Electronic State Newsletter — Winner: Colorado Chess Informant, Editor: Fred Eric Spell