Tate accepting his Trophy
*On this date in 1984, a Black man won the 25th Annual Armed Forces Chess Championship Tournament.
Chess player and Air Force Sergeant Emory A. Tate, Jr., stationed at Ft. Meade, Maryland, accepted the first annual Haskell Small Award for taking individual honors. Tate won the tournament held in Washington, D.C., that week in September 1984.
He won with a score of 8½-3½. It was the second year Tate took top honors in this tournament. The trophy is the name of the late Colonel Haskell Small, who was instrumental in organizing and promoting the military chess championship. Colonel Small’s widow (shown) presents the trophy to Sergeant Tate.
The Chess Drum,
Daaim Shabazz
P. O. Box 7663
Tallahassee, Florida 32314-7663