FRANK KIM BERRY (FKB) PASSED AWAY ON JUNE 6TH (2016) OF A HEART attack in his Oklahoma home.  Best known nationally as sponsor of two recent U.S. Championships (2007-8) and as one of only a few American FIDE international arbiters, Frank was one of those unique chess characters who have kept tournament chess alive in the heartland, organizing and directing events of all sizes for more than 50 years.  His kind is a vanishing breed, but one that US Chess would do well to remember.

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RRSO History (RRSO Tournament Director):

RRSO History (Oklahoma Chess Team Captain):

RRSO Playing History (Oklahoma Chess Team Member):

In RRSO VII, Ken Breland battled a strong Oklahoma chess expert down to the wire.

RRSO Playing History (Texas Chess Team Member)

RRSO Playing History (Texas Chess Team Member)

In RRSO I, Todd Canary split his match with a tough Texas opponent and retired from chess soon after.

RRSO Playing History (Oklahoma Chess Team Member)

In RRSO XVI, Danny Dunn scored 1-1/2 points on Board 13 to help lead Texas to victory.

Posted on the TCA Facebook page (22 October 2018):

En Passant. We regret to inform all of the passing of Danny Dunn on September 14, 2018. The entire TCA family extends its heartfelt sympathy to his wife, Nancy, his family and his friends.

Danny Dunn, Ph.D. Chess Biography

US Chess Life Member
Texas Chess Team Member
Captain of the Tarrant Chess Team
Played in one US Open and one National Open
Peak rating is 1934 according to USCF online records going back to only 1991
Ranked in the 95th Percentile for all Texas chess players
Ranked in the 88th Percentile for all USA chess players
Ranked in the 68th Percentile for all USA senior chess players
Active member of the Fort Worth, Tarrant County and North Arlington Chess Clubs
Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from University of North Texas
Started his professional career as an analytical chemist at Alcon Laboratories
Retired from Alcon after 32 years as Vice-President of Analytical Chemistry

Other Interests:
Reading
Photography (including chess photos at RRSO and BRAZOS - one of his photos is used as the logo for the Texas Armed Forces and Military Veterans Open Chess Championships - "No one ever took such an awesome photo of a chess board." - Jim Hollingsworth)
Solutions Editor for the chess problem magazine "StrateGems" for 11 years
Contributor to Oklahoma Chess Monthly and Texas Knights
Married for 51 years (Nancy), 2 children (Andy, Wendy), 2 grandchildren (Drew, Addison)

"My parents bought me a plastic chess set when I was young and I taught myself to play from books. I joined USCF and started playing in tournaments in high school. I have beat a couple of experts, but never a master. I was never a club officer or won a championship. I stopped playing chess during my working years, but started playing OTB again after I retired."

-- Danny Dunn --

"Rest in peace old friend"

https://thompsonfuneral.com/tribute/details/2047/Danny-Dunn/obituary.html — at Fort Worth, Texas.

RRSO Playing History (Texas Chess Team Member)

Perhaps it is fate that last Easter Sunday our old friend Aurelio “Frank” Gonzalez was strolling through Fort Worth’s Greenwood Memorial Park with his wife Kathy, looking at tombstones and getting ideas for decorating her deceased mother’s grave, when he paused and mentioned, “When I go, I want ‘Checkmate!’ on my tombstone!”  Who could have known then the beloved North Texas player would pass away in only a few weeks?

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RRSO History (RRSO Tournament Director):

RRSO History (Texas Chess Team Captain):

RRSO Playing History (Texas Chess Team Member):

Odel Hall's lifetime achievements include a FIDE chess rating of 2050, one master's scalp, and winning records against two Oklahoma State Chess Champions.

RRSO Playing History (Oklahoma Chess Team Member)

Ben Kemna.  President, Denton Chess Club.  Texas Chess Team Member.  Tarrant County Chess Club Member.

"Of all things, I think chess made him happiest.  Many are the times he would message me on Facebook, late at night, and we would talk about chess."
-- Jim Hollingsworth --

RRSO Playing History (Texas Chess Team Member)

Albert Rine was an avid chess player and served on the boards of both the Oklahoma Chess Association and the Oklahoma Scholastic Chess Organization.  He shared his love of chess with many students by organizing competitive chess clubs at schools where he taught and by volunteering at Chess Adventure Camp during summers.  A Reserve Civil Affairs Army Major who deployed during the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT); Albert also served with the RRSO Webmaster at Fort Sill and was a tournament director in the Lawton Chess Club

RRSO Playing History (Oklahoma Chess Team Member)

After 20 years, Robert Smeltzer still holds the record for most rated chess games played in one year (RECORDS IN CHESS - "Most active chess player in one year.  In 1995, Robert Smeltzer of Dallas played 2,266 USCF-rated games in one year, the most ever.").

RRSO Playing History (Texas Chess Team Member)

In RRSO V, David Wroe scored 1-1/2 crucial points on Board 21 against Tommy Simpson to help Texas preserve a close 22-20 victory over Oklahoma.

RRSO Playing History (Texas Chess Team Member)