Larry Eldridge passed away.

Larry Eldridge. Mass. G-60 Championship 2017.  photo:  Tony Cortizas, Jr.

Larry Eldridge passed away Sunday, June 18th. 

He had just recently played in the Paramount at the Boylston.  Larry's passing is shocking and sad for all of us. His loss for the chess community is enormous.


Larry's obituary, which includes information for his funeral tomorrow (June 23rd), is online at
  
https://www.brezniakrodman.com/obituary-archive/larry-eldridge/

Larry Eldridge, 20th club anniversary, MetroWest Chess Club 2003  photo: Tony Cortizas, Jr.

Holiday Team Challenge -  K-3 1st place, Loch Chess Monsters. Darrith Phan, Max Wiegand, Tristan Young, Nelson Barnett and Coach Larry Eldridge.  photo:  Tony Cortizas, Jr.

Larry Eldridge, longtime chess player,

teacher, coach and journalist, dead at 84

Larry Eldridge, one of this country's most accomplished chess teachers, died on Sunday, June 18th, at his home in West Newton, Mass. He was 84. Eldridge, a longtime active player who competed in tournaments at the Metrowest Chess Club in Natick and the Boylston Chess Club in North Cambridge, among others, was noted as a skillful chess coach who mentored many winning teams for years at the Hurvitz Cup, the Massachusetts Scholastic Team Championships, sponsored by the Massachusetts Chess Association (MACA). He was also a chess journalist who wrote many chess stories for the Christian Science Monitor, of which he was once the sports editor. He played a key role in getting the late GM Arthur Bisguier to become a chess columnist for the Monitor. Eldridge was also very generous with his huge chess library, donating many books and magazines over the years to MACA to sell at its fundraising auctions.

The funeral for Larry Eldridge will be held 11 a.m. Friday, June 23rd, in the Newton Cemetery Chapel, 491 Walnut St., Newton, MA 02459. Following burial, a lunch/repast will be held at 36 Wedgewood Road, West Newton. Family and chess friends are welcome to attend.

George Mirijanian

 

BBN A team. K-3 2nd place - Max Wiegand, Tristan Young, Larry Eldridge, Sophie Applbaum, Darrith Phan  photo:  Tony Cortizas, Jr.

Just to let more chess people know about Larry's chess and  communications legacy, George did a great summation. I started to work very closely with Larry in 1969 (First Chess Horizons), 1970 (the U.S. Open program book), 1971 (coverage of Fischer's early world championship match games before Spassky--Larry worked nights for the Associated Press--late 1960's to at least 1970--and urged me to urge all major newspapers to use AP's "B" wire to get chess stories in American newspapers! What a hassle it was to do this decades before the Internet! I did my part in 1970-71 at the Globe, and, in 1972 at the Hartford Courant (when it was Harold Dondis calling me from Iceland). Larry wrote the chess column in the Maine Sunday Telegram from 1960 to 2000...he was a Portland native, and featured all kinds of detail from Portland stalwarts Stu Laughlin, Richard Collins, Stan Ellowitch, and others...the golden days of New England chess. More coming, so spread the word. As I see it, there will be more feedback on Larry (from former students), than on anyone, even Gus Gosselin! Amazing he found time to play and promote the game in so many ways for so very long...Remember his activity since 1992 is recorded in the USCF archives...

 Stephen Dann

New England Open 2016. Burliington, MA. Round 1. Larry Eldridge  photo:  Tony Cortizas, Jr