John W. Collins

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is about the American chess master; for the British footballer, see John W. Collins (football).

John William Collins (September 23, 1912 - December 2, 2001) or Jack Collins, was an influential American teacher of chess.

Collins became a chess master in the 1930s. He was a major figure in the early days of modern organized chess, serving as the first correspondence chess editor of Chess Review magazine (which later merged with Chess Life). This program laid the groundwork for the correspondence chess conducted by the United States Chess Federation. He was one of the few players who excelled nationally at both correspondence and over-the-board play, winning the U.S. correspondence championship and ranking as one of the top OTB players in the U.S. He remained an active tournament player through the 1960s. He represented the United States in the first World Correspondence Chess Championship but finished last.

A prolific author, he taught thousands of players through his books and articles, and was co-editor of the ninth edition of Modern Chess Openings. Collins was a major organizer and leader in New York City, with significant impact on the U.S. and world chess scenes, especially through his "Collins Kids" organization.

Collins suffered from a childhood illness and spent his life in a wheelchair. He was assisted by his sister Ethel, who was a registered nurse and brought him to chess events. He never allowed any publicity about his illness. Very few people were aware of his actual condition until they met him.

Collins's 1975 book My Seven Chess Prodigies aroused some controversy. In this book, Collins claimed to have been the teacher of some of America's top players: Bobby Fischer, William Lombardy, Robert Byrne, Donald Byrne, Raymond Weinstein, Salvatore Matera, and Lewis Cohen. No doubt, all of them were frequent guests in Collins's home in Stuyvesant Town in New York City, whether or not they would call themselves Collins's students.