John W. Donaldson

John Donaldson at the 2003 U.S. Chess Championships in Seattle, Washington

William John Donaldson (b. September 24, 1958, in Los Angeles) is an international master of chess. He has been an IM since 1983. He is one of the most popular chess personalities in the world. In addition to being a strong player, he is an author, organizer, journalist and chess politician. He was Captain of the US Team in six Chess Olympiads from 1986 to 1996, including the 1986 World Chess Olympiad in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and again at the 1988 Chess Olympiad in Thessaloniki (also called Salonica), Greece.

In 1990, Donaldson was elected to the Policy Board of the United States Chess Federation. He also became an editor of Inside Chess magazine published by Yasser Seirawan. After the magazine folded, he moved to San Francisco where he became chess director of the San Francisco Mechanics Institute. He is constantly writing and producing chess books, mostly biographies of chess historical figures. He qualified to play in the 2002 and the 2003 U.S. Chess Championship. He has achieved two grandmaster norms, Lindsborg 2002 and Stratton Mountain 2003.

He has appeared as a guest on the Fred Wilson Show.

On December 9, 2006, Donaldson was named USA Zone President in FIDE, the World Chess Federation, replacing Robert Tanner, who resigned on Monday, December 4, 2006. He has not yet taken office.

[edit] Books

The Unknown Bobby Fischer. ISBN 1-879479-85-0
Alekhine in Europe and Asia. ISBN 1-879479-12-5
Elmars Zemgalis: Grandmaster without the title. ISBN B0006RZ3N6
Olaf Ulvestad: An American original. ISBN 1-888710-11-X
Legend on the Road (about Bobby Fischer's 1964 simul tour) ISBN 1-879479-15-X
Donaldson, John and Nikolay Minev (1994). Akiba Rubinstein: Uncrowned King. International Chess Enterprises. ISBN 1-879479-19-2.