Denker, Arnold Sheldon

▪ 2006

      American chess master (b. Feb. 21, 1914, Bronx, N.Y.—d. Jan. 2, 2005, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), was a top chess player during the 1940s and later a respected administrator and promoter of chess. Denker began playing in the U.S. chess championships in 1936 and won the championship in 1944 with a 91% winning score, which was surpassed only by Bobby Fischer's 100% in 1963–64. Denker successfully defended his championship in 1946, the same year that he set a world record by playing 100 opponents in 7.33 hr. He was known for his aggressive style of attack and continued to enjoy success in international tournaments but became increasingly involved in chess organization, serving as president of the North American Zone of the Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE) and on the boards of the American Chess Foundation, the U.S. Chess Federation, and the U.S. Chess Trust. Denker was named International Master by FIDE in 1950 and was made an honorary grandmaster in 1981. In 1992 he was inducted into the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame, and in 2004 the U.S. Chess Federation named him a dean of American chess; he was only the third person to have been awarded that title.

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