Richard Shorman
The great chess instructor Richard Shorman started traveling to Fremont to help Hans Poschmann with the Fremont Chess Club in 1968. By the end of the 80’s Richard was teaching a popular chess class at the Fremont Library where he trained a young group of talented players known as the Blue Knights. Some of the students/parents from this class invited him to come and teach chess at Weibel Elementary School and then Mission San Jose Elementary School. It was at these two iconic school chess programs that, in the late 90’s and well into the 2000’s, I worked with Richard Shorman.
I learned an immense amount from Mr. Shorman. As a chess player, he played a key role in helping me become more aggressive and confident on the board. As a coach, he demonstrated that a gentle, patient teaching style could often produce better results than a more forceful approach. And yes, there were the homework assignments.
On one memorable occasion, Mr. Shorman suggested that I study every game in Chernev’s 1000 Best Short Games of Chess, select my favorite ones, and replay through those. The following week at chess club, Richard greeted me and asked whether I had completed my homework. I, of course, had not finished playing through 1000 games. However, his assignment got me into the habit of saving and categorizing chess games that catch my eye. This practice has helped me make huge strides as a chess player and coach.
Richard Shorman held high expectations for his students. His assignments were designed not only to improve their chess skills but also to teach discipline and perseverance. In many ways, his demanding approach served a dual purpose: it helped students grow as players and filtered out those without the work ethic necessary to succeed.
I remember many of Richard Shorman’s lessons fondly. A wonderful little game that I know for sure he introduced me to was played between Adolf Anderssen and Emil Schallopp in 1864.
Through his decades of work in the East Bay, Richard Shorman inspired generations of Fremont chess players to achieve greater success through the game. Though he may no longer be with us in person, his enduring influence continues to resonate throughout the Fremont community. If you were lucky enough to learn from Mr. Shorman, I invite you to share your story in the comments below. To discover more about his life and legacy, please check out the CalChess Journal issue dedicated to honoring his contributions.
[Event “Berlin”]
[Site “Berlin GER”]
[Date “1864.??.??”]
[Round “?”]
[White “Adolf Anderssen”]
[WhiteElo “?”]
[Black “Emil Schallopp”]
[BlackElo “?”]
[Result “1-0”]
1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3.Nf3 dxe4 4.Nxe5 Bd6 5.Bc4 Bxe5 6.fxe5 Qd4 7.Qe2 Qxe5 8.d4
Qxd4 9.Nc3 Nf6 10.Be3 Qd8 11.O-O h6 12.Bc5 Nbd7 13.Qxe4+ Nxe4 14.Bxf7#
1-0