The Mechanics’ Chess Room is the oldest active club in the United States, dating back to the founding of the Institute, but it has only had a Chess Director since 1951. Previous to that a committee was able to run things, but an increase in members after World War II necessitated the need to have someone in charge on a daily basis.
That person was Arthur Stamer. A long-time member (M.I. Chess Club champion in 1905!), Stamer volunteered for the job and was Chess Director for a dozen years. For roughly the next two decades five more people would hold the position, ranging from one of the best players in the United States (William Addison), to a former San Quentin prison guard (Ray Conway). All served with distinction, but the greatest Chess Director in the history of the Mechanics’ Institute followed immediately after them.
Max Wilkerson is the second longest serving Chess Director, but it is not just for his longevity that he is remembered. Among the highlights during Max’s tour of duty from 1980 to 1996 were the 1987, 1991 and 1995 Pan Pacific Internationals, which included former World Champion Mikhail Tal, Women’s World Champion Xie Jun and the great Viktor Korchnoi. One of the greatest events in the history of the Mechanics’ Chess Club was the visit by Bobby Fischer on April 13, 1964. That evening young Fischer faced 50 players simultaneously with four Mechanics’ defeating him. One of them was Max.
Interestingly, the two had met previous to the exhibition. Max, who was born in Texas in 1923, earned a Master’s in Fine Arts in Mexico in the early 1950s and soon after receiving his degree moved to New York City to further his development. There he not only explored his artistic aspirations but also played chess. Max mentioned that one of his sparring partners at the Manhattan Chess Club was a young Bobby Fischer. Many have told such a story, but Max was not exaggerating. Proof surfaced a few years ago when Bobby’s brother-in-law Russell Targ donated Fischer family archives to the Marshall Chess Club. Among the items Regina Fischer entrusted to her daughter Joan prior to beginning a peace march from San Francisco to Moscow in 1961, was a collection of approximately 100 Fischer scoresheets from roughly 1955 to 1959. Among them were several between 12-year-old Bobby and Max!
Max was a strong chess player (state champion of Colorado and New Mexico prior to moving to San Francisco), but this was but one of many skills that made him so successful. First and foremost, Max was great with people no matter their background. He also possessed seemingly infinite patience, yet was ready to take immediate action when the situation required. These were valuable traits to have in a job that saw him solely responsible for tournaments with over one hundred players.
