I am organizing an event this weekend and have an entry from a person who said he was a member up until about 1975 but doesn’t know his old ID number or rating. Of course he isn’t on MSA. Does anyone have the supplements from back then that they could look it up for me? PM me and I’ll pass along his name. I would like his number and rating. He said it was possible that he played in one tournament in the early 1980’s but isn’t sure. I have the 1985 supplement and he is not in it.
Member IDs weren’t assigned until around 1977.
I’ve been told the office has two full sets of supplements, and a few TDs have them as well. I know John Hillery had a full set, I don’t know what happened to them when he passed. Bill Snead has told me has a full set, there are probably others.
It would be nice if the office would find and budget the money to get the old supplements scanned some day, I’d even donate some money to a fund to do it, and I suspect other TDs would, too.
There are companies that specialize in digitizing documents, they show up with a semi trailer that has all their equipment, they scan your stuff, give you the files, and haul away the scanned documents for disposal. I think they could also digitize the microfilms of the old rating cards.
Thad Rogers might have what you are looking for. I have emailed him about this.
Thanks!
Mike, my first US Chess event was the 1976 National High School and I got my number from that. So they must’ve been issuing them before that. I’m a ‘1113…’ and I know several in my state that have been around longer have ‘1031…’ numbers. That was from when they were first issued across the country but I don’t know when that occurred. (Because it was before my membership. 
)
The numbers were assigned geographically working (probably by region) from east to west. I was in Illinois at the time, my ID number starts with 1033, as does the ID of several other people I knew and played back then.
I think the first computer-generated ratings run was in early 1977, but they had been working on assigning IDs and putting the members into the computer for some time ahead of that.
Somewhere on the USCF site, I think I read about it, are the pdf’s of the Chess Review, etc., and the ratings supplements every what? quarter?, semi annual? published in the magazine should be close enough considering how long it’s been since he’s played.
By ZIP Code. The very lowest numbers are those from Puerto Rico, followed by Massachusetts.
Alex Relyea
In the past, Judy Misner has been very helpful with this sort of thing. If you have his name and state where he lived in the '70s and early '80s it’ll be relatively easy for her. If the name is relatively common a DOB might help.
Alex Relyea
Send me his name. I have old supplements. Perhaps one will contain the info you need.
Judy was able to locate his name and rating in the 1/82 annual list. Thanks for everyone’s help in this matter!