I am sad to announce the news that Chess Master, and Columnist, Shelby Lyman passed away the other day as he was 82. Speaking of 1972, it was then that I first saw Shelby Lyman on PBS during the Fischer Vs. Spassky World Championship match that was occurring at this time, and he would go on to provide live commentary on subsequent World Championship matches. I seem to remember that this was kind of my first exposure to The Royal Game and he provided the viewing audience with interesting stories about the great grandmasters and he will forever be missed.
RIP Shelby Lyman and thank you for providing a great service to chess!
Respectfully Submitted,
David A. Cole, USCF Life Member, Franklin, NJ
I used to own a retail store in Binghamton, NY. As it turns out, Shelby lived about 30 miles south of Binghamton, and about 20 miles south of the NY/PA border.
One day (circa 2007) he happened to call my store in search of a particular product, and in the course of the conversation he told me his name. I knew I had heard the name somewhere previously, and said “Isn’t that a famous name?”
I’m sure he was quite flattered, and he explained that he had hosted a PBS show in NYC during the Fisher - Spassky WC match. And of course, that was where I had heard his name.
I told him I had been staying with friends in Manhattan during the WC match, and that every night we would gather expectantly around the TV to watch his reportage and analysis.
I told him I was the only rated chess player of our group, but my rating was only 1400 or so. Laughably, the others all expected me to be able to explain to them what was happening on the WC board.
Shelby and I had a nice talk for 10 minutes or so that day, mostly about our mutual love for the game. RIP Shelby.