Jude Frazier Acers[1] (born April 6, 1944 in Long Beach, California) is a chess master, showman (simultaneous exhibitor), and chess author/writer.
| Jude Acers | |
|---|---|
 Acers in 2005 | |
| Full name | Jude Frazier Acers |
| Country | United States |
| Born | April 6, 1944 Long Beach, California |
| Title | Candidate Master (2022) |
| Peak rating | 2241 (January 2011) |
Early years
editAcers spent much of his childhood in an orphanage. His father was a U.S. Marine and was away a lot and his mother struggled with mental illness. When he was five, he saw a book about chess and started playing. His father returned when he was an adolescent and took him from the North Carolina orphanage to New Orleans. His father was abusive, and committed Acers at the age of 14 to Louisiana's state mental institution in Mandeville. At 17, Acers was already rated as a master by the U.S. Chess Federation. The state of Louisiana provided funding for his bachelor's degree in Russian from Louisiana State University.[2]
Chess biography
editAcers is best known for playing against all comers in a New Orleans downtown gazebo while wearing a red beret. A longtime resident of Louisiana, he claims to have been the first New Orleans native chess master of comparable strength since Paul Morphy.[citation needed]
He is also known for being a great showman, touring the country giving simultaneous chess exhibitions. He was twice the world record holder of having played the most opponents in a simultaneous exhibition. First against 117 opponents (1974, Lloyd Center, Portland, Oregon), then against 179 opponents (1976, Mid Island Plaza, Long Island, New York). The records were certified by the Guinness Book of World Records.
Acers barely survived Hurricane Katrina and lived in a displaced persons camp for some time. As the city recovered, he returned to New Orleans and resumed his customary chess table in the French Quarter.
Playing strength
editIn September 2007 Acers defeated Bill Hook in the first round of the World Senior Championship held in Gmunden, Austria. Acers' his result at the 17th World Senior Chess Championship, culminated into a FIDE performance rating of 2289. His current Fide Rating is 2229.[3]
Author/writer
editAcers has written or contributed to several chess books. In 2008 he is working on The Road which will be a book about his chess tours. He has annotated many American master-level games, along with Louis Ciamarra, for the Yugoslav-published series Chess Informant.
Books
editThe Italian Gambit (and) A Guiding Repertoire For White – E4! ISBN 1-55369-604-2
References
edit- ^ Acers website
- ^ "The Chess King of Decatur Street". main.oxfordamerican.org. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
- ^ "Acers, Jude". ratings.fide.com. Archived from the original on April 21, 2022.
External links
edit
- Jude Acers rating card at FIDE
- Jude Acers rating and tournament record at US Chess Federation
- Jude Acers player profile and games at Chessgames.com
- Jude Acers results at the World Senior Championship
- American chess icon hit by Katrina from Chessbase.com
- The Amazing & Slightly Irregular Jude Acers by Derek Bridges Extensive biographical portrait
