| Jamaal Abdul-Alim Chess Journalist of the Year [FULL AWARDS LIST] |
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| August 9, 2013 | |
 Results are in for the 2013 Chess Journalists of American Awards (CJA). See full list below or on the CJA website.
The 2013 Chess Journalist of the Year is Jamaal Abdul-Alim, a frequent contributor to both Chess Life Magazine and Chess Life Online. After hearing about the honor, Jamaal said, "While I'm delighted to have been chosen as Chess Journalist of the Year, I share this award with the entire USCF community. That includes not only the grandmasters who've always graciously shared their insights with me for various stories that I've written, but also -- and perhaps more importantly -- all the players, particularly the young and upcoming ones, who've put in the time and study necessary to ultimately play the beautiful games that I've had the pleasure to write about."
 Jamaal mostly recently wrote about the World Open for CLO. His work in chess has also attracted attention outside our subculture. His November 2012 Chess Life cover story on Phiona Mutesi, "The Great Equalizer" earned him a "Best International Article" award in the magazine category of the 2013 National Association of Black Journalists Salute to Excellence Awards. Also find his article, originally published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about GM Josh Friedel's win last week at the US Open. Outside of his passion for chess, Jamaal hopes to see young people earn college scholarships through their devotion to our game: "If I can use my five minutes of fame to call for one change in the American chess scene, I would say we should all do more to create more opportunities for our young people -- particularly those who don't have parents with a whole lot of money -- to win four-year scholarships. Chess is about position, and I challenge anyone to name something that will put a young person in a better position to succeed in today's society than to be able to graduate from college -- a good college -- without any debt." Prize List for 2013 CJA Awards THE TOP FIVE: Chess Journalist of the Year -- Winner: Jamaal Abdul-Alim, nominated by Chess Life Best Story of the Year -- Winner: The Resolute GM by Macauley Peterson, April 2013 Chess Life, nominated by Chess Life Best Chess Column -- Winner: My Best Move by GM Joel Benjamin, August 2012 Chess Life, nominated by Chess Life Best State Magazine/Newsletter -- Winner: Georgia Chess, edited by Mark N. Taylor Best Book (paper-printed only) -- Winner: Amateur to IM by Jonathan Hawkins, nominated by Mongoose Press VISUAL ARTS: Best Chess Magazine/Newsletter Layout -- Winner: Georgia Chess #3, nominated by Mark Taylor (Honorable Mention: August 2012 Chess Life, nominated by Chess Life) Best Chess Photojournalism -- Winner: November 2012 -- Front Cover, photo by Mark Schenkel, nominated by Chess Life Best Chess Art -- Winner: Rhino Chess by Frankie Butler, April 2013 Chess Life (Honorable Mention: Georgia Chess Cover -- September, 2012, photo by GCA President Fun Fong) NEWSPAPER MEDIA: Best Regular Newspaper Column -- Winner: Peter Henner (Honorable Mention: Bill Cornwall) Best Regular Newspaper Article of Local Interest -- Winner: Power Moves in Politics and on the Chessboard -- David Sands) NEWS or FEATURES: Best Tournament Report Article -- Winner: Two Weeks of Theater by Mike Klein, August 2012 Chess Life, nominated by Chess Life Best Features Article -- Winner: White Collection by Mark Taylor, December 2012 Chess Life (Honorable Mention -- Assault on Mount Karpov by GM Yasser Seirawan, September 2012 Chess Life Best Instructive Lesson -- Winner: Stay on Attack by Todd Andrews, December, 2012 Chess Life (Honorable Mention -- Winning with White by GM Varuzhan Akobian and William Faulk, March 2013 Chess Life) Best Review -- Winner: Making the Leap, by Howard Goldowsky, January 2013 Chess Life Best Humorous Contribution -- Winner: Queen Interview by Matt Traynor Best Historical Article -- Winner: Poe vs. the Turk by Dr. Gerald Levitt, June 2012 Chess Life Best Interview -- Winner: Sam Shankland by Janis Nisii, September 2012 Chess Life (Honorable Mention: Maurice Ashley by Macauley Peterson, November 2012 Chess Life) Best Analysis -- Winner: Nakamura/Robson by GM Ray Robson, August 2012 Chess Life ELECTRONIC MEDIA: Best [USCF] State Chapter Website -- Winner: www.idahochessassociation.org (Honorable Mention: calchess.org) Best General Chess Website -- Winner: uschess.org Best Chess Blog -- Winner: Chess Book Reviews |
