Tom Braunlich
Tom Braunlich was recognized by USCF as 2008 Organizer of the Year for his work on the 2008 Frank Berry U.S. Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Braunlich is a frequent contributor to Chess Life Online, and his work in 2008 included Qualifer Open: A Qualified Success, The Short and Long of the U.S. Championships and an interview with Anna Zatonskih. As a follow-up to Playoff Theory, Tom also contributed, Move Theory , which shows the ambiguity of when a move begins and ends, according to FIDE and USCF rules. Braunlich wrote Living on Tulsa Time, the cover story of the August 08 Chess Life Magazine.
Braunlich worked as a professional game designer for 20 years and he authored The Art of Game and Toy Design.
The Judges Sound Off
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This article must have needed hours and hours of research and communication with experts. Well-structured and clear, well written, with good examples and conclusions. And (perhaps a personal thing): another author who looks at other sports and tries to learn from them. A rare case of a piece that could be of big influence.- Peter Doggers
Articles like this are needed when controversies develop which challenge the status quo and normal way of doing things. As such, it has to rate in the top ten- Mike Atkins
This article reads more like a scholarly paper--and an interesting one at that! Too bad that it felt a bit out of place, especially with zero chess diagrams- Michael Aigner
This study is exemplary for its scholarly thoroughness and detail. Though the style is dry, its comprehensive, detailed, and clear presentation speaks of the author's seriousness and earnestness in addressing a controversial topic and moving the discussion forward in a meaningful and constructive way- Mark Taylor
As a former organizer, I was deeply interested in the same issues Braunlich discusses here, and I was happy to see someone actually start talking about them. Aside from the writing itself, this is probably the single most important topic chess promoters need to discuss- Arlen Walker