IM Jay Whitehead (1961-2011) Dies
October 5, 2011
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Jay in 2010 at the Mike Goodall Memorial, Photo by Mark Shelton for Chessdryad.com
International Master Jay Whitehead died at the age of 49 on October 4th, 2011 in San Francisco. Jay was a former US Junior Champion, a former Grand Prix champion and twice participated in the US Chess Championships. According to his friend and colleague IM John Donaldson of the Mechanics Institute in San Francisco, " In addition to his skills as a player he was also a terrific chess researcher, one of the world's authorities on chess in the 19th century."

Jay, who was born on October 12, 1961 is survived by his mother Loretta and his brother Paul.

Jay was also a world class backgammon player. IM Elliott Winslow, also a backgammon champion, is working on an in-depth piece on Jay for Chess Life Magazine.