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Mike Henebry
La Palma Chess Club Founder

 USCF ID No. 10442478, Rating History
FIDE No. 2034158, FIDE Rating History

mike
A very warm thank you for many years of service from Brian Scanlon
Best U1900 and tie for 3rd Place,
Undisputed Milky Way Championship
April 10, 2009		 National Open, Las Vegas
June 2004		 LPCC vs. LHCC Club Match
October 2006		 LPCC vs. LHCC Club Match
December 2005



Mike Henebry Moves On

The best chess club organizer I ever saw. In 1975, Mike Henebry gathered a few of his chess playing friends and organized a chess club in Cerritos, CA. What started as a few chess players gathering each week in a Cerritos school library expanded steadily into a club of over 50 players. We outgrew that library pretty quickly and then moved to a larger hall in Artesia. Later we moved on to La Palma.

Mike was always on the lookout for ways to bring in new players. He is a great salesman, very outgoing, and comfortable talking to anyone. And very imaginative in doing outreach. For example, before any internet was available, he would visit public libraries and put club flyers in their chess books.

Inside the club, Mike was the head tournament director for years. He also imaginatively designed the tournaments for a good variety, and to keep players coming back.

Through Mike’s efforts, two world champions have played simuls at the La Palma chess club: Vassily Smyslov and Nona Gaprindishvili. Among the grandmasters that the club has hosted were Larry Evans, James Tarjan, Varuzhan Akobian, and Eduard Gufeld.

Mike’s own games are often amazing. He is a solid A player. But what really distinguishes his play is his eagerness to press dangerous attacks. Consequently, over the years he won 3 best game prizes at La Palma, a best game prize in the 2005 Southern California Open, and has had several games published in the LA Times and Chess Life. An example:


And one as White:

He has written two books on chess. The first was a book on organizing a chess club, written around 1979. Mike’s second book, published in 2010, is Chess Words of Wisdom. This is a terrific combination of chess history, tips on playing, and quotations and advice from all the world’s greatest players. Most importantly, it is a thoroughly enjoyable read. Only a person who completely hated chess would not enjoy this book. And even a reader of that sort would probably be converted after about 300 pages in.

And, if chess was not enough, Mike is also an accomplished musician. He composes music, has a jazz band, and plays clarinet.

We’re really going to miss this guy.

Brian Scanlon, December 2011

mike
A token of the club's appreciation to Mr. Henebry