The 2021 US Chess Annual Awards

The US Chess Federation is pleased to announce the 2021 Annual Award recipients. Congratulations to all of these individuals and organizations who are advancing our mission to “empower people, enrich lives, and enhance communities through chess.”

Award	Name
Distinguished Service	Allen Priest
Distinguished Service	Mike Nietman
Distinguished Service Award	Ken Ballou (posthumous)
Outstanding Career Achievement Award	Alex Dunne
Meritorious Services Award	Lauren Goodkind
Meritorious Services Award	Richard Smouse
Special Services Award	Robert Franklin
Special Services Award	Pete Tamburro
Frank J. Marshall Award	Stuart Rachels
Organizer of the Year Award	Abel Talamantez
Grandmaster of the Year Award	Wesley So
Woman Player of the Year Award	Irina Krush
Outstanding Player Achievement	John A. Curdo
Outstanding Team Achievement Award	US Team in FIDE Olympiad for People with Disabilities: Coach Lior Lapid
Koltanowski Award: Gold	St. Louis Chess Club
Koltanowski Award: Gold	John D. Rockefeller V
Koltanowski Award: Silver	David H. Raymond
Committee of the Year Award	Nominating Committee: Chair David Grimaud
Club of the Year Award	Toms River Chess Club
Chess College of the Year Award	UC Berkeley
Accessibility and Special Circumstances Person of the Year Award	Joan DuBois
Tournament Director of the Year Award	Joseph Yun (posthumously)
Tournament Director Lifetime Achievement Award	Franc Guadalupe
Scholastic Service Award: Individual	Danny Rohde
Scholastic Service Award: Organization	Internet Chess Club
Dan Heisman Award for Excellence in Chess Instruction	Bruce Pandolfini