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Walter Shipman
W Shipman 
Photograph copyright © 2004, Chessgames.com
 

Number of games in database: 226
Years covered: 1944 to 2007
Last FIDE rating: 2118
Highest rating achieved in database: 2380
Overall record: +82 -71 =70 (52.5%)*
   * Overall winning percentage = (wins+draws/2) / total games in the database. 3 exhibition games, blitz/rapid, odds games, etc. are excluded from this statistic.

MOST PLAYED OPENINGS
With the White pieces:
 Queen's Pawn Game (42) 
    A45 D02 A40 D01 A46
 Sicilian (12) 
    B32 B29 B35 B70 B53
 Ruy Lopez (10) 
    C77 C86 C78 C71 C82
 Grunfeld (9) 
    D78 D79 D91 D95
 Sicilian Dragon (5) 
    B71 B73 B72 B35 B70
 Queen's Gambit Accepted (4) 
    D23 D21
With the Black pieces:
 Ruy Lopez (23) 
    C60 C75 C86 C80 C92
 Queen's Pawn Game (9) 
    D02 D04 D00 E00
 Giuoco Piano (8) 
    C53 C50 C54
 Semi-Slav (7) 
    D46 D43 D45
 King's Gambit Accepted (7) 
    C37 C39
 English (6) 
    A13 A11 A12 A18
Repertoire Explorer

NOTABLE GAMES: [what is this?]
   W Shipman vs A Elo, 1946 1-0
   A Sandrin vs W Shipman, 1946 0-1
   W Shipman vs Dzindzichashvili, 1993 1-0
   P Dietz vs W Shipman, 1946 0-1
   W Shipman vs W Janes, 1948 1-0
   J Wygrecki vs W Shipman, 1986 1/2-1/2
   J Lakdawala vs W Shipman, 1984 0-1
   C Henin vs W Shipman, 1957 0-1
   E E Stearns vs W Shipman, 1957 0-1
   Fischer vs W Shipman, 1957 1/2-1/2

NOTABLE TOURNAMENTS: [what is this?]
   Mechanics Masters (1998)
   United States Championship (1948)
   58th US Open (1957)
   New York State Championship (1991)
   70th US Open (1969)
   American Open (2001)
   47th US Open (1946)
   National Open (1996)
   49th US Open (1948)
   20th World Open (1992)
   New York Open (1991)

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WALTER SHIPMAN
(born Apr-18-1929, died Feb-28-2017, 87 years old) United States of America

[what is this?]

Walter Shipman was born in New York on April 18, 1929. He first competed in the U.S. Championship in 1948, and was one of the country's top dozen players for most of the 1950s. He won the New Jersey State Championship in 1960. He won the Manhattan Chess Club Championship in 1972, 1984, 1985, and 1995, and tied for the title in 1974 and 1994. He achieved the International Master title in 1982 at the unusually advanced age of 53. He achieved his peak USCF rating of 2491 at age 66 after tying for second at the 1995 US Open. He was also one of the United States' most prominent chess historians. He moved to San Francisco in the mid-1990s. Father of Joseph L Shipman.

References: (1) https://new.uschess.org/news/walter... (obituary), (2) http://njscf.org/history/list-of-ne...

Last updated: 2023-10-18 09:06:17

Try our new games table.

 page 1 of 10; games 1-25 of 227  PGN Download
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
1. W Shipman vs Denker 1-0601944Manhattan CC-ch 1944/45B73 Sicilian, Dragon, Classical
2. Kashdan vs W Shipman  1-0221944Manhattan CC-ch 1944/45B74 Sicilian, Dragon, Classical
3. W Shipman vs Fine 0-1521945Blindfold rapid transition exhibitionE43 Nimzo-Indian, Fischer Variation
4. W Shipman vs A Elo  1-027194647th US OpenC39 King's Gambit Accepted
5. P Dietz vs W Shipman  0-125194647th US OpenC54 Giuoco Piano
6. W Shipman vs Santasiere  ½-½37194647th US OpenC86 Ruy Lopez, Worrall Attack
7. A Sandrin vs W Shipman 0-149194647th US OpenC80 Ruy Lopez, Open
8. W Shipman vs Kupchik  ½-½21194647th US OpenD95 Grunfeld
9. K Forster vs W Shipman  ½-½19194647th US OpenD55 Queen's Gambit Declined
10. W Shipman vs H Fajans  ½-½27194647th US OpenB53 Sicilian
11. M Aleman Dovo vs W Shipman  ½-½22194647th US OpenC83 Ruy Lopez, Open
12. H Fajans vs W Shipman  ½-½41194647th US OpenC50 Giuoco Piano
13. W Shipman vs F Yerhoff  0-173194647th US OpenC78 Ruy Lopez
14. A Bisguier vs W Shipman  ½-½21194647th US OpenA18 English, Mikenas-Carls
15. W Shipman vs Kupchik  ½-½22194647th US OpenA22 English
16. H Seidman vs W Shipman 1-040194647th US OpenC86 Ruy Lopez, Worrall Attack
17. W Shipman vs G Katz  ½-½23194647th US OpenC89 Ruy Lopez, Marshall
18. W Shipman vs H Steiner  0-136194647th US OpenC30 King's Gambit Declined
19. O Ulvestad vs W Shipman  ½-½29194647th US OpenA51 Budapest Gambit
20. D Byrne vs W Shipman  ½-½61194647th US OpenD57 Queen's Gambit Declined, Lasker Defense
21. W Shipman vs L Friedman 0-1321947US Junior ChC36 King's Gambit Accepted, Abbazia Defense
22. W Shipman vs M Pavey  0-130194849th US OpenC82 Ruy Lopez, Open
23. W Shipman vs Woody Young  1-034194849th US OpenC43 Petrov, Modern Attack
24. W Shipman vs R Fiala  1-037194849th US OpenC12 French, McCutcheon
25. W Shipman vs R Kujoth  1-033194849th US OpenB29 Sicilian, Nimzovich-Rubinstein
 page 1 of 10; games 1-25 of 227  PGN Download
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2) | Shipman wins | Shipman loses  

Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 1 OF 2 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Mar-03-05  pazzed paun: HEY!! this guy cannot just be someone's punching bag!! He must have a lot more wins somewhere- He must be the oldest active master level player in the country.
Mar-03-05  iron maiden: At one point he was one of the U.S.'s top ten players. In 1971 he was the only player to draw with Fischer in a twenty-two round speed tournament in Manhattan.
Mar-03-05  WMD: Not to be confused with Harold Shipman, the UK's number one serial killer.
Mar-08-05  mack: <WMD> I dunno, he used to be number one, but he just hasn't been killing as well as he used to has he?
Mar-08-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  chessgames.com: We added a few more games of Shipman. Still not many, but it's a start. It would be nice if we had a short biography (hint hint).
Mar-08-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  tpstar: <short biography>

Walter Shipman plays chess.

Mar-08-05  iron maiden: There's everything I know about him; Benzol might be able to add a few things.
Mar-08-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  Benzol: <iron maiden> you've done a bang up job and I can add nothing. I only know of the player but nothing about him so it was good to read the bio you've made. :)
Mar-08-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  tpstar: <iron maiden> *Style Points*

"ranked" instead of "held a ranking"

"San Francisco; in addition ... tournaments, he has become" is cleaner.

I still like my bio better. ;>D

Mar-08-05  iron maiden: <tpstar> Thanks for the editing notes; you're certainly a peculiar, multitalented individual. Why don't you write yourself a bio instead of being so darn mysterious to the rest of us?
Mar-08-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  tpstar: <short biography>

tpstar plays chess.

Mar-08-05  iron maiden: Ah well, I guess we'll have to settle for that.
Mar-09-05  yoozum: <I dunno, he used to be number one, but he just hasn't been killing as well as he used to has he? > LOL.
Mar-09-05  Resignation Trap: <iron maiden> I could tell you more about tpstar, not only do I know him, I have even played him. If tpstar doesn't want me to reveal his identity or to show his loss to me, I accept bribes in all currencies except Turkish Lira.
Mar-11-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  cu8sfan: <Resignation Trap> The cat's already out the bag... Check out the biography I wrote for Tony Palmer.
Mar-11-05
Premium Chessgames Member
  perfidious: If my recollection doesn't fail me, Walter's IM title was awarded him in 1984, making him the oldest player to achieve that honour. The final norm was made in that year's NY Open, where I believe he had the redoubtable Bent Larsen on the verge of defeat before drawing the game.
Mar-12-05  Minor Piece Activity: Now there WMD, be modest. =)
Jun-27-07  whiteshark: <cu8sfan: <LOL>>
Apr-18-08  brankat: Happy Birthday Mr.Shipman!
Apr-18-08  Strongest Force: Walter use to live in NYC but retired to the west-coast with his wife. I think he was a lawyer and his wife had something to to do with the medical industry. I knew his 2 children Judit and Joe; they both played chess. Joe was a graduate of MIT ...many of NYC's chess youth went to the best universities. Walter gave me the unofficial title of: "Park Master". :)
Apr-18-08  Riverbeast: Happy Birthday, Mr. Shipman.

I also remember him from the NYC tournaments. He is a true gentleman. His kids were also very nice.

Oct-03-08
Premium Chessgames Member
  GrahamClayton: Shipman was responsible for introducing the "Extended Bishop Swap" variation of the French Defence into US chess competition, eg 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 ♗d7, with the idea of ....♗b5 exchanging the White squared Bishops.

Source: "Unorthodox Openings", Eric Schiller and Joel Benjamin, Batsford, 1987

Jan-24-09  jemptymethod: @StrongestForce: I knew the Shipmans from when I lived in NY in the 70s/80s as well. I played Joe in a tourney on Long Island in 75 or 76 and even remember the opening to this day (Birds/Froms). Judith and I were friends in the early 80s and hung out together at some of the tournaments in NYC at the Chess Center or the ones run by Jose Cuchi
Jan-24-09  jemptymethod: By the way, watching Walter Shipman play the Budapest vs. the Grandmasters at tournaments at the Chess Center convinced me to drop the Gruenfeld and take it up, and I've never looked back
Apr-18-09  wordfunph: Happy 80th Birthday Master Shipman! May you enjoy the royal game to the fullest..
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