Walter Shawn Browne (born January 10, 1949 in
SydneySydney is the largest city in Australia, and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney has a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million and an area of approximately 12,000 square kilometres. Its inhabitants are called Sydneysiders, and Sydney is often called "the Harbour City"...
,
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
) is an Australian and
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
chessChess is a board game played between two players. The current form of the game emerged in Southern Europe during the second half of the 15th century after evolving from a similar, much older game of Indian origin...
Grandmaster and
pokerPoker is a sport from the family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bets and how many rounds of betting are allowed...
player. Browne has won the
U.S. Chess ChampionshipThe U.S. Chess Championship is an invitational tournament held to determine the national chess champion of the United States. Since 1936, it has been held under the auspices of the U.S. Chess Federation. Until 1999, the event consisted of a round-robin tournament of varying size...
six times.
Early years
Browne was born to an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
father and an Australian mother. His family moved to the
New YorkNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
area when he was three, and Browne moved to
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
in 1973.
Early Career
Browne won the U.S. Junior Championship in 1966.
He represented his country of birth
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
for a short time. He won the 1969
Australian Chess ChampionshipThe Australian Chess Championship is a tournament organised by the Australian Chess Federation and held every two years. The tournament is usually restricted to Australian chess players, although exceptions have been made on occasion. The winner of the tournament holds the title of Australian Chess...
. He tied first with
Renato NaranjaRenato Naranja is an International Master of chess from the Philippines.He is Philippine Junior Champion in 1958 and Philippine Adult Champion in 1965. In 1959, he placed 9th in world junior championship U20 in Münchenstein...
while representing Australia at the 1969 Asian Zonal tournament in
SingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island city-state located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, lying north of the equator, south of the Malaysian state of Johor and north of Indonesia's Riau Islands. At , Singapore is a microstate and the smallest nation in Southeast...
, earning the International Master title, which immediately earned him an invitation to an international grandmaster tournament in
San Juan, Puerto RicoSan Juan is the capital and largest municipality in Puerto Rico. As of the 2000 census, it has a population of 433,733, making it the 42nd-largest city under the jurisdiction of the United States. San Juan was founded by Spanish colonists in 1521, who called it Ciudad de Puerto Rico...
. There, he gained the Grandmaster title by tieing for 2nd-4th places, with
Bruno ParmaBruno Parma is a Slovene chess player and Grandmaster.Parma was born in Ljubljana, Slovenia . He first played in the World Junior Chess Championship in 1959, sharing second place...
and
Arthur BisguierArthur Bernard Bisguier is an American chess International Grandmaster, chess promoter, and writer. Bisguier won two U.S. Junior Championships , three U.S. Open Chess Championship titles , and the 1954 United States Chess Championship title. He played for the United States in five chess Olympiads...
, behind reigning
world championThe World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the board game chess. Both men and women are eligible to contest this title....
Boris SpasskyBoris Vasilievich Spassky is a Russian-French chess grandmaster. He was the tenth World Chess Champion, holding the title from 1969 to 1972....
.
He played top board for Australia at the 1970 and 1972 Chess Olympiads, before switching to representing the United States in 1974.
U.S. Championships
He has won the
U.S. Chess ChampionshipThe U.S. Chess Championship is an invitational tournament held to determine the national chess champion of the United States. Since 1936, it has been held under the auspices of the U.S. Chess Federation. Until 1999, the event consisted of a round-robin tournament of varying size...
six times. His victories were at
ChicagoChicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and with more than 2.8 million people, the 3rd largest city in the United States...
1974 with 9.5/13,
OberlinThe name Oberlin can refer to:Places in the United States* Oberlin, Kansas* Oberlin, Louisiana* Oberlin, Ohio** Oberlin College** Oberlin ConservatoryPeople* Jean Frédéric Oberlin, pastor and philanthropist* Jérémie Jacques Oberlin, archaeologist...
1975 with 8.5/13,
MentorIn Greek mythology, Mentor was the son of Alcumus and, in his old age, a friend of Odysseus. When Odysseus left for the Trojan War he placed Mentor in charge of his son, Telemachus, and of his palace. When Athena visited Telemachus she took the disguise of Mentor to hide herself from the suitors...
1977 with 9/13,
GreenvilleGreenville is the name of several places:In Canada:* Laxgalts'ap, British Columbia, formerly named Greenville*Greenville, Nova Scotia, in Yarmouth County*Greenville Station, Nova Scotia, in Cumberland County...
1980 with 7.5/12, South Bend 1981 with 9/14, and 1983 with 9/13. His six titles have been exceeded only by
Bobby FischerRobert James "Bobby" Fischer was an American chess Grandmaster, and the eleventh World Chess Champion. He is widely considered one of the greatest chess players of all time. Later in life he renounced his US citizenship and became an Icelandic citizen.Fischer's achievements are legendary...
and
Samuel ReshevskySamuel "Sammy" Herman Reshevsky was a famous chess prodigy and later a leading American chess Grandmaster...
.
Interzonals
Browne qualified for three
InterzonalInterzonal chess tournaments were tournaments organized by FIDE, the World Chess Federation, and were a stage in the triennial World Chess Championship cycle. In the first year, every FIDE member nation would hold a national championship, with the top players qualifying for the Zonal tournament...
tournaments, but never came close to qualification for the
Candidates TournamentThe Candidates Tournament was a triennial chess tournament organized by the world chess federation FIDE as the final contest to determine the challenger for the World Chess Championship...
. At the
ManilaThe City of Manila , or simply Manila or Maynila, is the capital of the Philippines and one of the 17 cities and municipalities that make up Metro Manila. It is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay, on the western portion of the National Capital Region, in the western side of Luzon...
Interzonal 1976, Browne scored just 8.5/19 for 15th place. At the Las Palmas Interzonal 1982, he placed last of 14 contestants with only 3/13. Finally, at the
TaxcoTaxco de Alarcón is a small city and municipality located in the Mexican state of Guerrero. The name Taxco is most likely derived from the Nahuatl word tlacheco, which means “place of the ballgame.” However, one interpretation has the name coming from the word tatzco which means “where the...
Interzonal 1985, he scored only 6.5/15 for a tied 9-13th place.
Olympiads
Browne generally performed well at the Chess Olympiads in his six appearances. He represented Australia twice and the United States four times, winning a total of five medals, all bronze. He scored 55.5/86 (+40 =31 -15), for 64.5 percent. His detailed results, from olimpbase.org, follow.
- Siegen
Siegen is a city in Germany, in the south Westphalian part of North Rhine-Westphalia.It is a Große kreisangehörige Stadt . It is in the district of Siegen-Wittgenstein in Arnsberg region...
1970, Australia board 1, 14/19 (+10 =8 -1);
- Skopje
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia, with more than a quarter of the population of the country, as well as its political, cultural, economic, and academic centre. It was known in the Roman period under the name Scupi. The city developed rapidly after World War II,...
1972, Australia board 1, 17.5/22 (+15 =5 -2), board bronze;
- Nice
Nice is a city in southern France located on the Mediterranean coast, between Marseille, France, and Genoa, Italy, with 347 060 inhabitants in the 2006 estimate...
1974, United States board 3, 10.5/17 (+7 =7 -3), team bronze;
- Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital, and largest city, of Argentina, currently the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the eastern shore of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
1978, United States board 2, 4.5/9 (+3 =3 -3), team bronze;
- Lucerne
Lucerne is a city in Switzerland. It is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne and seat of the district with the same name. With a population of 57,890, Lucerne is the most populous city in Central Switzerland and a focal point of the region...
1982, United States board 1, 5.5/10 (+4 =3 -3), team bronze;
- Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , Thessalonica, or Salonica is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the Greek region of Macedonia. It is honorarily called the Συμπρωτεύουσα Symprotevousa of Greece, as it was once called the συμβασιλεύουσα symvasilevousa of the Byzantine Empire...
1984, United States board 4, 3.5/9 (+1 =5 -3), team bronze.
Other results
Browne was a dominant presence in American chess in the 1970s and 1980s. Aside from his U.S. Championship wins, he also won the National Open eleven times, the American Open seven times, the World Open three times, and the
U.S. Open Chess ChampionshipThe U.S. Open Championship is an open national chess championship that has been held in the United States annually since 1900.-History:Through 1938, the tournaments were organized by the Western Chess Association and its successor, the American Chess Federation .The United States Chess Federation ...
twice (1971, 1972).
Browne also enjoyed many international successes from the early 1970s into the mid 1980s. His international firsts include
VeniceVenice is a city in northern Italy, the capital of the region Veneto, a population of 271,367 . Together with Padua, the city is included in the Padua-Venice Metropolitan Area . The city historically was an independent nation...
1971,
Wijk aan ZeeThe Corus chess tournament takes place every year, usually in January, in a small town called Wijk aan Zee, part of the larger Beverwijk in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands. It was called the Hoogovens tournament until 1999 after which the Dutch steel and aluminium producer...
1974,
WinnipegWinnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, in south central Canada, near the eastern edge of the Canadian Prairies, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers...
1974 (
Pan American ChampionshipThe first Pan-American Championship was held in Hollywood, 28 July - 12 August 1945. The line-up was as follows: 1. Samuel Reshevsky 10.5, 2. Reuben Fine 9, 3. Herman Pilnik 8.5, 4. Israel Horowitz 8, 5. Isaac Kashdan 7, 6. Hector Rossetto 6.5, 7-8. Weaver Adams , Herman Steiner 5.5, 9-10....
),
Lone PineLone Pine International was a series of chess tournaments held annually in March or April from 1971 to 1981 in Lone Pine, California. Sponsored by Louis D. Statham , millionaire engineer and inventor of medical instruments, the tournaments were formally titled the Louis D. Statham Masters...
1974,
MannheimMannheim is a city in Germany. With 327,318 inhabitants it is the second-largest city in the state of Baden-Württemberg after the capital Stuttgart....
1975,
ReykjavíkReykjavík is the capital and largest city of Iceland. Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's most northern capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
1978, Wijk aan Zee 1980,
ChileChile, officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
1981,
IndonesiaThe Republic of Indonesia is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia comprises 17,508 islands. With an estimated population of around 237 million people, it is the world's fourth most populous country, with the world's largest population of Muslims.Indonesia is a republic, with an...
1982 ( shared with
Ron HenleyRon Henley is a grandmaster of chess, chess writer, and has produced over 60 Chess videos.Ronald Watson Henley was awarded the International Master title in 1980, and the Grandmaster title in 1982...
in a 26-player round-robin), the 1983
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
Open, Gjovik 1983, and
NaestvedNæstved is an important commercial town in a municipality of the same name on the island of Zealand in Denmark. Næstved is located one hour travel time from Copenhagen. In 2003, the Guard Hussars regiment moved from Næstved to Slagelse. Næstved has a population of 41,717...
1985.
However, after dominating the U.S. Championship for a decade, Browne was unable to approach the same level in that event after 1983. In U.S. Championships, he scored just 7.5/17 in 1984, 6.5/13 in 1985, 6/15 in 1986, 6/13 in 1987, and 6/15 in 1989. He won the 1991
Canadian Open Chess ChampionshipThe Canadian Open Chess Championship is Canada's Open chess championship, first held in 1956, and held annually since 1973, usually in mid-summer. It is organized by the Chess Federation of Canada....
.
Most recently, Browne won the U.S. Senior Open in June 2005. Browne has won more Swiss system events than any other American player. He was inducted into the U.S. Chess
Hall of FameA hall of fame is a type of museum established for any a field of endeavor to honor individuals of noteworthy achievement in that field.In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or museums which enshrine the honorees with sculptures, plaques, and displays of memorabilia...
in 2003.
Style
Browne tends to spend a lot of his allotted time during the opening moves and early middlegame, consequently he often winds up in time trouble. This does lead to mistakes, even though Browne plays reasonably well in time-trouble, and good play during this phase can unsettle his opponents. A world-class speed chess player, Browne in 1988 formed the World
Blitz ChessFast chess, also known as blitz chess, lightning chess, sudden death, speed chess, bullet chess and rapid chess, is a type of chess game in which each side is given less time to make their moves than under the normal tournament time controls of 60–180 minutes per player.-Overview:The different...
Association, which has recently encountered financial trouble.
Notable chess games
Here is one of Browne's best games, a coruscating brilliancy against International Master
Bernard ZuckermanBernard Zuckerman is an International Master of chess.Zuckerman competed in seven U.S. Chess Championships , his best result being a tie for fourth and fifth in 1965. He served as a member of the U.S...
:
Browne-Zuckerman, New York 1973: 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Be7 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.Bg5 O-O 6.e3 Nbd7 7.Bd3 dxc4 8.Bxc4 c5 9.O-O a6 10.a4 cxd4 11.exd4 Nb6 12.Bb3 Bd7 13.Ne5 Bc6 14.Bc2 Nbd5 15.Bb1 Nb4 16.Re1 g6 17.Bh6 Re8 18.Ra3 Qd6 19.Ne2 Rad8 20.Rh3 Qd5 21.Nf3 Qa5 22.Nc3 Nbd5 23.Ne5 Nxc3 24.bxc3 Bxa4 25.Qe2 Bd7 26.Bg5 Nd5 27.Nxf7 Bxg5 28.Rxh7 Nf6 29.Bxg6 Nxh7 30.Qh5 Qxc3 31.Qxh7+ Kf8 32.Rf1 Qxd4 33.Ne5 Qf4 34.Nxd7+ Rxd7 35.Qh8+ Ke7 36.Qxe8+ Kf6 37.Qxd7 Kxg6 38.Qxe6+ Bf6 39.Qe8+ Kh6 40.g3 Qb4 41.Re1 a5 42.Re6 Qb2 43.Qf7 Kg5 44.h4+ Kg4 45.Qg6+ Kh3 46.Qf5# 1-0
Here is another brilliant win, this one against grandmaster
Larry ChristiansenLarry M. Christiansen is a chess Grandmaster who grew up in Riverside, California. He was U.S. champion in 1980, 1983, and 2002. He describes his playing style as "aggressive, tactical" and lists his favorite opening as the Sämisch King's Indian.Christiansen showed exceptional strength at an...
:
Browne-Christiansen, U.S. Championship 1977: 1.d4 e6 2.c4 b6 3.d5 Ba6 4.e4 exd5
5.exd5 Nf6 6.Nc3 Bb4 7.Qe2+ Be7 8.Qc2 c6 9.Bd3 b5 10.cxb5 cxb5 11.Nge2 b4 12.Ne4 Nxd5
13.O-O O-O 14.Rd1 Qa5 15.N2g3 g6 16.Bh6 Re8 17.Qd2 Nf6 18.Qf4 Qb6 19.Bxa6 Nxa6 20.Rd6 Bxd6
21.Nxf6+ Kh8 22.Bg7+ Kxg7 23.Ngh5+ gxh5 24.Qg5+ Kh8 25.Qh6 Bxh2+ 26.Kh1 Qxf6 27.Qxf6+ Kg8 28.Qg5+ Kh8 29.Qf6+ Kg8 30.Qg5+ Kh8 31.Kxh2 Re6 32.Rd1 Rg8 33.Qf4 Reg6 34.g3 f6 35.Rxd7 Nc5 36.Rd6 h4 37.Qxh4 a5 38.Qd4 1-0
Poker
Browne has been a professional poker player since the early 1970s. On June 8-11, 2007, he won $189,960 from the
World Series of PokerThe World Series of Poker is a poker tournament held annually in Las Vegas. The first WSOP in 1970 was an invitational wherein Benny Binion invited six of the best known poker players to The Horseshoe Casino. At first, the WSOP grew slowly. It was twelve years before the WSOP drew 52...
.