In Memory of Ronald Eugene Lohrman 1941 - 2023

Obituary

     Ronald Eugene Lohrman of Pittsford, passed away suddenly on September 21, 2023.

     Ron was born on October 7, 1941, in Rochester, the son of Eugene and Teresa Lohrman. Ron graduated from Edison Tech in 1959 and went on to study at Clarkson University graduating with a degree in Engineering. He also served his country for two years as a member of the United States Army. Ron was employed as an engineer at Eastman Kodak for twenty-five years. In 1989, he turned his passion for chess into a career as the proprietor of the Rochester Chess Center, a position that he held until his untimely passing.

     Throughout his life, Ron was heavily involved in numerous athletic interests and pursuits. He was an avid cyclist who continued to ride through the final days of his life. He medaled in cycling in the Empire State Games and competed and won several endurance events. Ron was one of the founding members of the learn to skate program for Rochester Youth Hockey providing an opportunity for children of all ages to experience hockey. He played competitive chess throughout his life and was the 1967 United States Amatuer Chess Champion. Through his summer camps and local school related events, he taught chess to students from across the greater Rochester area. He was inducted into the New York State Chess Association Hall of Fame in 1995. Ron loved playing softball and was inducted into the Rochester Softball Hall of Fame in 2019. He played regularly at McAvoy Park and traveled across the northeast participating in numerous tournaments and enjoyed the camaraderie of the teams he played for.

     Ron thoroughly enjoyed spending time with his beloved family. He greatly valued and appreciated working at the Rochester Chess Center with his son Shelby. Many laughs and smiles were shared with his grandsons Ryan and Drew. Whenever he had a chance, grandpa was always eager to go watch a sporting event or participate in a family competition.

     Ron is survived by his wife of fifty-five years, Katherine, daughter Nicole Knowles (husband Rob), son Shelby, grandsons Ryan and Drew Knowles, brother Fred (wife Karen), sisters Bunny Parent (husband Dan) and Karen Rogers (husband Steve), brother-in-law Dale Merz, and numerous nieces and nephews.  

     Ron was predeceased by his parents and his sister Mary Merz.

      We will remember Ron for his competitive spirit and for the genuine nature that he shared with all who entered his life. His commitment to family, friends and community will be greatly missed.

     Calling hours will be held on Friday, September 29th from 3:00-7:00pm at the Willard H. Scott Funeral Home in Webster. A brief service will follow at the funeral home at 7:00pm. In lieu of flowers, donations in Ron’s memory may be made to the Rochester Chess Center to help establish the Ron Lohrman Memorial Chess Tournament.

please visit WillardHScott.com

The Rochester Chess Center will be open this week but will be closed on Saturday for tournaments and sales, September 30th, 2023 in observance of Ron's passing. 

The Chess Community wishes sincere condolences to Ron's family.
The games played this Wednesday night on Sept 27th with the Community Chess Club of Rochester will be dedicated in memory of Ron.

Photos from 2023 Rochester Chess Center Picnic

Fall CHESS events coming up!

Here is a list of some of the upcoming chess events in Rochester and the surrounding area:

• Monday Night League Tournament starting Sept 18th: The Don Stubblebine Memorial Monday Night Chess League begins on Monday Sept 18th. This is a 10-week event over 10 Mondays, plus a make-up week. Sign up and you will be assigned to a team. Please register no later than 6:30pm on September 18th. G/90;d5. Location: Rochester Chess Center.  Chief Tournament Director: Ken McBride.
• Central NY Open Chess Tournament in Syracuse starting Sept 22nd: Sept 22-24 or 23-24, 2023: Central New York Open, Syracuse NY - Run by the Continental Chess Association (CCA). Online entry from chesstour.com. Chief Tournament Director: Steve Immitt.
• Wednesdays: Oct 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th and Nov 1st: CCCR's Annual Club Championship. Location: Rochester Chess Center. Contact Rochester Chess Center for details or stop in to visit. Flyers on-site. There will be CCCR rated games as usual at the Chess Center for players not participating in the club championship tournament. Click this link for the online flyer in PDF format. Chief Tournament Director: Ron Lohrman.

Rochester New York Weekly Tournaments:

• Wednesday Nights: CCCR 7pm Chess. This is a 1 game G/80;d5 event where players are generally paired closely to their US Chess Rating and appropriately for new players. Registration: 6:30pm to 7:15pm on-site or by calling ahead within that time. $6 visitors, $4 CCCR members. Join US Chess membership on-site for US Chess rating. US Chess membership required to played rated chess game. Location: Rochester Chess Center.
• Saturday Mornings: RCC Youth tournament beginning at 10am. Late entrants OK. Gain experience playing in chess tournaments. US Chess membership not required, but available on-site for your child to obtain a chess rating.  Location: Rochester Chess Center. Entry fee $7.
• Saturday Afternoons: RCC 3-round G/60;d5 tournament beginning at 2pm. Register by 1:45pm. Join US Chess membership on-site for US Chess rating. US Chess membership required to played rated chess game. Location: Rochester Chess Center. Entry fee is $16, with reduced entry fee for Rochester Chess Center Members and HS/Pre-HS students.

More events will be added as they become available.

        1955 Chess Review Cover

  

Chess Review, December 1955. P 381.

Results for the Annual Chess Simultaneous with CCCR Co-Champions Matt Slomski & Ryan Beh

On July 26, 2023, the Community Chess Club of Rochester's Co-Champions Matt Slomski (National Master, USCF rating: 2033) and Ryan Beh (USCF rating: 2108) played chess against 26 players simultaneously. The annual CCCR event took place at the Center of Chess in New York state: The Rochester Chess Center.  

The event started with a pizza party to kick-off the occasion. We were treated with chess-shaped cookies made by Ryan's mother. The chess games were underway by 7:40pm and all games were completed by 9:55pm. During the games, Matt and Ryan made alternate chess moves and opponents had 4 opportunities to pass on their move. This gave more time for Matt's and Ryan's challengers to consider the next move.

The first player to finish his game against Matt and Ryan was Joe Sarratori at 8:45pm. The last game of the night finished just before 10pm with John Manning. A two-minute blitz clock (with 1 second increment) was introduced to random games starting around 9:25pm to ensure the event would finish at a reasonable time.

Here are the overall standings for Matt and Ryan against their 26 opponents:

Ryan and Matt scored 20 Wins, 2 Draws and 4 Losses.

The Wins against Matt and Ryan were by Jonah Green (USCF rating: 1513), Randy MacKenzie (USCF rating: 2000), Jacob Snell (USCF rating: 1985) and Erich Snell (USCF rating: 1623).

The draws against Matt and Ryan were by John Strazzabosco (USCF rating: 1403) and David Carr Jr. (USCF rating: 1507).

Prizes for the draws and wins against Matt and Ryan were given out tonight. The prize for Matt and Ryan will be given out next week at our regular club meeting. We will have a cake to celebrate on August 9th.

A special thanks to everyone who helped with the last-minute arrangements and to all the participants for helping to make this CCCR event a great success.

More photos here: Gallery link

What's the next big event coming up with the Community Chess Club of Rochester?  That would be the Annual Club Championship, with FIVE rounds this year on 5 consecutive Wednesdays: Oct 4, 11, 18, 25 and Nov 1st, 2023. Join CCCR and complete 10 USCF-rated games between Nov. 2, 2022 and Sep. 27, 2023 to be eligible to enter. Visitors are always welcome. Chess store also on-site.