RIP John Porter

 

We are sad to announce that John Porter, Executive Director of the Chicago Chess Initiative (CCI) and one of the major promoters of chess in Chicago, died of a heart attack on 5/19/2020. He was only 58. Many knew him from the Chicago Cup tournaments that he ran in the South Loop. This is a great loss for the Chicago chess community. Rest in peace, JP!

There will be a visitation at Leak and Sons Funeral Home, 7838 S. Cottage Grove Ave., Chicago, IL 60619, on Monday, June 8, 6-8 pm.

 

IN REMEMBRANCE OF CHESS LEGEND JOHN PORTER

These words of inspiration and honor are attributed to our brother beloved John Porter, who made his transition to be with the MOST High God. Porter, as we called him, was the epitome of what love, high character, Integrity and friendship represents. In the wake of racial tension across American borders, Porter’s life was lived as an example of how people should live and interact with one another. 

Porter was an amazing big brother, “he was always there for me, giving positive motivation and advice.“ These are the words of his younger brother, Joe Porter. John Porter was a man of vision, a man who gave affirmation to others and built people up, never tearing them down. A man who established himself as an entrepreneur providing for himself and his family. I want to highlight a few areas in which Porter made major contributions and left a legacy behind.

Porter was one of the original members of what we in the African American community call the BFOC, the Brotherhood Fraternity of Chess. This is a group of some of the most amazing African American chess players you can find in the entire Midwest, and some say the United States as a whole. One notable member was the late International Chess Master Emory Tate, who was known for his amazing and brilliant chess play. These brothers set the tone within the African American chess community. A few of the friends, who Emery and now John Porter left behind, are Bill Crawford, known as Steal Bill, Sam Ford better known as the White Knight, and one of Porter’s best friends, Kent (Kenster Williams). These brothers all held a lifetime bond and set an example on how not just black men but men in general can coexist without animosity and tension shadowing over them.

Porter was also a man of vision. He just recently started a chess initiative this past winter with the NBA referees during the NBA All Star weekend held here in Chicago, Illinois. The piece that John put together was aimed at bringing people of all creed, economical and sociological backgrounds together through the vehicle of chess, the game he so loved. One of Porter’s focus for the chess community was to bring FIDE rated chess events to the Chicago Southside in the “The Chicago Cup”. Porter was involved in youth initiative chess programs and instilling in young people the importance of critical thinking and using chess as a tool to help young people navigate through life circumstances.

Finally, John was a Man of God. A man who was raised believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. He was the son of a preacher and came from a family that evoked and spread the message of the Gospel. His character, his speech, his actions all epitomized his faith in God. I believe that in the wake of all that our country has encountered not only this past week but for centuries concerning the racial tension and ununified global community, we can look at John Porter’s life and use it as a rubric as to how people of all creed, race and color can interact with each other in love, and live life together in unity.

Your Brother beloved! THE CLOSER Stephen Jennings, Chicago Chess Blitzers