William Lombardy: RIP

William Lombardy 4.12.1937 – 13.10.2017

The last surviving member of that extraordinary generation of American super-grandmasters that emerged in the 1950’s, which included Bobby Fischer (1943 – 2008) and Larry Evans (1932 – 2010), has passed away in California. Details are still sketchy, pending notification of next of kin. I will let you know more as the weekend progresses.

You might want to read an indepth blog article that I wrote a number of years back of Bill and his legacy here. Bill seemed destined to become World Champion, or at least most experts thought so, until Bobby Fischer arrived on the scene. From that moment on, Lombardy lived in the shadow of Bobby, even though his talent was extraordinary.

• Photo courtesy of Icelandic Chess Federation (1972)
• New York Times obituary (October 14)