NM David Steele (click for a larger version)

I was born Dec 19, 1943 in Columbia, SC. The US Department of Agriculture moved my father around to various places until we finally settled in Raleigh, where I attended Myrtle Underwood Elementary School, Josephus Daniels Junior High School, Broughton High School, and NC State University.

I learned to play chess at the old Vass-Barden Chess Club in Raleigh when I was 13 years old.  I recall with fondness my mentors there:

Dan Diano, Dr. Al Jenkins, Dr. Stuart Noblin

Dr. Norman Hornstein, O.N. Rich, Paul Newton

Ed Blanchard ...and many others.

Some chess players experience a period of obsession and rapid improvement that may seem like madness to a non-chess player, and I was one of those. Witness this portrait made of me at 17:

(click for a larger version)

I partially recovered and eventually went on to live a fairly normal life as a computer programmer. Now I'm retired and look like this: (See Photo Above)

Thanks, David Steele

For a games database, see David's entry under NC Champions HERE.