E. Forry Laucks was one of the great patrons of the game of chess from
the 1930s until his death on July 31, 1965 during the US Open Chess
Championship in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. In 1934, Laucks established
the Log Cabin Chess Club in his home at 30 Collamore Terrace, West
Orange, New Jersey. All the top players played there for the
substantial cash prizes he offered at the major tournaments held
there. Fischer, Lombardy, the Byrne Brothers, Benko, Evans, Bisguier
and all the other big names in chess played there.

Sometimes Laucks would decide to take a trip. He would call up a bunch
of chess masters, say "Let's go to Europe" and soon thereafter they
would all be assembled at the airport and on the flight.

Laucks took Bobby Fischer and a bunch of other chess masters on a
junket to Cuba. He also drove them around the country.

Apparently, Laucks was a relative, perhaps the son, of S. Forry
Laucks, who was said to be the richest man in York, Pennsylvania and
was the owner of the Lauxmont Farms. S. Forry died in 1942 and was
said to have been even more crazy than E. Forry Laucks.

E. Forry Laucks was not a strong chess player. I played him in the
1959 US Open Championship in Omaha when I was 14 years old and I beat
him easily. He was a 1500 player.

Laucks drove me and a car full of other chess players to take a tour
of both Boys Town, which is near Omaha, and the Omaha livestock yards.
Among the others in the car were Gilbert Raich, a tournament checker
player. I remember Laucks turning around and talking to us while
driving.

Whitaker told me that when Laucks would drive a bunch of chess players
across the country, he would not take of the car. He would never
change the oil. Then, when the engine finally ground down because of
no oil in the motor, Laucks would just go to a local used car dealer,
buy another car, and then the merry group would speed on their way
again.

Laucks died after completing the first six rounds of the US Open Chess
Championship in Puerto Rico, while he was leading a group of chess
players on a tour of San Juan. He collapsed and was pronounced dead on
arrival at the hospital.

As to why a picture of Laucks is so prominently displayed in
Whitaker's, book I can only speculate that Whitaker either had
received some money or was hoping to receive some money from Laucks
for publishing the book.

Sam Sloan

This is the Leroy Dubeck Dream Team! Vote for them!

On May 29, 3:22 am, samsloan wrote:

E. Forry Laucks was one of the great patrons of the game of chess from
the 1930s until his death on July 31, 1965 during the US Open Chess
Championship in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico...

It sounds like someone with a poolball in his mouth trying to say,
"He's Larry Storch."