A chess trip down memory lane in the shadow of Mount Whitney

In Whitney's shadow

From Yosemite National Park to Death Valley – and right through chess history

This June, I had the pleasure of enjoying a wonderful holiday in the southwest of the United States with my wife. From San Francisco, we visited the major national parks in California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona, gaining unforgettable impressions along the way. Such a trip involves long drives, as the parks are far apart. It's easy to end up passing many interesting places on the way from one park to the next. That almost happened to me as we were driving along Highway 395 from Yosemite National Park to Death Valley and passed the following town sign.

When I saw the sign, something clicked. There was something familiar! Weren't there chess tournaments held in a place called Lone Pine? But were they held here or in another town with the same name?

But a quick look at Wikipedia confirmed that I was indeed in the right place. So I began to follow the traces of chess history. The results of my research I published in this chessbase article.