it is with a heavy heart that I must share the passing of Alex Relyea today 8-16-25. Alex was a long time US Ches delegate, an arbitor/tournament director of note, and a true lover of the game of chess. He was a great encourgement to me when I served on the board of US Chess, and I deeply valued his advice and friendship.
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I knew this was coming, Nita Patel texted me two weeks ago that he was in hospice care.
Like Allen, I had many interesting discussions with Alex over the years and I will miss him.
It’s very sad. Being from NH, I was fortunate to play many tournaments Alex organized and directed. He offered a variety of time controls and formats including state quick championships, quick hexes, two rounds over two days, and more I don’t know. His events ran smoothly and on time. If there ever was a conflict, Alex handled it with a twinkle in eye indicative of his love of chess. Thank you for the opportunity to reflect on his huge contributions.
Alex was a wonderful person and a huge supporter of U.S. Chess. As a Delegate, his voice was always heard, even though he spoke softly. I valued his advice and counsel more than just about any US Chess Delegate. I tried to get him to run for the EB on at least a couple of occasions, but Alex prefered to eschew the limelight and get things done without a lot of attention or fanfare.
He and I had talked at length about his declining health, and he treated it as I would expect from him: matter of factly, as an obstacle but not insurmountable.
Eventually, death is an obstacle we all cannot overcome - but in life, Alex was an exemplary example of a life lived well.
Alex and Nita’s dedication to Blind chess is for me particularly notable. We sparred some times in the forums years ago - and I’m very glad we had the opportunity to meet.
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