New York, NY, USA





In Memoriam: Denis Forster
GM Robert Fischer


  •     ° Served as BAL president
  •     ° Served as BAL vice president
  •     ° Served as BAL treasurer
  •     ° Captain of the 'Chess Nuts' for many years
  •     ° Hosted all of the league matches at his BoA location for several seasons
  •     ° Friendly, pleasant, and approachable in his league and team roles
  •     ° Enjoyed finding solutions and resolving issues
  •     ° Deepest condolences to his family, and to his BAL family

Welcome to BAL Chess
2024\25 season

     The Bankers Athletic League is a New York City recreational chess league.  We play chess using a team format, on alternate Thursday
evenings from October through May.  After the play-off finals in June, trophies are awarded to teams and individuals at a league dinner
in September.  We meet in late September\early October to formalize the teams and rules for the new season.  
Contact Us if you have a team which would like to join our league.



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      Thursday nights in the BAL

In Memoriam: Robert James Fischer
3/9/1943 - 1/17/2008


  • Attained IM rank and won the U.S. Championship at age 14
  • Attained Grandmaster rank at age 15
  • Eight-Time U.S. Champion (including an 11-0 score in 1963-64)
  • Won the quarter-final and semi-final matches for the world championship by scores of 6-0
  • Eleventh World Chess Champion, 1972-75
  • Lifetime Tournament and Match Score: +439 -88 =250 (72.6%)


Who was better?     Some information and games here.
GM Robert Fischer
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