International Master Emory Tate's Untimely Death

I have been wondering how to express my sorrow on the untimely death of one of our chess instructor's Emory Tate.  A former instructor and friend, Frisco DelRosario, who was at the chess tournament yesterday, wrote on his Facebook page and it gave me an opportunity to let my words flow. Here is most of my eulogy:                                                          
"Emory was a great tactician, not just in chess but in humor.  He called me every few nights in recent weeks as he felt lonely in his Newark apartment "staring at the blank walls."  I listened to his stories that he interjected with humor while testing out his expansive vocabulary on me. Each time I had to beg his forgiveness to get back to work.   My biggest challenge right now is what to say, if anything, to his class and the other students at Weibel. I taught for 52 years before I retired three years ago, but they were adults or teenagers.  I have never had to inform very young students about the death of someone. Just a day or two back Emory told me that the five  board blindfold simul he did at our National Chess Day celebration was one of the hardest things he has done in a long time.  He did an analysis the next day of a couple of the games from memory.  With his permission I added one to a story I posted on our event. I had selected his drawn game.  I told him I did not mention that he lost one game. He blasted me as he said that he felt that a chess player should never hide or be embarrassed by his loses.  That was the Emory I knew for too short a time. Here is the drawn game and perhaps Emory's final annotation:  WITH SOME DIFFICULTY I RECONSTRUCTED MY 5-BOARD SIMUL OF TODAY... CHESS DAY.  OCT 10TH.  IT IS BETTER WITH NOTES.. SO I WILL NOW ANNOTATE FROM MY VIEWPOINT.  VIEWPOINT?  I CANNOT SEE.
LOL
e4 e5 Nf3 Nc6 Bc4 Nf6 Ng5 (I decide to lunge in,  I had no idea of the rating of my opponents or their knowledge of theory) d5 ed Na5 Bb5+ c6 dc  bc (now I realized that I was a bit messed up, because black has played this at the highest grandmaster levels and holds well.. I knew that my opponent had skill and knowledge.)  Deep breath.  Now Qf3. I play a move which I do not understand, only to try for tactical confusion. Bb7 a calm response... showing that white is not really attacking, rather defending. Be2 (played after some thought.. maybe ba4, but the positional nature of such a move promises a very long game.  With 5 simulatneous games and no eyesight, long positional struggles are my enemy.  I must invite risk.  h6  (not to dissapoint my young opponent puts me on my 'back foot". Ne4 Ne4 Qe4 ( I made a clean escape with an extra pawn... and I await tactics).  Qf6 (an aggressive queen sally) d4!  Top form move.   bd6 f4 (oops) I am losing control after my opponent shocks me with his next..  Better moves exist. In particular, Expert Francisco Anchondo (and his new dog) sugggest Bd2 with super-strong play. c5!!  (breaking my strategy, and now the California heat is making me sweat, just a bit  Qe3 cd4 (the famous Zwischenzug.. in  between move.. I am in critical condition here on board one.) Bb5+  A Zwischenshach of my own!   bc6 Qe4! ( a move played to sew confusion!!! Most blindfold players would have a hard time seeing it.  My opponent even stuttered (Qe4?)  Yes.  and the battle continued.  Rc8 (A mature move)  fe Qe5 Qe5 Be5Bc6 Nc6 (I feared Rc6 more but I was prepared to resist.. maybe even Kd1?  I do not use computers, before or after, so I am not sure.) Bd2  AND I was happy to see the Queens disappear... I offered a draw with my last analysis running d3 c3 Nb4 (tactics) Na3 with approximate balance.  Finally, had black decided to castle short.. I had Na3.. Knight on the rim, but holding on to life. Yes, I saw this.  Draw agreed!"

While Emory remembered the blindfold games he played he could not recall the names of the players.  I just learned that the individual he drew was one of the Weibel sixth grade players who transferred to our school from Cupertino this year--Rithwik Narendra, rating 1483. I predict that if he stays with chess for the next few years he will be another of our Weibel players to achieve the Chess Master title. I am sorry Emory won't be around to congratulate him.