Donald Byrne family name Byrne
Donald Byrne (June 12, 1930 – April 8, 1976) was an American university professor and chess player. He held the title International Master, and competed for his country in the Chess Olympiad on several occasions.Biography
Born in New York City, Byrne was a professor of English. He taught at Pennsylvania State University from 1961 until his death, having been invited there to teach and to coach the varsity chess team. Before his time at Penn State, he was a professor at Valparaiso University in Indiana.
He was a competitor in the chess club run by Brooklyn chess coach and master John W. Collins. Collins wrote about his students in the book My Seven Chess Prodigies, which features both Byrne brothers, Donald and Robert (see more below), and the young Bobby Fischer.
Byrne died in Philadelphia of complications arising from lupus. He was inducted into the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame in 2003.
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