Summary:

  

   - USCF Expert

   - 5-Time Georgia State Champion – 1954, 1955, 1968, 1970, 1975

   - 2-Time Atlanta Open Champion -- 1965 and 1970

   - 1970 Georgia Open Champion

   - GCA President 1970

   - Georgia Chess Letter, Games Editor 1969 - 1970

 

From the mid 1950’s, and continuing for approximately 20 years, Dudley Bradstreet Wade (Brad) was one of the strongest and most successful tournament players in Georgia.  He was a strong expert player (peak USCF rating of 2181 in 1970 and peak GCA rating of 2151 in 1969), and many considered him of master strength.  His final published USCF rating was 2111 in 1990.

Brad was born in 1928 and grew up in the LaGrange area.  The first published references to Brad’s play were strong showings in the 1949 Atlanta City Championship and the 1949 Georgia Championship as reported by the Atlanta Constitution.

In 1954, as an Auburn University student, but a resident of Stovall, GA, Brad won his first Georgia Championship.  He repeated that feat again in 1955, winning his second championship.  One could argue that these two results alone might be enough for a Hall of Fame nomination, but the hits just kept on coming.

Brad went on to win the Georgia State Championship three more times for a total of five.  He finished clear 1^st in 1968 (ahead of P. Lamb and others), tie 1^st in 1970 (with P. Lamb), and clear 1^st again in 1975 (ahead of S. Rundlett).

 

Possibly his next most impressive result (after the 5 Georgia Championships) was a 2nd place finish in the 1970 Continental Experts Invitational, held in Atlanta.  Brad went undefeated with 3 wins and 2 draws, finishing behind future IM Edward Formanek, and ahead of William A. Scott III, John L. Foster, Charles W. Musgrave and Richard Long.

In other Georgia tournaments, Brad faired quite well.  He won the 1964 Atlanta Metropolitan Championship (tie with W. Scott), 1965 Atlanta Open (ahead of L. D. Truesdel and N. Whitaker), 1965 Middle Georgia Open, 1968 Atlanta Chess Club Championship, 1970 Atlanta Open, 1973 Georgia Tech Open among many others.  In 1964 he was the top 2^nd Board in an 8-Team invitational sponsored by GCA.  And as late as 1985, Brad was still playing, and in good form, finishing 2^nd place in the Atlanta September Open, with a 4-1 score.

 

Brad was active in neighboring states as well.  He tied for second in the 1955 Tennessee Open.  In 1958, as a resident of Birmingham, he won the Alabama State Championship.

Brad was known as a slow positional player and counter puncher, waiting for an opponent’s mistake, then pouncing. Brad once even described his own playing style as a “jellyfish of the chessboard”.  By all accounts, he was a friendly but reserved personality, well-liked by all.

 

Brad was also a helpful volunteer for the GCA.  He was the Games Editor and contributor to the GCA Newsletter in 1969-1970, writing multiple articles with lots of games and analysis.  In 1970, Brad served as GCA President.

 

In a non-chess-related topic, The Atlanta Constitution reported in 1977 that “after several years of patient study and creative effort” Brad had invented a new board game called CRYPTYC.  The word game is described as “a combination of cryptography and Go”.

As a player, D. Brad Wade made a significant contribution to the landscape of chess in Georgia.

 

Sources:

Atlanta Journal & Constitution - Archives 1949 – 1975

Atlanta Journal - (20 Apr 1969) Keith Coulbourn pps. 47-53

Georgia Chess Newsletters – Electronic Collection 1964 - 1975

Personal Interviews with L. Thad Rogers, L. D. Truesdel