William John Donaldson, known as John Donaldson, is an American chess player, author, journalist and chess official. Like many of his contemporaries, he began playing in the aftermath of the World Chess Championship 1972 between Fischer and Spassky. He joined the Tacoma Chess Club in September 1972, and is still involved with the game almost 50 years later.
FIDE awarded him the title of International Master (IM) in 1983. He has two grandmaster (GM) norms and missed a third, at the 2000 Paul Keres Memorial in Vancouver, by half a point. Among the international tournaments in which Donaldson has finished first or tied for first are Hamar (Norway) 1986; Philadelphia 1987; Bermuda 1995, 1996, and 1997 (=1st with GM Sergey Kudrin; Lindsborg (Kansas) 2002 (=1st with GM Alexander Onischuk; and Calgary 2007. He also won the 2001 Lindsborg Rotary Open, a three-day event, ahead of three GMs and three IMs.
Donaldson has captained the U.S. national team on 25 occasions, including six Chess Olympiads from 1986 to 1996. He has written almost 40 books on different aspects of the game. His book Bobby Fischer and His World was selected as the 2020 Chess Book Collectors Most Popular Book of the Year.
In 1990, Donaldson was elected to the Policy Board of the United States Chess Federation. He also became an editor of the magazine Inside Chess, published by Yasser Seirawan. After the magazine folded, he moved to San Francisco, where he became chess director of the San Francisco Mechanics Institute. He is constantly writing and producing chess books, mostly biographies of historical chess figures. He qualified to play in the 2002 and the 2003 U.S. Chess Championship. He has achieved two norms for the title of Grandmaster, at Lindsborg 2002 and at Stratton Mountain 2003.On December 9, 2006, Donaldson was named US zone president in FIDE, replacing Robert Tanner, who resigned on December 4, 2006.
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Some of their strengths
William John Donaldson has many admirable traits.
Based on spiritual traditions from around the world, they are someone who can be described as Innovative, Energetic, Intelligent, Practical, Altruistic, Analytical, and Easygoing.
Intelligent and Inquisitive
According to Mysticism’s Astrology tradition, William John Donaldson is someone who is an intelligent, inquisitive, and imaginative person, who is practical, considerate, kind, and diplomatic in dealings with others. A person who seems to identify with family, heritage and ancestry.
Strong and Resilient
Based on Daoism’s Ba-Zi or ‘Chinese Zodiac’ tradition, people who know William John Donaldson well know them as someone who can be strong, expansive, and stable like a big tree.
Inventive and Clever
According to Hinduism’s Jyotisha or ‘Vedic Astrology’ tradition, many would also describe William John Donaldson as someone who is flexible, intelligent, and quick-witted.
A person who likes to be creative, and to be recognized for their artistic talents. Who possesses intelligence, mental discipline, and ambition, and who does well in relationships and partnerships.
Easygoing and Energetic
Based on the Mayan Tzolk’in or ‘Mayan Astrology’ tradition, William John Donaldson is someone who has an easygoing nature and a healthy sense of humor, with a mind that requires constant stimulation in order to feel fulfilled.
They are also someone who is calm, comforting, and stable, and who loves stability and being a good friend and loyal partner.
Justice-seeking and Peaceful
According to Judaism’s Kabbalah tradition, William John Donaldson tends to be someone who loves peace and is ready to go to any costs to achieve it. Who has a taste for the good things in life, tends to be a good organizer, has a thirst for knowledge, and who tends to have the respect of friends and acquaintances.
Some of William John Donaldson's challenges
While William John Donaldson has many strengths, nobody is perfect. They also have some challenging traits they need to manage.
For example, William John Donaldson can be Emotional, Hesitant, Narcissistic, Rebellious, Emotionally Distant, Standoffish, and Unfocused.
Hesitant and Narcissistic
One of William John Donaldson's key challenges is that they are someone who can be hesitant and narcissistic.
Unfocused and Indecisive
William John Donaldson is someone who can be scattered, restless, and insensitive, be distracted by fluctuating professional interests, be a workaholic, and who can be arrogant and have difficulty accepting advice.
Pleasure-seeking and Indecisive
Finally, William John Donaldson also can put others first too much, and hem-and-haw too much when making a decision.
