James Tarjan was one of the top chess players in the country when I was learning chess as a child in the early 1970's.
I knew he had stopped playing chess, but I had absolutely no idea that he had become a librarian!
He's apparently been living just 75 miles away from me for the last 25 years, working at the Santa Cruz public library.
Dana MacKenzie takes up the story: Rip Van Winkle Returns.
... James Tarjan, a grandmaster and frequent contender for the U.S. championship in the 1970s who has not played a single tournament game since 1984. He dropped out of chess and for at least the last ten or fifteen years he has been a librarian for the Santa Cruz Public Library.
It looks like he's still playing well at the open, with 4.5 points out of 6 rounds.
Way to go, GM Tarjan!
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