Ruth Inez Haring (January 23, 1955 – November 29, 2018), also known as Ruth Orton, was an American chess player who held the FIDE title of Woman International Master (WIM). She competed in the United States Women's Championship in the 1970s and 1980s, and represented the US in the 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980, and 1982 Chess Olympiads.[1]

Ruth Haring
Haring in 1980
Full nameRuth Inez Haring
CountryUnited States
Born(1955-01-23)January 23, 1955
Barnstable County, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedNovember 29, 2018(2018-11-29) (aged 63)
Chico, California, U.S.
TitleWoman International Master (1977)
Peak rating2120 (January 1987)

Haring was elected to the US Chess Federation Executive Board in 2009 and served as vice-president for two years, then as president for four years.[2] She was reelected in 2013 for a three-year term, and served on the executive board for seven years. She served on the CalChess Board of Directors,[3] and was the FIDE Zonal President for zone 2.1, the U.S.A.[4]

Personal life

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Haring was born January 23, 1955, on Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts.[5] She starting playing chess while growing up in Fairbanks, Alaska.[6] She joined the US Chess Federation at the age of 14 and first played competitively in Fayetteville, Arkansas.[6] She graduated from the University of Arkansas,[7] where she earned a bachelor's degree in psychology, and studied computer science at San Jose State University.[6] Haring worked for companies including IBM and eBay prior to her work at the US Chess Federation.[7]

Her first husband was Bill Orton, who was also a chess player.[7] She married chess Grandmaster Peter Biyiasas[8] in 1978 and divorced in 2005.[5] She and Biyiasas had three children: Lauren, Tina, and Theodore.[7]

Death and tribute

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Haring died November 29, 2018, at the age of 63, in Chico, California.[5][7]

In 2019, US Chess renamed the National Girls Tournament of Champions to the Ruth Haring National Girls Tournament of Champions (RHNGTOC) in her honor.[9][10]

References

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  1. ^ "Orton, Ruth". OlimpBase.org. Archived from the original on April 8, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  2. ^ "Ruth Haring Elected New USCF President". Chessdom.com. September 17, 2011. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  3. ^ "CalChess BOARD OF DIRECTORS". CalChess.org. Archived from the original on December 1, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2017. Board Member-at-Large: Ruth Haring
  4. ^ "Haring, Ruth: FIDE Chess Profile". FIDE.com. Archived from the original on December 1, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  5. ^ a b c McClain, Dylan Loeb (December 3, 2018). "Ruth Haring, Top Chess Player Who Led Federation, Dies at 63". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 4, 2018.
  6. ^ a b c Nugent, Mary (October 22, 2009). "'In the zone': InnerView, Ruth Haring loves the people, competition, challenge of chess". Chico Enterprise-Record. Archived from the original on July 25, 2014.
  7. ^ a b c d e Klein, Mike (November 30, 2018). "WIM Ruth Haring, 1955-2018". Chess.com. Archived from the original on November 30, 2018. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  8. ^ Stumbo, Bella (August 4, 1983). "Bobby Fischer - Will He Ever Make a Move Again?" (PDF). The Los Angeles Times. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 10, 2016. Retrieved August 31, 2019 – via chessdryad.com. Ruth Harring [sic] and her husband, Peter Biyiasas
  9. ^ Hartmann, John (June 5, 2019). "National Girls Tournament of Champions Renamed in Honor of Ruth Haring". US Chess News.
  10. ^ "WIM RUTH HARING NATIONAL GIRLS TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS | Formerly: National Girls Invitational Tournament". nationalgirlschess.com. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
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