Mike Goodall Biography

Kenneth Michael Goodall, better known as Mike Goodall, (born January 13, 1946 in Denver, Colorado; died October 5, 2010 in Marinwood, California) was until his death the most active chess tournament organizer in Northern California. He organized and directed the U.S. Chess Championship in 1975, 1984 and 1986, the U.S. Junior Chess Open Championship in 1985, and the U.S. Women's Chess Championship in 1984 and 1986. Most of these events were held on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley. Goodall also organized memorial tournaments at the San Francisco Mechanics' Institute, such as the Stamer Memorial and the Capps Memorial. He also held USCF rated King's Gambit tournaments. The biggest tournament he ever ran was the First Golden Gate Open in 1976 with 468 players.