View source for Dan Heisman

{{BLP sources|date=October 2013}}
{{Infobox chess biography
|name        = Dan Heisman
|image       = 
|caption     = 
|birthname   = 
|nickname    = 
|country     = [[United States]]
|birth_date  = {{birth date and age|1950|7|8}}
|birth_place = 
|death_date  = 
|death_place = 
|title       = [[National Master]]
|worldchampion = 
|womensworldchampion = 
|ICCFworldchampion =
|peakrating  = 2285 (July 1990)
|FideID      = 2002299
}}
'''Dan Heisman''' (born July 8, 1950)<ref>[http://www.chessgames.com/player/dan_heisman.html Chessgames Biography]</ref> is a [[United States Chess Federation]] [[Chess master|National Master]], author and instructor.

==Education==

Heisman graduated from [[Hatboro-Horsham High School]] in Pennsylvania as the co-valedictorian in 1968, and was elected to the school's hall of fame in 2007.<ref>{{cite web|title=2007 Hall of Fame Inductees|url=http://www.hatboro-horsham.org/Page/1580|publisher=Hatboro-Horsham HS|accessdate=5 November 2015}}</ref> He attended [[Caltech]] and transferred to Penn State in 1969. In 1971 Heisman graduated at the top of his class earning a B.S. in mathematics, and in 1983, again at the top of his class with a 4.0 [[Grading in the United States#Grade point average|G.P.A.]], received his master's degree in engineering, both from the [[Pennsylvania State University]].

==Early career==

Heisman began his career as an engineer and worked in that capacity with several organizations, including the [[Naval Air Development Center|Naval Air Development Center and Intermetrics, Inc.]]  Later, Heisman became a [[investment adviser|Registered Investment Adviser]] in Pennsylvania. He has been a full-time chess instructor and author since 1996.

==Chess career==

Heisman is the two-time open [[chess]] champion of [[Philadelphia]] (1973 and 1976), and the Philadelphia Invitational Chess Champion (1973). His [[Penn State]] team won the U.S. Amateur Team Championship in 1972.  He is rated over 2200 by both the United States Chess Federation and [[FIDE]], but is currently{{as of?|date=September 2023}} inactive as a tournament player. Heisman is a member of the International Computer Games Association and worked at both [[Deep Blue versus Garry Kasparov]] matches (1996 and 1997).

Heisman authors the award-winning Novice Nook column, aimed at improving adults, for the popular [[ChessCafe.com|Chess Cafe]] [[Web site]]. He has also written ten books on chess, including ''Elements of Positional Chess Evaluation'', ''Everyone's 2nd Chess Book'', and ''Looking for Trouble''.  His most recent book, ''Is Your Move Safe'', won the Chess Journalists of America's 2016 Best Instructional Book.

Heisman is well known throughout the Philadelphia chess scene. His chess activities include promoting local chess, hosting a chess radio show "Ask the Renaissance Man" on [[Internet Chess Club|ICC]] Webcast, and organizing events like the Philadelphia Championship and Philadelphia Junior Championship. He is currently a member of the [[Main Line Chess Club]] and the SE Scholastic Coordinator for the [[Pennsylvania State Chess Federation]]. He maintains an extensive web page which provides information on Philadelphia area chess and many articles on chess improvement. Heisman is a chess tutor and has taught radio DJ [[Howard Stern]].<ref>{{cite web| title = Nominations received for Chess Journalist of the Year (2007)| publisher = Chess Journalists of America| url = http://chessjournalism.org/2007entries/journalistofyear.htm#Heisman| accessdate = 2008-02-01| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080516054129/http://www.chessjournalism.org/2007entries/journalistofyear.htm#Heisman| archive-date = 2008-05-16| url-status = dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news| last = McClain| first = Dylan Loeb| author-link = Dylan Loeb McClain  | title = Long a Player, Howard Stern Gets Serious About His Game| newspaper = [[The New York Times]]| pages = A36| date = October 19, 2008 | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/19/crosswords/chess/19chess.html?_r=1&scp=5&sq=chess&st=cse&oref=slogin}}</ref> He helped mentor the 2007-08 National High School champion Dan Yeager, who attended his old high school (Hatboro-Horsham High School).{{citation needed|date=September 2023}}

==Personal life==

Heisman is related to [[John Heisman]], the football coach who left the endowment for the [[Heisman Trophy]]. Dan Heisman's paternal great-grandfather, Aaron, was John Heisman's first cousin.

Heisman is married to Shelly Hahn. His first wife, Susan "Holly" Hollis Bloom Heisman, died of breast cancer in 1994; they had one son, Delen, a graduate of [[Carnegie Mellon]] University. Heisman was born in [[Willow Grove, Pennsylvania]] in 1950 and currently lives in [[Wynnewood, Pennsylvania]].

He is a member of the [[Society for American Baseball Research]] and had a baseball newsletter, "Baseball's Active Leaders". His hobbies include [[backgammon]], science fiction, collecting comic books, and following the Philadelphia sports teams.

==Books==
*{{cite book
 | author=Heisman, Dan
 | title=Is Your Move Safe?
 | publisher=Mongoose Press
 | year=2016
 | isbn=978-1936277711
 }}
*{{cite book
 | author=Heisman, Dan
 | title=Looking for Trouble
 | publisher=Russell Enterprises
 | year=2013
 | isbn=978-1-936490-85-1| edition=2nd
 }}
*{{cite book
 | author=Heisman, Dan
 | title=The World's Most Instructive Amateur Game Book
 | publisher=Mongoose Press
 | year=2012
 | isbn=978-1-9362774-38}}
*{{cite book
 | author=Heisman, Dan
 | title=Back to Basics: Tactics
 | publisher=Russell Enterprises
 | year=2011
 | isbn=978-1-888690-34-7}}
*{{cite book
 | author=Heisman, Dan
 | title=Elements of Positional Evaluation
 | publisher=Russell Enterprises
 | year=2010
 | isbn=978-1-888690-58-3| edition=4th
 }}
*{{cite book
 | author=Heisman, Dan
 | title=A Guide To Chess Improvement: The Best of Novice Nook
 | publisher=Everyman Chess
 | year=2010
 | isbn=978-1-85744-649-4}}
*{{cite book
 | author=Heisman, Dan
 | title=The Improving Annotator
 | publisher=Mongoose Press
 | year=2010
 | isbn=978-1-9362770-4-9}}
*{{cite book
 | author=Heisman, Dan
 | title=The Improving Chess Thinker
 | publisher=Mongoose Press
 | year=2009
 | isbn=978-0-9791482-4-8}}
*{{cite book
 | author=Heisman, Dan
 | title=Everyone's 2nd Chess Book
 | publisher=Thinkers' Press
 | year=2005
 | isbn=978-1-888710-26-7| edition=2nd
 }}
*{{cite book
 | author=Heisman, Dan
 | title=A Parent's Guide to Chess
 | publisher=Russell Enterprises
 | year=2002
 | isbn=978-1888690125| edition=2nd
 }}

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
*{{chessgames player|id=85240}}
*[http://www.danheisman.com/ Dan Heisman personal site]
*[http://www.chesscafe.com/ Chess Cafe]
*[http://www.pscfchess.org/ PA State Chess Federation]
*[http://www.chess.com/members/view/danheisman Chess.com/ danheisman]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heisman, Dan}}
[[Category:1950 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American chess writers]]
[[Category:American male non-fiction writers]]
[[Category:Penn State College of Engineering alumni]]
[[Category:People from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:California Institute of Technology alumni]]