Donald Schultz (May 13, 1936, Woodhaven, Queens, New York – April 20, 2020, New Jersey)[1] was a president and a vice-president of the United States Chess Federation (USCF). He was elected vice-president on August 14, 2005. He was defeated by the Susan Polgar-Paul Truong slate when he ran for re-election in July, 2007. He was a rated chess expert.
Although an expert chess player, Schultz's greatest joy came in bringing people together through the many chess tournaments that he either organized or helped with. Schultz and his family were traveling from their home in Brussels, Belgium in 1971 to the United States to visit family when they stopped in Reykjavik, Iceland to see the Fischer/Spassky tournament. Bobby Fischer was a friend and asked him to stay on as one of his allowed council of three. This was the beginning of Schultz's foray into the world of international chess. Over the next several decades, he traveled around the world for chess conferences and tournaments, often accompanied by his wife, Teresa Russ Schultz.
Schultz first ran for USCF President in 1966, but was defeated by Marshall Rohland. In 1981, Schultz was appointed U.S. Delegate to FIDE, the World Chess Federation. In 1982, in Thessaloniki, Schultz was elected to the Executive Council of FIDE.
In 1992, he was elected to the Policy Board of the USCF. In 1993, he organized a tour for the Israel Youth Chess Team to the US. In 1993 and 1994 he, along with Yasser Seirawan, ran a chess school for children in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. In 1996, Schultz was elected President of the USCF for a three-year term. In 2003, Schultz was elected to the Executive Board of the USCF for a four-year term. He is the author of two books, "Chessdon" and "Fischer, Kasparov and the Others". He has held numerous political positions in chess.
Schultz died on April 20, 2020, in Emerson, New Jersey from complications caused by the COVID-19 virus.