What was Kenneth Harkness real name?

Kenneth Harkness was one of the most important figures in the history of American Chess. He was business manager of the USCF for a decade. He devised and established the first USCF Rating System in 1950. He wrote the First USCF Official Rules of Chess. The list of his accomplishments is too long to mention.

However, I have just learned for the first time that Kenneth Harkness was a pseudonym.

This is revealed in the book, "Shady Side: The Life and Crimes of Norman Tweed Whitaker Chess Master", by John Hilbert.

This comes up in the book because Whitaker did not like Harkness and wrote letters stating that Harkness was probably either an illegal alien or a fugitive from justice. (IM Whitaker, who spent much of his life in prison, should know about such things).

Does anybody know what the real name of Kenneth Harkness was??

Sam Sloan


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