Information supplied by Curt Collyer.

Retired English Professor, part-time Chess Coach, and full-time Chess Fan, Mark Trevor Smith recently passed away. He had just turned 80 in August, but he knew it would likely be his final birthday, as he was already on palliative care due to his cancer. On September 18, 2026, he passed away peacefully at the Union Grand senior living facility on Capitol Hill.

His younger daughter, Catherine, asked that I share his obituary and remembrance webpage with the chess community. She knew what a significant role both the game of chess and the wider chess community played in Mark's life. Earlier this year, Mark had jokingly told me, "Well, I can't die yet - I need to see who wins the Candidates!"

Shortly after moving to Washington State from Missouri, Mark had won the Washington Senior Chess Championship in 2010 and shared first place again in 2012. He often mused on what it takes to become a Chess Master, invariably concluding that hard work alone was insufficient.

Mark was both a chess player and scholar, with a passion for the poetry of William Blake and a strong proclivity for the kingside fianchetto. He will be missed by his fellow chess players, but his legacy lives on in the countless number of chess students Mark impacted over his many years of dedicated coaching.

Here is the link to Mark's remembrance webpage: https://my.gather.app/remember/mark-trevor-smith-sep-2026.

(Updated 10/23/2026.)