IM Dr. Danny Kopec 1954–2016
Professor of Computer Science at Brooklyn College, author, entrepreneur and International Master of chess, Dr. Danny Kopec, died at age 62 years from pancreatic cancer on June 12, 2016. A chess prodigy and Master at 17, he earned his Bachelor’s from Dartmouth College and PhD from University of Edinburgh in Machine Intelligence. A prolific author, his chess products included eight books and nine feature length instructional videos.
He was a proponent of the chess opening, The Kopec System, and co-creator of the influential Bratko-Kopec Test for measuring computer chess ability. He ran Kopec’s Chess Camp for over two decades. He co-authored textbooks in the area of artificial intelligence and over one hundred academic articles.
Danny is survived by his wife Sylvia, son David, his sister Patinka, his stepson Oliver, nephews, and fondly remembered by thousands of former students and fans. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (www.pancan.org).
