After one year, Kashdan left and Horowitz became the editor, a position he retained for the remainder of the magazine's existence.

The cover of the first issue featured a chess problem composed by Otto Wurzburg (1875–1951), a Grand Rapids, Michigan, postal worker.

His interest in compositions influenced the magazine for years after he left, and the cover would feature a chess problem every issue until May 1941.

The magazine staff also included art director Bertram Kadish who contributed cartoons and illustrations.

[2] In December 1935 the magazine began to put "The Official Organ of the American Chess Federation" on the cover.

Savielly Tartakower also joined the magazine that year, providing portions of his memoirs at intermittent intervals.

In 1961 Frank Brady redesigned Chess Life, the official USCF publication, changing it from a newspaper format to a glossy magazine.