Herman Helms was born in Brooklyn, New York on January 5, 1870.
Helms moved to Hamburg, Germany and Halifax, Nova Scotia in his early years.
By 1886, Helms was an active chess player.
In 1887 he returned to Brooklyn
In 1889 he organized the Brooklyn YMCA Chess and Checker Club.
In 1892 he joined the Brooklyn Chess Club.
From 1893 to 1955 he was the chess columnist for the Brooklyn Eagle. This was the longest-running uninterrupted chess column under the same authorship.
In 1895 and 1896 he won the Brooklyn Chess Club Championship.
In 1904 he produced the chess bulletins of the Cambridge Chess Tournament of 1904.
From 1904 to 1963 he was the editor and publisher of the American Chess Bulletin.
In 1906 he won the New York State championship.
From 1910 to 1962 he reported on chess events for the New York Times.
In 1914 he organized the Chess Correspondence League of America (CCLA) North American Class Championship.
In 1924 he organized the New York International of 1924. He also edited the tournament book.
In 1925 he won the New York State championship a second time.
In 1936, at the age of 66, he placed 2nd, behind Kashdan, in the New York State championship.
In 1942, at the age of 72, he checkmated master Oscar Tenner in 13 moves.
Helms-Tenner, New York 1942, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4 Bb6 5.a4 a6 6.a5 Ba7 7.b5 axb5 8.Bxb5 Nf6 9.Ba3 Nxe4 10.Qe2 Nxf2 11.Nxe5 Nd4 12.Nxd7 Nxe2 13.Nf6 mate 1-0.
In 1943 the United States Chess Federation formally recognized Helms as the "Dean of American Chess."
In 1949 he directed the US Open in Omaha, Nebraska.
On November 14, 1950, Mrs. Regina Fischer wrote to Hermann Helms looking for chess opponents for Bobby Fischer.
In 1950-51 he corresponded with Mrs. Regina Fischer and helped her find chess activities for Bobby Fischer.
In 1954 he became an International Arbiter.
He died on January 6, 1963, one day after his 93rd birthday.
In 1988 he was inducted in the US Chess Hall of Fame.
