1939: Chess

International.

Most colorful of 1939 chess events was the International Team Tournament at Buenos Aires, Argentina, where twenty-seven nations sent quintets to compete for the Hamilton-Russell Trophy, emblematic of world team supremacy.

Germany triumphed after out-scoring a field of fifteen rival nations who had qualified in preliminary competition for further play in title finals. Poland placed second — a scant half point short.

Eleven nations, eliminated in qualification play, competed for the newly donated Argentine Cup given by President Ortiz of Argentina. Iceland and Canada tied in points scored, but Iceland won the individual match from Canada to gain the trophy.

Argentine Chess Federation's feat of raising $100,000 for advance expenses, enabling all players to be transported from the far corners of the world without personal expense, and home again, recorded an unparalleled success in chess promotion.

Play in the Hamilton-Russell trophy finals commenced on September 1st, the same day that the German invasion of Poland began. Incidents mirrored the intransigent emotions of many restless European homelands. The French and Polish teams declined to meet the Germans in play. England withdrew, and three of its team returned home. A climactic finish found Poland and Germany battling for the championship until the last round. When the standing of the teams was read on the final day, announcement of the German victory was perfunctorily applauded by the crowd while Poland's win of second place was wildly cheered. The German embassy staff applauded the name of every nation except Poland and France.

President Augusto de Muro of the Argentine Chess Federation was elected president of the F. I. D. E. (International Chess Federation).

South America, having cornered the market of chess talent with its epochal team tournament, created numerous tournament opportunities for the visiting masters. World champion Dr. Alekhine swept an eight-player invitation event at Montevideo, Uruguay; to win 7.0 from a field of Europeans and South Americans. Paul Keres of Estonia and M. Najdorf of Poland shared a first prize in an invitation tournament at Buenos Aires in November. At Rosario, the Latvian champion Vladimir Petrov, won an eight-man event, a full point ahead of Erich Eliskases, champion of Germany.

Supported by Latin-American financial pledges, José R. Capablanca of Cuba, challenged Dr. Alexander Alekhine of France to a world title match in November. Tentative plans not, however, actually backed by a deposit of the required purse ($10,000 in gold), led to a virtual agreement to play at Buenos Aires, Argentina beginning April 14, 1940.

United States.

The fortieth consecutive annual tournament of the American Chess Federation held in New York City July 18-30, was the outstanding event on the national chess calendar.

Reuben Fine of New York won the event popularly known as the North American Open Championship by amassing 10½ of a possible 11 points. United States champion Samuel H. Reshevsky finished second, while I. A. Horowitz, North American champion in 1936 and co-holder in 1938 placed third.

The unification of effort for promotion of chess as a recreative medium in the United States, brought about by the merger of the two existing federations, the National Chess Federation and the American Chess Federation, resulted in a powerful United States Chess Federation headed by George Sturgis of Boston.