1942: Chess

International chess competitions were limited. World-Champion Alekhine won a double round tournament at Salzburg, Austria, ahead of Paul Keres and P. Schmidt. Two South American tournaments had an international flavor because European experts who did not return to Europe when war interrupted the 1939 International Team Tournament at Buenos Aires, competed: Mar del Plata, Argentina, won by M. Najdorf and H. M. Pilnik, each 13½-3½, followed by H. S. Stahlberg 13-4; and Buenos Aires, won by Stahlberg, followed by Pilnik.

In the United States there was a tremendous upsurge in chess interest and many events were staged. The National Championship, held in New York City every second year, preempted the limelight. For the first time since the beginning of these tournaments in 1936 a tie was recorded for first place. S. Reshevsky, former boy prodigy, and I. Kashdan shared premier honors when each compiled a score of 12½-2½. There was a tie for third and fourth position between A. S. Denker and A. Pinkus. In a set match, following the tournament, Reshevsky vanquished Kashdan with a score of 7½-3½, thus regaining sole possession of the title.

Competing in a field of nine, Miss N. May Karff of Boston emerged with a perfect score of 8-0, to retain the ladies' championship. Mrs. A. Belcher was second with 6-2.

The United States Open Championship held at Dallas did not attract either of the co-champions. A. Yanofsky, Canadian champion, and H. Steiner, Pacific coast star, tied for first and second place with 16-1, closely followed by I. A. Horowitz with 15½-1½.

Grandmaster Reuben Fine was just able to spare enough time from his duties with the Federal Communication Division to participate in the National Lightning Championship Tournament. He finished first with 10-1, ahead of Reshevsky: 9-2.

The champion speed artist gave a display of skill at Washington, D. C., in a gigantic exhibition when he encountered 110 opponents, winning 87, drawing 17 and losing 6, in record time of 9 hours and 25 minutes.

The New York State championship tournament was won by I. A. Horowitz 8-1, closely followed by M. Hanauer: 7½-1½ E. Lasker was third with 6½-2½. L. R. Chauvenet of Charlottesville, Va., won the experts' section.

Edward S. Jackson of New York annexed the title of amateur champion, competing in a field of 13. His final score was 9-3. H. Saperstein, I. Heitner and L. R. Chauvenet, all with 8½-3½, finished next in order.

The Fourth Annual Invitation Tournament, held at Ventnor City, N. J., was won by A. Yanofsky, 18-year-old Canadian champion with 6½-2½. Second was J. Levin, Philadelphia, with 5½-3½.

Yale won the H.Y.P.D. League Championship by defeating Harvard 4-0. Princeton and Dartmouth were not represented. The Intercollegiate Chess League was won by C.C.N.Y.

The Argentine Championship was won by H. Rosetto, who defeated Carlos Guimard in a match 7-5.

Dr. Walter Cruz retained the Brazilian championship, but drew a match with Pablo Duarte, 5-5.

Mrs. V. Menchik Stevenson, woman world champion, defeated J. Mieses, 77-year-old German master, 6½-3½.

Dr. Rey Ardid won the Spanish National Tourney 6-1.

A minor tournament in Paris was won by Matreff 7-0, with Znosko-Borowski not in the prize list.

A sad note was injected into the year's events when the death of Jose Raoul Capablanca, ex-world champion, was recorded during the early part of the year, and that of Rudolf Spielman, brilliant Austrian master, at the end of the year.

Chess in Russia continues unabated. A tournament at Sverdlovsk attracted over 10,000 spectators. Lieut. Ragozin, returning from the front, won the event, with Petrov second. V. Smyslov, 21-year-old Soviet master, won the chess championship of Moscow during the first week of December, with thousands of spectators attending.