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.

1941: Chess

Events of international importance in 1941 were conspicuous by their absence. And even national championships were beclouded by the far greater game in which continents served as checkered fields. The chess olympics held during odd years were temporarily relegated to the limbo.

Foreign Events.

Here and there meager reports of noteworthy happenings came to hand. Mikhail Botwinnik of Moscow won the 'absolute' championship of U.S.S.R. in a twenty round contest between the six prize winners of last year's championship tournament. Botwinnik captured premier honors with a score of 13 to 6. The tournament began in Leningrad, March 1941, and was completed in Moscow.

Other foreign events included the International Jubilee Tournament of the Club Circulo at Buenos Aires held on Sept. 15. Mojsche Najdorf, Polish immigrant stranded in Argentina, led the field with a score of 14 to 1, followed by M. Czerniak, champion of Palestine. German exile Herman Pilnick was third. From Oct. 18 to Nov. 11, Buenos Aires was again the scene of an eventful tournament. Gideon Stahlberg and Mojsche Najdorf, members of the Swedish and Polish teams respectively, stranded in Argentina at the outbreak of the war, divided first and second prizes.

At another tournament in Munich, in which Dr. Alckhine participated. G. Stoltz of Sweden was the victor.

During the early part of the year at Havana, Cuban master Francisco Planas Garcia broke all records for simultaneous play by opposing 618 adversaries at 103 tables. Six players consulted on each board and Garcia wound up with a score of 64 wins, 26 draws and 13 losses. It was estimated that he had walked 15 miles during the exhibition which took 16 hours to complete. Later in the year, Gideon Stahlberg of Sweden created a world's record for simultaneous display in a gigantic performance at Buenos Aires. He contested 400 individual opponents winning 364, losing 22 and drawing 14. He started to play at 10:00 P.M. on Friday, Aug. 29, and finished at 10:05 A.M. on Sunday, Aug. 31, a total of 36 hours and 5 minutes.

The year 1941 began on a sad note when the death of Dr. Emanuel Lasker was recorded on Jan. 11. He was 73 years old. He had held the World's Championship from May 2, 1894, to April 10, 1921.

A tragic episode was reported by the British Broadcasting Company to the effect that Dr. Karel Treybal, Czechoslavakian master, was executed by Hitler's hireling, Reinhard Heydrich, Reichsprotector of Bohemia-Moravia. And the International Master, Dr. O. Bernstein was condemned to a concentration camp.

Canada.

Chess activities continued on the North American continent. In Canada. Abe Yanofsky, 17-year-old Winnipeg prodigy, topped the list of 12 contenders for the Canadian Championship. He outdistanced Maurice Fox of Montreal, former title holder by 1 points.

United States.

In the United States, several important encounters were promoted. Samuel J. Reshevsky, United States chess champion, successfully defended his title in a 16 game match with I. A. Horowitz, winning by the score of 3 wins and 13 draws. The match lasted from May 4 to May 29. Shortly thereafter, Miss N. May Karff of Boston, former queen of chess, regained her lost throne by vanquishing Mrs. Adele Belcher in a scheduled eight game match. The final score was 5 victories and 1 defeat in favor of Miss Karff.

Grandmaster Reuben Fine added to his laurels by again annexing the title of open chess champion of the United States Chess Federation in the tourney held at St. Louis from July 17-27. The field of contestants was rich in talent numbering among others, Weaver Adams, New England champion; Boris Blumin, ex-Canadian champion, and Herman Steiner, Pacific coast champion.

Fine again exhibited rare form in capturing the New York State Championship. Runner-up was none other than Reshevsky, present U. S. title holder.

In New York City, the Marshall Chess Club retained its title of Champion of the Metropolitan Chess League by defeating the Manhattan Chess Club by a score of 9 to 8. In view of the caliber of the participants, the victors may be said to be the team champions of the United States.

Jacob Levin of Philadelphia distinguished himself by leading a field of notable masters at the 3rd annual invitation tournament at Ventnor City, N. J. Levin's final score was 6 to 2.

The colleges as usual evinced interest in the game. Rutgers University Chess Club won the New York-New Jersey Intercollegiate championship without sustaining a single defeat. Herbert Seidman of Brooklyn College won the individual championship of the Eastern Intercollegiate Chess League with a clean sweep of 7 to 0. In the Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Dartmouth League, Harvard nosed out Yale by a close score. C. C. N.Y. won the Intercollegiate Chess League Championship.

Despite the ravages and havoc of war, the British Broadcasting Company reports that the Soviet Championship Tournament began in besieged Moscow on Dec. 2.

1940: Chess

International.

The war, much too grim for the bloodless battles of the chessboard, put an end to many planned international events in Europe. Only in Russia did the game carry on as usual. The 12th annual championship tournament of the U.S.S.R. took place in Moscow, Sept. 5 to Oct. 3.

A strong field of twenty took part, including the champions of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. The result was a tie for first place between I. Bondarevsky and A. Lilienthal, each scoring 13½ of a possible 19 points. The 19-year old V. Smyslov was third, with 13. The pre-tournament favorites, Paul Keres and Mikhail Botwinnik, could do no better than fourth and fifth, the former compiling 12, and the latter tying with Boleslavsky at 11½ points.

There was activity in chess circles in Holland before the German invasion. Dr. Max Euwe, ex-champion of the world, contested a match with Paul Keres, the young Estonian genius. Keres won in a close battle, 7½ to 6½. In a quadrangular tournament in Amsterdam, Hans Kmoch took first place, 2½- ½, with Dr. Euwe second, 2-1.

Havana was the scene of an interesting tournament early in January. Two outside masters were invited to compete against eight of the strongest local experts. Isaac Kashdan of New York took first honors with 7½ points, followed by the other visitor, Georges Koltanowski of Belgium, with 6½. Of the Cubans, F. Planas, champion of Havana, made the best showing, with Aleman and Blanco close behind.

United States.

Chess in the United States had a flourishing year. The main event was the third in the series of biennial tournaments for the American chess championship, this time held under the auspices of the newly organized United States of America Chess Federation. The scene was New York City, April 27 to May 19.

Samuel Reshevsky of New York retained the title that he has held since 1936. He needed and obtained a draw in the last round against his chief rival, Reuben Fine, to remain in front by the slim margin of one-half point.

The tournament was a bitter struggle, the lead seesawing several times. Isaac Kashdan did most of the front running for 12 of the 16 rounds. In the 13th round he was paired with Reshevsky, and the most grueling game of the tourney resulted. Kashdan seemed to have the advantage most of the way, but the superior grit and staying power of the champion finally pulled him through, after three sessions of play.

Reuben Fine played perhaps the steadiest chess of all the contestants. He had his grand opportunity in the final game with Reshevsky. Playing an unusual opening, which he had evidently prepared for this crucial moment, he obtained a decisive advantage. One slight slip, however, enabled Reshevsky to equalize matters, and Fine had to be content with the second prize. Kashdan, who fell back considerably in the late play, still managed to retain third place, with Albert S. Pinkus and Albert C. Simonson just below.

Of the seventeen players in the final round-robin, eleven were seeded on the basis of their previous chess records. The other six were the leaders in three sections of an open preliminary tournament, in which twenty-five took part.

The tournament for the Women's Championship took place at the same time. Mrs. Adele Rivero of New York won a splendid victory, her score of 7-1 giving her a comfortable lead over her nearest competitors. The ex-title-holder, Miss N. May Karff of Boston took second prize with 5½ points.

The Open Tournament of the U. S. Chess Federation, an outgrowth of the annual events of the American Chess Federation, was held at Dallas, Texas, Aug. 19 to 28. Twenty-seven players entered, representing ten States and Canada. These were grouped in three sections, with the top three in each section entering the finals.

Reuben Fine captured the event, mowing down all opposition in the finals, to finish with the clean score of 8-0. Herman Steiner of Los Angeles, Calif., was second with 5 points. Below in order were: W. W. Adams, Dedham, Mass., and E. W. Marchand, Clayton, Mo., 4½-3½; W. N. Kendall, San Antonio, Texas, and J. C. Thompson, Dallas, Texas, 3½-4½; A. E. Elo, Milwaukee, Wis., and H. E. Ohman, Omaha, Neb., 2½-5½; and H. Burdge, Ventnor City, N. J., 2-6.

The second annual Ventnor City tournament was again held in the New Jersey resort early in July. The event attracted twelve of the outstanding Eastern chess stars. Sidney N. Bernstein and Milton L. Hanauer tied for top honors with 8 points of 11 games. Weaver W. Adams followed with 7½, and then came a triple tie at 6½ among J. F. Donovan, A. E. Santasiere and O. I. Ulvestad.

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.

1938: Chess

Activities at home and abroad gripped the interest of chess enthusiasts from start to finish and 1938 will go down in chess history as an outstanding year. It was ushered in by the traditional Invitation Masters Tournament sponsored by the Hastings and St. Leonard's Chess Club (England). In one of the strongest fields of recent years. United States Champion, Samuel Reshevsky, finished first, half a point ahead of C. H. O'D, Alexander (the British champion) and Paul Keres of Esthonia.

The center of interest then turned to the United States, which staged the biennial United States Chess Championship Tournament. Seventeen of the country's outstanding players battled for three weeks to determine the question of supremacy. The scene of action was the R.C.A. Building in New York City and Samuel Reshevsky repeated his fine performance of 1936 by retaining the title for another two years. Pressing him closely were Reuben Fine (who finished second. half a point behind), Albert C. Simonson (runner-up two years ago at the Hotel Astor), I. A. Horowitz (fourth), and I. Kashdan (fifth).

Easter week was featured by the Margate Congress (England). Dr. Alexander Alekhine, the World Champion, took premier honors a full point ahead of Rudolf Spielman, the Austrian grandmaster.

Chess interest focussed on Holland during the month of June. This was occasioned by the Noordwijk International Masters Tournament in which Erich Eliskases of Austria scored a well-merited triumph a point ahead of Paul Keres of Esthonia, two points ahead of V. Pire of Jugoslavia, and 2 points in front of Holland's pride, Dr. Max Euwe, former World Champion.

July witnessed the annual American Chess Federation Congress, held this year in Boston. The first prize was shared by I. A. Horowitz and I. Kashdan, who finished in a tie, 1 points in front of B. Blumin (Canadian Champion) and D. Polland (winner of the 1937 tournament held in Chicago).

In the fall of 1938 Holland was the scene of one of the greatest tournaments ever held. The eight participants in the A.V.R.O. Tournament included Dr. Alexander Alekhine (present world champion), Dr. Max Euwe and Jose R. Capablanca (former champions), Samuel Reshevsky (United States Champion), Mikahil Botwinnik (Russian Champion), Salo Flohr (Czechoslovakia), Paul Keres (Esthonia), and Reuben Fine (U.S.A.). The tournament was a double round affair in which every player met every other player twice; once with the White pieces and once with the Black. There have been other tournaments in which renowned players vied with one another for supremacy, but none with such concentrated playing strength. To the surprise of the chess world the two youngest competitors (Fine, 24 and Keres, 22) finished in a tie for premier honors. Keres accomplished the remarkable feat of going through the schedule undefeated. Third place went to Botwinnik. Alekhine, Euwe and Reshevsky tied for fourth.