First USCF Rating Lists

 



The first United States Chess Federation (USCF) National Rating List was published in Chess Life magazine on November 20, 1950.  The first list had nine classifications and rated 2,306 chess players.  An American Grandmaster was anyone with a rating of 2700 or greater.  A Senior Master had a rating between 2500 and 2699.  A Master had a rating between 2300 and 2499.  An  Expert had a rating between 2100 and 2299.  Class A was between 1900 and 2099.  Class B was between 1700 and 1899.  Class C was between 1500 and 1699.  Class D was anyone below 1500.  The first list had Reuben Fine (1914-1993) rated as an active Grandmaster with a rating of 2817.  Samuel Reshevsky (1911-1992)  was rated as an inactive Grandmaster with a rating of 2770.  Players listed as inactive had not competed in any rated tournaments since January 1, 1947.  The active Senior Masters were A. Kevitz (2610), Arthur Dake (2598), Arnold Denker (2575), Isaac Kashdan (2574), and I.A. Horowitz (2558).  The inactive Senior Masters included A. Simonson (2596), Fred Reinfeld (2593), A. Kupchik (2538), D. Polland (2521), and G. Treysman (2521).  There were 26 active masters.  Those over 2400 included Larry Evans (2484), Herb Seidman (2451), Max Pavey (2442), G. Shainswit (2442), Albert Pinkus (2422).  They were followed by Arthur Bisguier (2394), George Kramer (2394), Herman Steiner (2394), Donald Byrne (2392), and Weaver Adams (2383).  There were 10 inactive masters.  The USCF rated 532 chess tournaments from 1921 to July 31, 1950 to make the list.  The first rated tournament was the 8th American Chess Congress, held in Atlantic City, New Jersey in 1921.  It had a average rating of 2398.   The ratings were derived using a calculation formula devised by Kenneth Harkness (1896-1972).

The 2nd USCF National Rating List was published in Chess Life on March 5, 1951 and was based on chess tournaments and matches up to December 31, 1950..  The two Grandmasters were Reuben Fine (2817), and Samuel Reshevsky (2734).  The Senior Masters were Arthur Dake (2598), and I.A. Horowitz (2558).  There were 29 masters, including Kashdan (2494), Evans (2484), Seidman (2451), Pavey (2442), Shainswit (2442), Denker (2431), Pinkus (2422), Bisguier (2394), George Kramer (2394), Donald Byrne (2392), Weaver Adams (2383), Herman Steiner (2355), and Robert Byrne (2352).

The 3rd National Rating List was published in Chess Life on October 5, 1951.  The Grandmasters were Fine (2711), and Reshevsky (2742).  The Senior Masters included Dake (2539), Denker (2504), Evans (2554), and Horowitz (2565).  There were 34 masters listed.

The 4th National Rating List was published on March 5, 1952.  Reshevsky was the only active Grandmaster on the list, rated at 2734.  The Senior Masters included Dake (2510), Denker (2504), Evans (2660), Fine (2676), Horowitz (2545), and Pavey (2502).  There were 33 masters listed.  A list of Masters Emeritus was included.  Titles of Master Emeritus were conferred to players who performed at the master level prior to 1921.  The players included Jacob Bernstein, Roy Black, Adolph Fink, Albert Fox, Herman Hahlbohm, Hermann Helms, Lewis Isaacs, Charles Jacobs, Abraham Kupchik, Edward Lasker, W.R. Lovegrove, William Napier, Frank E. Perkins, Harold Phillips, William Ruth, Morris Shapiro, Sydney Sharp, and I.S. Turover.

The 5th National Rating List was published on October 5, 1952.  The top 10 players were Reshevsky (2751), Fine (2676), Evans (2660), George Kramer (2564), Horowitz (2545), Denker (2538), Pavey (2502), Dake (2475), Donald Byrne (2465), and Robert Byrne (2462).  There were 37 masters listed. 

The 6th National Rating List was published on May 20, 1953.  The top 10 players were Reshevsky (2751), Fine (2676), Evans (2660), Robert Byrne (2601), Kramer (2564), Horowitz (2545), Denker (2538), Pavey (2502), Bisguier (2486), and Dake (2475).  There were 42 master listed. 

The 7th National Rating List was published on December 20, 1953.  Reshevsky was rated at 2739.  The Senior Masters included Donald Byrne (2544), Robert Byrne (2601), Denker (2538), Kramer (2564), and Nicholas Rossolimo (2513).  There were 36 masters listed. 

The 8th National Rating List was published on June 5, 1954.  Reshevsky was rated 2739.  The Senior Masters included Donald Byrne (2544), Robert Byrne (2601), Denker (2526), Kramer (2564), and Rossolimo (2513).  There were 36 masters listed.

The 9th National Rating List was published on May 5, 1955.  Reshevsky was rated 2766.  The Senior Masters included Bisguier (2587), Donald Byrne (2587), Robert Byrne (2621), Evans (2629), and Herman Steiner (2507)..  There were 36 masters listed. 

The 10th National Rating List was published on May 20, 1956.  It included tournaments up to December 31, 1955.  New rating classifications were adopted.  Now American Grandmasters were anyone rated 2600 and up.  Reshevsky was rated 2663.  Senior Masters were now anyone rated between 2400 and 2599.  Senior Masters included Bisguier (2529), Donald Byrne (2557), Robert Byrne (2590), Dake (2412), Denker (2407), Evans (2593), Horowitz (2442), Kashdan (2525), Kevitz (2405), Kramer (2404), Pavey (2429), Rossolimo (2533), Seidman (2426), and Sherwin (2436).  Masters were now anyone rated 2200 to 2399.  There were 51 masters listed.    There were 26 inactive masters listed.  Experts were now 2000 to 2199.  Class A was 1800 to 1999.  Class B was 1600 to 1799.  Class C was anyone below 1600.  The top women were Gisela Gresser (2056), Sonja Graf (2040), Nancy Roos (2008), and Mona Kay Karff (2004).  This was the first National Rating List that 13-year-old Bobby Fischer (1943-2008) appeared on.  His first USCF rating was 1726.

The 11th National Rating List was published on May 5, 1957.  The top 15 players included Reshevsky (2648), Evans (2593), Robert Byrne (2590), Rossolimo (2533), Kashdan (2525), Donald Byrne (2468), William Lombardy (2464), Bisguier (2460), James Sherwin (2447), Horowitz (2442), Denker (2420), Dake (2412), Pavey (2412), Edmar Mednis (2405), and George Kramer (2404).  There were 3,350 plaers on the rating list.  Bobby Fischer went from 1726 on the last rating list to 2231, making the Master list. 

The 12th National Rating List was published on March 5, 1958.  There were 2,163 players rated.  The top 20 players were Reshevsky (2713), Fischer (2626), Evans (2591), Robert Byrne (2538), Lombardy (2499), Sherwin (2474), Donald Byrne (2454), Mednis (2444), Bisguier (2436), Denker (2408), Hans Berliner (2406), Arthur Feurstein (2405), Walter Shipman (2392), Anthony Santasiere (2391), Herbert Seidman (2386), Robert Steinmeyer (2379), Abe Turner (2376), Anthony Saidy (2370), William Addison (2363), and Sidney Bernstein (2359).  There were 62 masters listed.

The 13th National Rating List was published on February 5, 1959.  The top 20 players were Reshevsky (2693), Fischer (2636), Sherwin (2511), Lombardy (2509), Bisguier (2506), Evans (2506), Donald Byrne (2504), Pal Benko (2496), Robert Steinmeyer (2445), James Cross (2425), Robert Byrne (2409), Denker (2408), Mednis (2397), Charles Kalme (2396), Sidney Bernstein (2393), Walter Shipman (2392), Arthur Feurestein (2385), Saidy (2370), and Berliner (2365).  The top woman was Gisela Gresser (2195).

A rating supplement was published on August 20, 1959.  The top players were Reshevsky (2693), Fischer (2636), Donald Byrne (2514), Lombardy (2509), Bisguier (2507), Evans (2506), and Benko (2496). 

A rating supplement was published on March 5, 1960.  The Senior Masters included Benko (2516), Berliner (2403), Bisguier (2525), Robert Byrne (2430), James Cross (2408), Evans (2514), Lombardy (2554), and Steinmeyer (2450). 

A rating supplement was published on August 20, 1960.  Fischer led with 2640, followed by Reshevsky at 2620.   Senior Masters included Benko (2515), Berliner (2403), Bisguier (2502), Robert Byrne (2512), Cross (2408), Feuerstein (2405), Seidman (2416), Sherwin (2406), and Raymond Weinstein (2444). 

A National Rating List was published on December 20, 1960.  The top players were Fischer (2641), Reshevsky (2632), Lombardy (2555), Robert Byrne (2535), Benko (2501), Bisguier (2501), Evans (2465), Raymon Weinstein (2448), Robert Steinmeyer (2426), Saidy (2412), Sherwin (2411), Cross (2408), Berliner (2406), and Feuerstein (2406).  There were 87 players rated 2200 or above.    There were 3,800 rated players.  At this time, the USCF adopted a more reliable rating system invented by Dr. Arpad Elo.

A rating supplement was published on April 20, 1961.  The Senior Masters included Benko (2458), Berliner (2408), Bisguier (2507), Robert Byrne (2472), Evans (2434), Fischer (2659), Charles Kalme (2424), Lombardy (2561), Reshevsky (2559), Saidy (2423), Sherwin (2472), Ray Weinstein (2501). 

A rating list was published in December, 1961.  The Senior Masters included Benko (2527), Berliner (2476), Bisguier (2440), D. Byrne (2485), R. Byrne (2442), Cross 92408), Evans (2435), Feurestein (2406), Fischer (2660), Eliot Hearst (2411), Kalme (2554), Lombardy (2562), Nedeljkovic (2441), Reshevsky (2560), Saidy (2424), Seidman (2412), Sherwin (2473), Steinmeyer (2463), Ray Weinstein (2494). 

In August, 1962, the first International Rating List was published by Chess Life.  Fischer’s rating was 2713.  Other ratings included Botvinnik (2736), Petrosian (2674),  Spassky (2663), Tal (2706).  The USCF rating supplement for August 1962 included Pal Benko (2602), Bisguier (2501), Evans (2568), Fischer (2687), Hearst (2410), Lombardy (2563), Mednis (2418), Sherwin (2435), and Ray Weinstein (2475).

A rating list was published in December, 1962.  The top players included Fischer (2687), Benko (2608), Reshevsky (2597), Evans (2568), Lombardy (2565), Robert Byrne (2529), Bisguier (2503), Donald Byrne (2503), Rossolimo (2485), and Steinmeyer (2463).

In November 2020, the top US players were: Fabiano Caruana (2898), Wesley So (2841), Leinier Dominguest Perez (2829), Hikaru Nakamura (2827), Jeffery Xiong (2786), Sam Shankland (2762), Ray Robson (2749), Kata Kamsky (2742), Samuel Sevian (2733), Dariusz Swiercz (2733), Lazaro Bruzon Batista (2732), Alexander Onischuk (2720), and Aleksandr Lenderman (2717).  The top woman was Irina Krush (2521).

Nowadays, a chess player can have 6 different ratings: correspondence, over-the-board slow, quick, or blitz, online quick or blitz time controls.  

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