Chess Trivia V
In 1950, Walter Bjornson, a chess player in Vancouver, British Columbia, was arrested for assault after cutting his chess opponent in the arm with a knife after he lost a chess game.
On January 17, 1951, Bobby Fischer, age 7, played a game against Senior Master and U.S. Speed Chess Champion Dr. Max Pavey, who was giving a simultaneous exhibition at the Grand Army Plaza Library in Brooklyn. Bobby lost in 15 minutes (he lost a Queen) and burst into tears when he lost the game. Another player, Edmar Mednis (1937-2002), age 14, also participated in this simul and drew. Pavey took on 13 players that evening. Fischer later admitted that his loss to Pavey had a great effect in motivating him to get better at chess. The January 18, 1951 issue of the Brooklyn Eagle said this about the exhibition. In his exhibition at the library, Pavey played 13 games with different opponents without losing one. He drew two games against Edmar Mednis, a junior member of the Marshall Chess Club, and Sylvan Katske. The other 11, including eight-year-old (sic) Bobby Fischer, were defeated. Max Pavey's 1951 USCF rating was 2442 (#15 in the US and about #90 in the world). Watching in the crowd was Carmine Domenico Nigro (1910-2001), president of the Brooklyn Chess and Checkers Club, located in the old Brooklyn Academy of Music. After the game, Carmine (rated 2028) went up to Regina and Bobby and invited Bobby to join his club. He told Regina Fischer, Bobby’s mother, that Bobby would not have to pay any membership dues At the time, Nigro was teaching chess to his son, William, and offered to tutor Bobby Fischer as well. William was uninterested in chess, and Carmine increased William's allowance if William agreed to take a lesson in chess. Bobby couldn't wait to have a lesson every Saturday and became absorbed in the game. William was slightly younger that Bobby. The very next evening, Regina took Bobby to the Brooklyn Chess Club, headed by Carmine Nigro. Bobby, age 7 (but looked 5), was the first child permitted to join the Brooklyn Chess Club (there were also no women chess members). On that first night, Bobby lost every game at the club. Despite his losses, Bobby continued to show up at the Brooklyn Chess Club. (source: Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jan 18, 1951, pages 23 and 29)
In February-March 1952, there was an international chess tournament in Havana full of tragedy. During the event, there was a revolution in Cuba. The President who sponsored the tournament was deposed. The Mexican entrants were recalled by their government. The Cuban chess champion, Juan Quesada, age 40, died of a heart attack during the event on March 14. His funeral was attended by all the masters participating in the tournament. Reshevsky and Najdorf tied for 1st, each winning $2,000. (source: Corpus Christi Caller-Times, March 21, 1952)
In May 1953, the first chess match over television was shown in London, England. It was limited to three sessions of 10 minutes each. (source: La Crosse Tribune, May 27, 1953)
In 1954, the Argentine Chess Federation called off the national chess tournament after a fist fight broke out between a chess player and the tournament director.
In 1955, an African-American chess player, William A. Scott, was refused to be allowed to play in the Georgia Open chess championship because he was black.
In 1955, 12-year-old Bobby Fischer placed 20th with a 5-5 score at the U.S. Junior Championship in Lincoln, Nebraska. In July 1956, 13-year-old Fischer won the 11th U.S. Junior Championship, held in Philadelphia with 28 participants. Fischer scored 8.5-1.5. He was the youngest player to win the U.S. Junior Championship. A few weeks later, he took 4th at the 57th U.S. Open in Oklahoma City. (source: Chess Life, July 20, 1956, p. 1)
In April 1956, British chess champion Conel Hugh O’Donel Alexander (1909-1974) was invited to a chess tournament in Moscow. However, the British Foreign Office forbade him to go to Russia because “he knows too many secrets.” Alexander was Britain’s top decoding expert during World War II. (source: Lubbock Evening Journal, Apr 16, 1956)
In 1956, at the first round at the U.S. Open, the youngest player, Bobby Fischer (1943-2008), age 13, was paired with the oldest player, Albert M. Swank (1878-1958), age 78. Fischer won. During the U.S. Open, Fischer appeared on two TV programs and had good coverage by the Oklahoma City press. Fischer scored 8.5 – 3.5 without losing a single game. (sources: Chess Life, Aug 5, 1956, p. 1 and 3)
In 1956, Irene Vines of New Orleans became the first woman to be champion of Louisiana the second woman to hold a state title. In 1954, Adele Rivero Belcher won the state championship of Vermont. Her husband was a medical doctor. (source: Chess Life, Oct 5, 1956, p. 2)
In 1892, the Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Columbia (HYPC) was formed. It continued until 1924, when it was dissolved. Soon it was reformed, but without Columbia. Army and Dartmouth filled the vacancy. In 1947, Columbia was readmitted, but no tournament was held after that date. In 1899, the Triangular Chess League (Cornell, Brown, and Pennsylvania) was founded. In 1920, the Intercollegiate Chess League of America was founded. (source: Chess Life, Feb 20, 1957, p. 2)
In 1952, there were only 1,127 USCF members and the USCF was almost bankrupt with a $6,000 debt. In December 1954, there were 2,327 USCF members. In 1956, there were 2,046 USCF members. (source: Chess Life, Mar 5, 1957, p. 3)
In May 1957, the top players were Reshevsky (2648), Evans (2593), Robert Byrne (2590), Rossolimo (2533), and Kashdan (2525). Fischer was rated 2231 and rated 2298 in August 1957. There were 49 masters in the country. (source: Chess Life, May 5, 1957, p. 1)
In July 1957, Alexander Piotrowski was playing chess with Kazimierz Oslecki on the lawn on their jointly-owned house in Clapton, England. Osiecki captured Piotrowski's queen without saying "en guard" when he threated it on the previous move. Piotrowski tolkd Osiecki to take the move back. Osiecki refused. That's when Piotrowski picked up a garden chair and hit Oslecki. Oslecki then picked up the wooden chess board and threw the board in Piotrosski's face. A more serious fight then broke out. Both players were then sent to the hospital with a fractured rib and assorted cuts and bruises. The case went to court in London. The magistrate observed that this was the first chess match in 2,000 years to send both participants to the hospital. He declared the match to be a draw and dismissed both charges. (source: The Ottawa Journal, July 18, 1957)
In 1956, Chicago police were breaking up chess games in Lincoln Park on the mistaken assumption that the players were involved in illegal gambling. In 1957, chess players were welcome guest of Lincoln Park with their own new special $90,000 clubhouse and concrete tables with permanent chessboards imbedded on their tops. The money wa donated by the Hammon Organ Company. (source: Chess Life, June 20, 1957, p. 1)
In August 1957, Bobby Fischer won the 58th US Open in Cleveland on tiebreak over Arthur Bisguier, becoming the youngest player to win the event. He is the only player to hold both the US Open an US Junior championship at the same time. (source: Chess Life, Sep 5, 1957, 1957, p. 1)
On Sep 4, 1957, Max Pavey (1918-1957) died at the age of 39 at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York. He died of leukemia with a suspicion of radium poisoning. He was a chemist and plant supervisor at the Canadian Radium and Uranium Corporation in Mt. Kisco, New York. A month after Pavey’s death, the company pleaded guilty of injuring Pavey. When he died, his wife became chairman of the USCF International Affairs Committee. (source: Chess Life, Sep 20, 1957, p. 4)
In 1957, International Master Pal Benko (1928-2019) defected Hungary following his participation in the World Student Team Championship in Reykjavik, Iceland. He was captain an first-board player of the Hungarian student team. After the tournament he asked Icelandic authorities for political asylum until he could obtain a visa to come to the United States. In 1948, he won the chess championship of Hungary. In March 1952, he attempted to defect to the American embassy in West Berlin during a chess tournament in East Berlin. He remained imprisoned for 16 months. He was not allowed to leave Hungary for another 4 years. He arrived in New York on Oct 11, 1957. (sources: Chess Life, Nov 5, 1957, p. 2)
In 1957, Robert Scrivener (1881-1969) won the Alabama Open chess championship at age 76. He also won the Louisiana State Chess Championship. In 1961, he won the Mississippi State Championship at the age of 80, the oldest state chess champion. He served three times as President of the Western Chess Association, first elected in 1913. He was a Life Director of the Southern Chess Association (SCA).
In 1957, there were about 5,000 active tournament chess players in the U.S. and 6 Grandmasters. In the USSR, there were about 1 million active tournament chess players and 18 Grandmasters. (source: Chess Life, Dec 20, 1957, p. 3)
In 1958, a chess program (NSS) beat a human player for the first time. The human player was a secretary who was taught how to play chess one hour before her game with the computer. The computer program was played on an IBM 704. The computer displayed a level of chess-playing expertise greater than an adult human could gain from one hour of chess instruction.
In 1958, the top USCF players were Reshevsky (2713), Fischer (2626), Evans (2591), R, Byrne (2538), and Lombardy (2499). (source: Chess Life, Mar 5, 1958, p. 5)
On February 20, 1959, Melvin Haifetz, the proprietor of the Humoresque Coffee Shop, contending several detective raids interrupted the chess-playing of his patrons, filed a $25,000 damage suit against the police and the city of Philadelphia. He claimed in U.S. district court action that his business was permanently damaged because customers now were afraid to come in for fear they may be arrested for playing chess. At least 34 chess players were arrested, fined for disorderly conduct and fined $12.50. The police under the command of Captain Frank Rizzo (120-1991) conducted the raids on grounds the neighbors of the coffee shop complained of too much noise Police also suspected drugs and interracial mixing. (source: York, PA Gazette and Daily, Feb 20, 1959)
In 1959, the top chess
players were Reshevsky (2693), Fischer (2636), Sherwin (2511), Lombardy (2509),
Bisguier (2506), Evans (2506), and D. Byrne (2504). (source: Chess
Life, Feb 5, 1959, p. 1)
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