Chess Trivia VIII

 

On June 1, 1960, a visiting seaman, Michael I. George, lost a chess game to free-lance writer Loren Disney at Chumley’s Greenwich Village restaurant.  George then argued the game with free-lancer Clinton Curtis, who was watching the game.  Curtis struck George.  George struck back but had a beer glass in his hand.  The glass shattered, cutting Curtis’ throat, and Curtis died.  He was 43.  (source: Chess Review, July 1960, p. 197) 

In 1960, Anthony Quinn (1915-2001) brought a chess set on location while the film, “Guns of Navarone,” was being shot in Greece.  He played chess against Gregory Peck, David Niven, Stanley Baker, Anthony Quail, and James Darren.  He said that James Darren was the best player of all the stars he played chess with.  (source: Chess Review, July 1960, p. 199)

In 1960, there were 1,281 entries in the Liverpool Junior Congress, the largest number of players ever gathered in England up to that time.  Over 300 prizes were distributed.  (source: Chess Review, Aug 1960, p. 231) 

In October 1960, Mikhail Tal (1936-1992) was driving to the 14^th Chess Olympiad in Leipzig, Germany when he got into a car accident.  He was unable to play the first 3 rounds, but when he did show up to play, he played board 1 for the USSR.  He won 8 and drew 6 games and only lost the final round, to Englishman Jonathan Penrose.  That cost him the gold medal for board 1, and he settled for silver. 

In 1960, a sub-zonal chess tournament ad Madras, India invited players from Israel, Mongolia, Iran, the Philippines, and India.  Only one visitor showed up, Momo of Mongolia.  He found himself facing only one opponent, Manuel Aaron of India.  The two had a short match and Aaron won 3-1.  (source: Chess Review, Nov 1960, p. 323)

In 1960, chess was being played by shortwave radio in Antarctica by American, New Zealanders, and Russians.  American on Ross Island and New Zealanders at Scott Base competed with Russian at Mirny in East Antarctica and Lazarev in Queen Maud Land.  Distances separating the men stretch thousands of miles.  (source: Chess Review, Nov 1960, p. 323)

In 1960, a Venezuela newspaper wrote about Bobby Fischer, “To be a two-time chess champion of the U.S. at the age of 18 is something that verges on the unbelievable.”  All the more so, since Fischer was actually a 3-time U.S. champion at 17.  (source: Chess Review, Nov 1960, p. 327) 

In 1961, Ernst Gruenfeld (1893-1962), age 67, was playing in a chess tournament at Beverwijk in the Netherlands.  Gruenfeld had lost a leg when in his early childhood and had an artificial leg. Despite his age, and this handicap, he spurned the organizers’ offer of a car, and insisted on walking the mile or so from where he was staying to the chess tournament hall each afternoon. On one particular day, he set off, but fell down in the road, and his wooden leg came off and fell into a ditch!  A distressed Gruenfeld managed to get to a phone booth and ring the organizers.   The organizers contacted Max Euwe, who came on the line. Hearing of Gruenfeld’s plight, he jumped into a car, and a few minutes later, he managed to rescue  Gruenfeld and his wooden leg and take him back to the house he was staying at.  After a refreshing cup of coffee and a few minutes rest, Gruenfeld was re-united with his artificial leg and driven to the tournament hall. Unfortunately, he faced the East German GM Wolfgang Uhlmann that day, and despite having White, the trauma took its toll on him. He lost in just 21 moves. 

In 1961, artist Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968) devoted a year to the acquisition of gifts from artists, dealers, and collectors for the purpose of auctioning them on behalf of the American Chess Foundations.  The proceeds went to American chess to support national and international chess events.  Include in the list of distinguished patrons of the auction was Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962).  Duchamp raised over $30,000 for chess.  (source: Chess Review, June 1961, p. 164)

In 1962, Ernest Millard of the New York Times wrote an open letter to President John F. Kennedy, suggesting that some presidential recognition of Bobby Fischer was in order.  He wrote, “It will generate respect for our nation even as did the flight of Colonel Glenn.”  (source: Chess Review, Apr 1962, p. 99)

In 1962, grandmaster Nicolas Rossolimo (1910-1975) cut a long-playing record of 14 French and Russian folk songs that he sung.  Besides working as a singer, he was a bellhop, a taxi driver, played the accordion, and ran a chess studio to support himself.  (source: Chess Review, Apr 1962, p. 100) 

In 1964 the Whirlpool Corporation’s float in the St. Paul Winter Carnival Grand Parade won top award.  The float was a huge chessboard lavishly decorated with pawns and pieces.  (source: Chess Review, May 1964, p. 133)

In 1962, the U.S. State Department made an attempt to find someone with sufficient skill and sufficient government or social rank to play chess with the new Soviet ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Dobrynin (1919-2010).  As of July 1962, the State Department did not find their ideal opponent for the ambassador.  If their chess was good enough, their rank was too low; and if their rank was good enough, their skill in chess was not acceptable.  (source: Lancaster, Ohio Eagle-Gazette, Jul 28, 1962) 

In April 1963, President Kennedy met a 12-year-old named Levi Frazier while being introduced to some members of the Washington Boys Club.  Levi, an African-American, was also an expert chess player.  Kennedy told the boy, “How about coming over to the White House and teaching me to play chess? I’ve never learned.”  (source: Eau Claire Daily Telegram, Apr 12, 1963) 

In 1964, the Swedish geographical team in Antarctica tried a chess match with a chess team in Australia, played by shortwave radio.  Play had to be abandoned because of jamming by the radio of Soviet Union Antarctica group.  (source: Chess Review, Oct 1964, p. 295) 

In 1965, former world chess champion Mikhail Botvinnik was seeded in the 1965 Candidates tournament but declined to participate.  Resentful that FIDE no longer allowed a return match (the “anti-Botvinnik” law), Botvinnik made no attempt to enter the next world championship cycle and said it was too tiring.

In 1965, a team representing the Canterbury Chess Club in Christchurch, New Zealand played a radio-telephone match with American scientists and military men at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, 2,400 miles away.  The Canterbury CC team won 4.5-2.5.  (source: Chess Review, July 1965, p. 195) 

In 1965, there were only 4 masters (2300 or better) in Canada.  They were Yanofsky (2508), Anderson (2389), Vranesic (2363), and Joyner (2345).  There were 13 players rated between 2100 and 2299.  (source: Chess Review, Nov 1965. P. 325)

In 1965, prominent players were asked for their opinion of what the final standings of the U.S. chess championship would be.  Artist Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968) turned in the most accurate prognostications.  He was rewarded with two bottles of rare Scotch.  (source: Chess Review, March 1966, p. 67)

On August 7, 1966, Robin Smith, age 24, was a prisoner of the Indiana Reformatory.  He was allowed to play chess at the Indiana University Medical Center, along with three other convicts under the supervision of a guard.  Smith escaped right after losing a game of chess.  The guard was so engrossed in the chess tournament that he failed to keep an eye on Smith.  Smith was sentenced in 1965 to 10-25 years for robbery.  (source: Chess Review, Oct 1966, p. 295)

In October 1966, the U.S. chess team was finally cleared to play in the Chess Olympiad in Havana, Cuba.  Their U.S. passports were not being cleared for Cuba.  However, at the last minute, the U.S. State Department declared it would authorize the team’s trip so long as it was assured the members were genuine chess players.    (source: Chess Review, Nov 1966, p. 323)

In December 1966, Dutch chess champion Jan Hein Donner (1927-1988) created a Christmas card with the slogan,  “Johnson Murderer.”  The card was entered at an auction of art works by amateurs in Amsterdam.  Authorities of the auction later removed from public sale the Christmas card.  The Christmas card was made in reference to U.S. policy in Vietnam.  The Christmas card was later sold after the official auction for $75.  (source: San Rafael Daily Independent Journal, Dec 24, 1966) 

In October 1967, a famous incident occurred in a game between Milan Matulović and Istvan Bilek at the Sousse Interzonal in Tunisia.   Matulović played a losing move but then took it back after saying "J'adoube" ("I adjust") which should be announced before adjusting pieces on their square). His opponent complained to the arbiter, but the modified move was allowed to stand. This incident earned Matulović the nickname "J'adoubovic."  Bobby Fischer participated in the Sousse Interzonal but withdrew after leading the event with 7 wins and 3 draws. He forfeited his game with the Soviet international master Gipslis because of too many games he had to play in succession as a result of the tournament organizers re-scheduling his games around his religious holidays and Sabbath. Since the organizers would not let him replay the forfeited game, Fischer withdrew. His USCF rating was 2754 after this event.

In 1967, Jude Acers (1944- ) gave an 8.5 hour simultaneous exhibition at the Louisiana State Fair.  He won all of his 114 games that he played.  He later played 117 opponents in Portland, Oregon and 179 opponents in Long Island.  In 1968, he won the Louisiana State Championship.  (source: Chess Review, Jan 1968, p. 4) 

In 1968 International Master David Levy (1945- ) made a $3,000 bet that no chess computer would beat him in 10 years. He won his bet. The original bet was with John McCarthy, a distinguished researcher in Artificial Intelligence at Stanford. The bet was made at the 1968 Machine Intelligence Workshop in Edinburgh University.

In 1968, the men’s chess championship of Uzbekistan was Georgy Borisenko (1922-2012).  The women’s chess championship was his wife, Valentina Borisenko (1920-1993).  In 1966, Georgy was awarded the Russian Correspondence Grandmaster title.  Valentina won the Women’s Soviet Championship 5 times.   (source: Chess Review, June 1968, p. 166)

In 1969, the Southern California Chess League (formed in 1955) elected grandmaster Isaac Kashdan to its Hall of Fame, this making him the fourth recipient.  The others are Harry Borochow, Jacqueline Piatigorsky, and Herman Steiner.  (source: Chess Review, Aug 1969, p. 229)