The United States

Chess Championship,
1845-1996
SECOND EDITION

by
Andy Soltis
and Gene H. McCormick

McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers

JefJerson, North Clro/ina. Ilnd London
 Table of Contents

Introduction 1

ONE 1845: A Champion Is Crowned 3

Two 1857: Paul Morphy 10
THREE 1871-1889: The King Is a Captain 20
FOUR 1891-1906: The Years of Confusion 27
FIVE 1907-1936: The Champion Who Enjoyed It 37
SIX The Reshevsky Years (1936-1942) 45
Between pages 66 and 67 there are 8 pages ofplates containing 16 photographs

SEVEN The Post-War Years (1944-1954) 67

EIGHT The Fischer Era (1957-1969) 91
NINE Primus Inter Pares (1972-1979) 127
TEN The Russians Are Coming! (1980-1985) 157
ELEVEN Champions Galore (1986-1991) 180
TWELVE The Talent Wheel (1992-1996) 201
US. Championship Summary 223
Individual Records 225
Openings Index 227
ECO Openings Index 228
General Index 229

v
 Introduction

Several days after the tournament was over, I was eating Christmas dinner
at the home of my girlftiend's boss ... Seated immediately to my left was Charles
Fried, the former Solicitor General in the Reagan Administration. We were
exchanging pleasantries when he asked me what I "do. " What I "do, " of course,
is play chess ...
But if I try to explain this to someone I find that his eyes will glaze over. I
had come to falling back on what I "am"- that is, a chess grandmaster. This time
I responded for the first time in my life, "I am the U.S. Chess Champion. "
Ah, of course. To merely "play" chess is silly. But ifyou are U. S. Champion,
then it all makes sense.
-Patrick Wolff in American Chess Journal

For more than a century and a half, peo-
ple have been defining themselves by way of
the United States Chess Championship. The
world's oldest national championship remains
a unique and exceptional event more than a
century and a half after its start.
Begun as a challenge match in 1845, the
u.s. Championship has been decided by tour-
nament play for most of its long history. In
fact, the First American Chess Congress of
1857 appears to be the first tournament for an
American championship in any sport. (There
were earlier U.S. boxing and checker champi-
ons based on winning matches.) The idea of
a national chess championship, whether
decided by match or tournament play, spread
abroad - to Germany in 1879, Russia in 1889,
Spain 1902, France 1914, Sweden 1917, Yugo-
slavia 1935 and so on.
Nearly 200 players have competed for the
title of U.S. Champion in matches and tour-
naments held during its first 150 years. The
cast of characters included the expected num-
ber of bankers and professors, doctors and
lawyers, computer programmers - as well as
others as diverse as a professional soldier
(George Henry MacKenzie), an inventor
(Edward Lasker), a movie censor (Sidney Bern-
stein), a cattle rancher (Jackson Showalter),
and a priest (William Lombardy). Forty years
ago almost all the players were amateurs for
whom the championship was a hobby; coday,
virtually all are professionals for whom the
championship promises prestige, prize money
and possible advancement towards the world
championship.
And as the tournament became more
professional, it also became more competitive.
For example, there was only one match - and
no tournaments - for the national title be-
(ween 1910 and 1935. This was in part a com-
mentary on the lethargy of organizers and in
part a reflection of the superiority of one
player, Frank Marshall, during that era. But

1
2 , Introduction
since 1983 it has been held on an annual
basis - and every worthy U.S. player dreams
of winning the nation's most prestigious tour-
nament.
Today the struggle for the title begins
months before the opening ceremony, as play-
ers strive to obtain a high rating to win an
invitation. As late as the 1960s as many as five
of the 12 or so invited players might turn down
their invitation to the tournament - and the
players who made the grade often included a
few past-their-prime masters in their 50s or
60s. By the mid-1990s such situations were
rare. The competition for a spot in the 1994
championship was so intense that even John
Fedorowicz, at 36 close to his prime, found
himself left out. Gata Kamsky couldn't accept
his invitation in 1995 - if only because he
would be playing a match for a higher title,
world champion, at the time.
This book is intended to remind all of us
what the championship has been - and what
it can be.

Chapter One
1845: A Champion Is Crowned
Ninety-nine out of 100 knowledgeable
chess players would readily identify the first
United States champion as Paul Morphy. And
they would be wrong. That lOOth player might
know the name, but probably nothing else
about the first man to win a competition for
national supremacy in America. So, to set the
record straight - and to appreciate the play
and spirit of the times before Morphy - the
search for a United States champion begins in
1845.
In the 1840s America was a growing na-
tion but it remained for some time a country
of distinct regions. Travel was difficult - the
first passenger steam railroad had just been
chartered in 1827 - and there was little con-
tact between centers of chess activity. The
leading center was Philadelphia, and this was
demonstrated by a well-publicized trouncing
of arch rival New York in a postal match by the
score of 2-0. The other cities of note were
Chicago, Washington, Baltimore, Cincinnati
and New Orleans - ranking approximately in
that order and each with its own local cham-
pion. But none stood higher in national re-
gard than Charles Henry Stanley, the secretary
of the New York Chess Club, and Eugene
Rousseau, doyen of the New Orleans Chess
Club.
Rousseau was a member of a notable
French family that in Europe had included as-
sorted artists and poets and the philosopher
Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Eugene had received a
thorough grounding in chess in his native Paris
at the famous Cafe de la Regence, a gathering
place for the nomads of early 19th century
3
.
chess. At the Cafe Rousseau had narrowly lost
an enormous lOO-game match to the great
Livonian gambiteer Lionel Kieseritsky in 1839
and had also played a series of offhand games
with Adolf Anderssen, the German school-
teacher and problem composer who would
later be hailed as unofficial world champion.
About 1842 Rousseau emigrated to the
New York and quickly made a name for him-
self by defeating Benjamin Oliver and John W
Schulten in serious matches. This was an
achievement. The German-born Schulten was
then a New York-based wine merchant whose
frequent trips to Paris and Berlin helped him
secure games with several of the (Op Conti-
nental players of the day, including the famed
Parisians Pierre Saint-Amant, Louis de la
Bourdonnais and Arnous de Riviere. A con-
temporary described Schulten as continually
"sleeping and dreaming chess" and, in a career
of 30 years of offhand and serious games, he
managed to lose brilliantly to just about every
great player in the world.
By defeating Schulten and Oliver,
Rousseau was soon recognized as the leader of
the New Orleans club. The club was then one
of the most active and competitive in the
country and included a number of talented
amateurs including Ernest Morphy, D.A.P.
Ford and Charles Le Carpentier. (A number
of Rousseau's victims, and Rousseau himself,
turn up in the Frances Parkinson Keyes novel,
The Chess Players.)
Stanley (1819-1901) dominated New York
and the North in much the same way that
Rousseau ruled New Orleans and the South.
4 The United States Chess Championship
Stanley also was an emigre, having arrived
from London in 1842 to find work in the
British Consulate. This left him plenty of time
for chess and he soon gained a national repu-
tation as editor of the first regularly scheduled
newspaper chess column in America. He was
also a problem composer (although not a very
good one) and publisher of a brief-lived chess
magazme.
But he was best known as a player. As a
teenager in London, Stanley had frequented
the various "divans," or chess clubs, and was
considered one of Britain's rising stars when
he defeated Howard Staunton, then the ac-
knowledged world champion, in a match at
odds. (Staunton gave odds of "pawn and two,"
meaning he took Black in every game, let Stan-
ley play two moves in a row at the start and
played without a king's bishop pawn. Still,
Stanley won the match so easily that it was
considered a great loss to English chess when
he left for America a short time after this
match.)
Soon after he arrived in the United States,
Stanley found the New York Chess Club, at
Barclay Street near Broadway, and defeated
everyone there with ease - except Schulten.
They eventually played four serious matches,
the first three going to Stanley and the last to
Schulten. The former Briton also knocked off
Charles Vezin (11 wins, seven losses, three
draws) and it was clear there was only one
other man in America who could match
him - the player who also had beaten Schul-
ten: Rousseau.
In an age of sectional rivalry, the North
versus South appeal of a Stanley-Rousseau
match must have been great. Supporters were
able to drum up $1000 for a winner-take-all
contest - an enormous sum in 1845. By con-
trast, that same $1000 figure was still the top
prize in the United States championship of
1960 when it was won by Bobby Fischer.
Match rules were drawn up in the man-
ner of the day: Victory would go to the first
man to win 15 games, draws not counting. The
games were to take place on Rousseau's home
ground at the New Orleans Chess Club in the
famous Sazerac Coffee House. There would be
no time limit and no strict scheduling of
rounds. Both players being gentlemen, it was
assumed that no one would abuse the privi-
lege of taking too long for a move, nor would
he deny his opponent the opportunity for re-
venge by refusing to start a second game after
the first game of the day had been decided.
The match began December 1,1845, and
quickly caught the attention of the country,
much as Fischer versus Boris Spassky would 127
years later. The match rules didn't specify it
bur it was clear that the winner would, by pop-
ular acclaim, be the number one chess player
in America, the champion. Moreover, to a na-
tion that hadn't taken the game seriously, the
1845 match was something of a breakthrough.
It was clearly the first organized chess event of
significance in the United States. Until the
New Orleans match, chess competition meant
casual meetings, usually on a Sunday afternoon
in someone's sun parlor and concluded in a
single day in the most relaxed of circum-
stances. But after 1845, chess was regarded as
something that men could take seriously.
The Match
That Stanley was the superior player was
evidenced by the margin of his victory, 15 wins
against just eight losses and eight draws. It is
interesting to note that Rousseau developed
what has become the standard loser's dis-
claimer: he was "indisposed." After falling be-
hind 2-0 after the first day's play, Rousseau
immediately took ill for several days. he re-
sumed the match December 5th with a game
that Stanley also won, which did nothing to
cure Rousseau's discomfort. Stanley supports
Rousseau's claim of illness in a book the win-
ner compiled, unimaginatively titled Thirty-
One Games at Chess, Comprising the Whole
Number of Games Played in a Match Between
Mr. Eugene Rousseau, ofNew Orleans, and Mr.
C.H Stanley, Secretary of the New York Chess
Club. In the introduction, justifying the spotty
quality of play, Stanley says, "It must be re-
membered ... that the thirty-one games now
published form the whole number occurring

1845: A Champion Is Crowned
in the late match, and are not, as is usually the
case with published games, a mere selection of
the finest specimens of play. It must also be
borne in mind that chess players, like the rest
of mortality, are subject ro occasional ailments,
both bodily and mental, which, ro a certain
degree, with deteriorate from their capabili-
ties of intellectual exertion. For Mr. Rousseau,
in particular, allowance should be made on
these grounds, it being well known among his
acquaintances that on commencement of the
very laborious underraking on which he had
embarked, he was still suffering from the
effects of a previous indisposition." Priced at
50 cents, Stanley's book was nonetheless a poor
seller; it is now the rarest of United States
match or tournament books.
Perhaps the most important feature of the
match was a contribution to opening theory.
In the sixth and 16th games of the match Stan-
ley answered Rousseau's Ruy Lopez (I e4 e5
2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5) with 3 ... a6, the first time
the move had been tried in serious, recorded
play in the United States. And one of the spec-
tarors, barely eye-level with the chess board,
was eight-year-old Paul Morphy, who had
been taken ro the match by his uncle Ernest
Morphy, Rousseau's match second. Taking
into account Morphy's prodigious memory we
can assume he made a mental note of Stanley's
third move. Thirteen years later he would use
it successfully against Anderssen in the match
that would gain for Morphy the recognition as
number one in the world-and, incidentally,
to establish the opening as "The Morphy De-
fense."
Stanley, on the other hand, lost both of
the games in which he introduced 3 ... a6-
and soon both he and his contribution to chess
theory were forgotten.
To get the flavor of this historic match
we'll examine a few games. Be forewarned: the
quality of play is not high, particularly in the
openings.
C50 Giuoco Piano
First Match Game, New Orleans
December 1, 1845
white Stanley, black Rousseau
...
5
1 e4 e5 2 Bc4 Nf6 3 Nc3 Bc5 4 Nf3 d6
S h3?! 0-0 6 d3 Be6 7 Bb3
Typical strategy of the time. Players al-
most always opened a game with 1 e4 in the
1840s and their opponents almost always an-
swered 1 ... e5. Then the two sides rushed [Q
get their bishops to the popular diagonals b3-
f7 and e3-a7 and maneuver knights to the
kingside. Today we see this primitive policy,
and the devotion [Q early h3s and ... h6s, as
quaint - but it is the absence of ... h6 that
eventually costs Black this game.
7 ... Nc6 8 Ne2 Qe7 9 Ng3 Nd4 10 Nxd4
Bxd4 11 c3 Bb6 12 0-0 d5? 13 Bg5!
After 13 Bg5
Stanley-Rousseau, 1845 {Ist}
In the book of the match Stanley writes:
In consequence of the cramped position of the
Black queen and knight, White has from this
early period, a winning game. The threats are
14 Nh5 and 14 exd5.
13 ... c6 14 NhS dxe4 15 dxe4 Bxb3?
16 Qf3!
"Very well played," writes Stanley, who
had no lack of modesty. "Nothing can with-
stand the overwhelming attack which is now
developing." Translated into moves, this
means 17 Bxf6 gxf6 18 Qg3+ and 19 Qg7
mate is a brutal threat.
16 ... Bc4 17 Bxf6 Qe6 18 NXg7!
Much better than 18 Qg3, which seems
6 The United States Chess Championship
to mate after 18 ... g6 19 Qg5 but allows Black
to defend with 18 ... Bd8.
18 ••• Be2 19 NXe6 Bxf3 20 Nxfs and
Black resigns
As poor as Rousseau's play is judged by
modern standards, it might compare favorably
with some of Stanley's losses - such as the his-
toric introduction of 3 ... a6:
C70 Ruy Lopez
Sixth Match Game
white Rousseau, black Stanley
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6!?
It is safe to assume that after the game
Rousseau discussed this last move with his sec-
ond, Ernest Morphy - as young and impres-
sionable Paul looked on. The move was not
totally new: it had been analyzed as early as
1750 by the Italian amateur Ercole del Rio.
And it was known that White could not now
win a pawn with 4 BXc6 dXc6 5 Nxe5 be-
cause Black responds 5 ... Qd4.
What Stanley can be given credit for is
bringing 3 ... a6 into the world of serious chess
at a time when the right-thinking masters of
the world knew that 3 ... Nf6! or 3 ... Bc5!
were the proper moves. What we can't give
Stanley credit for, however, is understanding
3 ... a6. He used it as a manner of harassing
the White bishop, but only succeeded - as he
did in this game - in weakening his queenside
pawns. It would be Paul Morphy in 1858 who
demonstrated the importance of keeping ...
b5 in reserve, so that it could be timed accu-
rately for the appropriate point in the late
opening.
4 Ba4 b5? 5 Bb3 Nf6 6 d3 h6 7 Nc3 Bc5
8 0-0 d6 9 Be3 Ba7 10 h3 Ne7 11 a4! b4
12 Ne2 c5 13 Nh2 g5?!
Stanley calls his last move "a bold and
effective means of preventing the threatened
advance of the f-pawn." Actually it danger-
•
ously compromises a decision he has ruined by
locking in his bishop (12 ... Bxe3!) and re-
fusing to castle. Now the New Yorker must use
a coffeehouse-style attack along the g-file to
stay alive.
14 Ng3 Ng6 15 Nh5 Nf4 16 Bxf4 gxf4
17 Nxf6+ Qxf6 18 Bd5! Rb8 19 Bc6+? Ke7!
20 Qh5 RgS 21 Nf3 Be6 22 Kh2 Rg6
23 Rgl c4! 24 Raft Rbg8 25 Qh4 Rg5!
After
25 ... Rg5
Rousseau-Stanley, 1845 (6th)
White correctly plays for an exchange of
queens but Black finds a tactical way to keep
them on the board (26 Nxg5 hxg5 27 Qh5
g4 and ... Rh8 traps the Q). Now Black
threatens to disengage his pieces with 26 ...
Kf8 and 27 ... Qg7.
26 g4 KfS? 27 Rg2
After this, White re-establishes his posi-
tional superiority. Black's golden opportunity
was 27 ... fxg3+ 28 Rxg3 Bxf2! 29 Rxf2
Rxg3.
27 ... Bb6 2S Rdl BdS 29 d4! Be7
30 dxe5 dxe5 31 Bd7! Bxd7 32 Rxd7 Qe6
33 Rd5 Kg7
White's penetration along the central files
is imminent. Stanley's annotation is quaint:
'~t this juncture it might appear that Black
could, with safety, take the KNP with R; in
that case, however, White would play rook to
Q8ch and wins easily." Or as we would put it,
if33 ... Rxg4 then 34 Rd8+ Bxd8 35 Qxd8+
or 34 ... Kg7 35 Qxg4+ wins for White.

1845: A Champion Is Crowned
34 Rgl Qg6 35 ReI Rh8 36 Rd7 Qe6
37 Ridl ReS 3S RId5 Rg6 39 Qh5 f6??
"The object of this move, it would be
somewhat difficult to penetrate; it may how-
ever, be in some measure accounted for by the
fact of its originator being under the combined
influence of calomel and stomach-ache. It is
probable that Black's best course of play would
be to draw the game by perpetual check on his
adversary's queen." This last comment is a bit
overoptimistic but Stanley is correct in seeing
that 39 ... Rg5! forces White back again be-
cause 40 Nxg5 hxg5 again traps his queen.
40 Nh4! and White wins
If this seems clumsy by modern stan-
dards, we'll save you from seeing the second
Morphy Defense game, the 16th of the match.
In it, Stanley won the exchange on the 18th
move, misplayed the endgame horribly, and
was lost on the 56th move - when Rousseau
left a rook en prise. But Stanley didn't see it
and he fully deserved his eventual loss.
Rousseau's best effort of the match may
have been the 19th game, when the score stood
10-5 against him, with only four draws hav-
ing been played.
B21 Sicilian Defense
19th Match Game
white Stanley, black Rousseau
1 e4 c5 2 f4
This was the "book" way of treating the
Sicilian, circa 1845. It's popularity stemmed
in large part to its appearance 16 times in the
la Bourdonnais-Macdonnell match, played 11
years before.
2 ... e6 3 Nf3 Ne6 4 c3 d5 5 exd5? exd5
6 d4 Nf6 7 Bd3 Be7 S 0-0 0-0 9 Ne5 Qb6
10 Nxc6 bxc6! 11 Be2 Ba6 12 Rf2 RfeS
13 h3 RacS 14 Be3 cxd4 15 Bxd4 c5
This could be mistaken for a modern
.
7
game between a Class C player and a master
so far. Stanley confirms his previous bad play
by foolishly grabbing a pawn and leaving his
queens ide undeveloped.
16 Bxf6? Bxf6 17 Qxd5? ReI+ IS Kh2 c4
19 Qd2 RceS 20 a4 BM 21 g3 Bxg3+!
Make that Class C-versus-International
Master. Rousseau finishes off with a devastat-
ing combination.
22 Kxg3 RSe3+ 23 Kh2 Bb7 24 Na3
Otherwise 24 ... RbI mates. Now 24 ...
Rxal wins because 25 Nxc4 RbI is the same
mate. But many players in 1845 preferred to
give up rooks than capture them if it could be
done brilliantly.
24 ... Rxh3+! 25 Kxh3 Re3+ 26 Kg4
Or 26 Kh2 Qh6+. Black could have an-
nounced mate in seven here.
26 ... BcS+ 27 f5 Qg6+ 2S Kh4 Qg3+
29 Kh5 g6+ 30 fxg6 hxg6+ 31 Kh6 Qh4
mate.
But in the end it was Stanley by a wide
margin: 15 wins to eight, with eight draws.
The 31 Stanley-Rousseau games were a land-
mark of their day. (Only 35 other games
played anywhere in the world in 1845 have
been preserved. according to the Oxford Ency-
clopedia of Chess Games.)
There was no doubt then who was the
best American chess player. The New York
Courier referred to Stanley as the United States
chess champion. So did the New York Illus-
trated News, The Family Herald and Porter's
Spirit of the Times; The [N Y.J Albion called
Stanley the most skillful amateur on the con-
tinent. And in the book of the First American
Chess Congress (1857), chess historian Daniel
Fiske recognizes that Stanley was "for many
years the champion of America." He was, in
fact, the first.
8 The United States Chess Championship

Before we leave Stanley we should mention of play and then coasted to victory (11 wins,
an event even more obscure than the New Or- five losses, one draw). Here is one of the less
leans match of 1845. This was, in effect, the flawed games:
first defense of the United States championship
tirle. But at the time it was called simply "The C50 Vienna Game
Great Match." "The Great Match," Washington, D.C.
In 1847 Stanley issued a challenge to any February 1850
player in England (with the exception of white Stanley, black Turner
Staunton, whom he still held in the highest re-
gard). There were no takers and Stanley con-
1 e4 e5 2 Bc4 Nf6 3 Nc3 Bc5 4 Nf3 d6
tented himself by meeting whatever visiting
5 d3 h6?! 6 Bc3 Bb6 7 Ne2 Be6 8 Bb3 c6
master that the great transatlantic sailing ves-
9Ng3
sels brought to New York. He met Johann
Lowenthal and Saint-Amant on equal terms in
casual games but revived his serious approach Neither player wants to exchange bishops
to the game only once after 1845. This oc- and open a file for the enemy. Stanley liked his
curred when he was challenged by].H. Turner, game: "White's game is now well opened, and
a gentleman farmer from Mount Sterling, his position very commanding, his forces being
Kentucky, whom Lowenthal, a visiting Hun- so concentrated that they are alike available for
garian master, described as an amateur "of the purposes of attack or defense."
great natural talent and strong imagination,
but somewhat too liable to be carried away by 9 ... Nbd7 10 0-0 0-0 11 Qe2 Re8 12 Radl
a brilliant combination or a dashing coup." Qc7?! 13 Nh4! NfB 14 N45 Ng6 15 Qd2
Turner's vivid imagination led him to be- Bxe3 16 fxe3 Kh7 17 Qf2 Rh8?
lieve he had discovered an invincible variation
of the King's Gambit and that by using it
against Stanley he would win at least half the
games of the match. In this he resembled an-
other gentleman farmer of another era: Weaver
Adams of Dedham, Mass., who in the 1930s
After
and '405 tried to prove his claim that White 17 ... Rh8
always wins by force if he plays the correct line
in the Bishop's Opening. A master of consid-
erable talent, Adams failed in several bids to
win the United States championship although
he did take the 1948 U.S. Open tirle.
For Turner's challenge another $1000 Stanley- White, 1850
stake was arranged, with victory going to the
first player to score 11 wins. The "Great Match" "This does not give relief where the shoe
took 17 games but only four days (February pinches," wrote Stanley. "Black's position was
11-14, 1850) to complete. Contrast that with critical even prior to this move: but now this
the 18-game world championship match be- case is quite hopeless." Little better was 17 ...
tween Anatoly Karpov and Viktor Korchnoi Ng8 because of 18 NhS!.
in 1981 that took six weeks and was considered
unnaturally brief. 18 Nxg7! Ng4 19 NXe6!
Unfortunately for Turner, his invincible
King's Gambit was refuted in the first game he The move Black overlooked (19 ... Nxf2
got to use it. Stanley went on to win five games 20 Nxc7). Resignation would not be our of
and concede one draw in the first few sessions order here.
 1845: A Champion Is Crowned
19 ... fxe6 20 Qf7 + QXf7 21 Rxf7 + KgS
22 Bxe6 ReS 23 Re7 + Kfs 24 RXeS+ KxeS
25 Bxg4 and Black resigns
Stanley led 2-1 after that game and was lucky
to draw, a knight down, in the fourth game in
55 moves. But he ended the struggle with two
crushing defeats. Here is the final game.
C3S King's Gambit
"The Great Match," Sixth Game
Washington, D.C., February IS50
white Turner, black Stanley
1 e4 e5 2 f4 exf4 3 Nf3 g5 4 Bc4 Bg7
5 0-0 h6 6 c3 d6 7 d4 Ne7 8 g3! g4 9 Nh4
f3 lO h3 hS
Black's kingside pawns are over-extended
and 11 Nxf3!? was later recommended. Bur
Turner goes after the traditional target of the
King's Gambit, the f7 square.
11 Qb3 0-0 12 BgS Qe8! 13 Bxe7? Qxe7
14 Ng6?
Wins the exchange, but Stanley has seen
further.
14 •.. Qxe4 15 Nxf8 dS!
Now 16 Bxd5 Qe2 17 Rf2 Qel+ 18 Rfl
Qxg3+ is death.
16 Nd2 Qe3+ 17 Rf2 dxc4 IS Nxc4 Qe4
19 Nd2 Qc6 20 dS Qb6
Black can afford to trade queens since the
f8 knight is trapped.
21 Qc2 Bxfs 22 ReI BcS 23 ReS+ Kg7
24 Ne4 Bf5 25 Qd2 Be3 and White resigns
9
With no further chess worlds to conquer,
Stanley's enthusiasm for the game began to
wane and his level of play atrophied from near
total neglect and from what soon developed
into a serious drinking problem. His contem-
porary Fiske noted the champion's weakness
for the bottle: "While we must admire the ex-
tent and success of his achievements, both as
a practicioner and as an author, we cannot re-
press a sense of regret that an intellect so em-
inently fitted by inherent genius and careful
culture for greater results should have so fee-
bly resisted the terrible ravages of a melancholy
intemperantia bibendi." Fred Reinfeld, a his-
torian of more recent vintage, was more suc-
cint, referring to the first champion as "Stan-
ley the drunkard."
For whatever reasons, he was a shell of his
former self when he decided to enter the First
American Chess Congress Tournament of
1857. Stanley's attempt at a comeback was
aborted quickly when he was ignominiously
eliminated by a fellow New Yorker, Theodor
Lichtenhein, in the very first round of the
knockout event. (Lichtenhein, however, was
no slouch: he finished third in the event, los-
ing only to Paul Morphy.)
The full extent of Stanley's decline was
apparent when, at the end of the tournament,
Morphy played a short match with him at
odds of "pawn and move" - and beat him
4'h-Y2. There was a stake of $100 riding on the
match outcome, but Morphy sent it to Stan-
ley's wife because, as a friend said, "Stanley
would have drunk it all up, but now his wife
and children will be benefited by the money."
The Stanleys had a daughter about that time
and the father, who lost a title to Morphy, paid
him a different kind of compliment. The baby
girl was named Pauline, in honor of his suc-
cessor as United States champion.
 Chapter Two
1857: Paul Morphy
In January 1857 a former postmaster of
Philadelphia by the name of Hardman Phillips
Montgomery wrote to his friend Daniel Fiske,
a professor of languages at Cornell University
who also happened to share his love for the
game of chess. Montgomery, a pretty fair am-
ateur player, wanted to stage a team match be-
tween the three best players of the then-dom-
inant New York and Philadelphia clubs. But
Fiske had a better idea.
What Fiske proposed was a National
Chess Congress, a sort of convention of fans
from across the country. The Congress would
serve several purposes: Players could agree on
a standard set of rules - an important step be-
cause rules often varied from city to city in
those days. Also, the Congress could lay the
groundwork for a national association of chess
enthusiasts to promote the game. And most
important, Fiske wrote back to Montgomery,
the Congress would be the setting for a major
tournament, in fact the first true tournament
to be held in the New World.
The very word "tournament" still held its
medieval meaning - a jousting contest for
knights - as late as the 1830s. According to
R.J. McCrary in his "The Birth of the Chess
Tournament," the word took on its modern
meaning from chess writings, particularly after
a London knockout event in 1849. There had
been knockouts - in which players were elim-
inated after losing - as early as 1832 in Ger-
many, and there may have been something
organized along the lines of a tournament at
a club in lower Manhattan around 1842-44.
But the event proposed by Fiske was widely
10
recognized as the birth of US tournament
chess.
The "National Tournament" as it was
originally called, captured the imagination of
Montgomery and other well-placed chess or-
ganizers. They appreciated the need for an
event. The enthusiasm built up from the Stan-
ley-Rousseau match had long since dissipated
and American chess had sunk, in Fiske's words,
to "one of those periodical fits of inaction to
which every art and pursuit are subject." There
was only one regular newspaper column on the
game to be read in 1857 and Stanley's maga-
zine had been discontinued. (Stanley himself
had lost his sinecure at the British Consulate
in a minor diplomatic scandal.) There was
simply no chess activity outside of occasional
club get-togethers.
Fiske - citing the impact on British chess
of the impressive London invitational tourna-
ment six years before went into a whirlwind
of activity. With the aid of the New York
Chess Club he formed committees, helped
raise money and won consent from Mont-
gomery and his allies to have the Congress held
in New York. He then went about inviting the
best known players of the day, identifying
them largely by word of mouth. Firming up
the tournament was not easy because several
players were reluctant to travel several hun-
dred miles to New York in October just for a
chess tournament, and the event was eventu-
ally scaled down from its proposed 32 players
to 16.
Nevertheless it was an impressive event
when play began October 6, 1857, in a large

1857: Paul Morphy
apartment complex known as Descombe
Rooms at 764 Broadway. Today the site is oc-
cupied by a commercial bank a few blocks
from the campus of New York University, but
more than a century and a quarter ago it housed
a neatly appointed private room that a con-
temporary wrote had been fixed up for chess
so that it "excited general admiration."
It is worth describing that first playing
hall in some detail. It was 80 feet long with a
raised platform at one end, over which hung
a bust of Benjamin Franklin, "the first known
chess player and chess writer of the New
World." Along each wall were suspended flags.
There was the French tricolor, adorned with
the name of the strongest Frenchman of the
first half of the century, Louis Charles Mahe
de la Bourdonnais. This was followed by the
English banner of Sr. George, bearing the
name of la Bourdonnais' noted rival and un-
successful opponent in a highly publicized
match in 1834, Alexander McDonnell. After
that came the German flag of Berlin master
Paul Rudolf von Bilguer, the Italian flag of the
18th century theoretician Ercole del Rio, the
Neapolitan banner representing another early
writer, Alessandro Salvio, the Ponuguese flag
for the 16th century analyst Damiano, the
Hungarian flag saluting master Josef Szen and
even a Turkish flag for the influential Syrian
master Phillippe Stamma. And, of course,
there were American flags at the foot of the
hall as well as busts and banners for all sorts
of famous European players known only in the
U.S. through their published games.
The tournament was organized along the
lines of the London tournament of1851, under
, the so-called knockout rules. This meant that
players would be paired randomly with one
another for a series of mini-matches. In the
first round, for example, the first player in each
match to win three games would advance to
the next round. His defeated opponent would
be eliminated. (Round robin tournaments, in
which each player eventually is paired with
every other, were not introduced into Amer-
ica until the 1870s.)
The 16 invitees sat down that first day at
two rows of marble-topped tables that ex-
.
11
tended through the playing hall, each with
large inlaid chess boards and Staunton design
pieces. The contestants seemed to possess a
certain gentility that was in keeping with their
surroundings. None could by any stretch of
the imagination be considered a chess profes-
sional: Paul Morphy, for example, was fresh
out of school and was waiting to come of age
so he could begin a law practice; Louis Paulsen
was an Iowa tobacco broker; James Thomp-
son was a London-born restaurant owner
whose love for the game had led him to orga-
nize the New York Chess Club 18 years before;
Theodor Lichtenhein was a 28-year-old Pruss-
ian immigrant who had studied medicine at
one time but in 1857 was a leading New York
merchant; Alexander Meek had been attorney
general of the southern district of Alabama and
was then a judge; and Napoleon Marache, who
had the distinction of learning the game late
in life - at 26 - but claimed to have given his
teacher rook odds after three weeks of in-
struction, was a French-born laborer.
Also, there was Frederick Perrin, a mod-
ern languages professor at Princeton and later
a prominent New York banker; Dr. B.1.
Raphael, a practicing surgeon formerly of Lon-
don, Paris and Kentucky; and W].A. Fuller,
perhaps the most interesting of the group. He
had attended Harvard and then set sail for a life
of adventure with a series of trips on whaling
ships and cargo runs around Cape Horn, and
learning the intricacies of hot-air ballooning,
before settling down to make money as a New
York lawyer. Quite a remarkable group.
With the exception - a big one - of
Morphy and Paulsen, the players were fairly
evenly matched. Each had the capacity for the
occasional brilliant sacrifice that was most ap-
preciated in 1857. And none, save Morphy and
Paulsen, had a real understanding of positional
chess.
The following game is one of the better
examples of the playing level of the also rans:
A80 Dutch Defense
white Raphael, black Marache
1 d4 f5 2 Nc3
12 The United States Chess Championship
Anticipating Browne-Byrne, U.S. Cham-
pionship 1977! You might suppose that this
move, as opposed ro the modern 2 c4, was typ-
ical of this era. Actually the "book" moves of
the day were 2 c4 and Staunton's 2 e4. In fact,
this game appears to be the first recorded ex-
ample of 2 Nc3.
2 ... Nf6 3 NO e6 4 Bg5 Be7 5 Bxf6 Bxf6
6 e4 fxe4 7 Nxe4 0-0 8 Bd3 Nc6 9 c3 d6
10 Qc2 h6 11 0-0-0 Kh8 12 h4!
White has accomplished what he wanted-
the opening the bl-h7 diagonal- and he will
try to clear the kingside further with Nfg5!.
12 ... e5 13 d5 Ne7 14 Nfg5! Nxd5? 15 Bc4
c6 16 Bxd5 cxd5 17 Nxf6 e4
Otherwise, mate is delivered on h7.
18 Nxd5! hxg5 19 hxg5+ Kg8 20 f4 Bf5
21 Ne3 Bg6 22 g3 Qa5 23 Rxd6 Bf?
24 g6! BxgG
If the bishop goes elsewhere White gets
to be brilliant with 25 Rh8+! and 26 Qh2+.
25 Rxg6 QXal 26 Qxe4 Qal + 27 Kc2 Qa5
28 Rxg7+! Kxg7 29 Qh7+ Kf6 30 Rh6
mate.
Pairings throughout the tournament were
drawn by chance, and there were few surprises
in the first round: Paulsen eliminated S.R.
Calthrop of Bridgeport, Conn., in three straight
games; Morphy easily beat Thompson 3-0;
Dr. Raphael had a rougher time, winning 3-2
from H. Kennicott of Chicago; Judge Meek
scored 3-2 to oust WlA. Fuller; Lichtenhein
won from Stanley by the same 3-2 score as did
Marache over Fiske. The games reflected the
openings then popular, with plenty of Scotch
Gambits, King's Bishop Gambits, Giuoco Pi-
anos, Evans Gambits and what was called a
"Center Counter Gambit in the Knight's
Game." This was the third game of the
Calthrop-Paulsen pairing and it ended shortly
after 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 d5 3 exd5 e4 4 Bb5+??
c6! when Black won a piece. There were no
major upsets in the second round either.
Paulsen beat Montgomery twice and the lat-
ter then went home to Philadelphia. Dr.
Raphael narrowly knocked off Marache 3-2
while Morphy and Lichtenhein were dispos-
ing ofJudge Meek and Perrin by 3-0 shutouts.
But there was something to mark the Meek-
Morphy match. The Judge, then one of the
South's strongest players, had met Morphy ten
times before and had lost all ten games. Duly
impressed, he predicted the Louisianan would
win the tournament, but he prepared a bit of
psychology to stop him. If Morphy had a
weakness, Meek knew, it was in closed posi-
tions. So he deliberately chose an inferior,
offbeat version of the French Defense.
B06 French Defense
Second Round, Second Game
October 16, 1857
white Morphy, black Meek
1 e4 e6 2 d4 g6!? 3 Bd3 Bg7 4 Be3 Ne7
5 Ne2 b6 6 Nd2 Bb7 7 0-0 d5?
The tournament book blamed Black's loss
on his second move (instead of 2 ... d5) and
his 13th ("a waste of time"). Actually Black's
choice of opening is astute when one under-
stands Morphy's preference for wide-open po-
sitions and "book" openings. Had Black con-
tinued 7 ... d6 and then struck at the center
later on he might have enjoyed the mid-
dlegame. For example, 8 c3 0-0 9 f4 Nd7 is
not unpleasant for him (10 Qc2 c5 or 10 f5
exf5 11 exf5 Nd5!)
8 e5 0-0 9 f4 f5 10 h3! Nd7 11 Kh2 c5
12 c3 c4 13 Bc2 a6 14 Nf3 h6 15 g4!
The attack on the base of the enemy
pawn chain was explored by Fran<;:ois Philidor
a century before - then largely forgotten. Black
is preparing ... b5-b4 and White has already
achieved g2-g4. But the tournament book felt
it necessary to express support for White's 15th
move with "Perfectly safe .... It is too much
the fashion to denounce this move as risky."
 1857' Paul Morphy
After 15 g4
Morphy-Meek. 1857
15 ... Kh7 16 Rgl Rg8 17 Qel Nc6?
18 Nh4 Qf8 19 Nxg6!
A fairly simple combination that strips
Black's kingside of all serious protection. Had
Black left his knight at e7 White would prob-
ably have won a longer game after doubling
rooks on the g-file.
19 ... Kxg6 20 gxf5+ Kf7 21 fxe6+ Kxe6
22 f5+ Ke7 23 Qh4+! Ke8 24 f6! Bxf6
25 exf6 Rxgl 26 Rxgl Nxf6 27 Bg6+ Kd7
28 Bf5+ Ke8 29 Bxh6 Qh8 30 Rg7 Ng8
And in the fashion of the day, Morphy
"announced mate in three" - meaning 31 Bg6+
Kf8 32 Qf4+ and mate next move.
Luck-of-the-draw pairings matched Mor-
phy against Lichtenhein and Paulsen against
Dr. Raphael in the third, or semifinal, round.
Lichtenhein put up a good fight, as could be
expected of the best New York player of his
time. He was known for a stodgy style "more
remarkable for its sondness than its brilliancy"
and characterized by "careful analysis ... and
certain maneuvering of his forces," according
to a contemporary, who said Lichtenhein was
very reminiscent of "the great German mas-
ters." This should not have been a surprise
since Lichtenhein had been an officer in the
Prussian army before arriving in the United
States five years before.
Still, ,he managed only one draw from
Morphy, who played his first truly brilliant
game of the tournament:
13
C55 Two Knights Defense
Semifinals, First Game, October 22, 1857
white Lichtenhein, black Morphy
1 e4 e5 2 NO NcG 3 d4 exd4 4 Bc4 Nf6
5 e5 d5! G Bb5 Ne4 7 Nxd4 Bd7 8 NXc6?
Today this variation, usually reached by
way of 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 d4 exd4, is considered
positionally solid for White after 8 Bxc6! and
a rapid f2-f4-f5.
8 ... bXc6 9 Bd3 BcS! 10 Bxe4 Qh4!
11 Qe2 dxe4 12 Be3
After 12 Be3
Lichtenhein-Morphy, 1857
If White trades off the dark-squared bish-
ops and castles he will have a structurally su-
perior game. Remarkably enough, however,
Morphy now has a forced win.
12 ... Bg4! 13 Qc4 BXe3!! 14 g3
White can win two rooks with 14 Qxc6+
Bd7 15 Qxa8+ Ke7 16 Qxh8 but he gets
mated by 16 ... Qxf2+ and 17 '" Bg4. Licht-
enhein, a fair calculator. may have seen the in-
between move 16 g3! in that line but rejected
it because of16 ... Bxf2+! 17 Kxf2 e3+ 18 Kel
Qb4+ and wins.
14 ... Qd8! 15 fxe3 Qdl+ 16 Kf2 Qf3+
17 Kgl Bh3! 18 Qxc6+ Kf8! 19 Qxa8+ Ke7
and White resigns
Paulsen, meanwhile, was disposing of Dr.
Raphael easily and that set up the final match
14 The United States Chess Championship

that everyone had expected. It was to be Mor- Morphy vowed after the fourth game to end
phy with his dazzling style and score of nine matters as quickly as possible. He proceeded
wins and one draw versus Paulsen the plodder to win four games in a row and end the first
with eight wins and one draw. The latter's bril- national championship tournament with a
liance shone in a different setting: Before the flourish. We'll examine two key games:
final match Paulsen gave two simultaneous
blindfold exhibitions with a total of nine B40 Sicilian Defense
games. Morphy was convinced to play one of Finals, First Game, October 29, 1857
the boards against Paulsen - and achieved the white Morphy, black Paulsen
only win, playing blindfolded himself.
The special rules for the tournament finals 1 e4 c5 2 d4 cxd4
called for five victories, draws not counting. At
first Paulsen seemed to be the one who could
Morphy later switched to 2 Nf3 e6 3 d4
solve the Morphy puzzle. After four games
which makes little difference unless Black tries
they had each scored one win and two draws.
to hold onto the pawn here with 3 Nf3 e5.
But Morphy was inwardly seething at Paulsen's
Even in 1857 they knew that 4 Nxc5?? would
slow play. According to one account, the young
lose to 4 ... Qa5+. But they also knew that
Louisianan had tears of frustration rolling
4 c3! dxc3 5 Nxc3 was an excellent gambit
down his face at the conclusion of the inter-
for White.
minable second game, which took 15 hours to
reach 56 moves.
But this was Paulsen's style. He had come 3 Nf3 e6 4 Nxd4 Bc5!?
to America from his native Germany at age 2.0,
following in a brother's footsteps, and had set-
tled in Dubuque, Iowa, as a wholesale pro-
duce seller. He had already been seen as a tal-
ented master in Europe but gave his first
indications of depth in the United States. After
Paulsen was, in fact, the first American to 4 ... Bc5
deeply understand closed positions and the
first opening theoretician in the States. (He
was the first to analyze the Goring Gambit, for
example, and did it in the pages of a Chicago
newspaper shortly after this tournament.)
Morphy-Paulsen, 1857 {1st}
Later he returned to Europe and beat many of
the top players of the day, winning matches
from Ignaz Kolisch of Poland and Adolf An- Paulsen also tried 4 ... Nc6 and 4 .. , a6
derssen and taking first prizes in strong tour- on occasion, anticipating the modern Euro-
naments from 1861 at Bristol, England) to 1880 pean masters by a century. The move Black
(Brunswick, Germany). He never lost a match adopts was widely denounced as "foolhardy,"
and appears to have abandoned tournament and worse, for many years. But as so often
play only because of the introduction of chess happens, it was not the merits of 4 ... Bc5 that
clocks. were weighed by the annotators ~ it was
But there were no clocks in use in 1857 Paulsen's sloppy play later. Only in 1972(!),
and no time limits. While Morphy rarely took when this opening system was successfully re-
more than five minutes per move, Paulsen con- vived by British master Michael Basman, was
sumed 75, 49, 41, 36, 35 and 27 minutes on this move appreciated.
different moves during one of his games from
the final match. It was because of this that 5 Nb3
 1857: Paul Morphy
In a later game Morphy played S Be3
(threatening 6 Nxe6) and was rewarded by
Paulsen's 5 ... Qb6 6 Nc3 Qxb2??, after
which 7 NdbS! wins with its threats of8 BxcS,
8 Nc7+ and, worst of all, 8 RbI!.
But 6 ... Nc6! is a simple improvement
of Basman's that should equalize and may even
draw immediately (7 Na4 QaS+ 8 Nc3 Qb6)
as he pointed out in a playoff for the 1973
British championship. For Paulsen this was ex-
oneration - but four generations too late.
5 •.• Bb6 6 Nc3 Ne7 7 Bf4!
White can also take advantage of ... Ne7
by playing QhS at some point now that ...
Nf6 is impossible. But Morphy's plan is sim-
pler - and clearly superior to 7 BgS 0-0
8 Be2 fS 9 exfS? Bxf2+! as played in another
1973 Basman game. The point of Morphy's
move is to occupy d6 with a piece and to meet
... f7-fS with e4-e5. Paulsen's system doesn't
work well ifBd6 is played and this is why 7 ...
dS is essential. (Later in the match Paulsen var-
ied with 6 ... Nc6 7 Bf4 eS?, giving Morphy
another hole to exploit, dS.)
7 ... a-a? 8 Bd6 f5?! 9 e5 a6 10 Be2 Nbc6
11 0-0 Rf7 12 Khl
What Basman could not revive, in 1973
or thereafter, was the positional viability of
such a crippled shell of a game. Morphy has
taken all the right precautions (12 ... Ng6
13 f4!) to proceed now with either a slow
buildup of g2-g4 or a gradual enlarging of
pressure in the center (Qel, Rad1, Nd2-c4).
12 ... f4?! 13 Ne4 NfS 14 Bh5! g6 15 Bg4
After this, Morphy can occupy f6 at will,
another major concession. All he needs to win
is an open file.
15 ... Ng7 16 Qf3 hS
Paulsen could also play incomprehensible
moves on occasion. This virtually abandons all
hope of kings ide defense in favor of an idea ...
15
17 Bh3 Qh4
... which he immediately drops. Why
didn't Paulsen continue with 17 ... gS, the
move he presumably prepared? The answer is
that Morphy could safely sacrifice with 18 g3
g4 19 BXg4 hXg4 20 Qxg4, e.g. 20 ... f3
21 Nbd2 Nd4 22 c3 NdfS 23 Nxf3 and
White's pieces begin to take over on the king-
side.
18 Nf6+ Kh8 19 Qe4 QgS 20 g3!
Mrer 20 g3
Morphy-Paulsen, 1857 {Ist}
Morphy understood instinctively where
his advantage lay and where he could inflict the
quickest damage (20 ... fxg3 21 fXg3 NfS
could be met by 22 Rf4 followed by 23 Rail
and eventually g3-g4).
20 ... f3!? 21 Nd2!
The knight was not doing anything on b3
and is immune here (21 ... Qxd2 22 Qxg6).
21 ... Bd8 22 Nxf3 Qh6 23 Rgl! Bxf6
24 exf6
White is rcady to make the final push
with g3-g4. For instance, 24 ... Rxf6 2S g4
hXg4 26 RXg4 NfS 27 BeS and penetration
along the g-file with Ragl.
24 ... Ne8 25 Bf4 NxfG
The position has been lost for several
moves, but this makes it clear even to the
16 The United States Chess Championship
passersby on East 8th Street. The choices for
Paulsen were (a) losing a piece of 25 ... Nxf6,
(b) conceding he was hopeless with 25 ... Qh7
26 Ng5, or (c) resigning.
26 Qxc6! Qxf4 27 Qxc8+!
A simple desperado device. White makes
the last capture and remains a piece ahead.
Characteristically, Morphy finishes off with a
mating attack:
27 ••• Rxc8 28 gxf4 Rxc2 29 Racl! Rxf2
30 Rc8+ Ng8 31 Ne5 Rg7 32 Nxg6+ Kh7
33 Nf8+ Kh6 34 Nxd7 Rxd7 35 Rcxg8
Rxf4 36 Bxe6 Re7
Here Morphy announced mate in four
moves: 37 R8g6+ Kh7 38 Bg8+ Kh8 39 Rh6+
etc. The game lasted 5lh hours, of which Paul-
sen consumed more than 5 hours.
Then came the flawed, sloppy little game
that made Morphy famous. "Just before this
game," recalled Fuller, a fellow competitor
who was also a chess columnist, "Morphy went
down to the restaurant with me and took a
glass of sherry and a bisquit. His patience was
worn out by the great length of time Paulsen
took for each move. His usually equable tem-
per was so disturbed that he clenched his fist
and said: 'Paulsen shall never win another
game from me while he lives.'" "And he never
did," added Fuller.
C48 Four Knights Game
Finals, Sixth Game, November 8, 1857
white Paulsen, black Morphy
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 Bb5 Bc5?!
This is the most natural move order and
the one most often given for this game. Paulsen
selects a Four Knights' Game and Morphy de-
fends with the rare offshoot, 4 ... Bc5. But
did this really happen?
Early chess history is filled with ques-
tionable moves - not just bad ones, but imag-
inary ones - and it is often impossible to tell
what really happened. Max Lange, for exam-
•
pie, would appear to be a good source. The
great German master and fan of Morphy's was
getting the moves secondhand but gave this )
move order: 1 e4 e5 2 Nc3 Nc6 3 Nf3 Bc5
4 Bb5 Nf6.
Who knows?
50-0!
A good move, which prepares 6 Nxe5
Nxe5 7 d4 without risking 5 Nxe5 Nxe5
6 d4 Bb4 7 dXe5 NXe4.
5 ... 0-0
Now 5 ... d6 would have avoided the fa-
vorable simplification that follows but would
have allowed 6 d4 exd4 7 Nxd4 Bd7 8 Nf5
with a fine game. We know now that Morphy
is getting into trouble here. But let's see how
the contemporary analysts viewed the game.
6 Nxe5
After this Black has to work very care:.
fully to avoid a passive game. Lowenthal says
of 6 NXe5 "We cannot favorably incline to thi!;
move; it allows the second player to develop
his game while that of the attacking party is
cramped." But he misevaluated the conse-
quences of what happens next.
6 ... Re8
Mter
6 ••• ReS
Paulsen-Morphy, 1857 (6th)
"6 ... Knight takes knight, instead,
would have been advantageously replied to
 1857: Paul Morphy
with 7 d4," is the way Lange put it and he was
right (7 ... Bd6 8 f4! Nc6 9 e5 Bb4 10 dS!).
"The correct reply," added Lowenthal, about
Morphy's sixth move. But Steinitz, coming
several years later, suggested the superior 6 .. ,
N d4 after which 7 Be2 can be met by 7 ... Re8
8 Nf3 Nxe4 when Black is only slightly worse
(9 Nxd4 Bxd4 10 Nxe4 Rxe4 11 c3 and
12 d4).
7 NXc6
"The advantage of the pawn might have
been retained by the playing of the knight to
d3," was Lowenthal's Victorian-style annota-
tion. "But this would have given him for some
time a constrained position, and the move was
prudently rejected." True, but 7 Nf3! was good
enough for an advantage after 7 ... Nxe4
8 d4. Note the 7 Nf3 Nd4 fails to 8 eS! (8 .. .
Nxf3+ 9 gxf3! c6 10 exf6 cxb5 11 d4 or 9 .. .
Rxe5 10 d4).
7 ... bXc6 8 Bc4 b5?!
Black couldn't get the pawn back imme-
diately (8 ... Nxe4 9 Nxe4 Rxe4 10 Bxf7+!
Kxf7 11 Qf3+)but he could have secured a
very good game with 8 .,. Ng4!, which threat-
ens 9 ... Qh4. The main point is that 9 h3 can
be met by a double capture on f2 and 11 ...
Qd4+, picking up the bishop.
9 Be2 Nxe4
Black gets the pawn back after deeper cal-
culation than it seems. Modern players often
fail to appreciate that this famous game was
played in a highly competitive situation. The
score stood only 2-1 in Morphy's favor and the
issue was very much in doubt. One slip might
have turned the tide in the championship
finals.
Fortunately, Morphy had calculated that
10 Bf3, which appears to favor White, can be
met by 10 ... Nxf2! 11 Rxf2 Qd4, winning
outright (12 Ne4 RXe4! l3 Bxe4 Qxf2+
14 Khl Bg4 15 Bf3 ReS! or 12 Qfl Qxf2+
13 QXf2 Rel mate).
17
10 Nxe4 Rxe4 11 Bf3? Re6
Paulsen had probably visualized a posi-
tion with a bishop on f3 and pawns on c3 and
d4 when he played 7 Nxc6, and he would have
been right in evaluating it as favorable. But he
makes a slight error in move order that ends
up deciding a national championship.
12 c3? Qd3!!
Suddenly Black has a chokehold on the
enemy center. Without d2-d4 White cannot
develop his pieces normally and Black has time
to exploit the kingside tactically. How long
might Paulsen have thought about 12 c3? An
hour? How long might Morphy considered
12 .. , Qd3 - a minute?
13 b4 Bb6 14 a4
Lowenthal recommended Bg4 around
this point to break the chokehold (14 Bg4 f5
15 Qf3!). But Paulsen had already figured out
another way of developing his queenside.
14 ... bxa4 15 Qxa4 Bd??!
There are two possibly better alternatives,
which stop 16 Qa6!: One is 15 ... Bb7, and the
other is IS ... as with the idea ofl6 ... Qxfl+!
17 Kxfl Ba6+.
16 Ra2? Rae8!
Now this threatens mate by 17 ... Qxfl+.
The best defense is 17 Qdl but the chokehold
remains after 17 ... cS 18 bS c4.
17 Qa6?
Too late. "White cannot be blamed for
not seeing the most wonderful combination
that the opponent had prepared," wrote
Steinitz, who used this position on the cover
of his Modern Chess Instructor.
18 The United States Chess Championship
After 17 Qa6
Paulsen-Morphy, 1857 (6th)
17 ... QXf3!!
"When he made the move," Fuller re-
called," "we all thought he had made a mistake,
especially as he had taken so little time (12
minutes) for the move. Paulsen, with his usual
caution, deliberated long - over an hour - be-
fore he took the queen."
Analyzing on a board elsewhere in the hall
the spectators could not see what the point of
the Louisianan's play was.
18 gxf3 Rg6+ 19 Kh 1 Bh3
Black's rooks are so powerful he finds
himself with several ways to win. For exam-
ple, 20 Rg1 could be met by 20 ... Bg2+
21 Rxg2 Re1+ or by 20 ... RXgl+ 21 Kxgl
Rel+. The main question is what would have
happened had White played his Q to d3 in
order to capture on g6 as soon as a discovered
check was given. The answer: 20 Qd3 f5!.
20 Rdl Bg2+ 21 Kgl Bxf3+ 22 Kfl Bg2+
Here Black could have won more quickly
with 22 ... Rg2 as Steinitz, and also Johannes
Zukertort, discovered (23 Qxb6 Rxh2! or
23 Qd3 Rxf2+ 24 Kgl Rg2+ 25 K moves Rgl
mate).
23 Kgl Bh3+
And here there was a faster win with
23 ... Be4+! 24 Kfl Bf5 25 Qe2 Bh3+ and ...
Rgl mating. But one can appreciate Morphy's
sensible caution. He prefers the forcing se-
quence that is easier to calculate and which
guarantees that he will regain his queen.
24 Khl Bx£l
This takes away gl from White's king and
he has only one way out of the mate threat-
ened on g2.
25 Qfl Bxfl 26 Rxfl Re2 27 Ral Rh6
Morphy still plays for mate. Paulsen's
next is 16 moves too late.
28 d4 Be3!
Some sources say White resigned here,
ending a relatively short game of four hours.
Other sources give 28 ... Be3 "and wins." And
still others give 29 Bxe3 Rhxh2+ 30 Kgl Reg2
mate as the true finish to the game. It was a
great example of Morphy ingenuity - and the
decisive point in the match. Paulsen was so
upset he lost a second game that day in 26
moves and was unrecognizable in the final
game.
Because of its brevity, it is easy to sum up
Morphy's chess career: he never lost a tourna-
ment or match and in his entire record of se-
rious play he lost just eight games. Unfortu-
nately for Morphy, his success story begins and
ends with chess and the rest of his life was a
case study in failure, frustration and rejection.
Things had come too easily and too early
for the sensitive Louisianan. As a youngster he
enjoyed all the benefits that his wealthy South-
ern heritage permitted. His prodigious mem-
ory enabled him to graduate from law school
at 18 - memorizing the entire Civil Code of
his state. During the three years he would have
to wait until he was old enough to practice
law, Morphy had turned to chess, his adoles-
cent passion and it proceeded to consume him.
After his impressive victory in the First
American Congress, Morphy, without much
difficulty, was persuaded to travel to Europe to
challenge the acknowledged world-class play-
ers. He could not coax the prickly, pompous
 •

1857: Paul Morphy 19

First American Chess Congress, New York, Oct.6-Nov. 10, 1857

James Thompson
Morphy +3-0=0
Paul Morphy
Morphy +3-0=0
Judge A.B. Meek
Meek +3-2=0
WJ.A. Fuller
Morphy +3-0=1
Charles H. Stanley h h
Lic ten ein +3-2=0
Theodor Lichtenhein h h
Lic ten ein +3-0=0
Frederick Perrin
Perrin +3-2=2
Hubert Knott
Morphy +5-1=2
Hiram Kennicott
Raphael +3-2=1
Dr. B.1. Raphael
Raphael +3-2=2
D.W Fiske
Marache +3-2=0
N. Marache
Paulsen +3-0=1
WS. Allison
Montgomery +3-1=0
H.P. Montgomery
Paulsen +2-0=0 (1)
S.R. Calthrop
Paulsen +3-0=0
Louis Paulsen
Playoff for 3rd
(1) Montgomery withdrew before completion of match. Lichtenhein over
Raphael +3-0=0

Howard Staunton out of retirement but he met
and defeated just about everyone else of note,
including match victories over Adolf Ander-
ssen (seven wins, two losses, two draws), Jo-
hann Lowenthal (9-3-2) and Daniel Harrwitz
(5-2-1).
Returning home in 1859, he was an in-
stant American folk hero. Products were named
after him (the "Morphy Hat," the "Morphy
Cigar") and in Brooklyn a baseball team, "The
Morphy Baseball Club," was inaugurated in
his honor. He was paid a then-astronomical
fee of $3000 to write a chess column for the
New York Ledger, and otherwise engaged in oc-
casionallectures and exhibitions, always con-
ceding odds. ($1 in 1857 equals about $35
today.)
But Morphy could never adjust after his
1858-59 European tour to "real life." He found
himself at odds with the Southern position in
the Civil War and avoided the accusation of
being a traitor by returning to Europe for
much of the rest of the fighting. He played no
serious chess during this period, supposedly
because of a promise to his mother to begin a
more respectable career. Morphy's competitive
chess had actually ended in 1859 and he played
infrequently after 1864.
There followed a series of personal dis-
appointments: Morphy's law practice in New
Orleans failed; he met resentment for his ab-
sence during the War Between the States; he
engaged in a series of apparently unhappy love
affairs, never marrying. He began to withdraw
within his family and a very small circle of
friends. One of the few outsiders to see him
in his last year was Wilhelm Steinitz, who de-
scribed him as a "thorough gentleman" - but
adamantly separated from chess.
When he died - of "congestion of the
brain," on July 10,1884 - he was only 47. Paul
Morphy's serious chess career in the United
States began and ended with one tournament,
18 games.
 Chapter Three
1871-1889:
The King Is a Captain
No one challenged Morphy in his life-
time and it can be argued that he was the United
States champion until his death in 1884. But
there were several others who can be said to
have held the title in the 37 years after New
York 1857, masters who assumed a central role
after Morphy withdrew to New Orleans. The
first and finest of these successors was Scot-
tish-born George Henry Mackenzie.
Mackenzie (1837-1891) was the antithe-
sis of the overly sensitive Morphy. While Mor-
phy considered chess an intellectual exercise
between gentlemen who wouldn't think of
playing only for financial reward, Mackenzie
was the early image of a rough-and-tumble
chess professional- making a living from the
game for his last 30 years. While Morphy ex-
iled himself in Europe during the Civil War,
Mackenzie thrived on combat and had come
to America to serve in the Federal Army as a
private. Despire his milita;y reserve and Scot-
tish brevity, Mackenzie was much closer in na-
ture to a modern champion such as Robert
Byrne or Boris Gulko than to the often im-
penetrable Morphy. Physically, the differences
continue: Morphy was small, five foot three,
with delicate, cleanshaven features and affected
mannerisms. Mackenzie was quite tall, ruggedly
handsome and sported a van Dyke beard. It
appears that bachelorhood and chess ability
were the only things that these two great
champions had in common.
Mackenzie, like Morphy, was one of the
most popular players of his day. He was born
20
..
near Aberdeen in 1837, the same year as Mor-
phy, into what was described as a "high class"
family. When he turned 19 he joined the
Queen's Army, 60th Rifles, and began a life-
long fascination with combat. After five years,
much of it in India, Mackenzie resigned his
commission as lieutenant and turned to chess
in London. But his zest for real conflict was not
quite satisfied and in 1863, at age 26, he came
to America to fight on the Union side. At the
end of the war, a captain in charge of a unit
of Northern blacks, he retired with numerous
war wounds and a heart condition. He then
embarked on a chess career rarely matched in
his century and grossly underrated even now.
In Britain Mackenzie had been consid-
ered one of the most talented young players,
first earning a reputation in Irish clubs and
later in London where he won the first tour-
nament he entered. This was a handicap event
in 1862 in which he defeated the once and fu-
ture world champion, Adolf Anderssen, in the
final round, receiving odds of pawn and move
because of his opponent's reputation. And
shortly before leaving Europe Mackenzie de-
feated one of the strongest amateurs around,
the Reverend G.A. MacDonnell, in a match
(six wins, three losses, two draws).
Bur in America he found he was recog-
nized -like the Soviet emigres of the 1970s -
as not only a talented competitor, but as just
about the best player available. He defeated,
according to contemporary accounts, "literally
every player in America" in match play, and

1871-1889: The King Is a Captain
won, with only minor difficulty, the Second,
Third and Fifth American Chess Congresses
during the 1870s to 1880. (Mackenzie did not
play in the Fourth Congress, which was won
by James Mason, an Irishman who professed
no interest in becoming a U.S. citizen. In the
logic of the times Mason was never considered
an American "champion," as we shall see.)
During this era there was little question
of Mackenzie's primacy. Steinitz's International
Chess Magazine stated simply (March 1891)
that Mackenzie "won the chief prize in every
tournament he entered in America" and went
on to list eight New York events won by him
in addition to the three national congresses.
The magazine also cites four matches, all won
by Mackenzie: He defeated Gustavus Reich-
helm of Philadelphia in 1866 - a match later
reported in The British Chess Magazine as being
for the U.S. title - by a score of five wins and
one draw; he knocked off Reichhelm again a
year later by seven wins and two draws; he beat
off a tough challenge by Max Judd ofSt. Louis
(seven wins, five losses, three draws) in 1880
and, in his last major American event, he de-
feated Solomon Lipschutz, one of the many
championship claimants that followed Mac-
kenzie, 5-3 with five draws in 1886. Macken-
zie's only failures in America were match de-
feats - perhaps at odds - to Reichhelm and
D.M. Martinez of Philadelphia.
Mackenzie's streak of domestic successes
began in Cleveland in December 1871 when a
double-round-robin event, the Second Amer-
ican Congress, was held. Only nine men
sought to succeed the then-retired Morphy
and this was probably due to the after-effects
of the Civil War and the paltry $100 first prize
being offered in that period of postwar
inflation. Also, it gets cold in Cleveland in De-
cember.
Mackenzie's superiority was obvious in
this unbalanced field. The Captain, then liv-
ing in New York, finished a full two points
ahead of the obscure H. Hosmer, and four
points ahead of Max Judd, who eventually par-
layed a brilliant legal career into the U.S. con-
sul generalship in Vienna. Preston Ware, Jr.,
of Boston finished fifth, earned $30 for his
•
21
trouble, and was named president of the
American Chess Association. The total prize
money for the championship, incidentally, was
$290.
Here is an indication of how clearly Mac-
kenzie outclassed most of his rivals, including
the second- and third-place finishers.
C84 Ruy Lopez
Second American Congress, Cleveland
December, 1871
white Mackenzie, black Elder
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6
5 d4
This, and the Evans Gambit, were Mac-
kenzie specialties. In this early day of theory
for the Ruy Lopez it is not surprising that
Black is positionally lost by move 12.
5 ... exd4 6 0-0 Be7 7 e5 Ne4 8 Nxd4
Nxd4 9 Qxd4 Nc5 10 Bb3
Mter 10 Bb3
Mackenzie-Elder, 1871
Black should simply castle and then play
11 ... d6. If White restrains him with 11 Bf4,
Black eliminates one of the enemy bishops
with 11 ... Ne6.
10 ... Nxb3? 11 axb3 O-O?
Poor planning - but much better than
11 ... d6 which Hosmer had played in his first
meeting with Mackenzie. After 12 exd6 Qxd6
13 Qxg7 Black had a very bad game and after
13 ... Bf6? 14 Re1+ Kd8 15 Bg5! he was lost.
22 The United States Chess Championship

Second American Congress, Cleveland, Dec. 4-15, 1871

Totals
M H E J W S H J H W D L

l. Mackenzie X lY20 11210 11 11 11 PI21 11 11 14 3 2

2. Hosmer, H. Olhl X 11 1lhl 00 o1 11 11 11 12 2 4
3. Elder 1h0I 00 X o 1 Y2Y201 11 11 11 11 11 3 5
4. Judd 00 OY20 10 X 11 10 Yzll Ihll 11 10 3 6
5. Ware 00 11 Y2Y2IO 00 X o1 10 11 11 9 2 7
6. Smith, H.D. 00 10 00 o1 10 X 11 11 11 9 0 7
7. Harding OY20 00 00 Y200 o1 00 X o1 11 4 2 12
8. Johnston 00 00 00 Y200 00 00 10 X 11 3 13
9. Houghton 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 X 0 0 16

(Draws did not count and were replayed)

Elder's choice also leads to disaster because of
his fatal next move.
12 Bf4! fG? 13 Qc4+! Kh8 14 exfG Bxf6
15 Bxc7 Qe8 16 Bd6 Rf7 17 Nc3 b6
18 Rael Qg8 19 Qe4! and Black resigns
This was the tournament that can be said
to have begun Mackenzie's reign. His superi-
ority was confirmed three years later in Chi-
cago at the Third American Congress. It was
played at a then-vigorous time schedule of 15
moves per hour and at least one game a day.
Again there was little financial incentive and
only eight players showed up at the tourna-
ment site, the Chicago Chess Club, 114 East
Madison Street, that July to compete for what
turned out to be $450 in prizes. The players
even had to pay a $20 entry fee.
These national congresses were regularly
held in order to form new organizations for
players and promoters, and in 1874 the Amer-
ican Chess Association was transformed into
the National Chess Association. A Pennsylva-
nia businessman named J.A. Congdon was
elected president of the new body and showed
his ability by defeating Frederick Perrin, a vet-
eran of the Morphy days, in the tournament.
(Unfortunately it was the only game Congdon
won.)
Mackenzie finished with the impressive
score of 10 wins, one loss and one draw bur this
was just a half-point more than Hosmer,
whose hopes of a national tide were drowned
in a late-round loss to Judd. The tournament
was a noticeable degree stronger than the Sec-
ond Congress, as indicated by the poor show-
ing by Perrin and his fellow survivor of the
First American Congress, Hiram Kennicott,
who withdrew after losing four games badly.
A85 Dutch Defense
Third American Congress
Chicago, July 1874
white Perrin, black Mackenzie
1 d4 f5 2 e3 NfG 3 c4 eG 4 Nc3 bG 5 Nf3
Bb7 G a3 Be? ? Be2 0-0 80-0 Qe8 9 h3?
NcG 10 b4 aG 11 dS! Nd8 12 dxe6?
Johannes Zukertort, a world champion-
ship contender during this era, blamed Perrin's
loss on being frightened at the reputation of
his adversary. White should maintain his
strong point at d5 which blocks two lines that
now fall to Black's control, the d-file and the
long light-square diagonal.
12 •.. dxeG 13 Bb2 Qg6 14 Khl Nf7 15 Rgl
Rad8 IG Qc2 QhG!

1871-1889: The King Is a Captain
After
16 ... Qh6
Perrin-Mackenzie, 1874
Perrin had tried to neutralize the attack
on g2 with a rook bur now sees ... g5-g4 as
well as 17 ... Ne5 18 Nxe5 Qxh3 mate com-
ing up. Mackenzie handles the concluding
phase with dispatch.
17 RgfI Ne5! 18 Ngl Qg6 19 f3 Nh5!
20 Rfdl Ng3+ 21 Kh2 Bd6 22 f4 Ne4!
Here 23 fxe5 will be met by 23 ... Bxe5+
24 Khl Nf2 mate.
23 Nxe4 Bxe4 24 Bd3 Nxd3 25 Rxd3
Bxd3 and Black wins
Bur as soon as he had established himself
as the number one player in the country, Mac-
kenzie confused the issue a bit by passing up
the Fourth American Congress - or, as it was
alternately known. the "Grand International
Centennial Chess Congress" - in Philadelphia,
August 17-31,1876. It would have been a good
test for him since the tournament was the
strongest held in America up to that time and
paired the country's talented amateurs with sev-
eral visiting Europeans. The visitors included
the eccentric English master Henry Bird, de-
scribed in the tournament book as the "knight-
errant of chess," and James Mason, a native
Irishman who had spent most of his later life in
England and was known for a style of "sound-
ness and brilliancy. qualities rarely united." The
champion of Cuba. D.M. MartInez, also was
scheduled ro compere but had ro withdraw after
four games because of an illness in his family.
One of the tournament rules stated that
.
23
the games "shall be the exclusive property of
the Association for publication in book
form" - one of the first attempts to copyright
a game. Only one of the Philadelphia games
was worth the effort:
COl French Defense
Fourth American Congress
Philadelphia. August 1876
white Mason, black MartInez
1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 exd5 exd5
Black's Winawer Variation was still very
young - Simon Winawer of Poland was just
starting his chess career at the time - and not
much respected. The 1876 tournament book
says 3 ... Nf6 "is now considered the better
move" and later blames Black's downfall on
the misplacement of his QB in what is essen-
tially a symmetrical position.
5 Nf3 Nf6 6 Bd3 0-0 7 0-0 Bd6 8 Bg5 c6
9 Qd2 Be6?
The bishop is misplaced here and en-
courages f2-f4-f5. Better was 10 ... Re8 or
10 '" Bg4 11 Ne5 Bh5 and 12 ... Bg6.
10 Rael Nbd7 11 Ne2! Qc7 ]2 Ng3 Rfe8
13 Bxf6!? Nxf6 14 Ne5 Nd7 15 Qg5! f6
16 Qh5 fXe5?
White's attack is imaginative but would
there have been little to assault after 16 ...
Nf8!. Black, however, overlooks an excep-
tionally deep 20th move by White.
17 Qxh7+ Kf8 18 Bg6 Bg8 19 Qh8 Re6
20 f4!! (see diagram)
This reopens the kingside for White's
rooks, e.g. 20 ... e4 21 f5 Rf6 22 NhS! and
wins, or 21 ... Re7 22 Bh7 Nf6 23 Bxg8
Nxg8 24 f6!
20 ... Rxg6 21 fxe5+ Nf6 22 exf6 gxf6
23 Rxf6+ Rxf6 24 Qxh6+ Bf! 25 Nf5!
Bxh2+ 26 Kh] BeS 27 RXe5 and Black re-
signs
24 The United States Chess Championship

Third American Congress, Chicago, July 7-16, 1874

Totals
M H J B E P C K W D L Points
1. Mackenzie X 10 1 Y2 11 11 11 11 10 1 lOY2-1 Y2
2. Hosmer o1 X 10 11 11 11 11 10 0 2 10-2
3. Judd O~ o1 X 1 1/2 11 11 6 2 2 7-3
4. Bock 00 00 o Y2 X 1~ 11 J~ 4 3 5 5Y2-6~
5. Elder o Y2 X o1 11 3 2 3Y2-2~

6. Perrin 00 00 00 00 10 X 10 2 0 10 2-10
7. Congdon 00 00 00 O~ 00 o1 X 1 1 10 lY2-10Y2
8. Kennicott 00 00 X 0 0 4 0-4
(For the first time, draws counted. The forefeitures of Elder and Kennicott were not counted,
however.)

dence of subterfuge and quite a juicy little

After 20 £4
Mason-Martinez, 1876
As mentioned earlier, Mason's citizenship
denied him a claim on the national title. The
tournament, designed to attract foreign mas-
ters to America for the first time, was never
intended to be for the recognition as best
player in America. It was to be for $300 first
prize and the "Governor Garland Silver Cup."
Mason took the money, the cup and a few years
later, went home to London.
1880: The Great Scandal
The Fourth American Congress did not
have Mackenzie. The Fifth did, as well as a
dramatic race for first prize, the first-ever tie
and playoff for an American tide - plus evi-
scandal. Did James Grundy really doublecross
an opponent in order to make himself U.S.
champion? We may never know the full story
but this is what we do know:
The Fifth American Congress returned
the event to New York City where on January
6,1880, a field oflO assembled at the Congress
Hall, 60 East 14th Street. There were a num-
ber of strong, local amateurs including busi-
nessmen such as Albert Cohnfeld, Charles
Mohle, Eugene Delmar and Grundy. But there
were also some regional representatives of qual-
ity - Judd of St. Louis, back for his third con-
gress; Congdon of Washington, D.C.; Preston
Ware, the enterprising Boston master, and
Alexander Sellman, the 24-year-old star of
Baltimore.
Yet there was no doubt as to the pre-
tournament favorite. "It had been generally
conceded, both by the contestants and the
chess laity of the land," said the tournament
book, "that Captain Mackenzie would march
triumphantly and irresistibly to the goal of first
prize." But it wasn't that easy.
In the first game of the second round he
was completely outplayed by Grundy, a rea-
sonably strong player but one never before
considered a threat to the Captain. Several
weeks earlier, in fact, Mackenzie had been able

.

1871-1889: The King Is a Captain
to spot him "pawn and move" odds at the
Manhattan Chess Club and win two straight
games in a handicap tournament.
The second Grundy-Mackenzie game of
the congress was drawn and that proved signifi-
cant because most of the other players in the
tournament were far below their strength.
Grundy and the Captain then ran off a string of
victories and Grundy held his one-point lead
with two rounds to go. But in the semifinal
round Mackenzie pulled even by crushing Del-
mar while Ware defeated Grundy with the Black
pieces (even though the Bostonian used one of
his patented eccentricities to open: 1 e4 as?!).
Now, with one round to go Mackenzie
and Grundy were tied at 12lh-4lh, with Mohle
close behind. Being a double-round event, the
tournament schedule called for Mackenzie to
again play Delmar, this time with Black, while
Grundy would have Black against Ware. Mac-
kenzie ground down his opponent with what
would later be called Nimzovichian positional
strategy. But Ware-Grundy lasted "far into the
evening," requiring a dinner break. At ad-
journment Ware was much better and had
what appeared to be a winning position. But
then, the tournament book says: "Upon re-
suming the game in the evening, by some ap-
parently purposeless moves - which may be
inferred ... to have been a deep and disgrace-
ful design - Mr. Grundy was permitted to re-
trieve his position from the threatened danger
and eventually - though not precisely a part of
that design - to win the game, and secure a tie
with Captain Mackenzie for the first prize."
What happened was this:
After
41 ••• gxh3
Ware-Grundy, 1880
•
25
Mter interminable maneuvering White
could clinch the point with 42 Qa2+ Kg7
43 Bf6+!, e.g. 43 ... Kf8 44 Rd8+ Be8
45 Rxe8+!. But inexplicably he played 42 g3??
e3 43 Qa2+ Kg7 44 fXe3? and Black was
soon on top with 44 ... fxg3 45 Bxg3 Kh7
46 Rh6+ Kg7 47 Qe6 Qxe6 48 Rxe6 Kf7!.
Grundy won on the 64th move.
Incensed by the turn of events, Ware
cried foul to the tournament committee. In a
special hearing he told the committee that ear-
lier that Sunday he had been walking "down
the Bowery" with Grundy and talking about
their previous game:
"He remarked to me that he was poor,
and really needed the second prize [$300]; I
had, in beating him, knocked him out of the
first prize [$500] ... and it would not make
any difference to me if I played easily in our
next game, so as to give him the second prize;
... he would be willing to give a consideration
for it. 'I suppose you mean for us to play for
a draw.' He said: 'Yes' and I agreed to do it,
and $20 was agreed upon as the consideration.
"We agreed to play on very slowly until
the other games were terminated, and to move
back and forth ... and after I had done so, per-
haps three or four times, I observed he was
making desperate efforts to win, and finally did
so, perpetrating an infamous fraud upon me."
Not to mention upon Mackenzie and the
rest of American players. When questioned
about this, Grundy, of course, denied all. The
tournament committee had nothing but one
man's word - and some unusual moves-
against another's and they were forced to ren-
der a verdict of "not proven" on Ware's
charges. This meant there had to be a two-
game Grundy-Mackenzie playoff and on the
following day the Captain easily confirmed his
tide, getting, as the tournament book recalls,
"slight resistance from his opponent in the two
hasty and unentertaining games that brought
the Grand Tournament to a close."
Grundy got his second place money and
took off for England, where he next shows up
in 1910, playing lowly sixth board for Man-
chester in a match with City of London. He
lost.
26 The United States Chess Championship

Fifth American Congress, New York, Jan. 6-26, 1880

Totals
G M M S J D R W C C W D L Points
1-2. Grundy X 1\12 ~\12 10 1 ~ 11 1~ 01 11 11 11 5 2 13V2-4~
1-2. Mackenzie 0 V2 X 10 V2 1 111111 1 V2 1 11 5 2 13 V2-4 V2
3. Mohle ~ V2 01 X I '/2 1011 11 1 I 1 I 11 4 3 13-5
4. Sellman, A. 0 1 \l2Vz 1 \12 X 10 IV2 11 OV2 1 1 1 1 10 5 3 12V2-5V2
5. Judd 0 V2 ~ 0 0 V2 o1 X V21 II II 0111945 11-7
6. Delmar, E. 00 o0 0 1 o V2 V20 X I 1 11 ~1 11 8 37 9V2-8V2
7-8. Ryan 0 V2 00 00 00 00 00 XII o1 11 5 12 5V2-12V2
7-8. Ware 10 00 00 1 V2 00 00 00 X Y211~4 311 5V2-12V2
9. Congdon 00 V20 00 00 10 ~O 01 O~ X 00 2 3 13 3~-14~

10. Cohnfeld 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 OV2 11 X 2 15 2V2-15Y2

Throughout his championship years
Mackenzie had shuttled across the Atlantic and
earned a considerable reputation there. Dur-
ing this period he took a number of top prizes
(such as for his ties for fourth place at Paris
1878 and Vienna 1882) and achieved many
plus scores againt top players (such as Henry
Bird, Louis Paulsen, Siegbert Tarrasch, Max
Weiss, Simon Winawer, Joseph Henry Black-
burne and Johannes Zukertort). His greatest
achievement was winning the Frankfurt tour-
nament of 1887 ahead of 20 masters with a
score of15-5 that placed him 1\12 points ahead
of his closest competitor. Yes, Mackenzie was
a remarkable player.
But his health became increasingly frag-
ile and the Fifth American Congress was his
swan song in American chess. He died in his
New York hotel room on April 14, 1891. Con-
temporary accounts blamed tuberculosis but
Steinitz claimed Mackenzie killed himself with
an overdose of morphine. His death came at a
time when many chess enthusiasts believed his
successes had made him the unofficial world
champion. Mackenzie made no such claim
himself and his own modest estimation of his
place in chess history might have come when
asked to describe his playing style. "If I were
to describe myself at all," he replied, "I should
call myself a small Morphy."

•
 Chapter Four
1891-1906:
The Years of Confusion
Over the years the United States cham-
pionship has been determined in three ways:
by popular acclaim, by match play and by des-
ignated tournaments. The first three title-
holders (Stanley, Morphy and Mackenzie) won
matches and tournaments but are considered
champions by acclaim. The chess publie and
press clearly recognized their superiority and
that made them champions.
But after Mackenzie's death there was no
clear number one. The quality of play in
America had improved mightily during the
1880s and this encouraged several equally tal-
ented men to make claims on the title. At least
four masters can be said to have actually held
the title during this next period and several
others claimed it. Moreover, there were at least
nine and arguably as many as 13 events at
which the tirle can be said to have been at
stake.
Not until the 1980s and '90s, when the
United States Chess Federation committed it-
self to an annual championship, would there
be such uncertainty over the identity of the
nation's strongest player. In the 1880s, as a cen-
tury later, the question seemed to have a
different answer each year.
At any given moment during this era
there was likely to be two different "champi-
ons," each with supporters and detractors.
Matches were followed by rematches and sud-
den retirements. The muddiness of this time
is illustrated by the case of one legitimate
champion for whom we have two spellings of
27
his surname - and three different given names.
In fact, only one good thing can be said about
the period: It was during these years that lat-
ter-day historians were able to pinpoint a
specific U.S. championship title and identify
a method for selecting the tirleholder. After
1909 there would never again be a champion
by acclaim.
The confusion began in 1887 when Max
Judd, then a wealthy St. Louis judge, defeated
Albert Hodges, a New York master, in a match
by 5-2. Judd promptly claimed the title of na-
tional champion. Clearly this was without
basis since Mackenzie was very much alive and,
in the absence of another national congress,
still considered the champ. A year later, a major
tournament was held in Cincinnati and be-
cause of forfeitures and bad play Judd finished
sixth - dead last.
The 1888 tournament added fuel to fu-
ture controversy because it was the first suc-
cess ofJackson Whipps Showalter, "The Ken-
tucky Lion." The main purpose of the
tournament was another attempt at reorgani-
zation of American chess, this time with the
formation of the "United States Chess Associ-
ation." But by finishing ahead of Judd and four
other state champions (Major James M. Han-
ham of New York, Charles Mohle of Min-
nesota, ].M. Tomlinson of Indiana and James
F. Burns of Ohio) Showalter used the event to
establish a reputation as an up-and-coming
talent. A contemporary report said he had
"proved his ability to play on even terms with
28 The United States Chess Championship

anyone in the U.S., except probably, Steinitz 13 Nf4! Bg5 ]4 Nxe6 Bxe3+ 15 QXe3 fxe6
and Mackenzie. He is a rapid, cool, pleasant 16 Bxc6 Qxc6 17 Rf7! Rd7
player, fond of an open game, and his sacrifice
of pieces almost invariably proves to be sound." Here White should trade rooks and begin
But Showalter was not the only new face. to work on the weakened kingside pawns. But
A year after the 1888 tournament there was a he overlooks Black's ability to capture at c2
move afoot to bring major international chess and thereby threaten checks on the first rank.
to America. With contributions of nearly
$5000 being solicited, chess fans in New York, 18 RbO Rhd8 19 Qg5?! cxd4 20 cXd4 Rxfi
had wrung commitments from several Euro- 21 Rxfi Qxc2! 22 Rfl Qh7?
pean masters to cross the Atlantic for what was
officially called the "Sixth American Chess
Congress," better known as the New York In-
ternational of1889. Mackenzie, apparently ail-
ing, was not available and this seems to mark
his retirement from chess. Therefore, the
Mter
American player who placed highest in this 22 ... Qh7
mammoth 20-player, double-round-robin
event, could claim to be de facto champion.
The surprise top finisher was not Showal-
ter, or Eugene Delmar or James Mason or
Major Hanham or anyone mentioned so far.
After two months of play it was clear that a score Lipschutz-Pollock, 1889
of 22 wins, seven draws and nine losses gave
the obscure Solomon Lipschutz clear possession A dreadfully defensive move that leaves
of sixth place, behind five foreigners. White's queen and rook in possession of all
Lipschutz, a Hungarian-born printer, had the key squares. Lipschutz now sets up a mur-
beaten three of those foreigners (Mikhail T chig- derous threat of a check on the c-file.
orin, Joseph Henry Blackburne and Isidor
Gunsberg) and had played a sure-handed con- 23 Qe7! Qh6 24 h3 h4 25 Kh2!
servative game, exploiting his overambitious ri-
vals: The plan of 26 Rf3 and 27 Rc3+ wins
new squares for White's heavy pieces.
C29 Vienna Game
New York 1889 25 ... Qe3 26 Qxe6+ Rd7 27 Rf3! Qel
white Lipschutz, black W.H.K. Pollock 28 Qf5!

1 e4 e5 2 Nc3 Nf6 3 f4 d5 4 fxe5 Nxe4
5 Qf3 Nxc3 6 bxc3 Be6 7 d4 c5 8 RbI Qc7
9 Bb5+ Nc6 10 Ne2 O-O-O!? 11 0-0 Be7
12 Be3 h5?
Black is dreaming of a kingside advance
with 13 ... g5, which if played on the 12th
move would allow white to paralyze his forces
with 13 Qh5! Lipschutz was an uninspiring
player - a short, quiet mustachioed positional
master - but he could transform a slight
enemy weakness into a concrete advantage .
Another fine move. Black's queen cannot
move because of 29 Rc3+ or 29 e6.
28 .•• Kc7 29 Qc2+ Kd8 30 Qe5! and
Black resigns
There is no defense to 31 Rf8 and mates.
While Lipschutz' Eastern supporters were
advancing the idea - highly disputed at the
time - that his New York 1889 result conferred
champion status on him, Showalter was
adding to his laurels in the Midwest. In Feb-

.

1891-1906: The Years of Confosion
ruary 1890 he won the Third Congress of the
United States Chess Association at St. Louis
and a strong tournament in Chicago. The gen-
tleman farmer from Minerva, Kentucky, then
crowned his success in a short match with Lip-
schutz and it was on the basis of this that he
would later say he was U.S. champion. The
match also was interesting because for the first
time since Morphy two Americans could pro-
duce a game of depth. Here is one (with some
annotations of the day in quotations marks):
C26 Vienna Game
Match, Louisville 1890
white Lipschutz, black Showalter
1 e4 eS 2 Nc3 Nc6 3 g3
This was Paulsen's idea, but it was disap-
pearing from master practice about this time,
only to be reintroduced by Vasily Smyslov in
the 1960s. A contemporary note said Adolf
Anderssen "came to the conclusion that the
second player could do no better than to im-
itate White's example and also play 3 ... g6,
as the KB will not be well posted on cS."
3 ... Nf6 4 Bg2 BcS 5 Nge2 d6 6 d3 a6!
70-0 Bg4!?
A deep idea: Black means to provoke h2-
h3, force White into Kh2 and then play ...
hS-h4, Lipschutz responds well.
8 h3 Be6 9 Kh2 hS 10 NdS! Qd7 11 Nxf6+
gxf6 12 f4 Bg4! 13 c3 h4!
After
13 ... h4
Lipschutz-Showalter, 1890
..
29
On the previous move 13 hxg4 would
have been met by 13 ... hxg4+. Now Showal-
ter has a strong attack, something White could
have averted with 11 BgS!.
14 f5!?
''An ingenious variation pointed out by
Mr. Showalter is worthy of notice," wrote a
contemporary: 14 hxg4 Qxg4 IS d4 exd4 and
now 16 cxd4 allows the brilliant 16 ... hxg3+
17 Kgl Qxe2!!. Then 18 Qxe2 Nxd4 and a
discovered check wins for Black. And if
18 dxcS Black continues 18 ... Nd4!!, threat-
ening 19 ... Rh2 or 19 ... Nf3+! (e.g. 19 Qxd4
Rhl+!! 20 Bxh1 Qh2 mate or 20 Kxhl QhS+).
14 ... hxg3+ 15 Kxg3 BhS 16 Qel 0-0-0
17 Kh2
"Useless precaution. 17 Ngl at once
gained important time." Lipschutz apparently
wanted to play 18 N g3 and then changed his
mind.
17 ... Rh7 18 Ngl dS!? 19 exdS Ne7
20 Qe4! QxdS 21 b4?
A typical judgment of the day: "In spite
of Black's ingenious conduct of the attack,
White still has a little better game on account
of his passed h-pawn and owing to his oppo-
nent's doubled pawns. 21 Bd2 was the right
move." Now Showalter gets his chance.
21 ... Bb6 22 a4 Qxe4 23 BXe4 Bg4!
24 Kg3 Bxf5!
"Very fine play, but all this could not have
happened if White's QB had been developed
as suggested in above note." Meaning that
White's knight would have been protected
after 25 BxfS+ NxfS 26 RxfS Rg8+ 27 Kh2!.
25 Rxf5! Rg7+ 26 Kf3 Rxgl 27 Bb2!
"The sacrifice of the exchange was his
only resource in order to make a long fight of
it. If27 RhS the reply 27 ... Rfl+ followed by
... Rf2 or ... fS would soon win with ease."
30 The United States Chess Championship
27 ... Rxa1 28 Bxal Nxf5 29 Bxf5+ Kb8
30 c4 Bd4! 31 Bxd4 Rxd4 32 Kg3 c6!
33 h4?
"Too impetuous. 33 a5 would still have
made the issue very doubtful. For example,
33 ... Rf4 34 Bg4 Rfl 35 Kg2 and the pawn
races on. Or 33 ... Kc7 34 h4 KdS 35 h5
Ke7 36 h6 Kf8 37 Be4 threatening Kg4-f5."
After 33 h4
Lipschutz-Showalter, 1890
33 .•. b5!!
"This fine rejoinder gives him a passed
pawn that ultimately wins." The rook can be
sacrificed for White's passed pawn just in time.
34 axb5 axb5 35 cxb5 cxb5 36 h5 Rxb4
37 h6 Rd4 38 h7 Rd8 39 Kh4 Kc7
"Black has made his calculations with
deep accuracy and plays the ending accord-
ingly."
40 Kh5 Kd6 41 Kh6 Kd5 42 Kg7 Kd4
43 Kxf7 b4 44 Kxf6 Rh8! 45 Kg7 Rxh7 +
46 Bxh7 b3 47 Bg8 b2 48 Ba2 Kxd3
49 Kf6 e4 50 Bbl+ Kd4 51 Kf5 e3 and
White resigns
The inactivity of Mackenzie, coupled with
Showalter's successes, established the tall, ami-
able Kentuckian as champion and "The Ken-
tucky Lion" - a nickname reflecting both his
aggressive style of play and hair style - was to
figure in championship play for the next eigh-
teen years. As a wealthy farmer, Showalter was
able to devote considerable time to chess, a
game he became serious about in his mid-
twenties after his college education had been
interrupted by a brief fling at running the fam-
ily cattle ranch on a Texas border town. Sho-
walter had given up ranching for farming and
returned to Lexington, Kentucky, where he
was later given credit for having developed
baseball's "curve ball."
While Showalter was considered a lead-
ing player in his era ("Exceedingly strong," ac-
cording to historian Hermann Helms) with a
modern-day equivalent of a 2470 rating, it is
a fact that Showalter lost more matches for the
championship than any other player: to Harry
Nelson Pillsbury (twice), to Frank Marshall, to
Hodges and to Lipschutz. But you have to be
good to begin with to be in a position to even
compete in such upper strata, and Showalter
easily balanced the debit side of his career with
U.S. title victories and strong showings abroad.
Among the international set his victims in-
cluded Wilhelm Steinitz (twice), Joseph Black-
burne, Geza Mar6czy, Mikhail Tchigorin (three
times) and world-champion-to-be Emanuel
Lasker. Showalter lived a long life (1860-1935)
but retired from competitive chess rather
early- being remembered for his friendliness
and good humor. The normally acidic Steinitz
left probably the best eulogy of Showalter:
"Showalter is one of the six people in the world
from whom I would accept a cigar."
In late 1890 Showalter's string of suc-
cesses was spoiled by the loss of a match to
Judd, 7-3, but for once the Missouri master
made no claim on the national title. Showal-
ter returned to Lexington in 1891 to win the
Fourth Congress of the United States Chess
Association, beating a British visitor, W.H.K.
Pollock, in a playoff. But a year later Lipschutz
got his revenge.
The Hungarian-born master of technique
had garnered enough financial support to
sponsor a rematch with Showalter and this
time it was a one-sided rout. Lipschutz scored
seven wins to Showalter's one, the other seven
games ending in draws. He then did some-
thing quite unexpected: The frail 28-year-old
Lipschutz gave up his New York business and
 1891-1906· The Years of Confusion
his chess career to move west to California
where he would be better able to nurture his
failing health.
Showalter naturally reclaimed the vacant
title and confirmed his position in 1893 by tak-
ing third prize in a very strong international
tournament in New York behind Emanuel
Lasker - then just a year away from the world
championship - and Adolf Albin, a Ruman-
ian business speculator then seeking his for-
tune in America. Later that year Showalter
finished third in another strong New York
event, but this time it was behind two Amer-
icans. One of those was Harry Pillsbury, then
20, who had little interest in challenging Sho-
walter to a match. But the other high-finisher
did and this is where Albert Hodges re-enters
the story.
Hodges, born July 21, 1861, had come to
New York with a good deal of natural talent
and quickly landed a job as the human "me-
chanic" inside a pseudoscientific device called
"Ajeeb." This was a chess automaton, that is,
a matchine that allegedly played masterful
chess and checker moves while on display at
the Eden Musee in Manhattan. Judd had rec-
ommended the job to Hodges when they both
lived in St. Louis but he tired of the work after
a year or so and disappeared from chess. Lip-
schutz rediscovered Hodges just before his de-
parture to California and recruited him for the
Manhattan Chess Club where in 1891 he was
soon recognized as one of the very best play-
ers around, if not the best. Hodges' success in
the 1893 New York tournament led him to
challenge Showalter early the next year. In a
long, gruelling struggle, Showalter edged out
an 8-6 victory. But Hodges demanded and
got a rematch and later in 1894 he used it to
score a 5-3 victory. For the third time in the
four years since Mackenzie was recognized as
retired, there was a new United States cham-
pion.
The progression of Showalter to Lip-
schutz to Showalter to Hodges became more
confused when Hodges announced shortly
after winning the championship match that he
had fulfilled his ambitions in chess and was
now ready to pursue a career in business. (Un-
31
like Morphy, Hodges proved to be both a com-
mercial success and a friend to the game
after he withdrew from chess and would be
a welt-liked visitor to U.S. championship
tournaments as late as the 1930s when he was
well into his seventies but remained an avid
fan.)
So in late 1894 the championship was va-
cant once again and Showalter naturally
claimed it. He strengthened his posicion by
finishing third in yet another New York inter-
national in 1894, behind two foreigners, Steinitz
and Albin. Showalter also managed to beat
young Pillsbury in this tournament and with
his 5th-6th place finish, the Massachusetts
master didn't seem to be getting any better. In
fact, there didn't seem to be any strong up-
and-coming players who would be able to
challenge Showalter - when suddenly Lip-
schutz returned in early 1895, in good health
and claiming he had never relinquished his
tide. It didn't really matter: Showalter promptly
beat him 7-4 in what proved to be Lipschutz's
last tide match. He returned to Berlin and died
there in 1905.
Meanwhile, Showalter, determined to
give his championship claim more credibility,
defeated two of the strongest amateurs of the
day, Emil Kemeny of New York and John F.
Barry of Boston, in matches that were clearly
defined as being for the championship. But
impressive as the Kentuckian's performances
were in 1895-1896 they were overshadowed by
what a quiet New Englander was doing across
the Atlantic.
Enter Pillsbury
Harry Nelson Pillsbury was 22 when he
became world famous, and lived only 11 more
years. Even more remarkable was his rapid rise
in 1895, coming as it did only six years after
learning how to play the moves. Edward Lasker
later compared him with his friend Frank Mar-
shall. Both were "interesting examples of a
strange mental phenomenon. They success-
fully concentrated all their faculties of chess,
to the exclusion of every other intellectural
32 The United States Chess Championship
interest. Trying to draw them into a conver-
sation on any subject other than chess was a
hopeless task."
Pillsbury's instant celebrity came from
winning the Hastings, England, invitational
tournament of 1895, arguably the strongest
large event of the 19th century. Paired with
two world champions and the best players of
England, Germany, France, Russia and Aus-
tria, Pillsbury duplicated Morphy's European
success and won a clear first place. He topped
this off with impressive results the next year in
St. Petersburg, Nuremburg and Budapest and
on his return from Europe his backers at the
Brooklyn Chess Club gave him a reception
that one viewer said "would have thrilled a
war-scarred general on his triumphant return
from battle."
By contrast, the lone international ap-
pearance by Showalter, the official United States
champion, was a rather dismal 5Yz-lOYz at
Nuremberg. It is easy to appreciate his inter-
est in atoning for that result and this explains
why, in a reversal of roles, champion Showal-
ter challenged his young rival to a match in
1897. Pillsbury, who seemed to be the first man
in 25 years who didn't care to be U.S. cham-
pion, was coaxed into playing for stakes of
$1000. The money would go to the first man
to win seven games. If the score were to reach
6-6, the match was to be extended to a re-
quired 10 wins. And if the score were to reach
9-9, the match would be declared drawn.
(These are strikingly similar to the provisions
Bobby Fischer sought and subsequently for-
feited his world title over in 1975.)
Pillsbury accepted Showalter's challenge,
but added: "I was not seeking the match, and
even ifI should win, I shall leave Showalter in
possession of his championship title. I am not
in search of any title but one" - meaning
Emanuel Lasker's world title. And when Pills-
bury eventually won by a 10-8 score, with
three draws, his margin was regarded as unim-
pressive: "The result was somewhat disap-
pointing for Pillsbury's admirers," wrote The
American Chm Magazine, "especially for those
who want to bring about a match between him
and Lasker. ... As for Showalter he has proven
a better player than he had been given credit
for."
Here is a good example of Pillsbury's su-
periority in planning and execution on a grand
scale:
C84 Giuoco Piano
Match, Third Game, New York
February 17, 1897
white Pillsbury, black Showalter
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Bc5 4 Nc3 d6
5 d3 a6 6 Be3 Bxe3 7 fxc3 Na5 8 Bb3
Nxb3 9 aXb3 Nh6 10 0-0 c6 11 d4!
Pillsbury contributed many ideas to the
openings bur did not really work at them. He
preferred to find a simple system for develop-
ing his pieces and to concentrate on them after
the 12th or 15th move.
11 ... Qe7 12 Qel 0-0 13 Qg3 f6 14 h3
Be6 15 Rf2 Rae8 16 Raft Bc8
Now what? After a humdrum opening
Pillsbury has a slight initiative but no targets
for his rooks and knights. He realizes he needs
a change in the pawn structure and, since Black
is unwilling to accommodate him with
exd4 he finds a new plan.
17 Nh4 Kh8 18 dS! cS?! 19 NfS! BxfS
20 exfS
White gets e4 for his knight as well as a
simple winning idea: g2-g4-g5. Black should
try to hold this up with ... Nf7 bur he bets on
... c4 instead.
20 ... Rc8 21 Qh4 Qf7?! 22 g4! Qe7
23 Ne4 Nf7 24 QhS Kg8 25 h4 h6 26 Rg2
Rc7 27 Khl c4 28 Ragl cxb3 29 cXb3
Rfc8 (see diagram)
Pillsbury's victories often gave the im-
pression of effortlessness, of having selected
the correct plan and letting the pieces work for
him. That's the case here.
 1891-1906: The Years of Confusion
After
29 ... Rfe8
Pillsbury-Showalter, 1897
30 g5 hxg5 31 hXg5 Nxg5 32 Rxg5! fxg5
33 Nxg5
The threat is a pair of queen checks on
h7 and h8. After 33 ... Qf6 White wins with
34 Qh7+ and 35 Ne6+.
33 •.. g6! 34 Qxg6+ Qg7 35 Qe6+ Kh8
36 Rg3!
The threat of Rh3+ is decisive. All Pills-
bury needs to clinch the point is a place to
sheld his king from perpetual checks.
36 ..• Rc1+ 37 Kg2 R8c2+ 36 Kf3 Rfl+
37 Ke4! Rhl 38 Qe8+ and Black resigns
With the beginning of 1898 there came
another topsy-turvy situation: the official
United States champion (Showalter) was widely
recognized as being the second-best American
player and eagerly seeking the rematch that
Pillsbury had offered. The rematch prize fund
and rules were the same as the first meeting
and so was the name of the winner. The only
real differences were the margin and the pro-
vision that the title of u.s. champion was
clearly at stake.
Play began February 25 at the Postal Tele-
graph Building on Broadway and Murray Street
in lower Manhattan. At the relaxed pace that
came to about two games a week, Pillsbury
clinched victory after 12 games with seven wins,
three losses and only two draws. Here is the
final game, with quoted notes by Emil Kemeny,
one of the strongest Americans of the day.
33
C84 Ruy Lopez
Match, 12th Game, New York
April 1, 1898
white Showalter, black Pillsbury
1 e4 eS 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 Nf6 4 d4 exd4
5 0-0 a6 6 Ba4 Be7 7 ReI 0-0 8 eS
At this time 7 Rel was just coming into
vogue and replacing 7 e5. Showalter has a
strange positional plan in mind.
8 ... Ne8 9 Nxd4 Nxd4 10 Qxd4 d5
11 b4?!
Modern theory regards 11 exd6 Bd6 as
equal. But Showalter wants to monopolize the
dark squares and needs to restrain ... c5. Ke-
meny writes: "The play is somewhat novel, but
not satisfactory. It weakens the Queen's wing
without affording a safe retreat to the KB.
Much better was 11 c3, followed eventually by
Bc2, Be3 and Nd2."
11 ... c6! 12 Bb2 Nc7 13 a3 as! 14 c3
Mter 14 c3
Showalter-Pillsbury, 1898
"He could not well play 14 bxa5," Ke-
meny noted, giving 14 ... b5! 15 axb6 Ne6 or
15 Bb3 c5 and ... c4 "with a superior if not
winning position for Black."
14 ... Bf'S 15 Qb6
"Premature play, which compromises the
White game. White in all probability attempted
34 The United States Chess Championship
to win the a-pawn which, however, would have
proved fatal, since ... Ne6-c5 might have fol-
lowed." He recommends 15 Nd2, a move
Steinitz might have rejected because of 15
Ne6 16 Qe3 Bg5 and ... Nf4-d3.
15 ... Qc8 16 Nd2 Ne6 17 NO Nf4 18 Bb3?
Kemeny says only 18 Qe3 or 18 Bdl would
have averted immediate disaster. The normally
alert Showalter has overlooked 18 ... Nxg2!
19 Kxg2 Bh3+ and 20 ... Qg4, which wins.
18 ... Nxg2! 19 Redl Be4! 20 Nd2
Here 20 Kxg2 would have allowed 20 ...
Qg4+ followed by ... Bxf3.
20 ... Ra6! 21 Qd4 Nf4
The rest is a rout as White has no ade-
quate defense to ... Ne2+ or ... Qg4+.
22 Qe3 Qg4+ 23 Kfl Bd3+ 24 Qxd3 Qg2+
25 Kel Nxd3+ and White resigns
How does a 16-year-oJd beginner develop
into a U.S. champion and contender for world
championship honors in just six years? Pills-
bury's total focus on chess had a lot to do with
his rapid development, as did his prodigious
memory. His memory feats were legendary at
the time, and no wonder. He was able to play
up to 22 simultaneous blindfold games while,
at the same time, playing whist. In addition, at
the end of such exhibitions, he could recite
with total recall, in correct order, a list of 25
or 30 words given to him beforehand - for-
wards and backwards - and then recite the
moves from all the games. His memory feats
graduated from mere parlor tricks to a road
show that saw Pillsbury making at least five
transcontinental tours giving such exhibitions.
Such a mind would have little trouble re-
taining the first 16 moves of a Queen's Gambit
or Ruy Lopez, and during his formative chess
years Pillsbury studied every available chess
book and assiduously played over all the games
of the leading European players, retaining what
he considered important. It's no wonder that
.
he possessed what contemporaries called a "ma-
chine-like concentration" at the board, and an
"absolute stony calmness in his face" while con-
ducting textbook-type attacks where the posi-
tion demanded.
It was Pillsbury's tremendous memory
feats and blindfold play that many believed
caused his mental and emotional problems,
which ultimately led to his death in 1906, at
the age of 33. To this day, blindfold exhibi-
tions are frowned on in Russia because of the
apparent mental strain. Yet another theory is
offered by Walter Korn in his book America's
Chess Heritage. Korn documents numerous
symptoms that would indicate Pillsbury actu-
ally was suffering from an aneurysm, which
would have caused his erratic, sometimes sui-
cidal behavior. (From Lasker's Chess Magazine,
April, 1905: "Mr. Pillsbury was operated on at
the Presbyterian Hospital, Philadelphia, on
March 27, and a few days later, while in a high
fever, he tried to jump from a fourth story win-
dow. He was finally controlled and returned to
bed. The character of the operation is not men-
tioned in the accounts of the incident. The pa-
tient has recovered from his illness and at this
writing is expected to take part in the cable
match for the Newnes Trophy, on April 15.")
The truth was Pillsbury contracted syphillis,
then frequently fatal, and his health slowly but
inevitably declined.
Pillsbury never actually defended the
championship that he won from Showalter. As
a matter of fact, he was never officially chal-
lenged. There was an apparent gentleman's
agreement among the leading contenders not
to take advantage of Pillsbury's mental condi-
tion. After all, what could it mean to win the
championship under such circumstances? A
near exception to this understanding occurred
when Max Judd, the perennial contender,
helped organize the Seventh American Chess
Congress in St. Louis in 1904. The tournament
announcements proclaimed that the winner
would be American champion. Pillsbury, who
had periods of lucidity, objected. He prevailed
on his good friend Walter Penn Shipley, a
Philadelphia lawyer and strong chess amateur,
to protest .
 1891-1906: The Years of Confusion
Judd disputed the Pillsbury/Shipley claim,
saying that Pillsbury was basing his tirle on
events that had evolved from Lipschutz's in-
valid claims in 1889, when Lipschutz assumed
the championship through his finish as the
highest placed American player in the Sixth
American Chess Congress. Judd's point was
that Pillsbury could not be the champion since
he won the title from Showalter, who won from
Lipschutz who was not the champion to begin
with and therefore could not lose what was not
his. It was an argument reminiscent of the dy-
nastic disputes of the Middle Ages. The Sev-
enth American Chess Congress would clear up
the matter, Judd argued.
But popular opinion, logic and the au-
thority of the respected Shipley were all against
Judd, and the first issue of Lasker's Chess Mag-
azine (November 1904) summarized the era.
The magazine argued that both tournaments
and matches had been used to determine
champions in the past "but the accepted the-
ory today is that a match between the aspirants
is the better" since "the element of chance" is
less than that to be found "in a promiscuous
gathering of players."
The magazine went on to trace the title
from Morphy's victory over Paulsen in 1857 to
Captain Mackenzie's wins in the Congresses of
the 1870s and through the various matches, re-
tirements, disretirements and rematches of the
Lipschutz-Showalter-Hodges period. The
magazine even argued that when Showalter
played Emanuel Lasker a short match in 1893
the U.S. tide was at stake and that the very-
German Lasker had, like Lipschutz before him
and Hodges after him, relinquished the title by
default (!).
The article concluded that there was a
clear line of succession since the second
Showalter-Lipschutz match in 1895: "There
was no further questioning regarding the right
of Showalter to the championship, and his de-
feat of Kemeny and of Barry in the same year
clinched his hold on it. Pillsbury's victories over
Showalter in their matches of 1897 and 1898
gave the tide of United States Champion to
Pillsbury, and as such he stands today."
The management committee of the St.
35
Louis event reluctantly agreed and changed
their promotion to say that the Seventh Amer-
ican Congress was for the "American Chess
Tourney Championship." The eventual tour-
nament book declared the winner, Frank Mar-
shall, to be "Champion, Seventh American
Chess Congress" adding that his tide "has no
reference whatever to the United States Cham-
pionship held by Harry N. Pillsbury, whom
Marshall acknowledges as holder thereof."
Any lingering hopes Judd may have had
about pressing his claim to be champion byac-
clamation were dashed in the seventh round of
the St. Louis tournament:
021 Queen's Gambit Accepted
Seventh American Congress, St. Louis
October 1904
white Marshall, black Judd
1 d4 dS 2 c4 dxc4 3 NO Bg4 4 NeS Bf5?
Black's third move had been tried previ-
ously but the idea behind it is to retreat to h5,
pinning the enemy e-pawn. Judd's next two
moves are even worse.
S Nc3 f6? 6 e4! Be6?
With 6 ... fxe5 7 exfS Black would face
threats of 8 Qh5+, 8 dxe5 and 8 Bxc4. Judd,
perhaps realizing that Marshall was running
away with the tournament, tries a little combi-
nation here but overlooks his opponent's ninth
move. The game, in effect, is over by the 11th.
Mter
6 ... Be6
A1anhall-Judd, 1904
36 The United States Chess Championship

7 QhS+ g6 8 Nxg6 Bf7 9 QbS+! c6
10 Qxb7 hxg6 11 Qxa8 Qc7 12 dS cxdS
13 NxdS QeS 14 Bxc4 e6 15 Bb5+ Kd8
16 Bf4! Qxe4+ 17 Kfl and Black resigns
There is little Black can do about IS QxbS+.
Marshall's 8V2-V2 victory ended this con-
fusing era by clarifying how championships
were determined. Thcre was one final chapter
to be written - a dispute over who was the real
United States champion after Pillsbury's death
on June 17, 1906.

Chapter 5
1907-1936:
The Champion
Who Enjoyed It
Frank James Marshall enjoyed being the
United States champion. Like Morphy before
him and Bobby Fischer after, he was easily rec-
ognized as the best American player of his day.
But, unlike his two peers, success at the game
never seemed to haunt Marshall: to the con-
trary, he revelled in his tirle status, wearing it
like a badge. Later champions would see the
tournament primarily as a source of prize
money. Gata Kamsky competed in part to es-
tablish his credentials as an American, and not
just "former Soviet," star. But to Marshall, the
title was more, a virtual facet of his personal-
ity. Indeed, a Frank Marshall signature was not
complete until he added, as a suffix, "United
States Chess Champion."
He was born in New York City on Au-
gust 10, 1877, and lived there for eight years
before his family moved to Montreal, where
he began his life in chess by watching his fa-
ther play casual evening games over the din-
ing room table. The future champion did not
prove to be a master overnight. Upon learn-
ing the moves from his father, it took young
Frank at least six months to playas well as he,
and "quite a long time" before he won a game.
Marshall describes his early chess style: "From
the very first, I was an attacking player, for-
ever on the offensive. This often got me into
trouble. However. I am glad that my father
did not curb this instinct too much .... I have
37
•
always liked a wide open game and tried to
knock our my opponent with a checkmate as
quickly as possible. I subscribe to the old be-
lief that offense is the best form of defense."
By the time Marshall had turned 11 he
had outgrown his father's abilities and was
soon introduced to stiffer competition at Mon-
treal coffeehouses, and eventually joined the
Montreal Chess Club which he credits as a
major, favorable influence. From then on,
Marshall had ample opportunity to develop
his style, claiming that from the age of ten
until he had long since retired from competi-
tive chess he played at least one game a day-
and then took the chess board to bed with him
in case he got any middle-of-thc-night inspi-
rations. "Only a pocket set, though." he added.
Marshall's monolithic, yet romantic. de-
votion to the game paid off when, after estab-
lishing himself as a force in international com-
petition and the strongest native-born player
then active in America, he traveled to Ken-
tucky in 1909 and defeated the on-again. off-
again champion. Jackson Showalter. In retro-
spect, this act cleared up all confusion about
the succession of champions since Mackenzie's
day. and also gave Marshall the title left ap-
parently vacant by the death of Pillsbury in
1906. The American Chess Bulletin reported at
the time a sentiment shared by many U.S.
players: "It was indeed a pleasant surprise when
38 The United States Chess Championship
word came from Lexington, Ky., the first of
November, that play actually had begun in a
match between Frank J. Marshall and Jackson
W. Showalter for the championship of the
United States. The Bulletin had complete faith
in the assertion that Showalter had not re-
tired .... But it remained for Marshall to track
our chess lion to his lair."
One reason it was a pleasant surprise was
that the match also put an end to the peculiar
dispute that had been raging in American clubs
for nearly a year: whether or not the title of
U.S. champion had been usurped by the young
dynamo Jose Raoul Capablanca. How could
the Havana-born Capa be considered as Pills-
bury's successor? That requires a bit of digres-
sion:
After Pillsbury's fatal symptoms became
apparent, American chess hopes shifted ro
Marshall, who was only 22 when he garnered
an impressive tie for third prize at the Paris in-
ternational of 1900. That was his debut in
grandmaster chess and although he finished
behind world champion Emanuel Lasker and
Pillsbury, Marshall had the pleasure of beat-
ing both of them in the course of event. Four
years later, in Pillsbury's last, somewhat pa-
thetic appearance, Marshall scored his great-
est success by winning the Cambridge Springs
International in western Pennsylvania, ahead
of Lasker, Pillsbury and a host of strong Eu-
ropean and American masters. At the time
there was no doubt that Marshall had replaced
the soon mortally ill Bostonian as the best U.S.
player of the day.
But by the time Pillsbury's death this was
no longer so clear. Jose Capablanca had come
to New York from his native Cuba ro study at
Columbia University and he quickly set the
local chess scene on fire. Like Marshall, Cap a
had learned the moves at an early age from his
father and was naturally gifted with remark-
able tactical intuition. But he also had an ex-
ceptionally deep strategic sense and when he
met the New York masters who had styled them-
selves after Pillsbury and Marshall, the Cuban
never had any difficulty. His renown at speed
chess - then becoming the new fad at the Man-
hattan Chess Club - quickly spread beyond
..
New York. Without much coaxing, Capa-
blanca added to his reputation by a series of
highly publicized simultaneous exhibitions
tours in which he usually won about 90 per-
cent of his games.
Inevitably, comparisons between Mar-
shall and Capablanca - the two best players in
New York and also the two best players in the
Western Hemisphere - were made. A match
was also inevitable. Capablanca later recalled:
"Marshall was disposed to play in this case
where he naturally discounted his victory. How
far he was wrong, the result proved."
It did indeed, as Capa routed Marshall
by winning eight games, losing only one and
drawing seven others. The match, held in early
1909, had ostensibly been for a match stakes
and also for bragging rights. But the New York
State Association had complicated matters by
sanctioning the event as being for the U.S.
championship tide. After all, the state body
reasoned, wasn't Marshall the champion?
But after the match Marshall counterat-
tacked. He argued that the Cuban could not
hold the U.S. title because he was not a United
States citizen (remember the difference be-
tween Captain Mackenzie and James Mason?).
This argument sounded a bit self-serving, con-
sidering that Cuba was then a United States
territory and that Capablanca had been living
in New York for more than three years and
gave every indication of remaining. Moreover,
the Cuban said he planned to take out citizen-
ship papers as soon as he came of legal age,
which would be in a few months.
Capa told the American Chess BuLletin: "I
am the undisputed champion of Cuba, and
last spring I beat Marshall by the score of 8 to
1. Mr. Marshall has the greatest reputation and
the best score in tournaments of any living
chess player in the U.S.A., and is therefore
considered everywhere as the strongest repre-
sentative of the United States .... Therefore, I
consider myself the 'champion of America,'
and stand ready to defend my tide within a
year against any American of the U.S.A. or
anywhere else, for a side bet of at least $1,000,
United States currency. Under these circum-
stances the question whether I am a citizen of
 1907-1936' The Champion Who Enjoyed It
the U.S.A. or not has nothing to do with the
matter under consideration."
But Capablanca tended to overstate his
case - he was never "champion of Cuba," for
example. Fans quickly took sides, some for Mar-
shall, some for Capa. Once again the chess
community turned to a lawyer to sort out the
facts and again their choice was Walter Penn
Shipley. His line of reasoning came as a sur-
prise, but his conclusion was even more so.
The real U.S. champion, Shipley said, was nei-
ther Marshall, nor Capablanca. He wrote: "If
there is any chess champion of the United
States, Jackson W Showalter of Kentucky is
the holder of the tide. Since he won it he has
never declined any challenge and until he does
so, neither Marshall, Capablanca nor any other
player has a valid claim."
Shipley went on to say that "to be the
American champion one must be an American,
either native or naturalized." Capa could be-
come a challenger for the tide if he now be-
comes a citizen, the lawyer ruled. ''And the man
he must challenge is Showalter."
With that, the New York Chess Associa-
tion, which had given its authority to back
Capa's claim, withdrew support. Marshall, act-
ing with haste, took the train to Lexington and
challenged Showalter. Capablanca, seeing his
bid thwarted, decided he didn't want to be an
American citizen after all. He consoled him-
self with a comfortable post in the Cuban
diplomatic service and a career as a globe-trot-
ting, chess-playing goodwill ambassador for
Havana. Marshall would get Showalter but
eventually Capa got Lasker: Twelve years after
his legal and match-play struggle with the New
Yorker, Capablanca became champion of the
world.
Marshall vs. Showalter
The first United States championship
event of the 20th century took place in the
now-historic Phoenix Hotel in Lexington,
during late 1909. Today the hotel is remem-
bered for a different kind of competition:
Many a high-stakes horse race was begun in
39
front of the Phoenix In the mid- and late
1800s. The tradition has been carried over
today in the form of an annual "Phoenix
Stakes" race each spring.
But the stakes for the Showalter-Marshall
match were modest-$500 a side-and the
only aspect of it that was in keeping with the
Phoenix tradition was its speed. The match
was to consist of 15 games and was decided
after 12 - taking just 14 days to play. Marshall
won two of the first three games, drew the
other and coasted easily to victory with seven
wins and three draws. Showalter scored only
two wins and he seemed long our of shape.
C21 Danish Gambit
Match, Lexington, Ky., 1909;
white Marshall, black Showalter
1 e4 eS 2 d4 exd4 3 c3!?
Marshall's choice of opening may seem
bizarre but this was his style at the time and
it didn't matter whether he was playing in a
tournament or a match. In other matches with
European masters he offered the Muzio Gam-
bit, which sacrifices a whole piece.
3 ... d3 4 Bxd3 Ne6 5 Nf3 d6?! 6 Bc4 Nf6
7 Bf4 Be7 8 Nbd2 0-0 9 0-0 Bg4 10 ReI
After 10 ReI
Marshall-Showalter, 1909
After declining the gambit, Showalter has
developed just as simply as Marshall. But the
difference is that his pieces remain constricted
and he now seeks a series of exchanges to free
his game.
40 The United States Chess Championship
10 ... Nh5 11 Bg3 Nxg3 12 hxg3 Ne5
13 Bft Bg5 14 Qb3 Bxd2 15 Nxd2 Be6?
It is difficulr for White to benefit from
his superior pawn structure without minor
pieces. But on the verge of equalizing Black
has blundered, thinking he can trap the enemy
queen after 16 Qxb7.
16 Qxb7! a6 17 Nf3 Nxf3+ 18 gxf3 Qd7
19 Qb4 Rfh8 20 Qa3 as
Black does get some pressure against the
b-pawn and his ingenuity over the next sev-
eral moves deserves a better fate. But Mar-
shall's superiority in this match came from his
ability to use tactics to consolidate material
and positional advantages. Unlike his flashy
sacrificial brilliancies from European tourna-
ments, Marshall wins this game - and the
match - by watching and waiting.
21 Radl Qc6 22 Re3 f6 23 Rd4! Qb6
24 b3 c5 25 Rd2 a4 26 c4 aXb3 27 Qxb3
Qc7 28 QdJ Rb6 29 f4 Qb8 30 Rb3 Rxb3
31 axb3 Ra6
Marshall spots the tactical weakness-
Black's first rank - and ends the game quickly.
After
31 ... Ra6
Marshall-Showalter, 1909
32 e5! Qa7 33 Rxd6 g6 34 Rxa6 and Black
resigns
Now Marshall was officially the chess
champion of the United States, an honor he
had doggedly sought and subsequently wore
with more pride than any titleholder (with the
possible exception of Walter Browne). Despite
an almost free-spirited attitude towards chess
and life, the title caused Marshall some im-
mediate discomfort. He even told a British
newspaper, the Daily Sketch, in December
1909 that he was retiring. "The game is too
absorbing," he said. "To play it one must de-
vote to it all of his time. No game in the world
calls for such deep study and devotion as chess,
and while I love it, there are other things
which must occupy my attention. I have pri-
vate business responsibilities which suffer from
the game, so I have quit playing for good."
Of course, he didn't retire. Marshall played
chess professionally until the day he died, No-
vember 10, 1944. The championship tide en-
abled him to consolidate a position of au-
thority in chess: He wrote several books of his
own games and of the leading Europeans. He
gave periodic exhibition tours of the U.S. and
played private matches with worthy (and
sometimes unworthy but wealthy) opponents.
And with the help of friends he had known at
the Manhattan Chess Club, he founded an-
other club - the Marshall Chess Club - in New
York's Greenwich Village, where he lived with
his wife Caroline. For perhaps the first time in
American history, winning the U.S. chess tide
had an important, beneficial effect on a man's
life.
Marshall vs. Lasker
It's ironic that despite his possession of
the title for 27 years and his extensive tourna-
ment and match record, Frank Marshall only
defended his championship once. This was
against Edward Lasker in 1923 and proved to
be of exceptional interest. There are no writ-
ten records but it seems likely that more peo-
ple saw the challenge match of that year than
any other U.S. championship until 1984. This
may not be so surprising since it was the most
closely contested of any of the tide matches
from 1891 to 1952 and because it lasted a
record two months and took place before
crowds in New York, Chicago, Milwaukee,

1907-1936: The Champion Who Enjoyed It
Cleveland, Detroit, Baltimore, Washington,
D.C., and Long Island.
It was hard fought with seven games last-
ing more than 60 moves. And it was also an
exciting match with the result in doubt until
the 18th and final game. This in itself was a
surprise because Marshall had been expected
to polish off his challenger with ease. Yet while
both contestants wrote extensively about the
match, it remains one of the secrets of u.s.
chess history. Few people remember the most
evenly fought championship match or that the
challenger in it was Edward Lasker.
Lasker (1885-1981), a distant relative of
Emanuel Lasker, was one of the many new-
and foreign - faces that populated the Amer-
ican chess scene in the 1920s. He was born in
Berlin of a German father and American
mother and had come to the United States in
the opening months of World War 1. A small,
educated excitable man, he made his way to
Chicago - by way of the New York dubs - to
earn $18 a week in the shipping room of Sears,
Roebuck and Co.
But with chess lessons and his first En-
glish chess primer he made ends meet and was
soon moving up in the business world, from
mail order to manufacturing and eventually to
inventing a breast pump for mother's milk.
His sudden affiuence left Lasker time for an
occasional tournament and that usually meant
the Western Chess Association's open cham-
pionship, the forerunner of the modern U.S.
Open. He won the event five years out of six,
facing opposition from - among others - a
Jackson Showalter then heading into his 60s.
During this period Lasker took out U.S.
citizenship and tested his luck against the New
Yorkers. At a small master tournament in 1922
he finished dear first, even though the well-
known European grandmaster, David Janow-
sky, was then living in America and was in-
vited. Today the tournament is remembered
for the good showing by the "ll-year-old wun-
derkind" Sammy Reshevsky, who knocked
Janowsky out of competition. But at the time
its significance was to give Lasker an Eastern
audience and the support he needed for a chal-
lenge to Marshall in 1923.
.
41
Marshall had not defended his tide in 14
years, largely because he seemed so far ahead
of anyone else. But Lasker noticed a flaw in the
growing Marshall legend - the championship
was decided by match play and Marshall was
a "tournament player." That is, his risky style
enabled him to score heavily against the minor
masters at the bottom of a scoretable, thereby
offsetting his problems with his more solid
peers. In matches, Marshall had had trouble.
Against Capablanca and Emanuel Lasker, the
Great Swindler had scored only one win, 16
losses and 21 draws. Edward Lasker, eight years
younger than the champion, thought he had
a chance.
After nearly two years of negotiation on
match conditions, play began at 8:30 P.M.
March 15, 1923, before the muffied murmur
of fans at the Marshall Chess Club, the cham-
pion's home ground. The dub telephone had
been disconnected to prevent interruption
from the outside world, and a generally pro-
Marshall audience awaited the first victory of
their champion. But it wasn't to come easily-
in fact, it didn't come at all in the three games
held in New York.
Lasker adopted an unusual match strat-
egy, playing conservatively with White and ad-
venturously with Black-and uncompromis-
ingly with both. The first three games took 28
hours and 235 moves to play, spread over six
days. (By contrast, it took Bobby Fischer only
415 moves to win all his 11 games in the 1963-
64 championship). The biggest surprise came
in the second game when Marshall was caught
in a tactical opening he knew very well:
C30 Vienna Game
Second Game, New York, March 1923
white Marshall, black Lasker
1 e4 e5 2 Nc3 Nf6 3 Bc4 Nc6 4 d3 Bc5
5 f4 d6 6 Nf3 Bg4 7 h3 Bxf3 8 QXf3 Nd4
9 Qg3!? Qe7 10 Bb3 O-O-O!! II Rf1 (see di-
agram)
This variation had become famous-
rather, notorious - after Mikhail Tchigorin
won a brilliancy against Pillsbury at the great
42 The United States Chess Championship
Mter 11 RfI
Marshall-Lasker, 1923
Hastings tournament of1895 when the Amer-
ican accepted the piece sacrifice (9 ... Nxc2+
10 Kd1 Nxa1 11 Qxg7 Rf8 12 fxe5 dxe5
13 Bh6). It had become a Marshall specialty,
but Lasker was doing something very new.
11 ... Nf5!?
"I could see from the expression on Mar-
shall's face that the sacrifice came to him as a
complete surprise," Lasker later recalled. "I re-
member there was tremendous excitement
among the onlookers, most of whom probably
saw only that Marshall could not take the
knight because the discovered check PxP
would win the queen." After the referee re-
stored order, Marshall recovered his compo-
sure and played:
12 Qg5 g6!
Another long think by Marshall, as he
calculated 13 exf5 h6 14 Qh4 exf4+ 15 Kd1
g5 16 Qe1 Qd7 and 17 ... RheS with a strong
attack along the open file. The next series was
cleverly played by both sides, with Lasker seek-
ing open lines and pressure on e4 and Mar-
shall defending as best he could.
13 fxeS QxeS 14 Qf4 Qe7! 15 g4 dS
16 gxfS gS! 17 Qf3 dxe4 18 dxe4 Bb4
19 BXgS! Rhg8 20 Bh4 Rd4
In his memoirs Lasker hints that he was
slighted by the pro-Marshall press, including
•
the New York Times chess reporter who criti-
cized his "showy" sacrifice as being made to
"please the gallery." He also attacked the ana-
lyst for the American Chess Bulletin, who den-
igrated the knight offer and suggested defenses
such as 21 Rdl, which loses a piece to 21 ...
RXe4+! What Lasker didn't say is that the
Times-man and Bulletin annotator were the
same persons - and that person was match ref-
eree Hermann Helms.
Here Marshall misses his opportunity to
make a fight of it with 21 Be6+! fxe6 22 fxe6
Qxe6 23 Bxf6 when Black has questionable
compensation after 23 ... RXe4+ 24 Kd2
Qd5+ 25 Qd3 Rg2+ and 26 ... Qxd3.
Mter
20 ... Rd4
Marshall-Lasker, 1923 (2nd)
21 BdS? Re8! 22 Bxf6 Qxf6 23 Rdl c6!
24 Rxd4 Qxd4 25 a3 BXc3+ 26 bxc3 QxdS
27 Qd3 Qxe4+ 28 Qxc4 Rxe4+ 29 Kd2
Rh4 30 Rf3 Kd7
This is the adjourned position - and
probably a lost one for Marshall because of his
bad pawns.
31 Rg3 Rh5 32 Rg7 Ke7 33 Rg8 Rxf5
34 Rb8 RdS+ 35 Kc1 b6 36 Rc8 cS
37 Rc7 + Rd7 38 Rc6 f5 39 Rh6 Kf8
40 Rh5 f4! 41 Rh4 f3 42 Rf4+ Rf7
43 Rxf7 + Kxf7 44 Kd2 Ke6 45 Ke3 Kd5
46 Kxf3 Kc4 47 Kg4 Kxc3 48 Kg5 Kxc2
49 Kh6 Kb3 50 Kxh7 c4 and White resigns
But when the match moved to the Mid-
west in April Marshall came alive. At the
Hamilton Club in Chicago, Marshall began

1907-1936' The Champion Who Enjoyed It
with his two straight wins, including his most
impressive victory of the match. Lasker re-
gained the lead when Marshall tried too hard
for a swindle in the sixth game bur lost in back
in the seventh. Lasker's account of this last
game paints it as the rurning point of the
match:
Having adjourned a slightly inferior po-
sition as White the challenger had breakfast
the next morning when "1 was suddenly seized
with the most excruciating abdominal pains."
Rushed unconscious to Walter Reese Hospi-
tal, he found doctors diagnosing his condition
as a kidney attack and prescribing several days
in bed. From there he asked for a delay, citing
the match rules which allowed postponement
of scheduled games for up to seven days be-
cause of certified illness. But according to
Lasker, Marshall objected, saying that the
match rules did not apply to adjournments.
When the match umpire, Alrick Man-
a \1arshall Chess Club official- did not re-
spond to a wire from the Chicago organizers,
Lasker told his doctor "that r had to leave the
hospital at all costs." His account, in Chess Se-
crets I Learned from the Masters, has him ig-
noring doctor's advice, ordering a cab and
"barely" managing "to drag myself to the chess
table" for the adjournment, which he then lost.
The account is slightly suspect since, ac-
cording to other sources, including Helms'
Bulletin, Lasker was in the hospital for two
days and the adjournment was postponed for
three at his request. In any event, the match
moved on and Marshall established a two-
point lead with victories in the 10th game at
the Cleveland City Club and the 12th at the
Detroit Chess and Checker Club. Lasker said
his game and health continued to suffer in the
match's final stages. But his greatest problem
may have been his endgame play, as Marshall
repeatedly outplayed his opponent, scoring
wins from slightly favorable positions and
holding bad ones once queens were off the
board.
Lasker managed another victory in the
14th game, in Baltimore, but couldn't find the
tying point when the match wound up in early
May at Washington, Long Island, and, finally,
..
43
at the Marshall Club, May 11-12. Only then
was it appreciated how critical was Marshall's
charge in April, when he scored five wins to
Lasker's one. It began with this:
D34 Queen's Gambit Declined
Fourth Game, Chicago, April 2, 1923
white Marshall, black Lasker
I d4 d5 2 Nf3 e6 3 c4 c5 4 cxd5 exd5
5 Nc3 Ne6 6 g3 Nf6 7 Bg2
The match seemed at times to be a de-
bate on the merits of the Tarrasch (3 ... c5)
Defense, which Lasker championed. He equal-
ized easily with it in the sixth game after 7 ...
Be7 8 0-0 0-0 9 Bg5 Be6 10 dxc5 Bxc5
11 Rcl Be7 12 Nd4 Nxd4 13 Qxd4 Qa5
14 a3 Rac8 15 Qd3 h6.
Marshall then hallucinated with 16 b4?
QXa3 17 Nxd5, thinking he would win ma-
terial with the twin threats of Nxe7+ and
Qxa3. But he overlooked 17 ... Bxb4!, pro-
tecting both, and then missed 18 Bxf6? Rxcl
which cost him an Exchange. Still, he played
it out, seeking swindle, and very nearly had
one: 19 Qe4 Rxfl+ 20 Bxfl Bxd5 21 Qg4! g6
22 e4 Be6 23 Qh4 Qf3 24 Be2!? QXe2!
25 Qxh6 Qel+ 26 Kg2 Qxe4+ 27 KgI Qbl+
28 Kg2 Bd5+ 29 f3 Bxf3+! and White resigns
(30 Kxf3 Qfl+ and 31 ... Qxf6; 30 Kf2 Bc5+).
Lasker also got the edge in the eighth
game but couldn't convert his advantage and
was ground down in the tenth. He never re-
turned to the Tarrasch again in the match.
7 ••. Be6 8 0-0 Be7 9 dXe5 BxcS 10 Bg5
d4?! 11 Bxf6 Qxf6 12 Ne4 Qe7 13 Nxc5
Qxc5 14 ReI Qb6 IS Ng5! (see diagram)
White's lead in development is substan-
tial and few men knew how to handle an ini-
tiative as well as Marshall- even in a "posi-
tional" opening. Here he opens up his bishop's
diagonal and prepares to hop around with his
knight.
After the game, Lasker said he should
have played 15 ... BXa2 with a "doubtful out-
come" after 16 Qd3 h6 17 Bxc6+ bXc6
18 Qe4+ Kf8. But years later he decided 15 ...
44 The United States Chess Championship
After 15 NbS
Marshall-Lasker, 1923 (4th)
0-0 was "the only continuation to consider."
What he did, instead, was walk into a fine
combination.
15 ... Bf5? 16 e4!! dxe3? 17 Rxc6! bxc6
IS Qd6 Bd7 19 Qe5+ KfS 20 fxc3
The threat is 21 Rxf7 + and if 20 ... BeS
there is a knight check at e6.
20 ... f6 21 Rxf6+! gxf6 22 Qxf6+ KeS
23 QxhS+ Ke7 24 Qe5+! KdS 25 h4! KcS
26 Nf7 a5? 27 Nd6+ KbS 2S Nb5+? KcS
29 Nd6+ KbS 30 Qe7?
White could have finished off in style
with 30 Nc4+ Qc7 31 Nb6! (or 2S Nc4+ for
that matter). After the text Black has survival
chances with 30 ... Ra7. Lasker later claimed
he could have drawn with that move but later
changed his mind. In any event, Marshall now
chases the enemy king up the board.
30 ... Qc7? 31 Qf8+ Ka7 32 Nb5+! Kb6
33 QxaS Kxb5 34 Bfl+ Kb4 35 Qf8+ c5
36 Qg7! c4 37 Kh2 Qc6 38 Qc3+ Kb5
39 Qb3+! and Black resigns
M. 0 0 \12 1 1 0 1 \12 \12 1 Y2 1 \12 0 \12 \12 Y2 \12=9\12
L 1 1 \12 0 0 1 0 Y2 \12 0 Y2 0 Y2 1 \12 Y2 Y2 Y2=8Y2
Within months Lasker had rebounded in
health and spirits and wanted a rematch on
about the same terms - which included at least
50 percent of the proceeds for the champion
regardless of the match result if they managed
to raise more than $3,000. But Marshall
•
wanted the challenger to deposit whatever
stakes there were with a third party before play
began. Lasker responded that no one would
put up cash beforehand - and that a mere
pledge from the various fundraisers was all that
was needed in the IS-game marathon they had
played earlier in the year. "Instead of making
easier terms, you have made harder ones,"
Lasker wrote to him in November, "and most
of the influential chess people I have inter-
viewed since the receipt of your letter are of
the opinion that your terms are equivalent to
making a return match with you impossible."
But Marshall was seeking his own rematch
with world champion Capablanca, who in-
sisted on the same cash-deposit terms for all
his challengers.
And that was that. In succeeding months
all attention was focused on the great interna-
tional tournament held at New York's Alamac
Hotel in the spring of 1924 and the u.s. title
was forgotten. Marshall scored a solid fourth
place at the Alamac and Lasker, invited almost
entirely on the basis of the Marshall match, was
outclassed and finished 10th in a field of 11.
The genial amateur lost interest in the
championship and played less and less. He was
soon supplanted as Marshall's chief rival by a
young man who first gained attention by win-
ning a problem-solving contest held during
New York 1924. That IS-year-old problem
solver was Isaac Kashdan.
Lasker was never again a major con-
tender - although he did spark a good deal of
controversy in 1946 when he and a few other
top players nearly took personal control over
the new U.s. championship tournament. In
his final years Lasker was a benign, grandfa-
ther-like figure who took pride in his away-
from-board achievements - such as being
president of the Marshall Chess Club.
As for Marshall, there were no more chal-
lengers for the title. He abdicated in 1936, after
three decades and one defense as champion.
Said Marshall of his decision: "Many youth-
ful contenders for the crown had arisen, and I
felt they had deserved a fair chance. It was time
to step aside and make way for new blood .... "
He had enjoyed it all very much indeed.

Chapter Six
The Reshevsky Years
(1936-1942)
"The advantage of a tournament seems
to lie in the fact that several aspirants for the
title can have their opportunity to win it and
that the issue will necessarily be decided in a
comparatively short time. A tournament also
is distinctly more interesting .... " With these
words in December 1935, Frank MarshaU re-
signed as U.S. champion and urged the adop-
tion of regularly scheduled tournaments to
choose his successors. The idea of a tourna-
ment had been kicking around American chess
circles for years but no one had a clear idea of
what such an event would mean. How many
of the nation's best players would be willing to
compete - to give up jobs and family for sev-
eral weeks in hopes of winning a $600 first
prize? How would the entrants be chosen? How
could the event be financed? And, perhaps most
important, wouldn't it mean a new champion
every time a tournament was held - a revolv-
ing door title?
The last question was pertinent because
the revival of tournament championships co-
incided with one of those periodic explo-
sions -like the 1920s and later the 1980s - of
native chess talent. There was not just one
claimant to Marshall's title, but several. At
least three young masters were considered the
Old Swindler's equal. Another half dozen were
rated of international caliber - the kind who
could very easily win a strong round-robin
championship tournament if they were the
beneficiaries of a strong start and a bit of luck.
45
.
The idea of a tournament was a logical
one but also a necessary way out of the prob-
lem posed by Marshall's age and the hard times
of the Depression. Since 1931, when 26-year-
old Isaac Irving Kashdan was placed ahead of
Marshall on first board of the U.S. Olympic
team, it had become obvious that the holder
of the championship title was no longer the
best player in the country. Attempts to arrange
a Marshall-Kashdan match were periodically
launched and abandoned, aU victims of the
economic climate and the champion's condi-
tions. Marshall wanted a guaranteed prize fund
of $5,000. After aU, Emanuel Lasker had de-
manded - and gotten - arrangements for his
last world championship match such that he
went home with 55 percent of the $20,000
prize fund even though he resigned the match
halfway through it. Didn't Marshall deserve a
comparable retirement fund, he wondered?
But the Marshall-Kashdan match orga-
nizers could raise no more than $900. And
with the sparkling successes in Europe by Sammy
Reshevsky in 1935 and the quick progress of
young rivals such as Reuben Fine and Arthur
Dake, it made sense to drop the match com-
pletely and devote the organizers' energies and
treasury towards the first modern champion-
ship tournament. In late 1935 Harold Phillips,
a veteran Manhattan Chess Club leader whose
personal relations with top players stretched
back to a close friendship with Wilhelm Stein-
itz, helped persuade Marshall to step aside and
46 The United States Chess Championship
relinquish his title. The title, and a "Frank
Marshall championship trophy," would go to
the winner of a round-robin tournament to be
held the following spring.
All of the contenders on the eve of the
March, 1936, event were relatively young.
Kashdan was 30, Reshevsky gave his age as 25,
Fine was only 21. They were the grandmaster
elite of U.S. chess and each would have a se-
ries of European successes and some world
championship hopes. Just below them in stat-
ure were another crop of young masters - 22-
year-old Arnold Denker, 26-year-old Dake,
28-year-old LA. "Al" Horowitz and 30-year-
old Herman Steiner. Of the few others who
could be considered of possible champion cal-
iber were Marshall, 58; his 1923 challenger,
Edward Lasker, then 50; and Abraham Kup-
chik, 44, a Manhattan Chess Club regular
nearing the end of a vigorous career. Marshall
and Lasker declined invitations to play in the
tournament, leaving their places to a younger
generation that would dominate the champi-
onship for 15 years.
Of the tournament entrants, the young
magazine Chess Review wrote, "none can boast
of as imposing a record as Isaac Kashdan." Up
to then "Kash" had played in 11 international
tournaments, scoring four first-places and five
seconds. He led the U.S. Olympic team four
times, twice to the gold medals, and had racked
up a remarkable personal record in team
play - 40 wins, 20 draws and only four losses.
He was being talked of as a challenger to
champion Alexander Alekhine for the world
tide, and had scored six draws and only one
loss in his seven meetings with the then almost
unbeatable Alekhine.
On the other hand, Reuben Fine, fresh
out of college, had played just once as an in-
dividual abroad. But his easy victory at Hast-
ings, England, three months before the 1936
national tournament was no less impressive
than any of Kashdan's victories. Fine, who had
won the championship of the Marshall Chess
Club three times and the Western Open once,
liked to say he had never read a chess book
until he had become a master. But he made up
for his lack of book knowledge by playing sev-
.
eral hours a day, seven days a week during his
high school years. A restless energy character-
ized his play and it was also revealed by his
constant walking back and forth across a tour-
nament hall ("sentry-wise" as it was described)
while his opponent was thinking.
But if there was a slight favorite in 1936
it was neither Kashdan nor Fine but Sammy
Reshevsky. He had been the best-known of the
American players ever since his highly publi-
cized tours as a reputed nine-year-old chess
prodigy shortly after his family brought him
from Poland to America in 1920. The boy had
met President Harding, played members of
Congress and, as recorded in one memorable
photograph, played 20 West Point cadets si-
multaneously. (Sammy, dressed in a sailor suit,
didn't lose a game.)
In his new country Reshevsky went into
a brief chess retirement and graduated from
college with a degree in accounting. Almost
all the leading masters held at least part-time
jobs - Kashdan sold insurance, Horowitz sold
insurance and edited Chess Review, and Re-
shevsky was preparing for a business career.
Yet when Sammy began to play again in 1934
he seemed to have hardly been away from the
board. Because so many of the championship
contenders lived in and around New York City,
his winning a first prize ahead of them in, the
state congress at Syracuse in 1934 established
Reshevsky as one of the two or three best play-
ers in America. Sammy added international
laurels a year later when, on his first return to
Europe in 14 years, he won a solid tournament
at Margate, England, ahead of Capablanca.
Physically small, Reshevsky was a scrappy
fighter at the chessboard - and a worthy match
for Fine's own aggressive nature. Later in 1936
at the great international tournament in Not-
tingham, England, their individual game
dragged on with Reshevsky holding the better
of a draw while Fine sarcastically commented
on the position. Eventually tournament
officials had to intervene to avoid what they
feared would end up in a fistfight between the
two American representatives. Kashdan, on the
other hand, seemed calm and cool, and many
of his colleagues would agree with Sidney
 The Reshevsky Years (1936-1942)
Bernstein who called Kash a "great player, but
lacking in the iron determination of a Re-
shevsky."
So Reshevsky was a slight favorite in the
first modern championship. But who could say
with certainty how a single IS-round event
would turn out? Also, it would be followed
two years later by another championship, and
then another two years after that. Perhaps the
rapidly improving Fine would win the first
event. Or maybe Reshevsky in 1936 and then
Kashdan in 1938. Or one of the others such as
Dake, Steiner, Denker or Horowitz? Who would
have thought that one man would dominate
the championships, winning every tournament
(and one tide match) that he entered in the
next 10 years?
1936· The First Last Round
The first modern championship set the
tone and many of the recurring themes of the
tournaments of the 1930s and' 40s. The orga-
nizers had planned for a substantial number of
enrries, to be split into preliminary round-
robins that would select eight qualifiers for the
16-man finals. The eight qualifiers would meet
eight seeded players - Reshevsky, Fine, Dake,
Kashdan, Kupchik, Steiner, Horowitz and
Manhattan Chess Club Champion Alexander
Kevitz. But so few advance entries for the pre-
liminaries were received that the organizers had
to drop the registration fee from $10 to $5.
Eventually 48 players entered.
All games, preliminaries and finals, were
held in New York, and this was simply a mat-
ter of convenience. Eleven of the finalists were
from New York and most of the high-placing
nonqualifiers were also from the metropolitan
area. The few strong out-of-towners included
Steiner, Illinois state champion Samuel Fac-
tor, Boston's Harold Morton and the colorful
New England champ Weaver Adams, who in-
sisted that 1 e4 simply won by force and who
had begun to write a never-ending stream of
articles and pamphlets to prove it.
But a spectator who paid 50 cents at the
Hotel Astor grill to see one of the early rounds
47
would have been interested most in the play
of two unheralded New Yorkers and of a some-
time resident of the city. The New Yorkers
were George Nelson Treysman and Albert C.
Simonson. Treysman, then 55, had never played
in a tournament before but was in fact prob-
ably the most experienced player in the event.
He was a professional coffeehouse player, earn-
ing dimes at speed and offhand games - often
after conceding up to queen odds - at one of
the many rundown East Side clubs that flour-
ished in Manhattan. Simonson, the youngest
player in the tournament, was an unknown
who had played almost half of his chess at the
Manhattan Chess Club and was recognized as
one of the better bridge and backgammon
players in the city.
The third attraction was Dake. While
Treysman and Simonson eventually finished
surprisingly well, Dake appeared destined to
finish nothing short of clear first. The dapper
Portland, Oregon, master already had earned
an international reputation (and a special medal)
when he amassed the best score -13 wins, 5
draws - in the Olympiad team tournament
the previous year in Warsaw. Dake, whose
original name was Dakowski, was, like Re-
shevsky and Kupchik, of Polish heritage and
this led another Pole, Savielly Tartakower, to
remark about the American victory at War-
saw: "Our victories are everywhere."
Dake also had defeated Steiner of Los An-
geles, in a match for the Pacific Coast cham-
pionship a few months before, but was ac-
corded a more impressive role when he visited
New York in March. The visitor was asked to
play for the Marshall club in the annual match
against the rival Manhattan Chess Club - and
he was on first board, ahead of Fine, Marshall,
and Reshevsky. (A strong team, yet the Man-
hattanites with Horowitz, Simonson, Kupchik
and Kevitz won the match.)
Dake and Kashdan took off like a shot in
the 1936 championship, winning game after
game. Kashdan led at first with a perfect 4-0
score, folJowed by Treysman a half point back.
But both men were upset the next day and
Dake assumed sole first place. By Round 9 he
had collected five wins and four draws, with
48 The United States Chess Championship
no losses, and seemed to he fulfilling his prom-
ise.
Where was Reshevsky? "For me," he later
wrote, "the tournament will long remain some-
thing of a nightmare." Sammy knew he had
to win about half his games but also to lose not
more than two games. Three losses meant al-
most certain elimination in the race for first
place. Yet after a win and a draw in the first
two rounds he blundered badly against the
wily Bernstein and was completely outplayed
by Horowitz in Round 4. And when Reshevsky
did resume his battle for first he was the bene-
ficiary of an extraordinary letdown from one
of the main contenders:
D45 Scotch Game
white Kashdan, black Reshevsky
1 e4 eS 2 NO NeG 3 d4!? eXd4 4 Nxd4 Be5
5 Bc3 Qf6 6 c3 Nge7 7 Qd2
After 7 Qd2
Kashdan-Reshevsky, 1936
The Scotch had enjoyed a fling of popu-
larity shortly before this game - as it did after
the 1990 Kasparov-Karpov match. Here the
move 7 ... clS had been known since the 1860s
as an antidote to White's usual 7 Qd2. The
theorists believed Black could sacrifice heavily
for the attack after 7 ... dS S exdS NxdS
9 NbS Bxe3 10 fXe3 Be6 11 c4 Ndb4!
12 Nxc7 + Ke7 13 NXaS Rd8 or S NbS Bxe3
9 fxe3 0-0. Reshevsky gets the right idea but
in the wrong sequence.
7 ... Bxd4?! 8 cxd4 dS 9 Nc3! dxe4 10 dS!
Reshevsky ptobably counted on acquir-
ing a grip of the light squares after 9 eS Qg6
or 9 Nc3 dxe4 10 Nxe4 Qg6. Now his pieces
become seriously dislodged from their mutual
support. A third loss in a tournament barely
half over would snuff out all hopes of first
prize.
10 ... NeS 11 NbS 0-0
There was no real choice. Black is over-
run after 11 ... Kd8 12 d6.
12 Nxc7 Rb8 13 Bxa7?
Such an obvious and consistent move de-
serves a better fate. Kashdan didn't consider
the full strength of Black's counterattack with
two powerfully centralized knights. He should
have delayed any material gain in favor of
pushing Black around with 13 BgS Qd6
14 NbS! followed by dS-d6, e.g. 14 ... Qd7
15 d6 N7c6 160-0-0!.
13 ... Bg4 14 Bxb8 Rxb8 15 NbS N7g6
16 ReI Nf4!
After
16 ... Nf4
Kashdan-Reshevsky, 1936
White's king is caught in the center and
faced with a big knight check on d3. He must
try to return material.
17 Rc3 N5d3+ 18 Bxd3 exd3!
The winning move. Now 19 ... ReS+ and
20 ... Re2 or 19 ... Nxg2+ will inflict heavy
damage. White cannot castle safely because of
 The Reshevsky Years {1936-1942} 49

19 ... Qg5!, which threatens mate (20 ... Bf3 The other leader, Simonson, was not cau-
21 g3 Nh3) as well as the queen (20 .,. Nh3+). tious either. He had White and a chance for
Kashdan held out for only 11 moves: immortality as well as a six-win streak:

19 0-0 QgS! 20 h4 Nh3+ 21 gxh3 Qxd2 Al8 English Opening

22 hXg4 Qe2! 23 Rc4 d2 24 Rd4 Qxb5 white Simonson, black Factor
25 Rdl Re8 26 R4xd2 Re4 27 f3 Re2
28 Rcl h5 29 Ree2 Qb6+ and White resigns le4e5 2Nf3Ne6 3Nc3f5 4d4e4 5Nd2

The first of many remarkable Reshevsky Today White's best strategy is known to
recoveries and of several hard fought champi- be 5 Bg5 so that his bishop will be outside his
onship games with Kashdan. pawn shell after he solidifies it with e2-e3. But
Mter his disastrous start Reshevsky be- Simonson hurries to attack Black's e-pawn
came a new man. He won nine and drew only with f2-f3 and therefore doesn't want to part
once in the next ten games. Fine, on the other with the piece that best defends e3, his QB.
hand, had not been able to extricate himself
from a mire of draws, while Dake suddenly fell 5 ..• Bb4 6 e3 Nf6 7 f3 0-0 8 fxe4 Nxe4!
apart. The Oregonian scored only two points 9 N2xe4 fxe4
in his final six games - beginning with a de-
pressing loss to Reshevsky in a lengthy end- White faces the prospect of being over-
game grind. run on the kingside (10 ... Qf6 or 10 ... Qg5)
But Simonson's late surge was nearly as but hopes [hat winning the e-pawn will solve
remarkable as Reshevsky's. His only previous all his problems.
claim to fame was a mediocre performance on
one of the U.S. Olympiad teams. But here in 10 Bd2 Bxc3! 11 Bxc3 d6 12 Qe2
the strongest event of his life, the young mas-
ter defeated Morton, Fine, Bernstein, Horo-
witz, Denker and Milton Hanauer in succes-
sive rounds. Treysman also had a surprising
string of successes, beating Denker, Hanauer,
Factor, and Kashdan in a row before losing to
Mter 12 Qc2
Reshevsky. On the next to last round he
knocked off the fading Dake. And the final
round began on May 16th with these stand-
ings: Reshevsky and Simonson 11, Treysman
101,6, and Fine 9Y2.
The key pairings insured an exciting finish:
Kupchik vs. Reshevsky, Simonson vs. Factor, Simonson-Factor, 1336
and Treysman vs. Fine. In their brief tourna-
ment experience the future grandmasters Fine 12 .•• Bg4!
and Reshevsky had learned how to wait. That
day they played cautiously with the Black Now White has no choice but to grab the
pieces knowing that a drawn might turn out pawn because he can no longer castle quietly
to be as useful as a win. When Kupchik de- (13 Be2 Qh4+ 14 g3 Qg5). And he has no
veloped slowly in a quiet English, Reshevsky other plan.
began to make his move on the kingside.
Meanwhile, Fine was neatly repulsing Treys- 13 Qxe4 Qh4+ 14 g3 Qg5
man's bold opening - which, if successful,
might have given him first prize. Here the threats are 15 , .. Bf3 as well as
 First U.S. Championship Tournament, New York, April 25-May 16, 1936

Totals
R S F T K 0 K K H F 0 S B H A M W 0 L Points

1. Reshcvsky X Y2 Y2 1 Y2 0 0 10 3 2 1 P/2-3Y2
2. Simonson Y2 X 1 0 Y2 Y2 Y2 0 9 4 2 11-4
3-4. Fine Y2 0 X 1 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 1/2 7 7 1 10Y2-4Y2
3-4. Treysman 0 0 0 X 1 Y2 Y2 Y2 9 3 3 10Y2-4Y2
5. Kashdan 0 0 0 X Y2 1 Y2 1 0 9 2 4 10-5
6-7. Dake 0 1/2 Y2 0 Y2 X 1 Y2 Y2 0 Yz 6 6 3 9-6
6-7. Kupchik Y2 Yz Yz Y2 0 0 X 1 Y2 1 Y2 Yz Y2 5 S 2 9-6
S. Kevitz 0 1/2 Y2 0 Y2 Yz 0 X 1 0 1 0 Yz 5 5 5 7Yz-7Y2
9. Horowitz I 0 Y2 Y2 0 Y2 1/2 0 X 1 0 Y2 0 Y2 4 6 5 7-S
10. Factor 0 Y2 0 0 0 0 1 0 X Yz 0 Y2 5 3 7 1
6 /2-SY2
11-12. Denker 0 0 Yz 0 0 0 0 0 Yz X 1 Y2 Yz 4 4 7 6-9
11-12. Steiner 0 0 0 0 0 Y2 0 0 0 X 1 Y2 5 2 8 6-9
13. Bernstein 1 0 0 Yz 0 Yz Yz 0 Y2 1 Yz 0 X Yz 0 0 2 6 7 5-10
14. Hanauer 0 0 0 0 0 Yz Y2 0 0 0 1/2 Y2 X 1 Y2 2 5 S 4Y2-10Y2
15-16. Adams 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X 1 3 0 12 3-12
15-16. Morton 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Yz Y2 Yz 0 Y2 0 X 4 10 3-12

The Reshevsky Years (1936-1942)
15 ... Rae8. Simonson makes the best of a bad
lot by entering an inferior endgame. Treysman
also had a bad endgame with Fine at this
point, while Reshevsky was on the verge of
winning material in his game. Unfortunately
for Simonson, his opponent was one of the
best Americans at consolidating a positional
advantage. There followed:
15 Qd5+ Qxd5 16 cxd5 Bf3 17 RgI Bxd5
18 Bg2 Bxg2 19 RXg2 Rae8 20 Re2 dS!
21 Kd2 Re4! 22 a4 as 23 Ra3?! b6 24 Rb3
Rf5 25 Kd3 Kf7 26 Bel? Nxd4!
And White lost the exchange (27 Rc3
Nxe2 28 Rxc7+ Re7 or 27 exd4 Rf3+) and
saw his game and chances for the title end on
the 60th move.
Reshevsky, watching this, agreed to a
draw in a position he could have won if the
point were needed, while Fine, looking ahead
to 1938, finished off Treysman and tied him
for third place. Next time Fine would play
more aggressively.
1938: Chess in Radio City
When the second championship tourna-
ment opened two years later, Fine and Re-
shevsky were no longer just promising young
players. Both had earned international laurels
that rivaled, or exceeded, Kashdan's. Fine in
particular had made a name for himself in Eu-
rope, where he lived much ofI937-1938. After
tying for third place with Reshevsky at the
great Nottingham tournament of1936, he had
finished first at Moscow, Ostend, Margate and
Stockholm in 1937 and then tied for first prize
ahead of all the world's best players at the AVRO
supertournament. Also in 1937 he had been
selected by world champion Max Euwe to be
his second in Euwe's title defense against
Alexander Alekhine - quite a tribute for a 23-
year-old.
Reshevsky had also played abroad, scor-
ing impressive results in 1937 at Kemeri and
Hastings. Kashdan, his European exploits in
the past, stuck to New York. But Kash was
.
51
clearly dominant there in the city that then
had a virtual monopoly on America's strong
players. In 1938 he won the Manhattan Chess
Club tournament again and, even more im-
pressively, crushed Simonson 4-0 in a brief
match. The three grandmasters - Fine, Re-
shevsky and Kashdan - were the prohibitive
favorites of the 1938 U.S. championship.
The tournament was worthy of the play-
ers. Organizers had rented out the Radio City
Auditorium, a neatly appointed space on the
seventh floor of the RCA Building in the glis-
tening new Rockefeller Center complex of
midtown Manhattan. From comfortable
leather chairs the 17 finalists would make
moves that were quickly translated on giant
wallboards which became the focus of atten-
tion of scores of well-dressed spectators. The
lure of seeing top-flight chess played in such
an impressive setting attracted an audience
that included Emanuel Lasker and three vet-
erans of U.S. title matches - 65-year-old John
Barry, 76-year-old Albert Hodges, and Mar-
shall- as well as newsreel cameramen, re-
porters and chess fans. "No American tourna-
ment, I think has ever aroused so much
popular enthusiasm," wrote Fred Reinfeld, the
prolific chess author who was then fighting for
an even score.
The finalists were 10 seeded players plus
seven who qualified from a confused prelimi-
nary stage marred by several withdrawals and
forfeited games. The survivors from the pre-
liminaries included Reinfeld, young Marshall
Chess Club star Anthony Santasiere, and other
youngsters such as 19-year-old Walter Sues-
man and 20-year-old George Shainswit. But
otherwise the field was pretty much the same
as had competed two years before - talented
amateurs and professionals in their 20s or 30s,
most of whom lived in New York. In fact 11 of
the 17 finalists had played in the big local event
of the year, the Manhattan-Marshall chess
clubs match shortly before the championship.
Reshevsky avoided the disastrous start of
his first title event two years before and soon
assumed the lead. The time limit had been
speeded up to 40 moves in two hours (a half
hour less than in 1936) and Sammy was in time
52 The United States Chess Championship
pressure almost every game. But his play was
so firm and sure that it didn't seem to matter:
In one early round Harold Morron, playing
White, was completely tied up after the open-
ing and as a result had even less time than Re-
shevsky- just seconds with 10 moves to go.
When Reshevsky delivered his 31st move-
31 ... Qe2 mate- the New Englander grabbed
his king to move it, swirled it around wildly
looking for a square and only then realized it
had none.
This year Fine stayed with Reshevsky to
the end. His score was uneven - scoring more
wins than anyone, 11, but also losing two
games. Fine managed to knock off many of
the weaker players easily while Reshevsky had
to concede four draws to them. Both men also
went through the other contenders like ma-
chines, each silencing Kashdan and Dakc. But
Fine made two slips -losses to Santasiere and
to public school teacher Milton Hanauer, who
had a horrible position at move 20 but man-
aged to turn the tahles when Fine misjudged
the endgame. One move by Fine would have
forced the win of two pawns, another would
hand over a powerful initiative. Fine miscal-
culated, overlooking a simple capture in one
key variation, and lost a valuable point in 68
moves.
The race for first place was close for much
of the way. Mter 10 rounds Fine and Reshevsky
were tied at 8Y2-IY2 while Kashdan stood at
8-1 with a bye-that is, an earlier free day
caused because there was an odd number of
finalists. But a loss to Suesman on the Black
side of a Bishop's Gambit was the beginning
of the end for Kash, who "seemed to be hand-
icapped by a lack of interest," according to
Chess Review.
In the final week, Reshevsky pulled our
ahead with a string of impressive results. Un-
like 1936 he didn't lose a game. Also, his play
was much smoother, always keeping the posi-
tion under control. His demolition of Dake,
whose business career had left him rusty, was
typical of a maturing Reshevsky. In many ways
it was the game of the tournament (see dia-
gram).
Black's bishop and stronger pawns have
given him an advantage Reshevsky has toyed
with for the last 20 moves. Lengthy maneu-
vering failed to crack Dake's defense of the a-
pawn and of the kingside, especially the key
target, White's g2. Bur now Reshevsky realizes
where his pieces will be optimally placed. His
bishop should not be on the h7-g2 diagonal,
but on e6 where it attacks the c-pawn. Then,
a frontal assault on the weak a-pawn will force
White to give ground.
After 45 Ral
Dake-Reshevsky,1938
45 ... Be6! 46 Qc1 Qf8! 47 Nb2 Qa8
White's two weak pawns cannot be pro-
tected on their current squares and Dake is
now forced to play a4. While this seems only
to enhance his game, actually it grants Re-
shevsky the big steppingstone he needs - the
b4 square. On that point he can attack both
weak pawns with a rook and build up pressure.
48 a4 Rb6! 49 Qc2 Rb4 50 Rb3 Qe4!
This powerful centralization forces White
to turn Black's blocked pawn mass into an
offensive force, Dake cannot avoid the ex-
change of queens (51 Qdl Qxf4; 51 Rcl? Qxc2
52 Rxc2 Rxb3), but worse, he cannot avoid
an exchange of rooks that will give Black his
third passed pawn.
51 Qxe4 fxe4 52 Rxb4 cxb4 53 h3 h5
54 ReI e3 55 Kfl g5!
Whether White captures his pawn or not,
Black's king will now have a path of penetra-
tion: ... Kg6-f5-e4.
 The Reshevsky Years (1936-1942)
56 Rdl cS 57 fxg5 Kg6 58 Ke2 Kxg5
59 Rfl
After 59 RfI
Dake-Reshevsky, 1938
Black's threat was ... Kf5-e4 followed by
breaking the blockade of his pawns with a
well-timed ... d3+, e.g. 59 Ral Kf5 60 Rfl+
Ke4 6! Rf6? Bxc4+ 62 Nxc4 d3+ and 63 ...
Rxa4.
59 ... Rxa4!!
One of Reshevsky's finest combination,
perhaps his best in a championship. The passed
pawns now go through.
60 h4+! Kg4! 61 Nxa4 Bxc4+ 62 Ke1
The point of White's 60th was to divert
the Black king (60 ... Kxh4?? 61 Rhl+ and
62 Nxa4 wins) and also help create a passed
pawn in this devilish variation: 62 ... Bxfl
63 Kxfl Kf5 64 Nxc5 Kxe5 65 g4! hXg4
66 h5 Kf5 67 Ke2! and White draws since
Black must go after the passed h-pawn.
62 ... d3!!
Reshevsky had to see this far when he
sacrificed his rook. He will remain the ex-
change down but the force of his passed pawns
is unlimited. The first threat, and a continu-
ing one, is 63 ... d2+, queening.
63 Rhi d2+ 64 KdI Bb3+ 65 Ke2 Bxa4
66 e6 KfS 67 e7
53
Has White found a drawing line?: 67 ...
Ke6 68 e8(Q)+! Bxe8 69 KXe3.
67 ... Ke4!
The pawns cannot be stopped and, in
fact, White is in danger of being mated when
his king is shunted to dl and Black's king ad-
vances to support ... e2+.
Mter
67 ... Ke4
Dake-Reshevsky, 1938
68 RbI Bb5+ 69 Kdl Kd4! and White re-
signs
The threat was 70 ... Kc3, but White is
almost out of moves anyway, e.g. 70 Rb2 Ba4+
or 70 Ral Kd3!
Fine's score was worthy of a first prize,
and would have been good enough to earn him
the Frank J. Marshall Championship trophy
two years before. But Reshevsky had an even
better tournament and found himself needing
only a draw in the last round once again to
take the tide.
1940: Fine's Fatal(istic} Flub
It was only the third championship but
it was already the last to bring Reuben Fine,
Sammy Reshevsky and Isaac Kashdan together.
All three would remain active during the 19405
but never again would they all be competing
in the same tide event. Eventually Kashdan
and Fine abandoned the chase and retired from
tournament chess, leaving the field to Re-
shevsky, who held it until a new generation
emerged after World War II.
 Second u.S. Championship Tournament, New York, April 2-24, 1938

Totals
R F S H K D P K B S T C H R S M S W D L Points

1. Reshevsky X V2 V2 V2 1/2 I Vi Vi 10 6 0 13-3

2. Fine V2 X Y2 1 Y2 1 o o 11 3 2 12Y2-3Y2
3. Simonson o V2 X 1 V2 Y2 Y2 0 Y2 Y2 862 11-5
4. Horowitz V2 0 o X Y2 Y2 Y2 o Y2 Y2 1 763 10-6
5. Kashdan o 0 V2 Y2 X 0 1 o Y2 o 835 9Y2-6V2
6-7. Dake o 0 Y2 0 X 1 0 Yz V2 Y2 V2 Y2 664 9-7
6-7. Polland o Vi Y2 Y2 0 0 X 1 Y2 Vz o Y2 1 664 9-7
8. Kupchik V2 0 Y2 0 o X Y2 Y2 V2 Y2 V2 o 574 8V2-7Y2
9. Bernstein Y2 0 o 0 0 Y2 Y2 Y2 X V2 Vi Y2 o 475 7Y2-8Vi
10-11. Santasiere o 1 Vi 0 0 Y2 Y2 V2 X o 0 1/2 1/2 V2 1/2 385 7-9
10-11. Treysman o 0 o 0 0 Y2 1 1/2 0 X Y2 o Vz 547 7-9
12-14. Cohen, S. V2 0 o 0 Y2 o 0 Vi o X Vi 0 Vi 457 6V2-9Vi
12-14. Hanauer o Vz 0 Vi Vi o 1/2 0 Y2 o V2 X 0 Vi 376 6Vi-9Vi
12-14. Reinfeld Yz 0 o 0 0 Y2 I/Z 0 Yz V2 Vz 1 X o Y2 376 6Y2-9Y2
15. Shainswit, C. o 0 o Vi 0 0 o Yz I/Z o Vi 0 X 1 Vz 358 W2-1DY2
16. Monon o 0 o Vi 0 0 o 0 Y2 o Y2 1/2 o X 1 349 5-11
17. Suesman W. o 0 o 0 0 000 o Y2 0 0 0 V2 o X 2 13 2-14
 The Reshevsky Years (1936-1942)
That they remained fervent competitors
for so long was a tribute to their thirst for the
championship title. There still wasn't much
financial reward in the game. The champi-
onship prize fund had not grown but in fact
had been reduced berween 1936 and 1938, and
the organizers in 1940 sought - unsuccess-
fully - to drop first prize down to $400.
(Compare this with the $600 third prize at the
Sixth American Congress more than half a cen-
tury before.)
Some players, such as Simonson, found
themselves devoting less and less time to chess
because of the chronic need for making a liv-
ing. And when, in 1938, the losing contenders
asked the tournament organizing committee
to return their $20 entry fees - since the tour-
nament had ended with slight profit on top of
total expenses of $3600- they were politely
refused. Times were hard.
Reshevsky later described the 1940 cham-
pionship as a personal duel between him and
Fine. It is true that their last-round game to-
gether was the big story of the tournament,
and determined first prize, but calling it a duel
would oversimplify. It would overlook, for ex-
ample, the strong fourth-place finish of A.S.
Pinkus, another Manhattan Chess Club regu-
lar who was returning to the game nearly a
decade after he had scored several fine suc-
cesses.
It would also ignore Kashdan's fiercest
challenge to date. The 34-year-old Brook-
Iynite, then raising a family and selling insur-
ance, developed an early lead over another
good field. After 12 rounds he still ran slightly
ahead of Reshevsky. Fine was some distance
back, having lost in the fifth round to the
super-solid Kupchik. To maintain his hopes
into the final few days Kashdan, with the White
pieces, would have to score at least a half point
his Round 13 game with Reshevsky. A victory
would virtually ice the tournament.
The two players gave a good account of
themselves to one another in a vigorous Ruy
Lopez with Kashdan building upon the king-
side while Reshevsky opened up the center.
Kashdan then exchanged minor pieces to ob-
tain his beloved rwo bishops, but Reshevsky's
55
two knights were so strong that even at the
cost of a pawn he had the better chances. Then,
after more exchanges, at move 37 there was
nothing left but queens, kings and pawns.
A second game was beginning:
Mter
37 ... Qb7
Kashdan-Reshevsky, 1940
Despite the number of pawns and their
apparent weakness, it is their nearness to the
eighth rank that counts most heavily in queen-
and-pawn endings. Here Kashdan is in desper-
ate straits because of the pregnant Black d-
pawn. For example, 38 Qc3 Qa8! 39 b4
permits Black to push his pawn home with
39 .,. Qa2+ and 40 ... Qc2. White needs co un-
terplay, and in this kind of ending that can come
from creating your own passed pawn - roo late
here - or from perpetual check.
38 Qd8+! Kg7 39 g5! f5
The perpetual was there after 39 ... fXg5
40 Qxg5+ KfS 41 Qd8+. But now the posi-
tion of White's own king would kill his chances
after, say, 40 Qf6+ Kg8 41 g6 d2! 42 gxf7+
Qxf7 43 Qd8+ Kh7 44 Qh4+ Kg7!
45 Qg3+ Qg6! White was nothing useful to
do now but wait and hope that Black misplaces
his queen.
40 Kf2 Qxb2+ 41 Kg3 Qb7 42 Kf2! Kh7
43 h4?
After denying Black all the natural win-
ning tries (42 ... d2 43 Ke2; 42 ... Qb2+
43 Kg3 Qe2 44 Qf6+) White gets sloppy.
With 43 Qf6 the position is likely to be drawn.
56 The United States Chess Championship
43 ... f4!
Again, the number of pawns doesn't count
as much as their proximity to a queening
square. Black's move threatens 44 ... Qb2+
now that g3 is covered and the move other-
wise forces the creation of two passed pawns.
The only criticism of 43 ... f4 is that Black
would also have excellent winning chances
with the immediate 43 '" Qb2+ 44 Kg3 Qe2
45 g6+ Kg7!!. There followed:
44 exf4 d2 45 Ke2 e3 46 Qf6 Kg8
47 Qd8+ Kh7 48 Qf6 Qc7!
... after which Black threatens to check
at c4 and queen. He might have been able to
promote under similar circumstances but with
the queen at c4 Black will also protect f7
against perpetual check attempts. White has
one last chance.
49 g6+! fxg6 50 h5!
This fine move secures a draw (50
gxh5 51 Qf5+) even though Black may get a
second queen. One remarkable line that might
have worked was 50 d5 (closing the diagonal
that leads to f7) Qc4+ 51 Kxe3 and now Black
avoids checks and wins all the pawns with
51 ... d1(N)+! 52 Kd2 Qxd5+ 53 Kel Nb2!
54 Qxb2 Qhl+.
50 ... Qc4+ 51 Kxe3 dl(Q) 52 Qe7 +
After 52 Qe7+
Kashdan-Reshevsky, 1940
Now the significance of 50 h5 is revealed.
After 52 ... KgB White can draw with
53 QeB+ Kg7 54 Qe7+ Qf7 55 h6+!, e.g.
55 ... KgB 56 h7+! Qxh7 57 QeB+ followed
by interminable checks at e7, g5, h6 or some-
where on the eighth rank.
52 ... Kh6! 53 Qg5+ Kg7 54 Qxg6+??
A terrible slip for White after such a re-
sourceful defense. As soon as the game was
over Reshevsky pointed out 54 Qe7 + Qf7
55 h6+!, which leads to the drawing line men-
tioned above.
54 ..• Kf8 55 Qd6+ Ke8! and White resigns
Black's king walks to the queens ide and
safety. Kashdan was badly unnerved by this
last-minute reversal. He lost the next day to a
brilliant Weaver Adams attack. Having led the
tournament for two thirds of the way, Kash
finally ended up two and a half points behind
the winner.
But there was still Fine. He had overcome
the Kupchik loss to pile up 10 wins and four
draws - a score comparable to his 193B finish.
Reshevsky, who had shaken off an early illness,
had rolled up a score oflO wins and five draws.
And Sammy had not lost a game in a cham-
pionship since the fourth round in 1936. All
he had to do to earn his third ti de was get by
Fine on the final day.
C59 Two Knights Defense
white Fine, black Reshevsky
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4! Nf6 4 Ng5 d5
5 exd5 Na5 6 Bb5+ c6 7 dxc6 bXc6 8 Be2
h6 9 Nf3 e4 10 Ne5 Bd6 11 f4
Fine began with a good - psychologically
good - choice of opening: His opponent
needed only a draw. But in this 4 Ng5 varia-
tion Black is virtually forced to sacrifice a
pawn, and this places Reshevsky in the un-
comfortable situation of having to play for
sharp positions when he would prefer quieter
ones. Also, he must do so in unfamiliar wa-
ters.
 The Reshevsky Years (1936-1942)
The recommended line, which leads to a
rough equality, is 11 ... 0-0 which permits
Black to regain his pawn after 12 N c3 ReB
13 0-0 BXeS 14 fXeS Qd4+ and 15 ... QxeS.
In the line played, however, White doesn't
have to spend a tempo on the somewhat use-
less Khl move.
11 •.• Qe7? 12 0-0 0-0 13 Nc3 BXeS 14 fXeS
QxeS 15 d4! exd3 16 Qxd3
Here White is a bit better developed than
in the line cited above and has excellent
prospects in the form of the two bishops and
superior pawn structure. Black's QN is out of
play but his other pieces are temporarily ac-
tive. Reshevsky tries to make the most of the
latter while Fine goes after the former.
16 ... Ng4
After
16 .•. Ng4
Fine-Reshevsky, 1940
17 Bf4?!
Now the psychology begins to work against
Fine. He sees that 17 Bxg4 Bxg4 18 Bf4 QcS+
19 Khl would give him excellent winning
chances. But the exchange of pieces also cre-
ates the possibility of an endgame with bish-
ops of opposite color - a likely draw. To avoid
that, and meet the threat of17 ... Qxh2 mate,
he makes a promising but unnecessary ex-
change sacrifice.
17 ... Qe5+ 18 Khl Nf2+ 19 Rxf2 Qxf2
20 Rfl Qh4
57
The Black queen would be too far away
from the center of action if it retreated to the
queenside (20 ... Qb6 21 Qg3!, threatening
both 22 Bc7 and 22 Bxh6).
21 Qd6! Bg4?
This brings Reshevsky to the brink of de-
feat. The tournament site was once again the
Astor Hotel grill and many of the dozens of
spectators there realized after White's next
move that the defending champion had erred.
22 Ba6!
The Black bishop is needed at e6 to help
the knight back to civilization The threat of
23 b4 or a queen attack on the knight costs
Black time. Fine plays skillfully on both wings:
22 ... BeS 23 Bd3! Be6 24 Qb4 Qh5
25 Bc7! Nc4
This could almost be called desperation.
The knight has been encircled and only tac-
tics can rescue it. According to witnesses, Re-
shevsky was in tears as he considered the hope-
lessness of the situation. Reinfeld, his good
friend, called it the most miserable moment in
Sammy's life.
26 Bxc4 Qh4
Mter
26 ... Qh4
Fine-Reshevsky, 1940
Now 27 Rf4 will win Fine a United States
championship. Black may get some counter-
play from 27 ... QgS 28 BXe6 fxe6 but Fine
 Third U.S. Championship, New York, April 27-May 19,1940

Totals
R F K P S K D B P R S A S G H W L W D L Points

1. Reshevsky X Y2 Y2 1/2 Y2 Yz Y2 1 10 6 o 13-3

2. Fine Y2 X Y2 Y2 o Y2 Y2 1 10 5 1 12Y2-3Y2
3. Kashdan o Y2 X Y2 1 Y2 liz liz 0 liz Y2 7 7 2 10Y2-5Yz
• 4-5. Pinkus, A. o liz 1/2 X 1 1/2 0 liz Yz Yz liz Y2 6 8 2 10-6
4-5. Simonson Y2 0 o 0 X 1 Y2 0 Y2 liz 1 8 4 4 10-6
6-7. Kupchik o o Y2 0 X liz Yz Y2 liz Y2 1 Yz 6 7 3 9Y2-6Yz
6-7. Denker o Yz o Y2 Y2 X 1 o Y2 0 1 Y2 7 5 4 9l1z-6l1z
8-11. Bernstein o 0 Y2 Y2 Y2 0 X 1 Yz Yz 0 0 o 5 5 6 7 1/2-8Y2
8-11. Polland o Y2 Yl liz 0 Y2 0 X 1 Y2 Yz 0 1 o Y2 4 7 5 7Y2-8Yz
8-11. Reinfeld Y2 0 Yz Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 Yz o X Yz liz Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 13 2 7Y2-8Y2
8-11. Shainswit Y2 0 o 0 Y2 Y2 liz Y2 Yz X liz liz Y2 liz Y2 2 11 3 7Yz-8Y2
12-13. Adams o 0 1 Yz 0 o 0 o Y2 Y2 X 0 Y2 1 5 4 7 7-9
12-13. Seidman Y2 0 000 o 0 !f2 Y2 Yz 1 X Y2 Y2 4 6 6 7-9
14-15. Green, M. Y2 0 Y2 Y2 0 000 Y2 Y2 0 liz X Y2 Y2 2 8 6 6-10
14-15. Hanauer o 0 000 liz 1/2 1 o liz liz liz 1/2 Y2 X Yz 2 8 6 6-10
16. Woliston, P. o 0 000 000 Yz 0 0 0 0 liz X 1 2 2 12 3-13
17. Littman, G. o 0 0 0 000 ~ 0 liz 0 0 liz o o X o 12 2-14
1/2
'*
 The Reshevsky Years (1936-1942)
had consolidated much more difficult positions
in his career. However, Fine sees a more in-
tricate winning try, involving three forcing
moves followed by an apparent killer. After
weighing the two alternatives, he decides
against 27 Rf4!.
27 Bf4??
"A miracle happened." - Reshevsky.
"I must confess that I was overcome by
the fantastic feeling that nothing could possi-
bly win for me." - Fine.
27 ... Bxc4 28 Qxc4 g5 29 g3 Qg4
All foreseen by Fine. Now he intended
the knockout blow, 30 Ne4. which threatens
31 Nf6+ and relieves the pin on the fourth
rank. That would permit White to keep his
two minor pieces for a rook under circum-
stances more favorable than after 27 Rf4,
but. ..
30 Qxc6
... before he could play 30 Ne4, Fine saw
to his horror that Black has 30 ... Qe6!! as an
answer. After 31 Qxe6 fxe6. for example, there
is a new pin, this time on the f-file. And on
31 Qd4 Black plays 31 ... fS! 32 NcS Qe2
33 Rf2 Qel+ 34 Kg2 gxf4. Fine had miscal-
culated. The win was gone:
30 ... gxf4 31 Rxf4 Qe6 32 Qf3 f5!
33 Qd5 Rae8 34 Kg2 Qxd5+ 35 Nxd5
Re2+ 36 Rf2 Rxf2+ 37 Kxf2 Kf7 38 e4
as 39 b3 Re8 40 a3 Re8 41 Nc3 Ke6
42 Ke3 Ke5 43 Kd3 Rb8 44 NbS Rd8+
45 Kc2 h5 46 b4 aXb4 47 aXb4 h4! 48 c5
hxg3 49 hxg3 Kd5 50 Kd3 Rg8
and the game was drawn in another dozen
moves after seven hours of play. It was enough
to discourage even Fine and he never entered
another U.S. championship when Reshevsky
was around.
59
1941: The Vagabond Match
One man who wasn't around for the third
championship was Al Horowitz - he was lucky
to be alive. In February 1940 the genial 32-
year-old publisher of Chess Review had been on
one of his periodic national exhibition [Ours
with his close friend and coeditor, Harold
Morton. One night while driving near Carroll-
ton, Iowa, their car was caught in a tragic ac-
cident. Morton was killed instantly. Horowitz
was severely injured.
Yet Horowitz quickly bounced back and
within months had resumed his duties at the
midtown Manhattan office of the magazine he
had founded seven years before. Chess Review
was never a financial success in those days-
the sales of books and sets and Horowitz' tours
were essential to keep it from bankruptcy. But
it had grown into the nation's most popular chess
magazine. Horowitz - "a super coffee house
player," according to Sidney Bernstein - had
earned a good deal of attention as a player. He
won the U.S. Open in 1936 and shared first
place in it with Kashdan two years later. Brim-
ming with confidence and rapidly regaining
his health, Horowitz decided in late 1940 that
his big chance to wrest Reshevsky's more pres-
tigious title was now. Rather than wait for the
next tournament, two years off, he challenged
Reshevsky to a match in the spring.
Reshevsky, of course, was the favorite, and
had a slight plus-score against Horowitz in pre-
vious games. But the challenger had beaten him
in the 1936 tournament and was one of a very
few Americans to have defeated Reshevsky any-
where in the previous five years. Besides a
healthy prize fund the match may have held an-
other attraction for Reshevsky: His results at
home and abroad had made him (along with
Fine) one of the half dozen likely candidates for
the world championship tide held by Alexander
Alekhine. Alekhine was known to be fleeing
from the European war zone and was reponed
to be on his way to America. It seemed likely
at the time that the only world championship
match that could be arranged until peacetime
would be Reshevsky vs. Alekhine. And Re-
shevsky had never played any kind of match.
60 The United States Chess Championship

So, Horowitz would at least be good
practice, Reshevsky's backers felt. They helped
arrange a busy match schedule which would
take the two players to seven different playing
sites for 16 games in three weeks. Considering
travel time, the match was scheduled so tightly
that often the players had to rush from one site
to another, and the event, as Reshevsky later
said, "became a matter of endurance rather
than chess generalship."
The first game was held at the penthouse
home of Maurice Werrheim, a wealthy in-
vestment banker and publisher of the liberal
monthly, The Nation. Wertheim had just been
elected president of the Manhattan Chess Club
and he invited most of the city's leading play-
ers and several visitors to his spacious apart-
ment to see the first championship match game
since 1923. More than 150 players - including
the 1923 combatants, Marshall and Edward
Lasker - turned out to see a hardfought Queen's
Gambit, the opening Reshevsky chose when-
ever he had the chance.
The first game was drawn, as were the next
three, played at the Marshall and Manhattan
clubs. But Reshevsky drew first blood when
the challenger botched a King's Indian De-
fense in the fifth game. The match moved on
to Philadelphia, then Lakewood, N.J., Bing-
hampton, N.Y., and Washington, D.C. All
games were drawn except the ninth, when
Horowitz hung a pawn in a different position
and was ground down in 82 moves.
At that point the champion enjoyed a 2-0
lead with only six games left. Horowitz con-
tinued to play 1 P-K4 but made little progress
in a variety of Sicilian Defenses and Ruy
Lopez's. To keep up with the schedule the
players had to have a game virtually every day
and the strain was beginning to be apparent
on both players. For the 11th game the two
weary opponents made their way back to New
York's Staten Island.
018 Queen's Gambit Declined
white Reshevsky, black Horowitz
1 d4 dS 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 Nf6 4 Nc3 dxc4
5 a4 Bf5 6 e3 e6 7 Bxc4 Nbd7 8 0-0 Be7
9 h3?! 0-0 10 Bd3?! Bxd3 11 Qxd3 Qc7
12 e4
Despite appearances, White's quiet treat-
ment of this then-popular opening has left him
with no advantage and, in fact, he faces the
danger of losing the initiative after ... e5.
12 ... e5 13 Bg5 Rad8!
Now White's queen is misplaced because
of the imminent opening of the d-file and his
failure to reinforce d4 with 13 Be3. So far, the
champion looks out of form.
14 Qe2?! exd4 15 Nxd4 Rfe8 16 Qc2
Mter 16 Qc2
Reshevsky-Horowitz. 1941
This last move was prompted by threats
to the e-pawn ( ... Bb4xc3) and by Reshevsky's
realization that his misplaced queen was again
lined up against an enemy rook. Now with
16 ... Ng4!, threatening mate as well as ...
Bxg5, Horowitz could have seized the initia-
tive and made the match a fight. But this is
exactly when he seemed to go to sleep.
16 ... Bd6? 17 Radl h6? 18 Bh4 Be5?!
19 Nde2 Nf8 20 Rxd8! Qxd8 21 f4! Bd4+
22 Nxd4 Qxd4+ 23 Bfl Qb4
In just a few moves it is White, not Black,
who now holds the bishop-vs.-knight and bet-
ter control of the center. Moreover, Reshevsky
has a direct winning plan - the advance of his
center pawns. His opponent was already get-
ting into time pressure: The game was being

.
 The Reshevsky Years (1936-1942)
played at the home of bookseller Albrecht
Buschke and had been delayed from its late-
evening starting time when Reshevsky showed
up late. The time limit was adjusted to 32
moves in two hours rather than 40 in 2Y2, and
Horowitz simply forgot that he had only five
minutes left for the next nine moves.
24 e5! Nd5 25 Ne4! Ne6 26 g3 Nd4
27 Qd3 NfS 28 b3 g6 29 ReS QaS 30 g4!
Ng7 31 Rd6 Qb6+ 32 Khl as
After
32 ... as
Reshevsky-Horowitz, 1941
With seconds to spare, Horowitz avoided
32 ... Ne6 because of the complications fol-
lowing 33 f5 N6f4. Actually White would
then have had a forced win with 34 fxg6! be-
cause 34 ... Nxd3 loses outright to 35 gxf7 +
and 34 ... fxg6 35 Nf6+ KhS 36 Qe4 or
34 ... Nxg6 35 Qf3 only prolong the pain.
Here the same was adjourned, at 1:45
A.M., and the hosts invited the players and
some 50 other guests, including Frank Mar-
shall and Albert Hodges, to a post-midnight
buffet supper. After a brief interlude Horowitz
and Reshevsky, longtime friends, agreed to
finish off the game that night. And so it was
resumed at 3:30 A.M. 0)
33 fS! gxfS 34 gxfS Kh8 35 e6! f6 36 RcS
Qa6 37 Qf3 Rg8 38 Rgl Ne8 39 Qh5
Rxg1+ 40 Kxgl Ng7 41 Qxh6+ Kg8
Here Reshevsky thought for a while and
played 42 BfS! which threatens mate. The
bishop cannot be taken because of 43 QhS+
Ke7 44 Qxg7+ and mates. Horowitz consid-
61
ered 42 ... Nxf5 43 Qg6+ and other lines for
ten minutes, then tapped the table, smiled and
said "Very pretty, Sammy. I resign." It was 5
A.M. The match referee left the playing site ~
and found his car had been stolen.
Yet the match had to go on because the
players had committed themselves to 16 games
regardless of the scores. So on virtually no sleep
they dragged themselves that afternoon to
Woodside, Queens, for the 12th game - and
it turned out to be even more of a marathon
than the 11th. A careless blunder in a king-
and-pawn endgame threw away Horowitz'
only winning position in the match and he had
to try to win a queen ending that finally ended
after 99 moves and more than 10 hours. A
draw.
Although the two men had to be off on
the noon train for Hazleton, Pennsylvania, and
game 13, the last four games were anticlimaxes.
Reshevsky deflected all complications and the
match ended 3-0, with 13 draws, in his favor.
And three weeks later, he got married.
May 4-May 29, 1941
R. Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 I V2 '/2 V2 I Y2 I V2 V2 1/2 V2 V2 =9V2
H. Y2 Y2 Y2 V20 V2 V2 V2 0 V20 V2 V2 V2 V2 Y2 =6V2
1942: Chess at war
The most controversial championship of
the generation began April 10, 1942, just five
months after Pearl Harbor. Other countries
had known wartime conditions and more than
once had seen international tournaments can-
celed because of the arrival of advancing troops.
But this was entirely new to America and there
was doubt at first that there would be a U.S.
championship for several years.
The United States Chess Federation, then
just three years old, had become the official
organizing body of the national tournament
and in January its top officers sent out an an-
nouncement canceling the championship set
for the spring of 1942. "The United States
Government has issued a call for an all-out
struggle in a war which has been thrust upon
us," the Federation declared. "Our way of life
is in great peril ... [and] the present time is not
62 The United States Chess Championship
propitious for holding a championship tour-
nament. "
The USCF did hold out hope for a big
"Victory Tournament" some time after the war,
but this did little to mollify the players and
chess fans. Horowitz editorialized against the
cancellation in his magazine, pointing out that
Washington had encouraged the continuation
of professional sports and that other nations at
war - such as Great Britain - had continued
the traditions of chess despite the fighting. De-
priving the public of their forms of entertain-
ment is not a good way to build morale, Horo-
witz, and others, argued.
Under such pressure, the USCF relented.
The nation's top players agreed to forego ap-
pearance fees and guarantees of prize money
that they had come to expect, and agreed to
play for modest prizes. Nevertheless, it was a
weaker tournament than had been hoped. hne
was working for the government in Washing-
ton and Simonson was already in uniform.
Dake and Bernstein, among others, were un-
available, and in fact, there were only seven
true contenders when play began at the Hotel
Astor - Reshevsky, Kashdan, Denker, Steiner,
Pinkus, Horowitz and 21-year-old Herbert
Seidman, the newest star of the Marshall Chess
Club.
Once again the tournament turned out
to be a race between two grandmasters. Re-
shevsky and Kashdan ran over the field, tak-
ing virtually every game, including wins over
the third and fourth-place finishers, Denker
and Pinkus. The leaders began furiously, scor-
ing 8Yl out of their first nine games, and held
a joint two-point lead over the field with five
rounds to go. Bur even this remarkable pair of
streaks did not escape controversy:
In the sixth round Denker was also
among the leaders with 4Y2-Yl and faced
Reshevsky with the Black pieces. The cham-
pion pressed an opening advantage into a
heavy-piece endgame as both players began
to run short of time. On the 37th move
Denker managed to exchange queens but be-
cause each side had only seconds left the moves
came crashing down as if they were mating
sacrifices.
After
44 ••. g5+
Reshevsky-Denker, 1942
What Denker called "the maddest time
scramble in which I have ever participated"
had only one move to go before the time con-
trol. Reshevsky played:
45 Kg3?
... which throws away the only winning
chance he had left, 45 Rxg5.
45 ... Rb4!
Now Black has an easy draw because his
rook is in position to check along the knight
file. And this was the last move of time con-
trol.
But here an extraordinary thing hap-
pened: The tournament director, L. Walter
Stephens, was standing behind the board and
could not see the clock directly. He picked it
up, turned it around and examined the faces.
Reshevsky's side showed a few seconds past 12
because its clock had been set in motion when
Denker made his 45th move. Denker's side
still had a few seconds left.
But in turning the clock around,
Stephens - vice president of the USCF and a
high school teacher - made an incredible error.
Denker forfeits, he announced. Spectators
stunned by this began grabbing at the clock to
get a look and it was passed back and forth.
Denker shouted for attention, arguments en-
sued and, according to Kashdan, "a near riot"
was breaking out.
Finally a semblance of calm was reached
and several witnesses pointed our to Stephens

The Reshevsky Years (1936-1942)
what he had done in turning the clock around:
It was Reshevsky's side, not Denker's, that had
exhausted the extra time. But Stephens would
not change his mind. "Does Kenesaw Moun-
tain Landis ever reverse himself?" he asked.
And anyone familiar with the then-commis-
sioner of baseball knew the answer. "No."
The decision stuck and Denker never re-
covered. As the tournament continued Re-
shevsky opened up a lead over Kashdan when
the latter overlooked a brilliant queen sacrifice
by Steiner. But the next day, against a rank
outsider - Herman Halhbohm of Chicago -
Reshevsky could not win against a King's
Gambit. Drawing with the player who finishes
dead last is almost always costly and within
two days the champion added another error.
After 92 Qf5
Pilnick-Reshevsky, 1942
White was Carl Pilnick, the 19-year-old star
of City College who was playing in his first
championship. He had been playing for per-
petual check for more than 50 moves but the
game is just about over. His last hope was a
trap.
92 ... g4?? 93 Qf2!!
A shocking, as well as embarrassing, re-
versal for the champion. He must acquiesce to
the stalemate after 93 ... Qxf2(Reshevsky
would fall into a similar, but more intricate
stalemate trap in a championship 22 years later
against another City College graduate, Larry
Evans}.
But by the last round it was Reshevsky at
12-2 and Kashdan at llY2-2Y2. Kashdan had
.
63
an easy opponent, the accomplished writer and
collector of chess trivia, Irving Chernev. Re-
shevsky had to meet Horowitz, who had been
a tough competitor a year before and was hav-
ing one of his best championships. After Kash-
dan won surehandedly he sat down to watch
Reshevsky. Horowitz outplayed the champ and
adjourned two pawns up:
After
45 ... Bf5
Reshevsky-Horowitz, 1942
"It looks all over to the spectators," Kashdan
later recalled, "but opposite colored bishops
and Reshevsky's better placed king offer draw-
ing chances. I refuse congratulations, wonder-
ing what it will be like to be champion .... It
has been three long weeks. I am thinking back
to 1934 when I challenged Frank]. Marshall
to a match for the American championship
and the number of times I have tried for the
title since. This is my best. Just a few good
moves, friend Horowitz .... "
Friend Horowitz made good use of his
extra pawn in the next dozen difficult moves:
46 Rg8 Kh7 47 Rf8 Be6 48 Be7 Rd2
49 Kc5 b4! 50 Ra8 Rd3 51 Kxb4 Rxd4+
52 Kc5 Rd3 53 b4 Ra3 54 Kb6 d4 55 b5
Rb3 56 Rxa6 d3 57 Ka5 d2 58 Rd6
"Things go along very nicely," Kashdan
was thinking. "Horowitz now has a passed
pawn on d2. It's all over. .. "
58 ... Bc4??
"No, wait. The White pawn on b5
threatens to sneak in." (The win was 58 ...
 Fourth U.S. Championship, New York, April 10-30, 1942

Totals
K R D P 5 H S L L C P B L A G H W D L Points

1-2. Kashdan X Yz 0 Yz Vz 11 3 12Vz-2Vz

1-2. Reshevsky Vz X 1 Vz Vz Vz Vz 10 5 0 12Vz-2Vz
3-4. Denker 0 0 X 1 Yz Vz 0 Ih 9 3 3 10 Yz-4Yz
3-4. Pinkus 0 0 0 X V2 1 0 10 1 4 10Vz-4V2
5. Steiner 0 Vz Yz X 1 1 0 0 Vz Vz 8 4 3 10-5
6. Horowitz 0 Vz Vz 0 0 X 1 1 Vz Vz Vz Vz 6 6 3 9-6
7. Seidman 0 0 0 0 0 0 X 1 0 Vz 1/2 6 2 7 7-8
8-9. Levin,]. Vz 0 1 0 1 0 0 X 0 Vz 1 Vz Vz Vz V2 Vz 3 7 5 6Vz-8Vz
8-9. Levy, L. 0 0 0 0 0 Vz 1 X Vz 0 Vz 0 5 3 7 6Vz-8Vz
10-11. Chernev 0 0 0 0 0 Vz 0 VZ I/Z X Vz 1 0 4 4 7 6-9
10-11. Pilnick, C. 0 Vz Vz 0 1 0 0 0 Yz X 0 0 Vz 4 4 7 6-9
12-13. Baker. H. 0 0 0 0 Vz 0 V2 Vz 0 X Yz Vz 1/2 Vz 2 7 6 5Vz-9Vz
12-13. Lessing, N. Vz 0 0 0 0 Vz 0 Vz 0 Vz X 0 Vz 3 5 7 5¥z-9Vz
14-16. Altman, B. 0 0 0 0 I/Z 0 Vz Vz 0 0 0 Vz 1 X 1 0 2 4 9 4-11
14-16. Green 0 Vz 0 0 0 0 Vz Vz 0 0 1 Vz 0 0 X 1 2 4 9 4-11
14-16. Hahlbohm, H. 0 Yz 0 0 Vz 0 0 Vz 0 0 Vz Vz Vz 1 0 X 6 8 4-11

(Green withdrew and forfeited seven games.)


The Reshevsky Years {1936-1942}
Ra3+ 59 Kb4 Ra7! and 60 ... Rd7!, getting
behind the pawn, e.g. 60 Rxd2 RXe7 61 b6
Kg6. Or 58 ... Ra3+ 59 Kb6 - blocking
\Vhite's own pawn - Ra2 and ... Bg4.)
59 Rxd2 Rxb5+ 60 Ka4 Rb7 61 Bd8
The exchange of pawns leaves Black with
only the slim possibility of a successful sacrifice
of his rook for a bishop that would free his re-
maining pawns. The game ended with:
61 •.. Kg6 62 Rd4 Be6 63 Ka5 Rb8
64 Be7 Re8 65 Bds Rxd8 66 Rxd8 KXg5
67 Kb4 Kf4 68 Kc3 g5 69 Kd2 g4 70 Ke2
g3 71 Rd4+! Ke5 72 Rh4 Drawn (72 ... Bd5
73 Rg4 g2 74 Kf2 sets up an impregnable
blockade).
It was another Reshevsky last-round mir-
acle, and it established co-champions for the
first time in American hisrory. A playoff was
inevitable.
It was called a playoff but was in effect a
14-game match for the tirle, much like the
Horowitz challenge. The contest began in Oc-
tober and was ro be held at U.S. Army camps
for the benefit of the troops - Fort Jay on
Governor's Island in New York Harbor, then
Plattsburgh Barracks in upstate New York and
so on. Fortunately, the pace was more relaxed
than in the 1941 match and the result was su-
perb fighting chess.
The big surprise came in Game 2. Re-
shevsky had not lost in 74 straight U.S. title
games and he added ro the streak in the first
round with a difficult victory with White. The
champion had ro think for an hour over his
tenth move in Kashdan's Gruenfeld Defense
and didn't look happy. But the tide began to
turn in the early middlegame and a bold Kash-
dan counterattack (with moves like ... g5 and
... f5-4) failed. Kashdan's kings ide proved
more vulnerable than Reshevsky's and the
match stood 1-0 in favor of the champion.
But in the second game, held at a service
club in Camp Upton, Yaphank, N.Y., Re-
shevsky's luck ran out. While a theatrical show
was going on a few steps away and a noisy
.
65
dance was held in an adjacent hall, the cham-
pion ran into feverish time trouble. He had
less than five minutes ro make 20 moves and
then barely 30 seconds for six moves. His po-
sition deteriorated rapidly and he resigned just
after making the time control.
The match went back and forth, with Re-
shevsky retaking the lead on Lake Champlain
in Game Three and Kashdan evening it in
Game Four. When the match returned to New
York City for the fifth game, some 200 fans
crowded into the Marshall Chess Club - the
largest crowd ever assembled there - to see Re-
shevsky take the lead he never relinquished:
E29 Nimzo-Indian Defense
white Reshevsky, black Kashdan
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 c6 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 a3 Bxc3+
5 bxc3 c5 6 e3 0-0 7 Bd3 Ne6 8 Nf3 d6
9 Qc2 e5 10 d5 Ne7 11 0-0 Kh8?!
After giving away one of his cherished
bishops Kashdan begins to play passively. He
wants to advance ... f5 but that would be met
by a vigorous opening of the center with e3-
e4. So, he adopts another strategy, exchanging
off one of the enemy bishops in the hope that
White will be left with a bad, pawn-bound
QB.
12 Ne!! NeB 13 f4! exf4 14 exf4 g6 15 Nf3
BfS 16 Bxf5 NxfS 17 g4 Nh6
After
17 ... Nh6
Reshevsky-Kashdan, 1942
This is the positional crisis of the game.
White cannot play 18 g5? Nf5 without
66 The United States Chess Championship

obtaining a bad game. He has only one con-
sistent move and that is the sacrifice of a pawn
with IB f5!. On 18 Qg2, for example, Black
seals the position with IB ... f5!
18 f5! Nxg4
Black must accept the sacrifice because
IB ... NgB would permit White to activate his
bishop favorably at g5 or f4.
19 h3! Ne5 20 Nxe5 dxe5 21 Bh6 Rg8
22 f6!
Nicely played. Black cannot accept the
second pawn because of 23 Bg5. Kashdan must
play very accurately now to meet the coming
swarm of White pieces.
22 ... g5 23 Qf5! Rg6 24 Bf8 Nd6?!
25 Bg7 + Kg8 26 Qxe5
Black could have taken the f-pawn on
move 24 but, more important, he could safely
have grabbed c-pawn now. Fine claims a de-
fensible position for Black after 24 ... Nxf6
25 Qxe5 QXfB 26 Rxf6 Rxf6 27 Qxf6+ Qg7
or, in the diagram, 26 ... Nxc4 27 Qe2 Nd6
2B Rael NeB. Kashdan's passive policy leads
him into a totally helpless bind in which
White can mate even without a queen.
27 Rael h5?
Once again a knight move (27 ... NeB!)
was necessary.
2B Qe7!
Black cannot avoid the endgame that fol-
lows, an endgame in which White's rooks run
all over the kingside. Black must agree to open
lines there with ... g4 because otherwise his
rook is stalemated on gG.
The rest is relatively easy:

28 ... Qxe7 29 Rxe7 Rd8 30 Rfel Kh7

31 Kg2 g4 32 Rle5! gxh3+ 33 Kxh3 Rgl
After 26 Qxe5
34 Rxh5+ Kg6 35 R7e5 Rh1+ 36 Kg4 Ne4?
37 Rxhl Nf2+ 38 Kf4! and Black resigns

Black saw 3B ... Nxhl 39 Rg5+ Kh7

40 Rh5+ Kg6 41 Rh6 mate. The rest of the
match was also easy. Reshevsky continued to
Reshevsky-Kashdan, 1942 win with White and held the draw as Black.
He finished out with three more wins and
26 .•• Qd7? three draws and the match 7h-3Y2.

..
 Courtesy of the John G. White Collection. Cleveland Public Library

Above: Paul Morphy (seated, table

right) makes move in finals match
of First American Chess Congress,
New York 1857, against Louis
Paulsen, surrounded by New York
fans.

Right: Capt. George Henry

Mackenzie, recognized as cham-
pion from the Second American
Chess Congress (Cleveland 1871)
until his death in 1891.

Courtesy of the John G. White

Colkction. Ckveland Public Library
 Court"yofMarshall Archives

Two champions - Albert

Beauragard Hodges (left) and
Frank Marshall- enjoy a casual
game in New York before an
unidentified sculptor, circa
1920. Hodges retired after win-
ning the title in 1894 but was a
frequent guest at the first
championship tournaments,
begun after Marshall retired in
1936. Note Hodges' signature
and good-humored comment at
left.
 Cour",y of fht John G. White Collution, Clevel4nd Public Library

Harry Nelson Pillsbury, twice champion in match victories over Jackson Showalter (1897, 1898). He
held the title until his death in 1906 at age 33.
Courtesy of th< Russ<1I Collection.

Reuben Fine (left) and

LA. (''AI'') Horowitz
post-mortem their
drawn game from the
1944 championship, in
which they finished
second and third
respectively to Arnold
Denker. It was Fine's
last try for the title and
the closest Horowitz
ever came to it.
Courtesy of the u.s. Chess Fderation Courtesy of the Marshall Archives

Courtesy ofthe RUSiell Collection

Top left: Two generations, that of the 19305 and '405 represented by AI Horowitz (second from left)
and of the 1950s-60s, represented by Arthur Bisguier and Larry Evans (right)- joined by the man
who won the title in 1936 and again in 1981, Sammy Reshevsky. Top right: Bobby Fischer, 14, ana-
lyzing a Queen's Gambit Declined in his Brooklyn home shortly after winning the championship
for the first time in January 1958. Bottom: Four veterans of the postwar era: Champion Larry Evans
(front left) chats with his successor, Arthur Bisguier, during a round of the 1958-59 championship,
one of 10 they each played in. James T. Sherwin (upper left), a contestant in eight championship
tournaments, and Edmar Mednis (upper right), a contestant in 11, are deep in thought.
Courtesy ofJohn G. White Collection, Cleveland Public Library Courtesy ofDon Schultz

Couru,y ofDon Schultz Courtesy of Don Schultz

Cwckwise from top left: Lubomir ("Lubosh") Kavalek, only winner of both the Czech championship,
and, after becoming a naturalized citizen, the U.S.; he shared first place twice (1971-72 and 1973)
and was clear winner in 1978. Lanky Californian Larry Christiansen, a contender for the top prize
from 1977 on and co-champion in 1980 and 1983, shown in a characteristic middlegame pose. Joel
Benjamin shared the record (with Pal Benko) for most consecutive championships played in -14
from 1981 to 1995 - and shared the title in 1987. Yasser Seirawan, America's leading player in the
19805, registered a plus score in nine championships, even more than Fischer.
 ..
Cour",y Wolf Peter Web" (c)

Courtesy of Don Schultz

Above: The decisive last-round game

of the 1990 championship saw John
Fedorowicz (left) outplay surprise
tournament leader Alex Sherzer in
time pressure.

Right: Alex Yermolinsky dominated

large Swiss System tournaments in the
early 1990s and shared the champion-
ship title with ahother former Soviet
GM, Alex Shabalov, in 1993.
 Courtesy ofDon Schultz

Above: With the help of the

demonstration board assistant
A.J. Steigman, fans in Key
West, Florida, followed play in
the 1994 championship, such as
in this first-round encounter
between Alexander Ivanov (left)
and Boris Kreiman.

Right: Walter Browne, a cham-

pionship contender for more
than 20 years (1973-95), won
the tournament six times.

Courtesy Ckv~/anJ Public Library Photograph Colkctio"


Chapter Seven
The Post-War Years
(1944-1954)
By the time the fifth championship ar-
rived, the face of American chess had been al-
tered considerably. Several of the top players
were either in uniform or committed to jobs
that left little time for chess. Moreover, the
class of players that was so young in 1936 was
now advancing into middle age and many were
no longer so eager to give the time and energy
necessary to compete.
The result was five championship tour-
naments that could safely be said to be among
the weakest held since the 1870s. Only one or
two players of true grandmaster strength com-
peted for the top prize each year and, at the
other end of the score table, there were often a
half dozen players who would never have sur-
vived the preliminary eliminations of the
1930s. (Compare this with the 1990s when vir-
tually every player invited to the tournament
carried the International Grandmaster title and
at least 15 other GMs would have accepted if
their rating were only high enough.) Reshevsky
was studying for his examinations to become
a certified public accountant and passed up the
1944 tournament. He played (and won, of
course) two years later but again failed to play
in 1948. Fine played once more, in 1944, but
retired when he failed to win. Kashdan tried
in 1946 and again in 1948 and then he too gave
up on the title chase.
Some of the other contenders had also
fallen by the wayside. Dake had given up com-
petitive play in 1938 and was tempted back to
67
.
the board only by an occasional event, such as
the 1945 U.S.-U.S.S.R. radio match. Alexan-
der Kevitz, who had been touted as a coming
star in the mid-1930s, became so disappointed
by a mere even score in the 1936 championship
that he gave up chess for his pharmacy busi-
ness and didn't return to the board for nearly
ten years. Even Denker, who won the 1944
championship, resumed amateur status and
played infrequently after 1946.
It was, in short, a depleted era - too old
for the '30s generation and too soon for the
arrival of the '50s generation. Many members
of the latter group Larry Evans, Arthur Bis-
guier, George Kramer, and Robert and Don-
ald Byrne - were just reaching the top master
ranks by the end of the period. So, during the
IO years from 1944 to 1954 the U.S. title went
to five different players during five different
tournaments.
1944: Reshevsky-Iess
Nine players were seeded for the second
and last wartime tournament, but they were a
much less imposing lot than had met just two
years before. The favorite by Ear was Fine, with
Steiner, Horowitz, Denker and Pinkus given
only a distant chance of upsetting him. Kash-
dan would have been a more serious rival to
Fine but at the last moment, after making plans
to play, he had to withdraw on doctor's orders.
68 The United States Chess Championship
There were also nine qualifiers but most
were barely of master strength. Only 18 men
entered the preliminaries - about a third of
the 1936 total- with the result that anyone
who scored moderately well ended up in the
national championship. One was Louis
Persinger, a violin teacher who included
Yehudi Menuhin, Isaac Stern and Ruggiero
Ricci among his students and was a member
of the Juilliard School of Music faculty.
Persinger, who was perhaps a 2000 player
by modern rating standards, eventually scored
only one draw in 17 games of the finals-
the worst championship record up to that
time. "The boards were out of tune," he ex-
plained.
As expected, the five top masters - Fine,
Steiner, Pinkus, Horowitz and Denker-
began with a string of victories and were soon
far ahead of the field. Only George Shainswit
stayed within reasonable distance - although
he finished a full three points from the lead-
ers. The initial pace was set by Denker and
Horowitz with 3-0 scores while Fine got into
trouble in the very first round and had to work
hard to save a lost position against Pinkus.
Denker then moved into sole possession of first
place when he knocked off Horowitz.
The leader was a young, good-looking
200-pound New Yorker who had once divided
his interest between chess and boxing. Years
earlier Arnold Denker had reached the quar-
ter finals of the Bronx County Golden Gloves,
a traditional local event for amateur boxers,
and had even managed a welterweight fighter
for a while. In his other game, chess, Denker
had slowly improved in U.S. title play. He
moved up from an unheralded 12th in 1936 to
equal sixth in 1940 and then a highly cred-
itable tie for third behind Kashdan and Re-
shevsky in 1942.
And now after six rounds in 1944 he held
at least a half point lead over Fine and the rest
of the field. The exact size of his lead depended
on the outcome of a drawish adjourned game
of Fine's. This made the seventh-round meet-
ing with the tournament favorite "my greatest
bid for the title," Denker recalled. But he
could afford to draw; Fine could not.
...
£43 Nimzo-Indian Defense
white Denker, black Fine
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 e3 b6
5 Bd3 Bb7 6 Nf3 Ne4 7 O-O!?
After 7 0-0
Denker-Fine, 1944
Prepared analysis? Denker was quite an
expert in the queenside openings at the time.
But, no, there was no reason to suspect this
position would arise. Fine had never before
played the Nimzo-Indian against Denker, and
the latter was all set to playa Queen's Gam-
bit Declined.
The text is a spur-of-the-moment sacri-
fice of a pawn, reminiscent of a swashbuckling
opening of another era (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6
3 Bc4 Bc5 4 c3 Nf6 5 d4 exd4 6 cxd4 Bb4+
7 Nc3 NXe4 8 a-a!?). It works superbly on
Fine. The idea of the sacrifice was interred by
analysts shortly after this game, only to be re-
vived 20 years later. The gambit is now re-
garded as unsound and Bobby Fischer, for ex-
ample, says simply that 7 ... Nxc3 8 bXc3
Bxc3 9 RbI Nc6! leaves White with little
compensation for his missing pawn.
7 ... Nxc3 S bxc3 Bxc3 9 RbI BaS? 10 Ba3
How will Black castle now? If he ma-
neuvers a knight to e7 (10 ... Nc6 11 dS Ne7)
White can play 12 NgS followed by QhS with
a tremendous attack. Fine seeks a closed pawn
shell as a refuge but Denker shows that it can
be opened quickly.
10 ••• d6 11 c5! 0-0 12 cxd6 cxd6 13 e4!
ReS 14 e5 dxe5 15 Nxc5
 The Post-War Years (1944-1954) 69

Here 16 ... Nc6 would be met by 17 Nxf7!

Kxf7 18 Rb5! with lines such as 18 ... e5
19 Qb3+ Kf6 20 f4! and 18 ... Qf6 19 Qh5+
g6 20 Qxh7 + Qg7 21 Bxg6+ Kf6 22 Qh4+.
To find these variations in any game is a real
After 15 Nxe5
treat for an attacking master, and to find them
against Reuben Fine, then counted among the
five best players in the world, was exhilirating.

17 Qa4! Qd8

Denker-Pine, 1944 "It was obvious from the way in which

Fine was squirming and twisting in his chair
At this point Denker got up from his that he did not like his position," wrote eye-
board, strolled over to Kenneth Harkness, the witness Harkness. "As time went by his face
latest coeditor of Chess Review, and summed became redder and redder as he tried to find
up his position: "Right now Fine is busted some way of extricating himself."
higher than a kite. But that doesn't mean to
say I'll win it. You know me!" 18 Rfel bS
The immediate threat is 16 Bxh7+ Kxh7
17 Qh5+ Kg8 18 Qxf7+ followed by Rb3- This bid for counterplay clears b6 for
h3+, a familiar theme that Fine must have seen Black's bishop so that it will no longer be vul-
instantly. Yet even with an advance warning nerable on a5 and will gain time by attacking
there is no easy defense. If Black covers h7 the d-pawn. Denker's sudden shift to the
with 15 ... h6 White can answer 16 Qh5 Qf6 queens ide had eroded Fine's supply of time as
17 Nxf7! because 17 ... Qxf7 is met by 18 Bg6. well as his position and Black had only 23
minutes for 22 moves now.
15 ... QgS
19 BxbS Qd5 20 f3 Bb6
The queen does a poor job of blocking
the kingside and Fine's post-mortem sugges-
tion of15 ... g6!? appears to be Black's last bid
for a defense. Both sides had their say in pub-
lished analysis afterwards. Denker said White
is still winning after 15 ... g6 16 Bb5! Qd5 17
Mter
f3. For example, he said, 17 ... Nc6 can be met 20 ... Bb6
by 18 Ng4! Qd8 19 d5 exd5 20 Bxc6 and
21 Qd4. And 17 ... Bc6 would be handled el-
egantly by 18 Ng4 Qd8 19 d5 Bxb5 20 Rxb5
a6 21 dxe6!!.
But Fine disagreed. He pointed out this
line: 16 Bb5 Qd5 17 f3 Bc6 18 Ng4 and now Denker-Pine, 1944
not Denker's 18 ... Qd8? (''Almost the worst
move on the board") but 18 ... Kg7! which 21 RcS!! BXeS 22 BXeS
forces White to fight, e.g. 19 Qc1 Bxb5
20 Qh6+ Kh8 21 Rxb5! Qxd4+! 22 Khl Fine could have resigned her but didn't
Nd7. have enough time to think about it. Besides
23 Bxe8, White's threats include 23 Bc4 and
16 g3 g6 24 Rxb7.
 Fifth U.S. Championship, New York, April 15-May 7, 1944

Totals
D F H S P S A A A D W N R S C G P W D L Points

1. Denker X 1 Yz Yz Yz 1 14 3 0 15Yz-IYz
2. Fine 0 X Yz 1 Yz Yz 13 3 1 14Yz-2Yz
3-4. Horowitz 0 I/Z X 0 Y2 13 2 2 14-3
3-4. Steiner Yz o X Yz Yz Yz 12 4 14-3
5. Pinkus 0 Yz Yz
liz X Yz Yz 1 11 5 1 13Yz-3Yz
6. Shainswit Yz o o Yz }-2 X 1 Yz 0 }-2 Yz ] Yz 7 7 3 10Yz-6Yz
7. Altman Yz o 000 o X Yz 0 1 0 1 8 2 7 9-8
8-9. Adams 0 o 000 Yz Yz X 1 o Yz o liz 6 4 7 8-9
8-9. Almgren, S. 0 o 000 1 1 o X 000 1 8 0 9 8-9
10-11. DiCamillo 0 o o 0 Yz o 0 1 X Yz Yz liz o o 1 5 4 8 7-10
10-11. Weinstock 0 o o Yz 0 Yz 1 o I }-2 X 0 0 }-2 1 o 5 4 8 7-10
12-14. Isaacs 0 o 000 Yz 0 o 0 Y2 X I Yz o 5 3 9 6}-2-10Yz
12-14. Neidich 0 }-2 000 o 0 Y2 Yz 0 X o Yz Y2 4 5 8 6Yz-I0Yz
12-14. Rothman, A. 0 o 000 o 0 o Yz liz X 1 Y2 o 5 3 9 6Yz-I0Yz
15. Stromberg 0 o 000 o 0 o 0 010 o X 1 1 5 0 12 5-12
16. Cherney 0 o 000 Yz 0 Yz 0 000 Yz o X 1 3 3 11 4Yz-12}-2
17. Gladstone 0 o 000 o 0 o 0 o 0 0 Yz o o X 1 2 1 14 2Yz-14Yz
18. Persinger 0 o 000 o 0 o 0 o 0 0 Y2 o o o o X o 1 16 Yz-16Yz
 The Post-War Years (1944-1954)
22 ... Rfs 23 Be4 Be6 24 Bxd5 Bxa4
25 BXaS
With his forfeiture flag on the tilt and 16
moves to go, Fine resigned, all but conceding
his last try at the championship. An unhappy
outcome for the strongest player who never
won the title.
There were still ten rounds to go and sev-
eral moderately strong players for Denker to
face. Nevertheless, when a player seems to be
having the tournament of his life, good luck
eases away all danger. On the day after beat-
ing Fine, the tournament leader obtained a
very bad position against Weaver Adams, who
chose a subtle fianchetto system against Denk-
er's Sicilian Defense. Denker held firm - and
offered a draw. Not once, but several times,
according to Chess Review. The pressures of
searching for the winning move eventually got
to Adams. He blundered, throwing away not
only the win he sought but also the draw.
Finally after nine straight wins, Denker
conceded a draw to Shainswit. His lead re-
mained solid, however, and no one came
within a point of his score until the very end.
His only close call came in the 12th round
when he faced Aaron Rothman, a Bronx am-
ateur. Rothman was another of the lucky
qualifiers and had been massacred earlier by
Fine in 15 moves. It reminded the loser of the
recent gangland assassination of a mob chief-
tain in the same hotel. "I suppose Fine thinks
he is keeping up the tradition," Rothman said.
But he had a big chance to redeem himself by
beating Denker:
B50 Sicilian Defense
white Rothman, black Denker
1 c4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 b4!? exb4 4 d4 d5?
5 exdS QxdS 6 c4! bxc3 7 Nxc3 QdS
S Bc4 Nf6 9 0-0 e6 10 d5! (see diagram)
Denker had confused this opening, a de-
layed form of the Wing Gambit, with the nor-
mal Wing, which begins 1 e4 c5 2 b4 cxb4
3 a3 dS! 4 exd5 Qxd5 5 Nf3 e5 and leads to
a fine game for Black. (See Shirazi-Peters, page
71
After 10 dS
Rothman-Denker, 1944
175, for a shocking example). Here, however,
Black is pinned back to the first two ranks and
in danger of not reaching a middle game.
10 ... exd5 11 Re1+?
With such a powerful position Rothman
has too many good moves. The most exact
procedure is 11 Nxd5 so that on 11 ... Nxd5
12 Bxd5 Be7 White pours on the pressure with
13 Qb3 0-0 14 Ne5 Qe8 15 ReI.
11 ... Be7 12 Ba3?
And here 12 Nxd5 was necessary to main-
tain the attack, which is still alive after 12 ...
Nxd5 13 Bxd5 0-0 14 Qb3 Nc6 but not
nearly as dangerous as in the last paragraph.
Rothman now goes quickly downhill:
12 ... Nc6 13 Qe2? dxc4! 14 Radl Bd7
15 Bxe7 Qxe7! 16 Qxc4 Be6 17 Rxe6 fxe6
IS ReI 0-0 19 Rxe6 NaS! 20 Qc2 Qe5
21 Re7 Rae8 and White resigns
Denker had finished all the tough games
by Round 15 while Fine had yet to meet Horo-
witz. When they did, the magazine publisher
nearly won, but even the draw he made was a
fatal blow to Fine's chances: Denker had
amassed an amazing score ofI4Y2-~, and was
a point and a half ahead of his nearest rival.
Such a margin permitted him to accept pain-
less draws in his last two games. And so Arnold
Sheldon Denker thus became the first man
whose name was not spelled "Reshevsky" to
72 The United States Chess Championship
take sale first prize in a modern United States
championship.
1946· Back to Normalcy
(and Controversy)
The war was over by the year of the sixth
championship, and Americans were learning
to adjust to a strange new world. Joe Louis was
still the heavyweight boxing champion and
Alexander Alekhine, a kind of heavyweight in
his own field, was also firmly on top. But nei-
ther would remain so for long. Lettuce was
selling for 10 cents a head but inflation would
soon erase all memory of low prices. National
unity, which had held so solidly during the
four war years, would be tested when President
Truman seized the railroads during a nation-
wide strike, and the wartime alliances would
be strained by disputes about what to do with
Trieste, Berlin, Korea and other trouble spots.
When they didn't want to worry about these
matters Americans went to see Alan Ladd in
0.5.5. and listened on their Phileos to the Red
Sox play the Cardinals in the World Series.
In chess it was a tumultuous year with
both a championship match and a tourna-
ment, as well as a divisive battle over how con-
tenders should be chosen. Many of the plans
and ambitions that were voiced this year had
been buried for the duration of the war but no
longer needed to be postponed. At the center
of the controversy was the United States Chess
Federation, which was only a matter of weeks
old when the fighting in Europe had begun in
1939. The USCF had been formed out of the
National Chess Federation, essentially a let-
terhead organization, which represented the
United States in Europe and organized the
championship tournaments but had little grass
roOts strength, and the Western Chess Associ-
ation (or rather its successor, the old Ameri-
can Chess Federation), which was the chief or-
ganizational network outside of New York. In
agreeing to consolidate, the two former bod-
ies said the new USCF would speak for chess
here and abroad and organize an annual U.S.
Open. No mention was made of the champi-
onship, but it was assumed that the new body:
would take full control of it.
By 1946 the USCF'S principal members
noticed a trend. The championship was no
longer attracting the strongest players. There
were a number of factors, such as the demands
of the war effort and the financial attraction of
nonchess activity. But the USCF, which was
after all a national and political organization,
cited another factor: The U.S. championship
had been dominated for too long by New
Yorkers and the New York-orientation of the
event (such as having the preliminaries held
there) tended to undermine chess west of the
Hudson.
To correct this, the USCF announced there
would be no seeded players for the sixth cham-
pionship. All interested players, even the grand-
masters, would have to compete in regional
elimination events, held around the country.
It was democratic and yet almost revolution-
ary because respect for the top masters was so
ingrained. But the new plan couldn't work.
The idea of regional qualification ignored
the fact that talent, at least in 1946, was dis-
tributed unevenly. You might seed a few play-
ers from solid chess areas such as Chicago or
Philadelphia. But to insist on rigid sectional
divisions for selecting all the finalists would
create more ptoblems. For example, the USCF
had allotted two qualifying spots for players
from the West Coast. But since Steiner and
Dake were the leading players there and Fine
had temporarily moved to the Pacific Coast,
one of the three would have to be denied. Sim-
ilarly, there would be a disparity in New York,
which was allotted only three Spots. If Kash-
dan, Horowitz and Pinkus were to compete
how could any of the improving players, such
as Kevitz, Seidman, Santasiere or 16-year-old
George Kramer, hope to qualify? Yet all of
them had more than shown their worthiness
by year's end.
Shortly after the USCF unveiled its re-
gional plan, Edward Lasker rallied the oppo-
sition: He announced the formation of a group
called the Association of American Chess
Masters, with himself as president, and Fine,
Reshevsky and Pinkus as vice presidents. They,

The Post-War Years (1944-1954)
not the national federation, would organize
the championship, the masters said.
This threat to the user's franchise forced
it to retreat and within weeks a compromise
had been reached. The Chicago-based feder-
ation would continue to run the championship
and there would be regional events to choose
some of the finalists. But there would also be
seven seeded players. And, for a while, peace
reigned.
Denker vs. Steiner
But there was also a match to be held be-
cause for the second time in five years a strong
contender had mounted the financial support
to issue a challenge to the championship tour-
nament winner. The challenge came from 41-
year-old Herman Steiner, then nearing the
height of his game, with good reason to be-
lieve he could unseat Denker. The New Yorker
had been somewhat lucky in 1944, most ob-
servers agreed, and his true strength was closer
to that of 1945, they said. In that year a team
of ten Soviet masters had played the ten best
Americans by radio in the first international
chess event anywhere since the end of World
War II. The Americans, victors in four previ-
ous world team championships, were clob-
bered (4Y2-15Y2) and on first board Denker
was completely outclassed in his two games
with Mikhail Botvinnik.
Yet in the debacle there was a bright spot:
Steiner. who scored a win and a draw with
Igor Bondarevsky. His games were played on
sixth board but they still accounted for one
third of the Americans' total of points. Then
in January 1946 - admitting he was out to "re-
deem the reputation" of the United States-
Steiner scored a somewhat startling first place
finish at a moderately strong "Victory" tour-
nament held in London. The tournament was
divided into two groups: Steiner won the larger
of the two, while Denker finished well down
the scoretable in the other. Steiner added to his
laurels with a good finish at Hastings just be-
fore the London event and he would win the
U.S. Open later that summer ahead of a tal-
.
73
ented group of youngsters that included
Kramer, I8-year-old Robert Byrne. 16-year-
old Donald Byrne, 16-year-old Arthur Bisguier
and 14-year-old Larry Evans.
Thus there was some doubt about the
outcome of the ten-game match when it began
in March in Steiner's adopted city, Los Ange-
les. It was the first time since the 1941-1942
matches that the title was at stake outside New
York. Towards the end of the two-week strug-
gle the stars of the two coasts shared the hon-
ors equally. But not at the beginning:
May 4-May 18, 1946
Denker 1 1 1 1/2 1 0 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 =6
Steiner 0 0 0 Y2 0 1 Y2 Y2 Yl Y2 Y2 =4
Denker had Bown west with a traditional
match strategy of drawing his games with
Black and winning with White. "But some-
how or other these cold-blooded rationaliza-
tions never seem to work out," he said after the
first game. "After only a few moves I found
myself playing just another game of chess. dis-
regarding the importance of the occasion!"
D35 Queen's Gambit Declined
white Steiner, black Denker
1 d4 d5 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 c4 c6 4 Nc3 e6 5 Bg5
Nbd7 6 cxd5 exd5 7 e3 Be7 8 Bd3 Ne4!
9 Bf4 Ndf6 10 Qc2 O-O!
Black has taken advantage of a slight in-
accuracy (8 Bd3 instead of 8 Qc2) to plant his
knights. White can win a pawn here -11 Bxe4
Nxe4 12 Nxe4 dxe4 13 Qxe4 - but only at
the risk of a powerful attack-13 ... Qa5+
14 Nd2 Bb4 15 Qc2 c5 and then 16 dXc5 b6!
followed by ... Ba6 or ... Bb7.
11 0-0 Bd6 12 Bxd6 Nxd6 13 Ne5 g6!
14 Rael Bf5 15 Ne2 Bxd3 16 Qxd3 Nd7
17 Ng3 Re8 (see diagram)
Denker's model play has left him with an
excellent middle game. By trading off both sets
of bishops he eliminates all serious threats to
his king position. Steiner, misunderstanding
74 The United States Chess Championship
After
17 ... Re8
Steiner-Denker, 1946
the position, has ignored the opportunity to
shift his play to the queenside with 14 b4! and
a4/b5. He wants to mate.
18 f4? f5
To stop f4-f5 Black concedes White the
e5 square for as long as he wants it. If Black
ever captures on e5 White would retake with
the f-pawn, play Ne2-f4 and open up the po-
sition favorably with g2-g4!. But Steiner has
underestimated Black's counterplay elsewhere.
19 Qb3 Kg7 20 Re2 Nf6 21 Rf3?! Qb6!
22 Qc3 Rfc8!
Here comes ... c5, a move that is much
stronger now that White has opened the line
leading from f2 to b6. Steiner's pieces, chiefly
his g3-knight and his KR, are out of contact
with the squares he now needs to protect.
23 Rc2 as 24 Nfl Nde4 25 Qe1 e5 26 dxe5
Rxe5 27 Rxe5 Qxe5 28 Qh4 d4! 29 exd4
Qxd4+ 30 Khl Re8 (see diagram)
Black's rook will penetrate decisively on
the seventh rank (as in the game) or on the
eighth (31 h3 Rd 32 Kh2 Nd2 33 Nxd2
Qg1+ 34 Kg3 Nh5+). The game was over in
minutes.
31 Nd3 Re2 32 Qe1 Ng4 33 h3 Ngf2+
34 Nxf2 Rxf2 35 Rb3 b6 36 Qc1 a4 37 Ra3
b5! 38 Kh2 Qxb2 39 Qe7 + Kh6 40 Qe7
Rxg2+ 41 Khl Qf2! and White resigns
After
30 ... Re8
Steiner-Denker, 1946
In the next game a disillusioned Steiner
blundered away a piece on the 13th move. He
recovered his form by the sixth game, but it
was already too late.
Sixth Championship Tournament:
Sammy, with Ease
In November 1946 - after another match
drubbing at the hands of the Russians - the
top American players again assembled in New
York to pick a champion. The Association of
American Chess Masters was forgotten and so
was the suspicion that there were superstars in
the hinterlands waiting to be discovered. True,
only eight of the 19 championship finalists
were New Yorkers but they accounted for seven
of the top nine places in the final scoretable
and 60 percent of all wins.
For once the tournament was not held in
a hotel ballroom, where players were often
smothered by spectators, but in a comfortable
theater in a large office building. The games
were displayed on huge wallboards and the
theater could accommodate up to 300 chess
fans in plush seats. It all was done in "a more
lavish and showmanlike fashion than ever be-
fore," Reshevsky said.
The tournament itself featured another
Reshevsky-Kashdan race, the first since their
playoff match, as well as the addition of sev-
eral new faces. Jacob Levin of Philadelphia was
playing in only his second U.S. championship
but he managed to find his way to fourth
place - ahead of defending champion Denker,
 The Post-War Years (1944-1954)
recent challenger Steiner and perennial con-
render Horowitz.
But in the end it was Reshevsky's easiest
championship. He defeated Kashdan, Denker,
Steiner and Pinkus and permitted only a few
draws. More than at any time in his career,
Reshevsky was clearly the best American.
013 Queen's Gambit Declined
white Reshevsky, black Kashdan
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 c6 3 Nf3 d5 4 cxd5 cxd5
5 Nc3 e6 6 Bf4 a6 7 e3 Ee7 S Bd3 b5
9 Rcl Bb7 10 a4
Black has adopted an ambitious place-
ment of queenside pieces and pawns. But here
he cannot sustain the front and must play ei-
ther ... b4, conceding good squares to a White
knight (Nbl-d2-b3-c5!) or ... hxa4 with the
same weaknesses, plus an isolated a-pawn.
10 ... b4 11 Nbl! Nc6 12 Nbd2 0-0 13 0-0
Nh5 14 Be5!
After 14 ReS
Reshevsky-Kashdan, 1946
White's last move is common in this kind
of position. If Black captures the bishop,
White can leave the remaining knight in the
lurch with 15 dxe5 (e.g. 15 ... Qd7 16 g4;
15 ... g6 16 Nd4) or centralize his own with
15 NXe5.
14 ... f6?! 15 Ng5!
All of a sudden matters become very
complex. White uses the vulnerability of the
Black knight: After 15 ... fXe5 he would have
75
his choice between a tricky attack that might
only draw (16 Qxh5 BXg5 17 Qxh7 +) and a
difficult m iddlegame with approximate mate-
rial equality (16 Bxh7+ Kh8 17 Nxe6 Qe8
18 Nxf8 Bxf8 19 BbI! with ideas of Qc2-h7
mate).
15 .•. QeS? 16 Bxh7+ Khs 17 Bbl!
This was the move Reshevsky had fore-
seen and Kashdan had probably missed. On
17 ... fxg5 White can win material with
IS Qc2, threatening mate. This finesse gives
Reshevsky time to win back the exchange and
some pawns.
17 ... fxe5 18 NXe6 exd4 19 Nxf8 Exf8
20 exd4 Nf6 21 ReI Qh5 22 Qxh5+! NxhS
Mter
22 ... NxhS
Reshevsky-Kashdan, 1946
The combination is over and White has
two pawns and a rook for his two captured
pieces - often a disadvantageous imbalance.
But his remaining material becomes very ac-
tive and it is Black who must fight for a draw.
The remainder of the game showed that Kash-
dan's strength in the endgame, once unchal-
lenged in the United States, was no longer
supreme.
23 Nf3 Nf6 24 Re6 Rc8 25 Bf5! Ne7?!
(25 ... Nxd4! 26 RxcS Nxf3+ 27 gxf3
BxcS offers drawing chances) 26 Rxc8 Nxc8
27 Ne5 Kg8 28 Ng6 Nd6 29 Bh3 Nc4
30 b3 Na5 31 Rb6 Kf7 32 Nxf8 Kxf8
33 Rxb4 Bc6 34 Rb6 BeS 35 Rxa6 Nxb3
36 a5 Ke7 37 Re6+ Kd8 38 a6 Kc7 39 a7
Kb7 40 Rb6+! and Black resigns
 Sixth U.S. Championship, New York, Oct. 26-Nov. 17, 1946

Totals
R K S L D H S P K SUR A DRS D F K W D L Points

1. Reshevsky x 1 Vz Yz 'h Y2 14 4 0 16-2

2. Kashdan o X 'h Yz V2 0 Vz Yz 11 5 2 13Vz-4'h
3. Santasiere Vz Vz x 1 Y2 0 V2 Vz Y2 Yl Y2 9 S 13-5
4. Levin V2 V2 o X V2 V2 Y2 1 Y2 'h o 9 7 2 12Y2-5'/2
5-6. Denker o V2 Vz Y2 X 0 liz 1 0 V2 Yz 9 6 3 12-6
5-6. Horowitz liz Y2 X 0 1 0 V2 o o Y2 10 4 4 12-6
7. Steiner o o o o Vz X o o Yz 10 2 6 11-7
S. Pinkus o o Vz V2 o 0 X Y2 Y2 1 V2 Yz Y2 7 7 4 10Vz-7Y2
9. Kramer, G. Vz o Y2 o o liz X 1 Y2 Y2 o o 1 '/2 Y2 6 7 5 9Y2-SVZ
10. Sandrin, A. Jr. o o o o o liz 0 Vz 0 X 1 1 1 o o 7 2 9 S-10
11. Ulvestad, O. o V2 V2 o V2 0 o Y2 o X 0 o '/2 Y2 'h 4 7 7 7'/2-lOV2
12. Rubinow, S. o o o Y2 000 o Y2 o 1 X o o 6 2 10 7-11
13-16. Adams o '/2 Yz V2 000 o o o 0 x o o 1 1 1 5 3 10 6V2-11Y2
13-16. DiCamillo o o Y2 000 o o X liz o o Y2 o 5 3 10 6V2-11'/2
13-16. Rothman o o o o 000 Yz 0 Y2 0 liz X o 5 3 10 6Y2-11 Yz
13-16. Suesman o o o o Y2 0 Vz Y2 1 o 0 o X o Y2 Vz 4 5 9 6V2-11 Yz
17. Drexel, G. o o o o o 0 V2 0 o 'h 0 o o X 1 o 4 2 12 5-13
IS. Fink, A. o o o o o V2 Yz o Y2 o Vz 0 o Y2 o V2 o X 1 1 6 11 4-14
19. Kowalski, S. o o o o 000 o 0 o o o o Yz o X 3 1 14 3V2-14V2

The Post-War Years (1944-1954)
1948: The Largest and the Least
It was the best of championships, it was
the worst of championships. It had one of the
best prize funds, bur came while the USCF was
on the verge of bankruptcy. It was played under
excellent conditions in a resort town, bur iso-
lated from virtually any spectators who wanted
to see the games played. It was the largest field,
20 players - but also one of the very weakest.
Originally the field in 1948 was intended
to be larger - 22 players - to accommodate all
the seeded masters as well as those qualifying
from the by-now-familiar regional events. But
the size was scaled down by the time invita-
tions were sent out. The foremost questions
concerned the acceptances that didn't come
back: Where was Fine? \V'here was Reshevsky?
No one doubted Fine's sincerity in ex-
plaining that his work towards a degree in psy-
chology prevented him from accepting an invi-
tation. Just a few months earlier he had had to
turn down the much more prestigious world
championship tournament that had been held in
Europe. But Reshevsky was available - sort of.
Sammy was willing to play if he received
a guaranteed fee for playing, as had been
offered in some of the previous tournaments.
But the 1948 organizers had pur all the money
they could round up into the prizes. They
skimped by moving the event away from ex-
pensive Manhattan and had made other bud-
get curs. They simply didn't understand why
one player should be getting extra money for
just showing up. If Reshevsky was as strong as
he claimed, he would be assured of the more
than generous first prize. Negotiations between
the two sides broke down and Reshevsky an-
nounced he would not play. Furthermore, he
wanted his name taken off all advance public-
ity heralding the upcoming tournament.
It was in that strained atmosphere that
the USCF invited Olaf Ulvestad of Seattle as a
last-minute replacement for Sammy and
scheduled the first round for August 10th in the
small upstate New York town of South Falls-
burg. But on August 9th Reshevsky an-
nounced he was willing to play after all, with-
out a guarantee.
.
77
This created an organizational nightmare.
The tournament officials could not just tell Ul-
vestad to go home. But to add Reshevsky at
that late date they would not only have to find
an extra hotel room in an overbooked city, but
also negotiate for an extra day or two with the
20-odd hotels that had set space aside for play-
ers and organizers. They would also have to
convince the players to revise their own sched-
ules to accommodate Reshevsky, and sacrifice
two more days away from home. In the end,
the organizers simply said "No." It was not the
last time a star player would be left out of the
championship because of a money or schedul-
ing dispute.
The exit of Reshevsky left Isaac Kashdan
in the same head-of-the-pack position as Fine
four years before. He was the only grandmas-
ter in a relatively weak field. Besides the ab-
sence of Reshevsky there was no Denker, no
Dake, no Horowitz. Kash seemed prepared to
take the Marshall trophy home to Brooklyn by
default.
He started our well with a strong 8-1
score while Steiner rumbled along at 7-2.
Steiner, who had had some difficulty qualify-
ing from the regional event held in his adopted
home, Los Angeles, had justified Ulvestad's in-
clusion in the tournament by losing to him in
the fifth round. Steiner was regarded as steady
but simply not talented enough to hit the top
of American chess. Earlier in this year he had
played a match with Fine and lost badly, 5-1.
But the event suddenly tightened up
when Kashdan sat down in the 10th round
with Sol Rubinow. Rubinow, who would later
become better known as a bridge champion
and even better than that in his chosen field
of biomathematics, was then a doctoral can-
didate at the University of Pennsylvania and a
dangerous, aggressive chess player. His choice
of opening was inspired:
C47 Four Knights Game
white Rubinow, black Kashdan
1 e4 eS 2 Nf3 Ne6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 d4 exd4
5 Nd5!?
78 The United States Chess Championship
This, the Belgrade Gambit, was very new
at the time. Like most gambits its teeth were
drawn by the analysts and it lost its popular-
ity once tournament players found out how
easy it was to play Black after 5 ... Be7
6 Nxd4 Nxd5 7 exd5 Nxd4 8 Qxd4 0-0. But
one can imagine Kashdan's problems in as-
sessing such other lines, as 5 ... Nxe4 6 Qe2
f5 7 g4!? or 7 Ng5 d3! 8 cxd3 Nd4 9 Qh5+
g6 10 Qh4.
S ••. NxdS?!
Black gets a very temporary initiative be-
cause of this.
6 exdS Nb4 7 Bc4 bS 8 Bb3 Qe7 +
Black's pieces were about to be driven
back by a2-a3 or harassed by Bg5 and Nxd4-
f5. What happens next is more entertaining
than shocking.
9 Kd2!? g6
Black responds to the threat of 10 Rel
with ... Bh6+.
10 Qe1 Bb7 11 Nxd4 a6 12 d6! cxd6
After
12 ... cXd6
Rubinow-Kashdan, 1948
White is playing with the inability of
Black's queen to move and her reluctance to
trade on el.
13 Kc3 Bg7 14 BgS!
Black doesn't want to feed the enemy's
initiative with 14 ... QXe1+ 15 Rfxe1+, so he
finds a way of exchanging queens that undou-
bies his pawns.
14 ... Bxd4+ 15 Kxd4 Nc6+ 16 Kc3 QeS+!
17 Qxe5 dxe5 18 Radl
But Rubinow still has an initiative and
has acquired some enemy targets on dark
squares to exploit.
18 ... Rac8 19 Rd6 Nd4+ 20 Kd3 Bxg2
21 Rgi Bc6??
A blunder. Had Black captured on b3 on
either of the last two moves he might have had
the better of a drawish bishops-of-opposite-
color ending. Kashdan is trying too hard to
WIn.
22 Rxd4!
And now 22 ... exd4 would permit
23 Re1+ and 24 Bh6+ with a crushing attack
despite the absence of queens. Kash played
22 ... d5 23 Bf6 e4+ 24 Ke3 0-0 and played
on to adjournment time before resigning.
That left Kashdan, Ulvestad and Steiner
at the top of the scoretable, with young
Kramer among those not far behind. The other
junior of promise in the event was Evans, then
already champion of the Marshall Chess Club.
Evans was not in contention in the 1948 cham-
pionship - his years would come. But he gave
Steiner a scare in what was probably the most
dramatic game of the event.
E67 King's Indian Defense
white Evans, black Steiner
I d4 NfG 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 Bg7 4 e4 e6 S g3
eS 6 dS as 7 Bg2 Na6 8 Nge2 NcS 9 0-0
0-0 10 h3 Ne8 11 Be3 f5
White's opening system is rarely seen
nowadays but is not at all bad. He waits until
he is fully developed before initiating action
with b2-b4 and c4-c5. If Black reacts on the

The Post-War Years (1944-1954)
kingside, as Steiner does here, White can try
to damage his pawns and exploit an opened
center.
12 exfS! gxfS 13 f4! b6 14 fxeS dXeS
Now d4-d5 opens the long diagonal and
attacks the as-rook.
15 d6 Rb8 16 dxc7 Nxc7
After
16 ... Nxc7
Evans-Steiner, 1948
White's pieces are simply better devel-
oped than Black's (and would be even more so
after 16 ... Qxc7 17 NdS). Here Evans can
obtain a very favorable ending with 17 QxdS
followed by Rad] and NdS. But the young
master, not the technician he would later be-
come, prefers to keep queens on the board.
17 Nd5 Nxd5 18 Bxd5+ Kh8 19 Kh2 Qc7
20 Qd2 Bb7 21 Nc3 Rad8
Both sides have to watch for two ways in
which the game could turn sharply: (a) White
may overrun the center with Radl and pene-
tration along the d-file, and (b) Black may
open up the kingside with ... f4. The imme-
diate 21 ... f4 is unsound because of 22 gxf4
exf4 23 Bd4! f3+ 24 Khl Qg3 25 BXg7+
Qxg7 26 Rgl.
But remember that f-pawn.
22 Bh6?! Rd6 23 NbS
Now White bails our of the middle game
because he fears what can happen on the king-
...
79
side once he exchanges off his only good de-
fensive piece in that region ( ... Bxd5). The
endgame is relatively equal after 23 NbS but
Black still has dangerous chances with ... f4.
23 ... Bxh6 24 Qxh6 Rxh6 25 Nxe7 Be8!
26 Bg2 Nd3 27 b3 f4 28 NdS Bg4!
Black is bidding for a big edge with ...
Be2 and ... f3. White's best chance, which
could lead to an ironclad defensive fortress, is
29 gxf4 Be2 30 fS! Bxfl 31 Rxfl followed by
Be4. But Evans, unsure about his chances and
perhaps upset about the change of fortunes,
begins to slide:
29 gxf4 Be2 30 Rgl? exf4 31 Bft Re8!
32 a3 f3! 33 b4 Bxft 34 Raxft Re2+
35 Kg3 f2 36 Rg2 Re4! 37 Kh2 R6e6
38 bxaS bxa5 39 RbI!
After 39 Rb8
Evans-Steiner, 1948
In desperate straits the 16-year-old finds
help in tactics. Now on 39 ... Rxc4 White
mates with a big rook check.
39 ... ReI!
This threatens to queen as well as capture
the rook on bi. But Evans has one last trick.
Unfortunately for him, so does Steiner.
40 Nf6!
Again there is a mating check (40 ... Rxf6
41 RbS+). White also threatens 41 RgS mate
and this stops Black from making a queen.
 Seventh U.S. Championship, South Fallsburg, August 10-31, 1948

Totals
S K K U H R S A E S SSP P H W HAS J W D L Poins

1. Steiner X Yz o 1 Yz Yz Yz Yz Yz 1 12 6 15-4
2. Kashdan Yz X Yz Yz 1 0 o 1 Yz Yz I 12 5 2 14Yz-4Yz
3-4. Kramer o Yz X 0 0 liz 1 Yz 1 Yz Yz Yz 10 6 3 13-6
3-4. Ulvestad 1 Yz X 1 Yz 0 lIzYz 0 Yz 0 Yz I 10 6 3 13-6
5-7. Hesse, H. o 0 o X 1 Yz 0 liz 0 1 liz liz 10 4 5 12-7
*
5-7. Rubinow o 1 o 0 0 X Yz Yz o liz Yz 10 4 5 12-7
5-7. Shainswit Yz 0 Yz Yz Yz Yz X 1 Yz Yz Yz Yz Y2 YzYz 6 12 1 12-7
8-10. Adams o o 0 o X 1 0 0 liz liz Yz 10 3 6 11 Y2-7Y2
8-10. Evans, L. o 0 Yz Y2YZ 0 Yz 0 X Yz Yz liz 8 7 4 llYz-7Yz
8-10. Shipman Yz 0 o Yz 1 0 Yz 0 YzXYz Yzll1z 8 7 4 11 Y2-7Y2
11-12. Sandrin Yz 0 o 0 liz liz o liz X liz 0 0 8 5 6 10llz-8Yz
11-12. Santasiere Yz 0 lIzYzO 0 Yz o 0 Yz X 1 Yz 1 Yz 7 7 5 10l/z-8Yz
13. Poschel, P o 0 o Yz 0 Yz liz o 1/2 o 0 X Yz o Yz 1 5 6 8 8-11
14. Platz, J. o Yz o 0 Yz Yz 0 o 0 1 YZYIX 1 Yz Yz o o 4 7 8 7Yz-II Yz
15. Heitner, I. o 0 YZ001/Z Yz Yz Yz liz I 0 0 0 X o 1 o 4 6 9 7-12
16. Whitaker, N. Yz 0 o Yz 0 0 o 0 o 0 o 0 I Yz 1 X 1 Yz () 4 4 11 6-13
17. Howard, F. o Yz Yz 0 0 Yz o Yz Yz 0 OYzOYzO o X o 1 2 7 10 5 1/z-13 1/2
18. Almgren o 0 o 0 0 0 o 0 o 0 o 0 Yz 0 Y2 1 X 1 o 3 2 14 4-15
19. Suraci, A. o 0 o 0 0 0 o 0 o 0 000 0 1 0 o X 1 3 0 16 3-16
20. Janes, H. o 0 o 0 0 0 o 0 o 0 000 0 o 0 o X 2 0 17 2-17
 The Post-War Years (1944-1954)
40 ..• fl(N)+!!
"A miserable minor promotion," said
Hans Kmoch, an Austrian master who was to
become America's annotator extraordinaire.
The knight enables Black to block the files and
stifle all the mate threats:
41 Kgl Ng3+! 42 RXel Rxel+ 43 Kh2 NfL+!
44 Khl Ne3+ 45 Rgl Rxgl + 46 Kxgl Nxc1
and White resigns
Steiner, who, like Kmoch, had been born
in Austria-Hungary, had little opposition left
in South Fallsburg after this. For years after he
emigrated to America Steiner had competed
with the best New York players and now that
most of them were absent from the champion-
ship he glided along towards first prize. He had
long since left New York himself and in 1948
was now a confirmed West Coast booster. As
Steiner put it to a friend, his obsessions were
chess, California and California chess. And the
last obstacle to his becoming the first non-
New York champion since Showalter was
Kashdan who, ironically, would soon move
West himself and succeed Steiner as chess ed-
itor of the Los Angeles Times.
Going into the last round it was Steiner
and Kashdan, tied at 14-4, while Kramer, at
12Y2-5Y2, was batding Ulvestad for third place.
But Kramer was to play Kashdan in the last
round while Steiner faced Franklin Howard, a
New Jerseyan of no pronounced talent.
Nevertheless, Steiner was soon in trouble
against Howard and needed some help from
his nervous opponent to avoid a loss. Later er-
rors turned what had looked like a Steiner col-
lapse to a Steiner victory, on the 65th move.
Kramer, meanwhile, was forcing a perpetual
check against Kashdan. Steiner was the cham-
pion and the Marshall trophy moved west.
1951: No Master Plan, Just Masters
In 1951, once again, organizational prob-
lems seemed to overwhelm events at the board.
In fact, they put an end to the string of bien-
81
nial championships which had been constant
since 1936 and had not been interrupted by
world war.
The problem, at first, was the L:SCF's
"master plan" for reorganizing the title. The
Federation concluded that what the 1948 tour-
nament proved was that something was very
wrong: the event had gotten larger, and the
level of play had declined. The USCF's solution
was a three-year cycle of elimination contests,
similar to the one that FIDE, the world chess
federation, had just established to choose a
world championship challenger. The cycle
would begin with regional preliminaries, as
proposed in the past, and then continue in its
second year with a "Candidates Tournament."
That would be made up of the regional
qualifiers and certain seeded masters. In that
way few would be seeded into the finals, and
you would have to qualify by way of the can-
didates. The finals would be a smaller, more
manageable event.
The trouble with the master plan is that
nothing was organized in 1950, the "candi-
dates" year. In order to salvage the three-year-
cycle the USCF planned to hold a monster in-
vitational event with 50 players from across
the country in 1951. But this solution would
be even worse than the 1948 problem, several
of the invitees thought, and the guest list for
the eighth championship had to be cut to 24
when the USCF found there was so little inter-
est. Even then Steiner, the defending cham-
pion, turned down an invitation, as did
Denker, Fine and Kashdan.
The 24 players who did show up in New
York in June all had to go through an elimi-
nation stage to reach the 12-player finals in
July. There were some new names again as well
as familiar faces from the past, such as Kevitz,
trying for the first time since 1936, and
Hanauer, who had last reached the finals in
1940. Only Hanauer qualified. So did Albert
Simonson, after an absence of 11 years. Also on
hand were Evans, now three years stronger,
Horowitz, Seidman, Bernstein and the heavy
favorite, Reshevsky.
Sammy had not lost a game in a cham-
pionship tournament - excepting the 1942
82 The United States Chess Championship
playoff- in 15 years, or more than 70 games.
All of his rivals of lhe 1930s generation were
retired or far behind him. This was obvious
from the very start of the eighth championship
when he easily defeated Horowitz, Simonson
and Bernstein. He did have ro concede a draw
to Evans, who also started welL bur it seemed
likely that the youngster would fade in the
stretch. Even though the tournament was much
shorter than it had been in the past, Reshevsky
was expected to put on one of his strong
finishes, picking up strength the longer the
event went on.
Yet Evans was clearly the coming talent.
He was to win the U.S. Open and Speed (lO
seconds a move) championships that year and
had performed creditably on the U.S. Olympic
team - top scorer among the Americans in
fact - the previous year in Dubrovnik. A more
technical method of gauging his strength was
the new rating system just instituted by the
USCF. The ratings were based on results achieved
over the previous three years and thereby fa-
vored the older generation. Reshevsky was
rated first in the country with a spectacular
2747 figure, followed closely by Fine. But
Evans was the fourth highest rated, at 2554,
just behind Horowitz.
So a draw with Evans was hardly a set-
back for Reshevsky. In previous tournaments
Reshevsky had known who he had to beat to
win the trophy. This time it looked like Seid-
man, who had won his first three games, and
Reshevsky would be ready for him in their in-
dividual game - naturally in the last round-
to battle for first place.
But Seidman was upset in the fourth round
by Evans, who adopted one of the newfangled
openings, the Najdorf Variation of the Sicil-
ian Defense, that were to characterize the new
generation. Santasiere, who was never in con-
tention, expressed the doubts of his colleagues
about Evans' strange moves with Black (1 e4
c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 NfG 5 Nc3
a6! 6 g3 e5!?) when he said: "I can never un-
derstand how they like P-K4 on the sixth
move, but not on the first. Bur it is all the rage
nowadays. In a certain sense chess is like
measles."
.
The win over Seidman put Evans in first
place and he maintained a slim lead into the
seventh round. Reshevsky was waiting for the
first mistake by the youngster, but to the sur-
prise of almost everyone, it was the older mail
who broke first.
B70 Sicilian Defense
white Mengarini, black Reshevsky
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 d4 exd4
5 Nxd4 gG 6 f4 NeG 7 Be2
White was Ariel Aldace Mengarini, a pro-
fessional psychiatrist who had sneaked into the
finals by beating Horowitz in one of the pre-
liminary groups. At 30 he was too old to be
considered one of the Evans-Bisguier-Byrne
prodigies. But he was a solid master, one of the
top 30 or so players in the country, and if he
could get out of the opening alive he was as
talented in the middle game as anyone in the
event. Here he faces an opponent who also had
regular problems in the opening.
7 ... QbG?
There are similar Sicilian variations in
which this move works very well, e.g. G Be3
Bg7 7 Be2 0-0 80-0 Nc6 9 f4?! QbG, when
Black threatens 10 ... Qxb2 as well as 10 ...
NXe4!. But this is a different animal: Black is
uncastled.
8 Be3!
Now 8 ... Qxb2 9 N4b5 would leave
Black scrambling to avoid the loss of his queen
from lO Rbi, e.g. 9 ... Qb4 ]0 Nc7+ Kd7
11 Bd2! followed by NXa8, N3d5 or e4-e5.
8 ... Bg7?! 9 e5! (see diagram)
A murderous shot. Black cannot open the
d-file because 9 ... dxe5?? 10 Nxc6 costs a
queen (lO ... Qxc6 11 Bb5) or king (10
Qxd 11 Qd8 mate).
9 ... Nd7 10 Nf5 Qxb2 11 Nxg7+ Kf8
12 Bd2!
 The Post-War Years (1944-1954)
After 9 e5
Mengarini-Reshevsky, 1951
The threat is 13 Nb5 and 14 Bc3, which
would put Black out of his misery immedi-
ately. Reshevsky was known for surviving worse
positions than this but he doesn't get any en-
ergy out of his pieces in the remainder of this
remarkable and historic game:
12 ... Nd4 13 O-O! Qxc2 14 Qel Kxg7
15 f5! dxc5 16 Bc4! Qb2 17 fxg6 Nf6
18 gxf7 Be6 19 Bxe6 Nxe6 20 Rabl Qa3
21 Rxb7 RhfB 22 Khl Rxf7 23 QxeS Rd8
24 Qxe6 Rxd2 25 Ne4! Qe3? (25 ... Re2,
so as to meet 26 Rxf6 with 25 ... Re1+, was
his last try) 26 Rxe7 Rd7 27 Qxf7 + and
Black resigns
This, in effect, marked the end of Re-
shevsky's reign as U.S. champion, a reign that
had been interrupted before only when he
chose not to defend the title. In a shorter tour-
nament than he had been used to, such a loss
could not be made up. There were chances for
him to catch Evans after this, but nothing
solid. Both men later came within inches of
losing to Shainswit; for example:
E02 Catalan Opening
white Shainswit, black Reshevsky
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 g3 dS 4 Bg2 dxe4
5 Qa4+ Bd7 6 Qxc4 Nc6 7 Nf3 NaS
8 Qd3 eS 9 dXe5 BXeS 10 NeS 0-0
11 Nxd7 Nxd7 12 0-0 Qe7 13 Qb5! Bb6
14 BgS! QcS 15. QxeS BXeS 16 Bd2 Nc6
17 Nc3 RacS 18 Nc4 Be7 19 Rfdl Nb6
20 Kfl Rfd8 21 Rac1 Na4!? 22 b3 Nb2?
83
23 ReI f5 24 Bc3! Ba3 25 Ng5 Na4
26 bxa4 Bxc1 27 Rxc1 Nb4 28 Bxb7! Rc4
After
28 ... Rc4
Shainswit-Reshevsky, 1951
And now 29 Kg2 should win because
29 ... Nxa2 can be met by 30 Ba5!!, keeping
White's material. Other Black tries can be han-
dled by 30 Bb2 or 30 Nxe6. But Shainswit,
in time pressure, played:
29 Bxb4?? Rxc1+ 30 Kg2 Rb8 31 Ba3 Rc3!
and White resigns
Evans had a similar crisis against the
Manhattan Chess Club regular, then rated
among the nation's ten best:
097 Gruenfeld Defense
white Shainswit, black Evans
1 d4 Nf6 2 e4 g6 3 Nc3 dS 4 Nf3 Bg7
5 Qb3 dxc4 6 Qxc4 0-0 7 e4 Nfd7 8 Bf4!?
c6 9 Rdl Nb6 10 Qb3 Be6 11 Qe2 Bg4!
12 Be2 Bxf3! 13 gxf3 Bxd4 14 Bh6 Re8
15 h4 c5! 16 h5 N8d7 17 f4 Qe7 18 Bg5
Qc5 19 hxgG hxgG 20 fS! Bxf2+ 21 Kfi Bd!
22 Bxe3 Qxe3 23 Rd3 Qg5 24 Rgl Qh6
Here the spectators were hoping for
25 Bg4 Nf8 26 Rdg3 followed by fxg6 and
Bf5. But Black has 25 ... Nf6! instead. the
critical line being26 Rh3 Nxg4! 27 Rxh6
Ne3+.
25 Rdg3 KfB 26 Qd3 gXfS 27 Rh3 Qf4+
28 Rf3 Qh6 29 Rh3 Qf6 30 exfS e4!
31 Nxe4 Qxf5+ 32 Rf3! QdS! (32 .. , Qxe4?
84 The United States Chess Championship

Eighth U.S. Championship, New York, July 28-Aug. 19, 1951

Totals
E R P S H B S M S H P S WD L Points

l. Evans X V2 V2 1 V2 S 3 0 9 1h-1V2
2. Reshevsky \6 X \6 0 V2 7 3 SV2-2V2
3. Pavey, M. \6 V2 X V2 V2 \6 1 \6 0 4 6 1 7-4
4. Seidman 0 0 V2 X 1 0 V2 V2 1 5 3 3 6V2-4\6
5. Horowitz 0 0 V2 0 X 0 V2 V2 1 1 4 3 4 5Y2-5Y2
6-7. Bernstein 0 0 V2 X V2 V2 0 V2 0 3 4 4 5-6
6-7. Santasiere 0 0 0 V2 V2 V2 X V2 V2 V2 2 6 3 5-6
S. Mengarini 0 1 0 0 0 0 V2 X 1 V2 \6 3 3 5 4\6-6\6
9. Shainswit 0 0 0 V2 V2 \6 V2 0 X V2 1/2 6 4 4-7
10-12. Hanauer 0 0 V2 0 0 0 V2 V2 X V2 V2 5 5 3V2-7V2
10-12. Pinkus 0 V2 0 0 V2 0 V2 V2 \6 X 0 5 5 3\6-7\6
10-12. Simonson V2 0 0 0 0 V2 0 0 V2 X 2 3 6 3V2-7V2

33 Qd6+!) 33 Ng5! Ne5! 34 Nh7+ Ke7
35 Qa3+ Qd6 36 Qe3 Nd5 37 Rxf7+?!
Kxf7 38 Qg5 Rg8! and White resigns
Evans kept on winning and Reshevsky
never had a chance. With two rounds to go the
19-year-old college student led by W2 points
and a few days later was crowned the youngest
U.S. champion ever - younger even than Paul
Morphy.
1952: Changing of the Guard
The natural outgrowth of Evans' victory
in a short, ll-round tournament would have
been a Reshevsky-Evans match of 12-to-16
games. But Reshevsky was already committed
to an IS-game match with Miguel Najdorf at
the end of the year - a kind of "Championship
of the West." The next time the U.S. title was
scheduled to be up for grabs was 1954.
Yet there was another challenger for
Evans - Herman Steiner. The Californian had
lost some of the positional accuracy that had
characterized his play in the late 40s, but little
of his confidence. In fact, there was bitterness
during the Olympiad team tournament at Hel-
sinki because both Steiner, as former U.S.
champion, and Reshevsky, as world champi-
onship candidate, felt they were the one to play
first board. In the end, they alternated the
honor, with a consequent loss of talent by the
American team.
But Steiner was able to arrange a match
with Evans, for the tide as well as a prize fund
of $3,000, down from the $5,000 of Reshev-
sky-Horowitz in 1941. Again, as in 1946, the
match was to be concentrated on the West
Coast, with ten games in Los Angeles and six
others set for San Francisco, Las Vegas, Reno
and New York. The games in the East were
later canceled when the match result was a
foregone conclusion.
Steiner had been one of the top Ameri-
can players for ten years but he was simply no
match for Evans. He developed a dreadful
opening position in the very first game and
was forced to resign on his 30th move. The
next day he showed signs of a comeback when
he manhandled Evans' Nimzo-Indian De-
fense. But this turned out to be his highpoint
of the match. The New Yorker won the next
three games and was never in trouble again
 The Post-War Years (1944-1954)
until the 12th game, when the match was effec-
tively over. A typical game:
B74 Sicilian Defense
Eighth Game, Los Angeles, 19S2
white Steiner, black Evans
I e4 cS 2 NO Nc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6
S Nc3 d6 6 Be2 g6 7 0-0 Bg7 8 Nb3 0-0
9 f4 bS!
If White wants to play f2-f4 he might do
better by preparing it with 9 Bd. Evans' tac-
tical point is 9 ... b5 10 Bxb5 Nxe4! 11 Nxe4
Qb6+. Black will now be able to play ... b4,
undermining the e-pawn and prompting an
uncomfortable (for White) exchange of
knights.
10 Bf3 b4 11 NdS NxdS 12 exdS NaS
13 NXaS QXaS
Normally this pawn structure would
favor White because he can assault e7 and, if
Black plays ... e6, the d-pawn following dxe6.
But White needs a knight to get the most out
of the position (Nd4-c6!), and he could not
keep one on the board because of13 Nd4? Qb6
14 Be3 Nc4. As played, Black gets more out of
the c-file than White does from the e-file.
14 ReI Re8 IS Khl BfS 16 g4?! Bd7 17 a3
Rac8 18 Re4 Qc7! 19 Re2 BbS 20 Rg2 as
21 axb4 axb4 22 h4 eS!
Black now takes over the center files and
gradually pushes White off the board.
23 dxe6 Rxe6 24 fS Rec8 2S hS Qe7
26 Bd2 gS! 27 Bxb4 Bxb2 28 Rbi BeS
29 BaS Bc6 30 Bb4 Qb7 31 Bxc6 Qxc6
32 Bd2 h6 33 Be3 Re7 34 Bd4 Bxd4
3S Qxd4 Re2 (see diagram)
36 Rgl Qf3! 37 Qxd6 RcXc2 38 Qb8+ Kh7
and White resigns
85
Aftee
35 ... Re2
Steiner-Evans, 1952
June 13-July 3,1952
Evans 1 0 I 1 1 Y2 Y2 1 Y2 1 1 0 1 Y2 = 10
Steiner 0 1 0 0 0 ~ ~ 0 Y2 0 0 1 0 1/2 = 4
1954: The Master Plan Fails
The woes of the championship multiplied
in the next two years. This period was sup-
posed to see the completion of the master
plan's first three-year cycle. But again the cycle
didn't turn: only a few of the regional prelim-
inaries were held in 1952, the first year of the
cycle. Local sponsors could be found to hold
the preliminaries in the nation's large chess
centers but not elsewhere. Chess organization,
like playing skill, was not evenly distributed
across the 48 states.
To make the best of a bad deal, the USCF
planned a "candidates tournament" for Phila-
delphia in September 1953 anyway. Instead of
being a meeting of the preliminary qualifiers,
it was open to anyone with an expert (2000
points) rating and the entry fee of $25. This
was a very unpopular arrangement, especially
since the size of the event, 23 players, meant
that Swiss System pairings would have to be
used instead of the round robin that had been
in place in every previous championship and
qualifier. And, worst of all according to the
competitors, the first prize was only $250.
But the players who did show up in
Philadelphia were more attracted by the six
qualifying places in the 1954 championship.
Chief among them was Arthur Bisguier, then
23 and fresh out of an Army uniform. He had
86 The United States Chess Championship

been a coming star a few years before when he B65 Sicilian Defense
won the 1950 U.S. Open and his first interna- white Bernstein, black Sherwin
tional tournament, at Southsea, England. But
indifferent results since then had dimmed pre- 1 e4 c5 2 Ne2 Nc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6
dictions for his future, and his 8Y2-1lh win- 5 Nc3 d6 6 Bg5 e6 7 Qd2 Be7 8 0-0-0
ning score at Philadelphia was seen by his 0-0 9 f4 Nxd4 10 Qxd4 h6 11 Bh4 Qa5
many supporters as a very good sign. A gre- 12 Bel?! e5! 13 Qc4 exf4 14 Nd5 Qd8
garious young man, much more so than his ri- 15 Nxf4 Bg4! 16 e5
vals, Evans, Kramer and the Byrne brothers,
Bisguier seemed to enjoy chess and life more With a bad game positionally White
than they. "I grew up with a taste for the finer launches into a tactical batrle and is outplayed.
things in life - but not necessarily with the
16 ... Rc8! 17 Qb3 Bxdl 18 exf6 Bxc2!
financial wherewithal to satisfy that taste," he
19 Qa3 Bxf6 20 Bc3 Bxc3 21 bxc3 Qf6
said.
22 Ne2 Bd3 23 Kd2 Bxe2 24 Bxe2 Qg5+
The USCF didn't seem to have the where-
and White resigns
withal to hold the ninth championship, either.
With dwindling resources, the organizations Evans and Bisguier fought back to tie
could not afford a hotel exhibition hall as Sherwin in Round 8 with 6-2 scores. But
championship sponsors had for the previous Evans suffered a devastating blow the next day,
18 years. The Federation fell on the tourna- facing another Marshall Chess Club junior,
ment site of last resort, the Marshall Chess Eliot Hearst.
Club, which generously offered its rooms to
the 14 players. Bisguier, who attended college B82 Sicilian Defense
classes during the day, ended up sleeping at white Hearst, black Evans
night in one of the Marshall's upstairs apart-
ments. 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6
The 14 who began play on May 29 were 5 Nc3 a6 6 f4 Qc7 7 Bd3 e5 8 Nf3 b5
a relatively weak field. Bisguier was eighth on 9 Qe2 Bb7 10 0-0 Nbd7 11 a3 g6 12 Khl
the USCF's latest rating list, and Evans, the de- Bg7 13 fxe5 dXe5 14 Qf2 0-0 15 Qh4
fending champion, was only tenth. None of
the five top rated players, Reshevsky, Robert
Byrne, Kramer, Donald Byrne and Denker,
accepted invitations. The strongest competi-
tion for the favorites Evans and Bisguier was
expected from three high finishers of the pre-
After 15 Qh4
vious U.S. Open: French emigre grandmaster
Nicolas Rossolimo, Manhattan Chess Club
champion Max Pavey and the latest Marshall
Chess Club junior star, James T. Sherwin.
It was 20-year-old Sherwin - ranked
only 24th in the nation - who took the early
lead after five lively rounds. Then a Columbia Hearst-Evans, 1954
University senior with law school in his fu-
ture, he had had a taste of international play White's attacking plan is fairly straight-
when he represented the United States in the forward: He plans Bh6 followed by Ng5 and
world junior championship a year before. Now, perhaps Rf3/Rafl. The plan is, in fact, the only
with victories over the leaders of the old guard, promising idea in the position and this is why
Bernstein and Seidman, Sherwin was making White's opening setup is regarded as simplis-
a name as a senior master. tic. But it is not so easy to meet.

..
 The Post-War Years (1944-1954)
IS ... NhS
Black would like to exchange dark-
squared bishops - provided he isn't mated.
Therefore, 15 ... Rae8! 16 Bh6 Nh5 is better,
e.g. 17 Bxg7 KXg7 18 Ng5 h6
16 NgS h6?! 17 Nh3
Now the h-pawn is a target that Black
must worry about (18 Be2). His solution is to
drive the queen off with threat of exchange.
17 ... Qd8 IS Qf2 Qf6 19 Qe1 Qd6 20 Be2!
This revives the problem on h6. If Black
brings his other knight to f6 now he is still safe
since 20 ... Ndf6 21 g4? Nf4 22 Nxf4 exf4
23 Bxf4 Qc5 opens up lines for Black's bish-
ops and turns the initiative over to Black.
20 ... Nhf6? 21 Qh4 g5? 22 BxgS!
For once Evans' defensive vision fails him.
White's queen, knight and rooks will take up
commanding positions on the kingside after
this and Black has no defense to the removal
of his knight from f6.
22 ... hxg5 23 Nxg5 Qe7 24 Radl! RfdS
Or 23 ... Rad8 24 Bg4 Bc6?! 25 Bxd7
Rxd7 26 Rxd7 Bxd7 27 Rxf6, threatening
mate on h7.
25 BhS! NxhS 26 RXf7! QXf7 27 Nxf7
Kxf7 2S QxhS+
And Black resigned on the 56th move.
Sherwin only drew that round, so Bis-
guier took the lead for the first time. But the
tournament was certain to be decided in the
next three rounds as the three leaders met one
another. The first meeting was between Evans
and Bisguier, and the defending champion had
to finesse his way out of a lost position to make
a draw. The next day Evans won from Sher-
win to severely damage the latter's chances,
while Bisguier could only draw with Hans
87
Berliner. The last big game was dramatically
but inaccurately described by Chess Review:
" ... Sherwin, improving on the hitherto very
cramped King's Indian which he'd been get-
ting, had fine prospects vs. Bisguier- had he
had some 26 moves to make in two minutes!
The press around the table was impenetrable,
but word leaked our that Sherwin could force
a draw by repetition. 'Yes, but has he time to
make the moves?' was answered with a shrug.
Then the grapevine reported that Bisguier had
blundered. Speculation that it might be a ruse
to exploit Sherwin's time trouble was presently
answered by 'Sherwin has a mate in two.' All
this was kibitzer's kriegspiel ... the flag on
Sherwin's clock was trembling, he missed the
win and lost on time."
001 Queen's Pawn Game
white Bisguier, black Sherwin
1 d4 Nf6 2 Nc3!? dS 3 BgS BfS 4 f3 c6
5 Qd2 Nbd7 6 0-0-0 h6 7 Bh4 e6 S e3
Be7 9 Kbl bS 10 Bd3 Bxd3 11 cxd3
A decidedly odd - and "un-Bisguier-
like" - opening choice by White. He aims for
a stonewall pawn formation (f2-f4) in which
he has access to e5 but Black can't use e4.
11 ... 0-0 12 f4 as 13 Nf3 a4 14 ReI b4
IS Ne2 cS! 16 Bxf6 gxf6 17 g4 Qa5
IS dxcS Nxc5 19 Ned4 Qa6 20 Rcdl Rfc8
21 h4! Rc7 22 Qe2 Rac8 23 gS h5 24 Nel
Nb3!? 2S Nec2 eS 26 Qxh5! exd4
27 Rdgl! Nd2+ 28 Kal Nb3+ 29 Kbl Nd2+
30 Kal Nb3+ 31 axb3 axb3+ 32 Na3 Rc1+!
The only way to avoid the opening of the
g-file and keep the game going.
33 RxeI bXa3 34 RxcS+ QxcS 3S Qdl
axb2+ 36 Kxb2 Qc3+ 37 Kbl Ba3 38 Rh2
dxe3 39 gxf6 Kfs 40 Rg2 KeS 41 d4 Kd8
42 hS! Kc8 43 h6 b2 44 Rc2 and Black for-
feits
Bisguier entered the final found only a
half point ahead of Evans who had White
against Seidman. Mengarini found himself in
 Ninth U.S. Championship, New York, May 29-Junc 13, 1954

Totals
B E S P S B R B W H B P B M W 0 L Points

1. Bisguier X Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 7 6 0 10-3
2. Evans Y2 X Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 0 Y2 6 6 1 9-4
3. Seidman Y2 Y2 X 0 0 0 Y2 1 1 Y2 6 4 3 8-5
4-5. Pavey 0 0 X Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 0 5 5 3 7Y2-5Y2
4-5. Sherwin 0 0 Y2 X 1 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 4 7 2 7Y2-5Y2
6-7. Bernstein Y2 Y2 0 0 X Y2 0 Y2 0 5 4 4 7-6
6-7. Rossolimo, N. Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 X 0 0 1 1/2 Y2 3 8 2 7-6
8-9. Berliner, H. Y2 Y2 0 Y2 Yl 0 X 1 1 0 0 Y2 4 5 4 6Y2-6Yz
8-9. Wachs, S. Y2 0 0 Y2 Yz ] 0 X 0 0 5 3 5 6Yz-6Yz
10. Hearst, E. 0 1 0 Y2 Yz 0 0 0 1 X 0 ] 5 2 6 6-7
11. Burger, K. 0 0 0 1 Y2 Y2 Y2 0 0 X ] 1 0 4 3 6 5Yz-7Yz
12. Pilnick 0 0 0 0 Y2 ] Y2 1 0 0 X 0 4 2 7 5-8
13. Brandts, P. 0 Y2 Y2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 X 0 2 2 9 3-10
14. Mengarini 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Y2 0 0 0 X 2 1 10 2Vl-] OY2

The Post-War Years (1944-1954)
the role of kingmaker again because he had
White against Bisguier - and refused the tour-
nament leader's offer of a draw. Three years
before he found himself in the same position -
playing White against tournament leader
Evans and refusing a draw in order to preserve
Reshevsky's chances for first prize. (In a dead-
drawn bishops-of-opposite-color ending Men-
garini made a series of errors and lost in 60
moves.)
History repeated itself in 1954. Mengarini
tried desperately to win a draw ish endgame-
and blundered on the 47th move. Evans-Seid-
man ended in a draw, so Bisguier finished
with his biggest lead of the tournament, one
point.
His play had become more solid despite
occasional blunders and he was the only play
to finish without a loss. Here was his crisp,
classical style in action:
D41 Queen's Gambit Declined
white Bisguier, black Hearst
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 d5 4 Nc3 c5
5 cxd5 cxd4!? 6 Qxd4 exd5 7 e4 dxe4?
S QxdS+ KxdS 9 Ng5 Be6 10 Nxe6+ fxe6
Mter
10 ..• fxe6
Bisguitr-Hearst, 1954
Black's failure to play this risky opening
as a true gambit (7 ... Nc6) has left him with
a dubious endgame. Bisguier now unleashes a
vigorous series of moves that involves a tricky
sacrifice.
11 Bg5! Bb4 12 0-0-0+ KeS
..
89
The king might be safer on c8 but Black
would then be tied to the defense of his sec-
ond e-pawn after13 Bc4.
13 Nxe4!! Nxe4 14 RdS+ Kf7 15 RxhS
NXg5 16 Bc4
White has given up two minor pieces for
a rook. But his positional benefits include a
big lead in development - how will Black get
his queenside pieces moving?- and specific
threats such as f2-f4-f5. Black's knight may
even become trapped on g5.
16 ••• BfS! 16 f4 Nd7!
Black has responded with a combination
of his own (18 fxg5 Rc8 19 b3 b5). Note that
White's rook is in danger of being trapped by
way of ... Nf6/ ... g6 and ... Kg7. A remark-
able turn of events - but White has more re-
sources.
18 Bb5! Ne4 19 Bxd7 Nf6 20 Rdl g6 21 g3
e5
Mtel'
21 ... e5
Bisguier-Hearst, 1954
Black's last trap: 22 fxe5 Bh6+. White
would have won the e-pawn in any event after
he sacrifices back the exchange. The rest of the
game was an example of Bisguier's fine tech-
nique, already one of the country's best:
22 RxfS+! KxfS 23 fxe5 NgS 24 Bh3 ReS
25 Rd5 Re7 26 Kd2 Kf7 27 Kd3 Rc7
2S e6+! Ke7 29 Rd7 + Rxd7 30 exd7 Nh6
31 B~6! (stalemating the knight) NfS 32 Bxf5
90 The United States Chess Championship

gxfS 33 Kd4 Kxd7 34 Ke5 Ke7 35 KxfS
and White wins
The end of one of the weakest and clearly
the most poorly financed championship was
witnessed by a visiting delegation of Soviet
grandmasters who were to defeat the U.S. by
a 20-12 score in a match a few weeks later.
American chess seemed to be in a bad way.
Who would lead it out of this mess?

Chapter Eight
The Fischer Era
(1957-1969)
On December I, 1957, 14-year-old Bobby
Fischer had a bad day. Playing in the North
Central Open, the strongest of Swiss System
tournaments held that Thanksgiving weekend,
young Fischer finished dismally. He began the
morning by losing a long, bishops-of-oppo-
site-color ending to another junior star, Charles
Kalme, who went on to share first prize. Fis-
cher, disheartened, drew two more games
that day and ended up in a huge tie for sixth
place.
This may be worthy of only a footnote,
but is a footnote worth remembering. For this
was the last time Fischer would lose to an
American for nearly four years. During this
remarkable, Reshevsky-like string, the former
prodigy would win four United States cham-
pionships, encompassing 28 games won, 18
drawn and, of course, no losses.
The streak eventually was broken - by
Reshevsky, in a match - and later in the open-
ing round of Bobby's fifth championship. But
Fischer, like Reshevsky after his close race with
Kashdan in 1942, came back stronger than
ever. In 1964 he exceeded Sammy's record of
five championship tournament titles by piling
up the most extraordinary record ever achieved
in a modern, national competition: He won
all 11 games, most of them against grandmas-
ter-level opponents.
And before Bobby retired from domestic
play - to chart his drive to the world champi-
onship - he had amassed eight national titles,
91
..
most of which he won with the utmost ease.
In none of the eight Fischer championships,
did he win by a mere half point. In three
championships he won by two or more points,
clinching first prize with a day or two to spare.
In four events he defeated his closest rival in
their individual game. His few draws and
fewer losses left him with a record scoring per-
centage of 83.3, more than 20 points higher
than his closest rivals of the post-Fischer era,
Vasser Seirawan and Lubosh Kavalek. (In the
1990s a career winning percentage of better
than 55 percent is exceptional.) In short, Fis-
cher was in a league all by himself.
And yet back in December 1957, shortly
after that bad day in Milwaukee, Bobby's
chances for immediate stardom were rated as
questionable. This was a consensus based on
two factors: First, Bobby was, after all, only 14
years old. He could win a tough Swiss System
event, such as the 1957 U.S. Open, but could
also perform pitifully against masters in a
stronger round robin as he had done in 1956.
And second, there was a wealth of junior tal-
ent that would likely improve at the same rate
as Fischer, and probably would remain close
to him in competition during the 1960s. It was
assumed that Fischer would reach grandmas-
ter level eventually, certainly by his early twen-
ties. But would he become better than his el-
ders - Evans, the Byrnes, Bisguier - or his
contemporaries - such as William Lombardy
and Raymond Weinstein? That was doubted.
92 The United States Chess Championship
Yet players rarely develop in slowly build-
ing steps. They make quick jumps in playing
ability, usually followed by long periods when
no progress is apparent. Fischer was in the pro-
cess of a very big jump in 1957. The previous
year had seen his introduction to top level
competition - wearing his customary blue-
jeans and sweater- in the 3rd Lessing Rosen-
wald invitational in New York. There Bobby
was beaten badly three times and lost a fourth
game in a lengthy, bitter battle. His worst loss
came at the hands of Bisguier, in an embar-
rassing 33-move game.
The following summer Fischer would
manage a draw with Bisguier and thereby nose
out Arthur, then the defending U.S. Open and
u.s. Invitational champion, for the Open title.
"Who could have seen in the early stages that
by not winning against Fischer I created a
monster?" Bisguier said of the game. But that
was the last time the older man would be the
favorite. Fischer won the next 13 games in a
row against Bisguier.
Bisguier was hardly over the hill. In 1957
he was only 28 years old, Evans was 25 and
the other likely challengers were also young.
There was 20-year-old Lombardy, who, like
Fischer, was a protege of master Jack Collins
of Brooklyn. Lombardy had been New York
State champion in 1955, two years after Sher-
win held the tide. Everyone seemed to hold the
state championship at one time. Other former
New York State champions included Re-
shevsky and Denker, of course, but also 20-
year-old Edmar Mednis, 28-year-old George
Kramer, and 29-year-old Hans Berliner.
The only active oldtimers in 1957 were
Reshevsky, and Bernstein (46), Denker (44),
Seidman (37), and Horowitz (50), who came
out of retirement in the late 1960s. But with
the constant exception of Reshevsky, and one
performance by Seidman, no member o/the old
guard would ever achieve a pfus score in a cham-
pionship again. The 1930s and '40s generation
was being replaced.
1957-58: Wunderkind
In 1957 came the lOath anniversary of the
First American Congress, and like the arrival
of Paul Morphy a century before, the estab-
lishment of Bobby Fischer as a dominating
force was accompanied by an organizational
coup. For several years the championship had
been almost a will-o'-the-wisp, with doubts
that it could be held at the scheduled time-
or at all. The financial crises that had occurred
since 1948 and the haphazard 1954 champi-
onship demanded a new format.
It was provided hy a small group of men,
most of them wealthy members of the Man-
hattan Chess Club, who had banded together
to raise money. It was money for chess - but
not necessarily for the USCF- and they called
themselves the American Chess Foundation.
The group included ACF president Alexander
Bisno; his successor, advertising executive
Rosser Reeves; and financiers Maurice Kasper,
Jose Calderon and Lessing Rosenwald. Since
the 2000-member USCF had had difficulty
managing the three-year-cycle for the cham-
pionship and raising funds for it, the ACF
declared that they would choose the best play-
ers for small, topflight events and finance
them.
The immediate result was three very strong
Rosenwald invitational tournaments and three
matches. Reshevsky won two of the tourna-
ments, finishing third in the other behind Evans
and Bisguier, and defeating Lombardy, Bis-
guier and Donald Byrne in the matches.
Sammy's superiority was obvious and he never
lost more than one game per event. In fact, his
loss to Walter Shipman in the first Rosenwald
tournament in late 1955 was his first defeat by
an American since the game with Mengarini
more than four years before.
The Foundation's success contrasted sharply
with the USCF's difficulties and it seemed to be
with some relief that the Federation agreed to
let the fourth Rosenwald be designated as the
10th U.S. championship. Also it would be a
FIDE zonal tournament. The first two finishers
would qualify for further events in the elimi-
nation contests run by the world federation to
 The Fischer Era (1957-1969)
select a contender for Mikhail Botvinnik. The
U.S. championship now had an international
impact.
What was remarkable about the first Fis-
cher championship was not so much that he
won, but how surprising it seemed at the time.
Fischer had played quite a good deal duting
1956 and 1957, much of it highly visible. His
picture appeared almost constantly in Chess Re-
view and occasionally in daily newspapers. The
photos showed him giving simultaneous exhi-
bitions, or winning the 1957 U.S. Open, or
losing a two-game match to former world
champion Max Euwe Y2-lV2. But to win the
championship? It seemed much too soon.
Bisguier was speaking for many of his col-
leagues when he declared Reshevsky to be the
favorite in 1957. Evans, he said, also was a
major contender, Lombardy would be a bi t be-
hind him and Robert Byrne would be in the
running (he, however, declined his invitation
at the last minute). Fischer, predicted the de-
fending champion, "should finish slightly over
the center mark in this tournament."
Bobby began with promise, crushing
Arthur Feuerstein, a 22-year-old computer
specialist, in the first round with the latest po-
sitional treatment of the Sicilian Defense.
Then, after an escape against Seidman, he gave
Reshevskya full battle for 47 moves and their
draw was a fair result. Two points out of three
was a fair start. But Fischer was only begin-
ning.
In Round 4 he accepted Bernstein's piece
sacrifice and kept it, then the next day turned
back Bisguier's counterattack and stood only
a half point behind Reshevsky with a score of
4-1. A draw with Berliner, which could have
gone either way up to the last of the 57 moves,
cost him some ground. But then came five
straight wins - over Sherwin, Kramer, Med-
nis, Lombardy and Attilio DiCamillo, one of
his former teachers.
What added to the surprise was the ma-
turity of Bobby's play. Consider this revealing
contrast between Kramer, the player once con-
sidered a possible successor to Reshevsky, and
Fischer, the intense youngster who would soon
make everyone forget Reshevsky.
93
A08 King's Indian Reversed
white Kramer, black Fischer
1 Nf3 Nf6 2 g3 g6 3 Bg2 Bg7 40-00-0
5 d3 d6
A few years later Fischer put forth the
idea - probably facetiously, but no one could
tell- that in this position Black was already a
little bit better. In 1957, however, he played
this setup with the White pieces as well as with
Black. Neither side commits himself in the
center early but Kramer soon shows he mis-
understands the nature of the battle.
6 e4 c5 7 c3?! Nc6 8 Ne1? Rb8! 9 f4 Ne8!
Fischer shows familiarity with this kind
of position, one of the most sophisticated of
post-World War II chess. He prepares for ...
b5-4 in the hopes of forcing White to con-
cede pawn control of d4 (such as by c3-c4).
Fischer had played over countless games with
this idea in similar positions, perhaps even this
one. Kramer, on the other hand, was more an
improviser than theoretician, and more of a
tactician than a positional gourmet. He plays
this stage very uncertainly, preparing for some-
thing but he doesn't seem to know what. For
f4-f5? for e4-e5?
10 Be3 Bd7 11 Nd2 h5
Now White finds himself on the defen-
sive because of Black's positional threat of
... b4 and ... Nc7-b5, concentrating a pawn
and two pieces on c3 and, indirectly, a minor
piece and a rook on b2. Rather than take pre-
cautions with Qc2 or concede d4 with c3-c4,
White goes in for tactics.
12 e5?! dXe5
This exchange appears to activate White's
pieces. But young Fischer sees that by clear-
ing the center of pawns it is his KB and QR
that profit the most.
13 Bxc5 exf4 14 Rxf4 Nc7 15 Rfl b4
94 The United States Chess Championship
White's queens ide is under tremendous
pressure and cannot be held together indefi-
nitely (16 d4 Ne6).
16 Qc2 bxc3 17 bxc3 NbS!
Mter
17 ... NbS
Kramer-Fischer, 1957
The diagram illustrates the triumph of a
modern opening strategy. White's center is
under disguised but potent attack. After the
horrible retreat 18 Nbl Black wins matter-of-
facdy with 18 ... Qa5 and either 19 ... Rfc8
or a capture on c3.
18 d4 Rc8 19 Qb2 Nxc3!
A tactical "shot" as Fischer would call it.
White's game unravels completely:
20 QXc3 Nxd4! 21 Qb4 Ne2+! 22 Khl
RxcS 23 QxcS Bxal 24 Nef3 Bg7 25 ReI
Nc3 26 QXa7 Be6 27 a3 Qd6 28 QaS BdS!
29 Nbl? Ra8 30 Qb4 Qxb4 31 axb4 Bxf3
32 Nxc3 (32 Bxf3 Ral) BXg2+ and White
resigns
During Fischer's streak Reshevsky had
been upset by Sherwin when he tried one of
Fischer's favorite modern openings, the King's
Indian Defense. Just a matter of weeks before,
Reshevsky had won perhaps the strongest in-
ternational tournament held in the United
States in 30 years (Dallas 1957) but was now
trailing a 14-year-old boy by half a point. He
would have to pull out another last-round
"Reshevsky finish." This time it would be
harder than ever. Reshevsky was to have White
against Lombardy, who was batding for third
place behind Sherwin, while Fischer had
White against an outsider, Abe Turner. Turner,
a chubby, 34-year-old drama student, was an
old blitz partner of Fischer, and Bobby was
not expected to exert himself on the final day.
In later years Fischer would never do
what he did that January 6, 1958: he let some-
one else win the tournament for him. Bobby
drew with Turner in 18 moves and then went
off to another room for a session of five-minute
games. Periodically after he peeked into the
tournament room to see what was happening.
A Reshevsky win would mean a tie for first
place, the first in 15 years. Anything else would
give Fischer clear first.
There was no clue until an excited Bobby,
returning to his speed game, drew on his Man-
hattan Chess Club kibitzing slang to say: "Gee,
Lombardy's playing like a house." He was.
E99 King's Indian Defense
white Reshevsky, black Lombardy
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 Bg7 4 e4 d6 5 Be2
0-0 6 Nf3 eS 70-0 Nc6 8 dS Ne7 9 Nel
Nd7 10 Nd3 fS
The story of this variation reads like the
history of most modern opening systems. First
(about 1952) it seemed clear that White had a
major advantage - he was supposed to win
quickly on the queens ide by playing b2-b4
and c4-c5 and then opening up lines for his
queen and rooks. White won some well-pub-
licized games with this strategy, but in the late
1950s Black began to turn the tables, and won
consistently in master tournaments by rush-
ing up all his kingside pawns to get to White's
king. This game was played during Black's
comeback period and before the discovery of
new ideas - such as 11 exf5, or 11 Bd2 or even
10 f3 f5 11 g4!?- that left the issue "with
chances for both sides."
11 f3?! f4 12 Bd2 gS I3 ReI Ng6 14 NbS?!
Reshevsky's idea is more aggressive than
it may seem. The knight can, of course, be
punches back by 14 ... a6. But then White will
 The Fischer Era (1957-1969)
play it to a3 and, after c4-c5xd6, to c4 where
it supports Ba5 and Bb4xd6.
That would be a typical example of how
White wins when he docs win in this v;uia-
lion. But his strategy pays no attention to the
kingside where ... g4 is about to break like a
shockwave. White should be playing the di-
rect 14 b1 or 14 Nf2 to hold some control of
g4.
14 ... a6 15 Na3 Nf6 16 c5 g4! 17 cxd6
cxd6
After
17 ... cxd6
J/{,ShflJsky-Lombardy, 195R
White's position is criticaL He can't get
enough pressure on the queenside to deflect
Black's attention. Reshevsky sees that 18 fxg4
Nxe4 would be a tacit admission that his
opening policy has been a bust. Still, with
19 Bf3 he could have fought hard.
18 Nc4 g3!
If this succeeds in opening the kingside,
the game is positionally decided. White was
hoping that Black would exchange pawns on
f3, after which his followup was not clear. But
Lombardy's move suggests that Black will at-
tack not g2, but h2, which is indefensible.
White cannot permit 19 ... gxh2+ fol-
lowed by ... Nh5-g3, but he would be more
vulnerable after 19 hxg3? fxg3 followed by a
knight hop to f4 or h4. Reshevsky probably
overlooked Lombardy's next move.
19 h3? Bxh3! 20 gxh3 Qd7
95
Now the kings ide opens up since 21 ...
Qxh3 cannot be permitted and 21 Kg2 would
be met by a knight check. It was for this idea
plus the fine buildup that follows that l.om-
bardy won the brilliancy prize.
21 Nfl gxf2+ 22 K1l2! Qc7 23 Rxf2 NhS!
24 Bb4 Rad8 2S Qd3 Nh4 26 RgI Ng3
27 BfI Rf6 28 Rc2 Rg6 29 Bel Bh6!
Lombardy is playing more powerfully
than Fine or Horowitz had in similar last-
round ba t ties with Reshevsky. But then Black's
position is easier to play, e.g. 30 Bxg3 fXg3+
31 Rxg3 Bf4.
30 Nb6 Kh8 31 Bg2 Rdg8 32 RcS Bf8!
33 Rc2 Qg7 34 NaB!? Qh6 35 Bfl
After 35 Bfl
Reshevsky-Lombardy, 1958
The threat was 35 ... NXg2 36 Rgxg2
Qxh3+ and mates. It doesn't make sense that
White should be able to defend with 35 Bhl
and he can't (35 ... Nxhl! 36 Rxhl Rg2+).
After all, Black has five pieces on the kings ide
and White only has two to speak of.
35 ... NxfI+ 36 Rxfl Qg7! 37 Qe2 Rg2+
38 Qxg2 NXg2 39 Rgl Nxel! 40 Rxg7
Bxg7 and White resigns
Still, there were doubts, even by Bobby.
Does this make you the best player in the
United States?, the new champion was asked.
"No, one tournament doesn't mean much," he
said. "Maybe Reshevsky .... "
 Tenth U.S. Championship, New York, Dec.-Jan. 1957-58

Totals
F R S L B 0 F M S B B D T K W 0 L Points

1. Fischer X Y2 1 1 Yz Yz Yz Y2 8 5 0 10Y2-2Y2
2. Reshevsky Y2 X 0 0 1 Y2 Yz 8 3 2 9Y2-3Yz
3. Sherwin 0 X Yz lh 0 Yz Yz 1 7 4 2 9-4
4. Lombardy 0 Yz X Y2 Y2 Yz Y2 0 0 5 5 3 7Y2-W2
5. Berliner Yz 0 Yz Yz X 0 0 Yz Y2 1 Yz 4 6 3 7-6
6-8. Denker Yz 0 0 Yz X 0 Yz 0 0 5 3 5 6Yz-6Y2
6-8. Feuerstein 0 0 Yz 1 X Yz 1 0 0 Yz Yz Yz 4 5 4 6Yz-6Y2
6-8. Mednis 0 Yz Yz Y2 Yz 0 Y2 X 0 Y2 Yz 1 3 7 3 6Yz-6Y2
9. Seidman Y2 0 Yz 1 Yz Y2 0 X 0 0 0 4 4 5 6-7
10-11. Bernstein 0 Y2 0 0 0 1 0 1 X 0 Y2 0 4 2 7 5-8
10-11. Bisguier 0 0 0 1 0 0 Yz 0 1 C 1/2 0 4 2 7 5-8
12-13. DiCamillo 0 0 0 0 0 Y2 Y2 1 0 Yz X 0 3 3 7 4Yz-8Y2
12-13. Turner Yz 0 0 0 Yz 0 Y2 0 0 Yz 1 X Y2 2 5 6 4Y2-8Y2
14. Kramer 0 0 0 0 0 0 Yz 0 0 0 Y2 X 2 2 9 3-10

The Fischer Era (1957-1969)
1958-59: Like a Grandmaster
By the time of the next championship, 12
months later, Fischer was a grandmaster, an
international star and the talk of world chess.
Only the even brighter star of Mikhail Tal, six
years older than Fischer and already on the way
to the world championship, took attention
away from the 15-year-old American title-
holder.
The task facing Fischer in December,
1958, was formidable. No one had repeated as
u.s. champion in the previous six tourna-
ments and, in fact, winning the title seemed
something of a jinx: Defending champion Bis-
guier had scored an embarrassing 5-8 in 1957,
Denker was not in contention in 1946 and
Steiner did not even try to defend his title in
1951. Moreover, the 1958-59 championship-
so designated because the tournament had be-
come and would remain for the next several
years a Christmas-New Year's period event-
was extremely strong. It may have been the
strongest Fischer ever faced. Virtually all of
the top-scorers of the previous year were back
and they were joined by both Byrne brothers
and Pal Benko.
Benko in particular was regarded as a
threat to Fischer. Born in France to Hungar-
ian parents, Benko had become one of the
leading European juniors during the mid-50s
and was making progress as quickly as Fischer.
He had been· involved (secretly) in the 1956
Hungarian revolt but was later permitted to
play first board on his country's team in the
1957 Student Olympiade in Iceland - where
he promptly defected. Since that fall he had
been living in the United States and improv-
ing his game. Benko had improved so much
that he finished equal third, ahead of Fischer
whom he had beaten in their individual game,
at the 1958 Interzonal at Portorozh. If anyone
posed a danger to the champion, it appeared
to be the newcomer. And, to round out the
field, the USCF had begun seeding players for
special reasons. Most invitees were chosen be-
cause of their rating or because they held the
grandmaster title. But in 1958-59 the Feder-
ation also invited the U.S. junior champion, a
..
97
17-year-old Brooklynite, very much in the Fis-
cher mold, named Raymond Weinstein. He
turned out to be a cousin of Bisguier - and
quite promising.
As in 1957 the tournament was held at
the Henry Hudson Hotel, soon to be the home
of the Manhattan Chess Club, and it began at
much the same tempo as the previous year.
Fischer again took off well, but the degree of
his success was concealed in sealed move en-
velopes: His first four games were adjourned
and so his standing on the scorechart was blank
during the first week of play. But after the last
of the 235 moves of these games were finished
it was discovered that Fischer had scored 3Y2-
'h and already was in clear first place.
Then came a draw with Benko -who
was making an inauspicious debut in Ameri-
can chess - followed by the sensation of the
tournament :
B3S Sicilian Defense
white Fischer, black Reshevsky
1 e4 cS 2 Nf3 Ne6 3 d4 cXd4 4 Nxd4 g6
5 Nc3 Bg7 6 Be3 Nf6 7 Be4 0-0
This formation by White, followed by f3,
Qd2 and 0-0-0, was the system Fischer had
placed his personal stamp on. His victory with
it over Bent Larsen of Denmark in Portorozh
that summer was the game that had made
much of the chess world take notice of him.
But it was still a very new, untested opening.
In the same Portorozh tournament against
Oscar Panno of Argentina he played 8 f3? and
had to think for more than an hour for an an-
swer to 8 ... Qb6! which threatens 9 ... Qxb2
as well as 9 ... Nxe4! 10 fxe4 Bxd4. Fischer
had learned a thing or two by the time of the
championship.
8 Bb3! NaS? (see diagram)
But Reshevsky had not. He was appar-
ently relying on slim preparation and instincts,
a dangerous policy in a theoretical opening.
What happens next had been analyzed in
depth in a recent Russian magazine, the kind
 11th U.S. Championship, New York, Dec. 18-Jan. 15,1958-59

Totals
F R S B B E L B B K M W W D L Points

• 1. Fischer X 1 1 1 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 1 1 6 5 0 S~-2Y2

2. Reshevsky 0 X 1 ~ ~ 1 1 ~ ~ ~ 5 5 1 7~-3~
3. Sherwin 0 0 X ~ 1 Y2 ~ ~ ~ 4 5 2 6~-4~
4-7. Bisguier 0 ~ ~ X 1 0 ~ ~ ~ 1 ~ 3 6 2 6-5
4-7. D. Byrne ~ ~ 0 0 X 1 ~ Yz ~ ~ 3 6 2 6-5
4-7. Evans ~ 0 0 1 0 X 0 1 ~ 1 1 5 2 4 6-5
4-7. Lombardy ~ 0 ~ ~ 0 1 X 1 ~ ~ Y2 1 3 6 2 6-5
s. Benko ~ ~ 0 ~ ~ 0 0 X 1 ~ 1 ~ 1 6 4 4-7
9-10. R. Byrne ~ ~ 0 ~ 0 0 ~ 0 X ~ 1 Y2 1 6 4 4-7
9-10. Kalme 0 0 ~ 0 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ X Y2 ~ 0 S 3 4-7
11-12. Mednis 0 ~ ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 0 ~ X ~ 0 6 5 3-S
11-12. R. Weinstein 0 0 ~ ~ ~ 0 0 0 ~ ~ ~ X 0 6 5 3-S

The Fischer Era (1951-1969)
After
8 ... Na5
Fischer-Reshevsky. 1958
Fischer had been reading since the seventh
grade. Better was 8 ... d6, which threatens
9 ... Ng4, or the immediate 8 ... Ng4!?
9 Qxg4 Nxd4 as Reshevsky played against Fis-
cher in their nontitle match two years later.
9 e5! NeB?
Remarkably enough, Black is already lost.
His knight has no good retreat (9 ... Nh5
10 g4!) and the interpolation of 9 ... Nxb3
doesn't really interpolate (9 ... Nxb3 10 exf6!
Nxal 11 fxg7 Nxc2+ 12 Nxc2 with material
equality but clear positional superiority for
White).
10 Bxf7+!!
Fischer didn't have to think about this
move: It was "book." He wins the queen after
10 ... Kh8 (or 10 ... Rxfl), 11 Ne6!.
10 '" Kxf7 11 Ne6!
Reshevsky played 11 ... fxe6 12 Qxd8
and resigned 30 moves and a time control
later. The alternative was 11 ... Kxe6 12 Qd5+
Kf5 13 g4+ Kxg4 14 Rgl+ Kh4 15 Bg5+ and
mates. Games have been decided in the cham-
pionship by opening analysis, but never so
brutally or involving so much as this game.
This debacle removed Reshevsky from the
list of contenders until it was too late. Even
after draws with Donald Byrne and Evans, Fis-
cher was still coasting along in first. He had
one chance to throw the tournament away and
that came in the 10th round:
..
99
Fischer held White against Bisguier and
his Ruy Lopez failed to make any impression
on one of the world's experts on the closed
treatment of the opening. Horowitz, Bisguier's
friend and sometime employer, was writing an
opening book and was gratified to see Arthur
working extra hard. Horowitz had plenty of
examples of Lopez games won by White but
none by Black. Bisguier appeared to be on the
verge of the clean, thematic victory Horowitz
needed: He was forcing Fischer to close off the
center, then he was expanding on the queen-
side and then switching to the kingside. Black's
pieces began to swarm over Fischer's king po-
sition and for the first time in the tournament-
the first time in two tournaments - the young-
ster was clearly losing.
But suddenly there was a slight error by the
older man, and then another, and after an ex-
change of pieces his advantage was gone. Black
pawns were revealed to be weak when they no
longer had pieces around for defense. And
finally there was a major blunder - a rarity for
Bisguier in the endgame. He threw away a cold
draw and walked into the Lucena position, a
"book win" known for centuries.
The first year had shown Fischer could
outplay his elders in the middle-game and
opening. But now he was doing it in the end-
game too.
1959-60: Going on Three
And by the time the next championship
rolled around, Fischer was confirmed as a
world championship contender, having finished
a creditable fifth in the candidates tournament
in Yugoslavia earlier that year. By contrast, the
12th U.S. championship may not have seemed
so prestigious to the world's youngest grand-
master, a 16-year-old, two-time champion
going on three-time. Still, with more than two
years to go before the next candidates tourna-
ment Bobby was content to merely prove his
superiority over the Americans.
His superiority - even over Reshevsky-
was becoming clearer every year. Yet Fischer
had doubts and they were expressed in com-
100 The United States Chess Championship
plaints to the tournament organizers about ir-
regularities in procedures which he said could
unfairly deprive him of the ride. This was the
beginning of several such complaints, and in
1959-60 they cemered on the practice of
choosing lots in private - olltside the presence
of the players - to determine who played whom
and when during a (Ournament. fischer said
the practice was just unfair. He threatened to
forfeit his games if the pairings were not re-
drawn in public.
The tournament officials were no less firm
than L. Walter Stephens had been 16 years be-
fore. One of the directors of the event was Hans
Kmoch, who had double-forfeited two players
in the third Rosenwald tournament because nei-
ther of them, Hearst and Mednis, had kept an
accurate scoresheet. Kmoch was a hanging judge.
Fischer's protest had some merit, the
officials felt, bur to throw out the pairings after
they had been publicized was certain to an-
tagonize other players in the event. So the
(Ournament committee stood firm. And just
in case Fischer went ahead with his threat, they
primed a substitute for him, a 22-year-old pre-
med student named Anthony Saidy, (0 play if
Fischer didn't. In the end, Fischer did.
That was hardly the end of the tension.
Fischer again won the title, but even in the ab-
sence of Evans, Lombardy and Donald Byrne
it was not entirely easy. He needed to use all
his resources. As a rapidly maturing profes-
sional, those resources included using the clock,
the sealed move envelope and the rulebook, as
well as the 64 squares. This became evident in
the second round when he faced Robert Byrne,
then a Midwestern college instruc(Or and a
part-time player of immense unrealized talent.
For years it was his brother, Donald, who
earned the attention, winning the 1953 U.S.
Open, for example, or defeating Yefim Geller
3-1 in the 1955 u.S.-U.S.S.R. match. But
Robert, two years older than Donald, seemed
to need only time and opportunity to develop
into a strong grandmaster - equal or superior
to his high school era colleagues, Evans and
Bisguier.
After a spirited opening (D41) as White,
Byrne held a huge advantage.
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 d5 4 exd5 Nxd5
5 Nf3 e5 6 e3 Ne6 7 Be4 Nxc3 8 bxe3 Be7
90-00-0 10 Qe2 b6 11 Rdl Qc7 12 e4 Bb7
13 Be3 Rae8 14 Bd3 exd4 15 cxd4 Ba3?
16 e5! Nb4 17 Ng5! h6 18 Bh7+! Kh8
19 Qh5 Nd5 20 Bd3 Qe7 21 Nh7! Nxe3
22 fxe3 Rfd8 23 Rfl Rd7 24 111!
After 24 h4
R. Byrne-Fischer, 1959
Kmoch, writing in Chess Review, called
Byrne's last move a "rescue action for the para-
trooper knight." It is part of a winning com-
bination that will become clear after 25 Ng5,
e.g. 24 ... Rdc7 25 Ng5! RfB 26 Rf6! KgB
27 Rafl! with a speedy resolution (Rxh6) of
the position in White's favor.
24 ... Rc3!
Here Fischer begins to wake up after his
bad opening. And he plays not so much against
Byrne, as against Byrne's clock. White had
taken a good deal of time to reach this posi-
tion and needed only a few more good moves -
uncomplicated by enemy counterplay - to
score the point. Fischer's task was not so much
to equalize but to make the win as hard to
achieve as possible. His last move forces Byrne's
hand since the attacked bishop has no place to
go and 25 Radl Rxd3! 26 Rxd3 Kxh7 or
25 Bb5 Rdc7! favors Black.
25 Ng5! Rxd3 26 Rxf7 Rd2!
Fischer finds the moves to keep Byrne's
clock ticking; 27 Rxe7 leads to a powerful posi-
tion for Black after 27 ... Rxg2+ 28 Kfl Rxe7.

The Fischer Era (1957-1969)
27 e4!
A fine answer. Fischer has no time now
to save his queen (27 .. , Qe8 28 Qg6) so ...
27 ... QXf7 28 Nxf7 + Rxf7! 29 QXf7 Bxe4
Only two bishops for the queen, but
Black has plenty of piece activity. Fischer
didn't agonize over the queen sacrifice. He
thought about 15 to 20 minutes - a lot of time
for him - on his last three moves, leaving him
with an hour to make the remaining 11 moves
of the time control. More important, he did
not give Byrne extra time - White had only
five minutes left here. With a bit more time to
think, Byrne might have avoided all trouble
with 30 Qxe6!.
30 ReI? RXg2+ 31 Kf'l Bd5! 32 Re2 Rg4!
Good time-pressure policy, preserving
rooks to improve Black's tactical chances.
33 Rc2 Kh7 34 h5 Rg5!
After
34 ... Rg5
R. Byrne-Fischer, 1959
35 Ke2?
Byrne, with no time left to speak of, putS
off a decision about grabbing Black's a-pawn.
He sees that he can repeat the position by mov-
ing his king around until move 40, and then
adjourn with the benefit of another hour of
time.
..
101
35 ... Rg2+ 36 Kd3? Rg3+ 37 Ke2 Rg2+
38 Ke3? Rg3+ 39 Kfl Rg5!
Virtually the same position as five moves
ago is reached, but with one difference. This
is no opportunity for 40 Qxa7 now because
40 ... Rg2+ would spear a rook.
40 Ke2
This position is probably still winnable
by White. With the time control reached, Byrne
saw that he could meet another rook check at
g2 with 41 Kfl! (41 ... Rxc2 42 Qg6+). This
meant White would escape the checks and
threaten 41 Qxa7 once again. But ...
But he should have played Ke2 on move
36 or 38. Now it was too late because Fischer
checked his scoresheet and called over a tour-
nament official. He pointed out that 40 ...
Rg2+ regardless of its tactical value, would re-
peat the position previously seen at move 35
and move 37. It was a draw by way of the
three-time repetition rule. Had Fischer also
been short of time he might not have been able
to figure this out from his scoresheet - and an
improper claim would have been immediately
fatal. But the claim was legitimate and Fischer
had escaped.
A draw in the third round left the stand-
ings in something of a surprise. For the first
time in three years, Fischer was nowhere near
first place. His score was 1-1, with on~ game
adjourned, seventh best in a field of 12 and far
behind Reshevsky's 21h-Y2. But the adjourned
game turned out to be another long win over
Bisguier, and Reshevsky was promptly upset
by Seidman. After another day it was Fischer
and Seidman in the lead, followed by Re-
shevsky and young Raymond Weinstein. (He
was "young Weinstein" even though two years
older than Bobby.)
Seidman soon fell back; a shock was de-
livered him by his longtime Marshall Chess
Club friend, Bernstein. The opening was a
partial surprise as it appeared to be the first
time 1 b4 was seen in championship play. But
the feature of the game was a diabolical trap
set by Bernstein:
102 The United States Chess Championship
AOO Orangutan Opening
white Bernstein, black Seidman
1 b4 Nf6 2 Bb2 e6 3 b5! a6 4 a4 axb5
5 axb5 RXal 6 Bxal d5 7 Nf3 Be7 8 e3
Nbd7 9 Be2 0-0 10 0-0 NcB 11 c4 Bf6
12 Nc3 dxc4 13 Bxc4 Nd6 14 Be2 b6
15 Na2! Bb7 16 Bxf6 Qxf6 17 Nb4 Ne5
18 Nd4 Qg5! 19 g3 Qh6 20 Qc2 Qh3
21 Nbc6 Kh8 22 Ral Ng4 23 NO Qh5
After
23 •.. QhS
Bernstein-Seidman, 1959
24 Ra4!!
This stops 24 ... Nxb5 (25 Nh4 f5
26 Bxb5!) but what about the equally threat-
ened h-pawn? Even if warned that there is a
trap somewhere in the position it is hard to
guess what White has up his sleeve.
24 ••. Nxh2? 25 Nfe5! Qxe2
Black's move was forced. Now 26 Kxh2
Qxf2+ wins for him.
26 Qxh7 +!! and Black resigns
Black is mated by a rook check followed
by a knight check.
After seven rounds it was Fischer in the
lead, a half point ahead of Reshevsky, with
everyone else at least two points back. The
only player who was completely out of the
running was Robin Ault, the seeded junior
champion. Ault was most definitely not con-
firming the rightness of the USCF's decision to
invite the most promising youngster. He even-
tually lost all 11 of his games and the special
seeding of junior stars was dropped for eight
years.
With two men clearly ahead the tourna-
ment seemed headed for one of those Re-
shevsky-Fine-Kashdan finishes of the '30s and
'40s. But the times had changed. Reshevsky
was still exceptionally strong, yet he was being
surpassed by an even greater talent. Fischer
crushed Bernstein in Round 8 to maintain his
lead and then had to engineer one more es-
cape the following day.
After
27 ... Rb6
Mednis-Fischer.1959
With his usual resourceful handling of
the Najdorf Variation of the Sicilian, the
champion had obtained an advantage but then
ran into trouble. Mednis was making his third
try in the championship and had earned a rep-
utation as a serious, commonsense player who
rarely took risks and stuck to what he knew.
He usually managed to finish at least in the
middle of the tournament, thanks to what Bis-
guief called "wonderful nerves." Moreover,
Mednis was becoming something of a problem
opponent for Fischer. In the 1957-58 cham-
pionship Bobby had misplayed an opening
edge and found himself in grave difficulty with
his king castled queenside and all Mednis'
pieces lined up against it. But a surprise com-
bination turned the tables. Now, with colors
reversed but the situation very similar, Med-
nis looks for revenge.
28 Nxf6!!
This is a brilliant move which does sev-
eral things. It cuts open the shell of protective
 The Fischer Era (1957-1969)
pawns around Black's king and threatens both
29 Qh4 and 29 Ng8+. The knight cannot be
taken (28 ... Kxf6 29 Qh4+ leads to mate)
and on f6 it serves another important func-
tion - the protection of the White d-pawn.
This becomes important after:
28 ... Qb7
The best try, threatening 29 ... Rxb2+.
Bur White has a spectacular defense which
must be played to justify White's last move.
The win was there after 29 b4!! because after
29 ... cxb3+ 30 cxb3 Rxb3 White smothers
the attack with 31 Rb4!. Note that 31 ... Rxb4
32 Rxb4 would then leave Black's queen en
pnse.
Mednis thinks he has another way out.
29 Ng8+? Kfg 30 c3
This is what he had been counting on.
White is two pawns up and appears to have si-
lenced the b-file violence.
30 ... Bel!
But this is what he overlooked (31 Rxc1
Rxb2+). The bishop adds the final fuel to a de-
cisive attack:
31 Rg2 Rxb2+ 32 Rxb2 Bxb2 43 Qc2
Qb5! 44 £6 Qa5 45 Qxb2 Rxb2+ and
Black wins
Fischer glided through the final rounds
and won again by a full point.
1960-61: Youth to the rore
No one has ever been able to explain why
chess talent should develop so haphazardly. In
the 1930s and again in the 1950s there were
large crops of talented new players in Amer-
ica, just as there was in the Soviet Union. But
both countries went dry for most of the 1960s,
producing no players of distinction until 1970.
Other countries took up the slack. For exam-
103
pIe, Czechoslovakia, which had produced few
players since World War II, suddenly found
itself with four future grandmasters during the
mid-1960s (Vlastimil Hore, Lubosh Kavalek,
Jan Smeikal and Vlastimil Jansa).
The 1960-61 U.S. championship was the
last year of the American yomh movement in
chess for a decade, but it was an impressive re-
sult nonetheless. Even the Evans-Bisguier-
Byrne generation appeared to be out of date
in light of the progress made by Lombardy,
Raymond Weinstein, and Fischer. Lombardy,
the eldest at 23, had been a psychology major
at City College while emerging as a terror of
student team championships and the world ju-
nior championship. At Leningrad in the sum-
mer of 1960 he led the U.S. team to a surprise
victory over the highly favored Soviet students
headed by Boris Spassky. Weinstein, another
member of the team, was then a 19-year-old
Brooklyn College student who had shown how
a steady diet of tough competition could bring
out the best in a young player. From last place
two championships before, he had risen to a
plus score in 1959-60. He would reach the top
three in 1960-61, and nearly qualify for the in-
terzonal tournament of 1962. If there had
never been a Fischer, Weinstein would have
been the sensation of American chess in 1961.
But there was a Fischer, and he was ma-
turing. In his fourth championship he wore a
suit and tie to the board - no more sweaters,
jeans and sneakers. He had in one sense his
easiest championship to date, and in another,
his hardest. It was easy because he scored nine
points, or two more than his nearest rival. He
defeated the second, third and fourth place
finishers in the individual games with them.
But he was in trouble more than once, and not
just against the grandmasters. Almost certainly
he was lost against Saidy, who was making his
championship debut. Fischer was even taking
cautious "grandmaster draws" again, includ-
ing a 12-mover with the White pieces against
Benko.
In the first round he obtained no edge at
all against Weinstein, who was expected to be
one of his easier points. Fischer got nothing
out of the opening against the Winawer Vari-
104 The United States Chess Championship

12th u.s. Championship, New York, Dec. IS-Jan. 4, 1959-60

Totals
F B R B B W S S M B D A WD L Points

l. Fischer X V2 V2 V2 V2 1 7 4 0 9-2
2. R. Byrne V2 X \t2 V2 V2 V2 V2 1 5 6 0 8-3
3. Reshevsky V2 V2 X V2 0 0 6 3 2 7V2-3\t2
4. Benko 0 0 V2 X V2 V2 V2 5 4 2 7-4
5. Bisguier 0 V2 0 V2 X V2 V2 1 \t2 4 5 2 6V2-4V2
6. R. Weinstein V2 0 0 0 V2 X 1 0 5 2 4 6-5
7. Seidman 0 V2 0 \t2 0 X V2 0 4 3 4 5\t2-5Y2
8. Sherwin Y2 Y2 0 Y2 0 1 Y2 X Y2 0 Y2 2 6 3 5-6
9. Mednis 0 0 0 V2 \t2 0 0 Y2 X 1 3 3 5 4Y2-6\t2
10. Bernstein 0 Y2 0 0 0 0 1 0 X Y2 3 2 6 4-7
11. Denker 0 0 I 0 0 0 0 Y2 0 Y2 X 1 2 2 7 3-8
12. Ault 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X 0 0 11 O-II

ation of the French Defense, but the middle- Ahh! A small surprise for Weinstein, who
game position was difficult to play for both quickly became flustered. He cannot take the
sides: rook because of mate by 31 Qxb6+ and
32 Qb7.

30 ... Ka8 31 R6b5

Black's center is under intense pressure

and he needs all his tactical awareness to keep
After 28 Bxh4
it whole. White's bishops, our of play while
Black had a pawn at e6, now come to life on
g2 and g3.

31 ... Be6 32 Bg3 e4?

Fischer-R. Weinstein, 1960
28 ... eS??
This seems to be just the kind of move
that should improve Black's already promising
position. The problem piece of the French,
Black's QB, is now freed. Bur there is a tacti-
cal flaw. Instead, 28 ... h5! might have posed
more difficulty (29 gxh5 Rxh5 and 30 ...
Rfh7).
29 dxe5 fxeS 30 Rxb6+!
This tears it. Black had to play the ugly,
but necessary 32 ... Qd6.
33 Qxh6!! and Black resigns
The queen is taboo because of 34 Rb8+
and mates, and 33 ... Re8 34 Qxe6! only pro-
longs the game.
Weinstein came back strongly later on,
beating Bisguier and Robert Byrne in time-
pressure battles. Lombardy also racked up some
good scalps, beating Byrne and Charles Kalme.
The young stars stood safely behind Fischer
 The Fischer Era (1957-1969)
through most of the event, but also just ahead
of the older generation. Bisguier, having his
best championship since 1954, had a chance to
catch the two young contenders, and reach the
Interzonal, on the even of the last round. He
needed only a draw to clinch a tie for third
place. But the drew had to come from Fischer.
E61 King's Indian Defense
white Bisguicr, black Fischer
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 Bg7 4 Nf3 0-0
5 Bf4 c5 6 ds d6 7 e4 Qas 8 Bd3 Bg4 9 0-
o Nbd7 10 h3 Bxf3 11 QXf3 Ne5! 12 Qe2
Nxd3 13 Qxd3 a6 14 Bd2 Nd7 15 b3 Qc7
After
15 ... Qc7
Bisguier-Fischer, 1961
Black has equalized by trading pieces and
activating a queenside initiative. Bisguier un-
derestimates Fischer's chances and prepares his
own initiative, in the center, with f2-f4, Rae!
and e4-e5. He assumes he will have time to
halt Black (16 ... Rab8 17 a4).
16 f4 bs! 17 cxbs Qh6
The threat of ... c4+ gives Black the extra
protection of b5 he needed to justify his 16th
move. White can now visualize the enemy ad-
vance picking up energy after 18 ... axb5 fol-
lowed by ... b4 or ... Rab8 and a later ... c4.
Bisguier elects to sacrifice the exchange so as
to eliminate the powerful Black bishop.
18 Kh2 axb5 19 Nxbs!? BXal 20 RXal RfcS
21 Qc4 Qa6! 22 a4 Nb6 23 Qc2
105
Black's superiority lies now in his rooks.
But they have no good files to work with, so
Fischer finds a way of activating his other pieces.
23 ••. c4! 24 b4 c3! 25 Nxc3 Qc4
White had little choice but to allow this
intrusion. Now he must attempt to plug up
the holes at b1, c4, a4, d4 and d3.
26 b5 Qd4 27 Bel Nc4 28 Qf2 Ne3 29 Rdl
After 29 Rc1 Black's rooks show their
force with 29 ... Rc4 and 30 ... Rac8.
After 29 Rdl
Bisguier-Fischer, 1961
29 ... Qxc3!
Fischer began and ended the tournament
with queen sacrifices. Here he ends up with
two rooks and a knight for the queen and the
White pawns soon run out of steam:
30 Bxc3 Nxdl 31 Qd4 Nxc3 32 b6 Rc5!
33 e5 Rxa4 34 b7!? Rxd4 35 b8(Q)+ Kg7
36 exd6 exd6 37 Qxd6 RcxdS 38 Qc7 Ne2
39 f5 Rxf5 40 Qa7 RfdS 41 Qal Nf4 and
White resigns
Reshevsky, now retired from accounting,
was living on selling insurance and mutual
funds. Entering his fifties, his chess career
seemed on the decline, and this was his worst
result to date. Would he ever be a contender
again?
 106 The United States Chess Championship

13th U.S. Championship, New York, Dec. IS-Jan. 5, 1960-61

Totals
F L W B R 5 K B B B 5 5 W D L Points

l. Fischer X 1 1 Y2 Y2 Y2 1/2 7 4 0 9-2

2. Lombardy 0 X Y2 Y2 Y2
0 Y2 5 4 2 7-4
3. R. Weinstein 0 X 1 Y2 0 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 4 5 2 6Y2-4Y2
4-6. Bisguier 0 Y2 0 X Y2 Y2 0 Y2 4 4 3 6-5
4-6. Reshevsky Y2 Y2 0 Y2 X Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 2 8 1 6-5
4-6. Sherwin 0 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 X Y2 0 Y2 3 () 2 6-5
7. Kalme Y2 0 0 Y2 Y2 X 1 Y2 0 Y2 Y2 2 6 3 5-6
8-1l. Benko Y2 Yz Y2 0 Y2 0 0 X Y2 1 0 2 5 4 4Y2-6Y2
8-1l. Berliner 0 0 Yz 0 0 Y2 Y2 X 0 I 3 3 5 4Y2-6Y2
8-1l. R. Byrne Y2 0 0 0 Y2 0 X 0 Y2 3 3 5 4Y2-6Y2
8-11. Saidy 0 0 Y2 0 0 Y2 Y2 1 0 X 1 3 3 5 4Y2-6Y2
12. Seidman 0 0 Y2 Y2 Y2 0 Y2 0 0 1/2 0 X 0 5 6 2Y2-8Y2

-1961-62: Anyone Beats Anyone
The championship had grown in strength
so much during the first four Fischer years that
even without him, and even with the added
loss of Reshevsky and several other stars, it still
compared favorahly in stature with the 1948,
1951 and 1954 events. In the winter of 1961-62
Fischer was preparing for another interzonal,
the first step towards the 1963 world tide match.
If everything went well, he would also be
headed for his second candidates tournament,
set for later in 1962. Bisguier, replacing Lom-
bardy who was preparing for a career in the
priesthood, was also headed for the Stockholm
Interzonal and was similarly unavailahle for
the 14th championship. M for Reshevsky, he
appeared to have retired from chess following
the collapse of his match with Fischer earlier
in the year.
That left 12 more or less evenly matched
opponents. "It's the kind of field where most
anyone could beat most anyone else," Bern-
stein said, and he was almost right. The fa-
vorites were Evans and the most recent U.S.
Open winners, Robert Byrne (winner in 1960)
and Benko (1961). The weakening of the field
also permitted invitations for players who had
been infrequently active - Hearst, who hadn't
played since 1954 because ,of school work;
Kramer; and Donald Byrne, whose occasional
absences from the championship could partly
be explained by declining health.
As usual the standings were confused in
the early rounds because of adjourned games.
Only Mednis had a perfect score after the first
day. But Evans had adjourned in a winning
position, and by the time the hanging games
were cleared up he had a 3-0 lead, compared
to 2-1 scores for Mednis and Seidman, the
closest competitors. Evans was playing chess
as he approached the age of 30 "for the spirit
of competition," he said. "And sometimes be-
cause I run short of cash." But he drew with
Mednis in the fourth round to lessen his lead
and then almost threw away the title the fol-
lowing day (see diagram),
A pawn ahead, with the more active pieces
and, most important, having the move, Byrne
is winning. But Evans had a pet theory: "No
matter how had your position, if it's not totally
lost, you will arrive at a point during the game
where you will he presented with an opportu-
nity to win or draw if you take advantage of it."
"1 never give up in an inferior position,"
he added. "Most players do."

The Fischer Era (1951-1969)
After
37 ..• Rxb3
R. Byrne-Evans, 1961
38 Qf7??
Time trouble again burns Byrne. He saw
the possihilities of perpetual check but as-
sumed th'H the White king could just walk
away (0 safety somewhere on the queenside.
38 ... Rxg3+!
Surprisingly there is no win anymore.
Black can chase the king back and forth across
the board.
39 Kxg3 Qgl+ 40 Kf3 Qfl+ 41 Ke3 Qxh3+
42 Kf2 Qh4+ 43 Kg2 Qg4+ 44 Kfl Q><f4+
45 Kel Qg3+ 46 Kdl Qb3+!
Here they agreed (0 a draw. If the king
gets to bl (47 Kcl Qc3+ 48 Kb1) he gets
checked hack with 48 ... Qa1+ and 49 ...
Qc3+.
But White could have won from the di-
agram with a nne resources - 38 Ne5 so that
38 ... Rxg3+ 39 KXg3 Qgl+ could be met by
40 Kf3 Qfl+ 41 Ke3 Qxh3+ 42 Nf3! or 39 ...
Qe3+! 40 Nf3!! Qxe6 41 Ng5+.
''I'm hard to shake once off to a good
start," Evans said, "but basically uninterested,
lacking the necessary killer instinct." By that,
he meant the "Fischer instincr." Still, he cer-
tainly seemed to have something, interest or
instinct, as he led 5-1, just ahead of Sherwin
(4Y2-2Y2) and Robert Byrne and Seidman
(5-3). Mednis was also doing well, his best re-
sult- but Raymond Weinstein, third place
.
107
winner the previous year, was in last place.
And Benko (" I always lose once on time") had
forfeited to Bernstein and was stalled with only
an even score.
Evans, however, was playing exacting
chess. With obvious relish he showed off his
game with Hearst, taking time to savor the re-
venge of 1954. Another year, another Sicilian,
but a very different game.
B48 Sicilian Defense
white Hearst, black Evans
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 e6
5 Nc3 Qc7 6 Be3 a6 7 Bd3 Nf6 80-0 Be7
9 Khl d6 10 f4 Bd7 11 Qe2 Rc8
Both sides have finished their assigned
roles in this opening: White prepares for some
SOft of action, as yet undefined, on the king-
side or in the center; Black is clearly intent on
having enough counterplay on the queens ide
to meet all contingencies. White needs one
more preparatory move, a2-a3, and he will be
ready to attack. For example, 12 a3 0-0 13 Rf3
and 14 Rg3.
12 Nf3!? 0-0 13 Ng5? h6 14 Nh3
Hearst's idea was to encourage ... h6-
just as he had done successfully in 1954 against
Evans. Here he hoped to open the g-file with
g2-g4-g5 or attack g7 with Rf3-g3. But the
loss of time permits an unfavorable exchange
of minor pieces that 12 a3 would have averted.
14 ... Nb4! 15 Rf3 Nxd3 16 cxd3 dS!
Aftcc
16 ... dS
Hearst-Evans, 1961
108 The United States Chess Championship

14th U.S. Championship, New York, Dec. 17-Jan. 4, 1961-62

Totals
EBB M S S H B W T K B W D L Points

1. Evans X V2 V2 V2 1/2 V2 V2 l;2 470 7V2-31;2

2. R. Byrne V2XV2 1hV2 V2 V2 Vl Vl 1 3 S 0 7-4
3-6. Benko V1V2X 10 Vz Vz Vz o 4 5 2 6Vz-4Vz
3-6. Mednis V2V20Xl 1 4 5 2 6V2-4Vz
3-6. Seidman V2 V2 0 X o 0 Vz 5 3 3 6Vz-4V2
3-6. Sherwin Vz001;21 XV2V2V2 4 5 2 6V2-4Vz
7. Hearst OVZV2VZO liz X V2 V2 Vz 272 5Vz-5Vz
S. D. Byrne ,V2 Vz 0 0 0 VzV1X1VzVz 263 5-6
9. R. Weinstein l!2 Vz 1;2 0 0 1;2VzOX10 2 5 4 4Vz-6Vz
10. Turner OV2V2V2 00 V20 X 111 V2 6 4 4-7
11. Kramer o o o lOOVzV2 V2 X 0 236 3Vl-7Vz
12. Bernstein o o 0 1/ 2 0 0 0 o V2 X 2 2 7 3-S

Black could also have met the threats on
the kingside with 16 ... RfdS 17 Rg3 KfS!, as
Evans pointed out. But the text is more dy-
namic: White must either allow an exchange
of center pawns or play 17 e5!, which, how-
ever, would permit 17 ... Ne8 18 Rg3 Bh4
with at least a draw.
17 Rg3? dxe4 18 dxe4 Qc4!
Now the endgame is very nice for Black
and, while that in itself is not decisive, the
threat to trade down to an ending permits
Evans' pieces to take over three quarters of the
board in the next few moves. The rest is fairly
easy for a grandmaster:
19 Qf3 Be6! 20 Nf2 RfdS 21 Rel Kf8!
22 Bel b5 23 b3 Qc5 24 Bb2 Qh5! 25 a3
QXf3 26 Rxf3 Rd2 27 Bel Re2 28 Kgl
Be5 29 Nbl Bxe4! and White resigns
tainty of an Evans championship was put in
doubt when the 1951 (Ournament winner got
a horrible game in another Najdorf Sicilian as
Black (I e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4
Nf6 6 Nc3 a6 7 Bg5 Nbd7 S Be2 b5 9 a4!
b5 10 Nd5! Bb7 11 Bxf6 Nxf6 12 Nxf6+
exf6 13 0-0 g6 14 Qd2! Bg7 15 Qxb4) while
Byrne was winning a pawn from Weinstein.
Both games went to adjournment and every-
thing was on hold.
But Evans' survival theory paid off again
and he created enough counterplay to force
Seidman to accept a draw. Byrne could do
nothing with his extra pawn after 61 moves
and had (0 postpone his championship bid for
a decade. Yet despite one of the more exciting
events in recent memory, many of the specta-
tors were overheard to wonder: By how many
points would Fischer have won had he played
this time?

After ten rounds it was Evans at 7-3,
Byrne a half point back and the surprising Sei-
dman only a point behind. Moreover, Seid-
man had White against Evans in the final
round while Byrne met Weinstein, who,
though out of form, was still tough. All cer-
1962-63: Upsets and a Near-Miss
Fischer had a legitimate excuse for pass-
ing up the 15th championship. He had been
preparing for the Cura\=ao candidates tourna-
ment, the last of the series to be held before
A.
The Fischer Era (1957-1969)
match play replaced tournaments in the final
elimination step of the world championship.
Nevertheless, the American Chess Foundation
and USCF feared that money, or the lack of it,
was undermining their event. After all, the first
prize in the 14th championship was $1,000,
compared with $700 for third prize in the Sixth
American Chess Congress more than 70 years
before. The foundation and federation boosted
the top prize to $2000 for the 15th champi-
onship, which had the added attraction of
being another zonal event. To no one's sur-
prise, Fischer, Reshevsky and Bisguier returned
to the event.
But this was a confusing tournament, the
tournament of upsets. In the first round Evans,
the defending champion, was completely out-
played by the man most people figured to
finish last, St. Louis businessman Robert Stein-
meyer. A former junior star, Steinmeyer took
the championship casually. He had turned
down an invitation the previous year, and even
when he accepted for the 1962-63 event he
explained his attitude: ''I'm obviously not
going to come in the first three places, so I may
as well have fun." He did against Evans, win-
ning in 51 moves.
The second surprise came in an up-and-
down contest between another newcomer, Wil-
liam Addison of San Francisco, and Reshevsky.
Three years later - after beating him in the 17th
championship - Reshevsky would grandly
comment that Addison had "established him-
self as one of the leading American masters" as
a result of Addison's tied-for-fourth-place
finish. Actually, Addison more than established
himself in December 1962-January 1963 at the
Henry Hudson Hotel, when he tied for third
place in his first championship.
It's easy to see how Reshevsky had for-
gotten that earlier tournament. It began with
(see diagram):
This is the last move before time control.
White has been trying to set up a mate with
Bh6 for several moves, but Black always coun-
tered the threat in time. Now, for example,
40 Bh6? leads to 40 ... Qxf2+ 41 Kh3 Qfl+
with a draw, because 42 Kh4?? Qh1+ 43 Kg5
Qcl+! actually loses for White.
109
After
39 ... Qxf3
Addison-Reshevsky, 1962
40 Kg!!
Everyone in the room but one saw what
was threatened now. Or, rather, Reshevsky saw
the threat but miscalculated a two-move vari-
ation.
40 ... h4?? 41 Bh6 and Black resigns
Likely he had counted on 41 ... Qdl+ fol-
lowed by a pawn check. But White ends the
checks with 42 Kg2 h3+ 43 Kh2! or 42 Kh2
hXg3+ 43 Kg2.
The most surprising of all was the loss by
the tournament's third favorite. Fischer plays
about 50 per cent stronger with White than
with Black, Evans had said of him. "It is hard
to remember when he last lost with White."
Well, it did happen from time to time, and,
after two adjournments, it happened on De-
cember 18th in a long, slowly stagnating French
Defense against Mednis. What had turned out
to be no advantage in the opening and only
mixed chances in the middlegame, turned out
to be an elusive initiative in the endgame that
evaporated completely in the second session of
play. Mednis took the upper hand for the first
time in the game on move 49 and eventually
created a bind with the aid of a passed a-pawn.
Fischer had to resign on move 73, his first loss
in four championships, after essentially beat-
ing himself.
By the time that loss was registered, Fis-
cher had gotten his point back against Ber-
liner, his victim in the second round. But he
was still a half point behind Bisguier, who for
110 The United States Chess Championship
once was going to play a whole tournament
consistently. Bisguier's recurring problem in
the years since 1954 was putting together a
string of victories. He might win a few games
each year and then, Evans said, go into a
slump. "When he loses a game or two he feels
it incumbent to prove he's out of form and
therefore he loses three or four games to go
along with it." Yet even in a field ostensibly
dominated by Fischer, Bisguier was the "great-
est natural player" in the event, Evans said.
In 1962 Bisguier had come up with a new
weapon, the latest in a seemingly never-end-
ing series, against the Ruy Lopez. His secret
turned out to be the ancient Berlin Defense,
leading to jokes about Bisguier's having as
much trouble defending Berlin as President
Kennedy. But Bisguier got the last laugh:
C67 Ruy Lopez
white Sherwin, black Bisguier
1 e4 e5 2 NO Nc6 3 Bb5 Nf6 4 0-0 NXe4
5 Rei Nd6 6 Nxe5 Be7 7 Bd3
Sherwin, then practicing law, was forced
to work during the day and play at night and
was agonizing through his worst champion-
ship. Unprepared in many of his opponents'
pet variations and prone to long "thinks" any-
way, he was frequently in time trouble by the
20th move. Here he chooses a somewhat in-
nocuous line that leads to sterile chances once
Black has avoided any sacrificial attacks on h7.
But no better was 7 Bfl or 7 Nxc6 bXc6 8 Bfl.
7 ••• 0-0 8 Nc3 NXe5 9 Rxe5 Bf6 10 Re3
g6
With his last two moves Bisguier fian-
chettoes his bishop and meets the threat of
11 Bxh7+ Kxh7 12 Rh3+ Kg8 13 Qh5. This
line is actually quite old and had been con-
sidered slightly better for White since the last
century. Bisguier has an improvement.
11 h3 Bd4!
In a world championship game in 1886
•
Johannes Zukertort played 11 ... Re8?! 12 Qf3
Bg5? against Wilhelm Steinitz and got the
worst of it. Bisguier's move forces the enemy
back in the center and permits himself to de-
velop his queenside.
After
11 ... Bd4
Sherwin-Bisguier, 1962
12 Re2 b6 13 Ba3 c5 14 b4?
White needs to get his queen into play
and reorganize his pieces. Opening the b-file
boomerangs quickly.
14 ••• Bb7 15 bxc5 bxc5 16 RbI Rb8
17 Ne4?
With a progressively worsening game and
already in time pressure, Sherwin blunders.
Surprisingly, Black now has a forced win.
17 ••. Bxe4 18 Rxb8 Qxb8 19 Bxe4 Re8
He picks up material quickly after
20 Bd3 Rxe2 21 Bxe2 Ne4! or 20 Qxe2 Qb1+
after which good technique is all that is nec-
essary to score the point. But that isn't neces-
saryafter ...
20 d3? Nb5! and White resigns
Bisguier's lead was endangered as long as
Fischer was in the tournament. But he fol-
lowed up with his win over Sherwin by beat-
ing Mednis and Nicolas Rossolimo, the French
emigre grandmaster who had managed to draw
with Fischer. That meant Bisguier had two
points from players who had given Bobby only
half a point.

The Fischer Era (1951-1969)
Fischer picked up some ground by crush-
ing Reshevsky (with a paralyzing endgame
gem) and Berliner, while Bisguier could only
draw with them. And so, going into the final
round it was Fischer and Bisguier tied at 7
points. Both were certain to qualify for the In-
terzonal, with the third Spot up for grabs among
four players - Addison, Byrne, Evans and Re-
shevsky. Fischer, of course, was not content to
share first prize, even though this was the first
time he entered the last round tied for the lead.
He had three factors on his side in the final
$2000 showdown: He was White and he knew
exactly what to expect in the opening. And
there was also what Evans called "that silly
jinx" whenever Bisguier met Fischer.
C67 Ruy Lopez
white Fischer, black Bisguier
1 c4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 nbS Nf6 4 0-0 Nxe4
5 d4! Nd6 6 Bxc6 dxc6 7 dxe5 Nf5
S QxdS+ KxdS 9 Nc3 KeS
Despite appearances - the bad pawns
and lack of king protection and develop-
ment - the position is virtually even. Bisguier,
who reveled in such double-edged endgames,
knew that his two good bishops usually were
active enough to compensate for everything
else. Black equalizes in the next half dozen
moves, but after the game Bisguier adopted
9 ... h6! as a means of playing the position for
a Will.
10 Ne2! Be6 11 Nf4 BdS! 12 Nxd5 cxd5
13 g4 Ne7 14 Bf4 c6 15 Rfel Ng6 16 Bg3
BcS 17 c3 NfS
White's king is not particularly better off
than Black's and his kingside majority of
pawns is no closer to creating a queen than
Black's queens ide mass. Fischer needs to play
Kg2 and a knight move before he can play
f2-f4-f5 and lay claim to an edge.
IS b4 Bb6 19 Kg2! Ne6 20 Nh4 hS! 21 h3
hxg4 22 hxg4 g6 23 Rhl
a
111
After 23 Rhl
Fischer-Bisguier, 1963
By lining up his rook against Black's,
White creates tactical tricks. Bisguier could see
that 24 Nxg6 was not a threat just yet because
24 ... Rxhl 25 Rxhl fXg6 26 Rh8+ Nfs lets
him escape.
But with White building up on the king-
side Bisguier decides against the possibilities
for counterphy or even advantage on the queen-
side with ... as. He tries to force matters.
(Best, by the way, was 24 .,. Kd7, connecting
the Black rooks. He can always meet f2-f4
with ... gS!, ctippling the enemy pawn mass.)
23 ... BdS?? 24 NfS! Rxhl 2S Nd6+
This was the trick Black missed. Bisguier's
king is pinned to the first rank now and the
White pawns begin to march.
2S ... KfS 26 Rxhl hS 27 f4 Kg8 28 f5
NfS 29 e6!
Now it is mate with Be5/RhB that Black
must worry about. He collapses quickly:
29 ... f6 30 Nf7 Be7 31 Bf4 g5 32 Bd6
ReS 33 Bxe7 Rxe7 34 Nd8 ReS 3S Nxc6
Nxe6 36 fxe6 Rxe6 37 NXa7 and Black re-
signs. Fischer's closest call.
Elsewhere in the last round Byrne could
only draw with Mednis while Reshevsky, after
two adjournments, ground down Benko. Thus,
Sammy sneaked into a three-way tie for the
last interzonal spot and the tie was resolved in
a playoff victory for the semiretired insurance
salesman a few months later.
112 The United States Chess Championship

15th U.S. Championship, New York, Dec. 16-Jan. 3, 1962-63

Totals
F B A E R B B M B R S S WD L Points

l. Fischer X 1 1 Y2 Y2 0 Y2 Y2 6 4 1 8-3
2. Bisguier 0 X 1 Y2 Y2 Y2 Yz Y2 Yz 4 6 1 7-4
3-5. Addison 0 0 X Y2 Yz Y2 Y2 1 Yz 4 5 2 6 1/2-4Yz
3-5. Evans Y2 Y2 Yz X Y2 Y2 Y2 Yz 0 3 7 6Y2-4Y2
3-5. Reshevsky 0 Y2 0 Y2 X Y2 Y2 Yz 4 5 2 6Y2-4 1/z
6. R. Byrne Yl Y2 Yz Yz Yz X Y2 Yz Yz Yz Yz 1 10 0 G-5
7-8. Berliner 0 Y2 0 0 0 lh X 1 Y2 Y2 3 4 4 5-6
7-8. Mednis 0 0 Y2 0 Y2 0 X Y2 1
Y2 3 4 4 5-6
9-10. Benko Yz Y2 Y2 0 0 Yz Y2 Y2 X 0 Y2 7 3 41/z-6Y2
9-10. Rossolimo Y2 0 Y2 Y2 Yz 0 1/2 0 X liz Y2 1 7 3 4Y2-6Yz
11. Steinmeyer 0 Yz 0 1 0 Yz 0 Y2 0 Y2 X 1 2 4 5 4-7
12. Sherwin 0 0 Y2 0 Yz I/Z 0 0 Yz Y2 0 C 0 5 G 2Y2-8Y2

1963-64: That's Incredible remnant of the 19th century, against an aston-

Fischer's one flaw, Evans said, was over-
confidence. It "sometimes causes him to forget
his opponents are also capable of finding good
moves." For this reason the 15th championship
had a positive, chastening effect on the 20-year-
old winner. He approached the next affair very
seriously: He would take no prisoners.
The tournament was again very strong,
with only Lombardy among the nation's finest
to be missing. The new rating list placed Fis-
cher clearly at the top with 2685 points fol-
lowed by Reshevsky at 2611, Lombardy at
2575, Benko at 2566, Evans at 2559 and Rob-
err Byrne at 2512. The points indicated Fis-
cher should win a championship comfortably
if he worked at ic. But there was also [he pos-
sibility of another surprise loss to a player like
Mednis.
Fischer came to the Henry Hudson Hotel
for the 16th championship as if seeking re-
demption for the bad chess of 1962. He had
been studying the game for five or six hours a
day according to friends and was well armed
in every opening. In fact, he had a whole new
arsenal of theoretical weapons. In the first
round he brought out the Bishop's Gambit, a
ished Evans. (Fischer had written "A Bust to
the King's Gambit" for Evans' magazine, Ameri-
can Chess Quarterly, the previous year.) Evans
thought he was doing well- in fact, believed
he had the advantage as late as move 31. But
Evans resigned before move 36.
Fischer also avenged himself early against
Mednis. Yet he wanted to do more than just
win the tournament. He wanted to notch up
some personal records. Fischer had never
beaten Evans or Robert Byrne - but they fell
in rounds 2 and 3. The latter game was played
in a private room and this arrangement pro-
vided one of the more dramatic U.S. champi-
onship scenes.
Spectators followed the moves as they
were relayed by telephone and evaluated in an
analysis room by Rossolimo and Sherwin, who
were sitting this championship out. The au-
dience was treated to this:
079 King's Indian Defense
white R. Byrne, black Fischer
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 g3 c6 4 Bg2 dS 5 cxdS
cxdS G Nc3 Bg7 7 e3 0-0 8 Nge2 NcG
90-0 b6 10 b3 Ba6 11 Ba3 Re8 12 Qd2
 The Fischer Era (1951-1969)
After 12 Qd2
R. Hyrne-Fischer, 1963
Byrne "has a penchant for safe, closed posi-
tions which yield to strategical concepts,"
Evans said hefore the tournament. "His chess
is strong and powerful, and he should be rated
as a dark horse to win."
But Byrne's reliance on caution here is
based on a simple plan. He will build up heavy
pieces on the c-file. If Black does the same
White will have the time to engineer some sort
of breakthrough in the center. Of course, if
Black tries a breakthrough, such as with ... e5,
he will be left with a horribly weak d-pawn
after dXe5.
Of course.
12 ... e5! 13 dxc5 NXe5 14 Rfdl
Fischer later waged an analytical war with
the Russians over the merits ofl4 Radl, which
Yuri Averhakh said favored White and which
Fischer said didn't. But Byrne's move, remov-
ing the rook from the a6-fl diagonal, is more
natural. He will simply kill the d-pawn with
15 N f4, it seems.
14 •.. Nd3 15 Qc2 Nxfl!
Without this move Black must accept an
inferior position - perhaps a lost one - by re-
treating. The absence of the rook defending f2
made this possible, but exactly what Fischer
had in mind was not clear to anyone but him.
Was he really going to give up tWO minor
pieces for a rook, the masters in the analysis
room downstairs wanted to know?
113
16 Kxf2 Ng4+
"I'm sure Tal will say I shoulda played
16 ... Rxe3 but I don't believe it," Fischer
joked after the game.
17 Kgl Nxe3 18 Qd2 Nxg2(!?!)
Absolutely incomprehensible, Rossolimo
was saying downstairs. Bobby had to take the
rook to keep a semblance of material equality.
What was going on? Maybe, the masters won-
dered, the wrong move had been telephoned
downstairs.
19 Kxg2 d4! 20 Nxd4 Bb7+
It's a pretty diagonal and Black's bishops
are fearsome (21 Kgl Bxd4+ 22 Qxd4 Rel+
23 Kf2 Qxd4+ and 25 ... Rxal wins for
Black). But what about the other king move
(21 Kfl Bxd4 22 Qxd4 Rel+ 23 Kxel!)?
21 Kfl Qd7
After
21 ... Qd7
R. Byrne-Fischer, 1963
"I don't understand this at all," Rossolimo
was saying with some exasperation. The moves
had been checked and double-checked by tele-
phone. But "Fischer has nothing at all for his
piece," he said.
Sherwin said it wasn't all that clear, but
he wasn't sure. And where was the next move?
Byrne must have been thinking quite a while,
and yet nothing had come down from upstairs.
Then ...
White resigns.
114 The United States Chess Championship
Rossolimo was in shock until Byrne came
down to show everyone the key lines: To meet
the threat of 22 ... Qh3+ 23 Kg! Bxd4+
24 Qxd4 Qg2 mate, White could play either
22 Ndb5 Qh3+ 23 Kgl (and lose to 23 ... Bh6!
24 Qf2 Be3!) or, the prettier way, 22 Qf2
Qh3+ 23 Khl, which loses spectacularly to
23 ... Re1+!!- the move Rossolimo had
missed. After 24 Rxe1 Bxd4 there is nothing
to do about mate on g2.
This was only the third round but by the
fifth it was clear Fischer was winning the event
easily. He was not only winning every game
but showed no difficulty in doing it. In every
game he was ahead on time - often an hour
ahead. What most observers didn't know was
that Fischer was going for something more
than points, or prize money or the Frank Mar-
shall trophy.
He was seeking a record. After Reshevsky
blundered in Round 5, Bobby trapped Stein-
meyer's knight on the 17th move and forced his
resignation. The day after Christmas saw the
champion spring a new surprise - defending
the Ruy Lopez and with a new wrinkle (3 ...
a6 4 Ba4 b5 and 5 ... Na5). Soon he had the
edge against Addison and it was 7-0.
With four rounds to go it was becoming
clear: Fischer was heading for an unheard of
perfect 11-0 score. A shut-out.
The tournament audiences were now fill-
ing up the Henry Hudson ballroom almost
every round and all eyes were on the board
that mattered. Evans had turned in a spectac-
ular draw against Reshevsky when he sacrificed
queen and rook to set up a stalemate. (Evans:
"When White made his next move Reshevsky's
face changed color. He smiled with wry bit-
terness and mumbled one word to himself-
'Stupid."') It was a repeat of the Pilnick game
from 1942 - but it was lost in the shuffie. Fis-
cher was the story of the day.
The champion beat Raymond Weinstein
on time (but in a winning position) and he
stood at 8-0. The next day it was Fischer as
Black over Donald Byrne in a grinding Sicil-
ian, 9-0. Then, in perhaps his best game of
the tournament, he won from Benko. The
Hungarian emigre, now living in New Jersey
and earning a healthy capitalist income from
Swiss System tournaments, had previously
beaten Bobby three times, more than anyone
in the event except Reshevsky. But this time
Fischer was simply overwhelming.
The champion resisted the temptation to
sacrifice his queen on move 13 because, as he
explained later, there was only one brilliancy
prize in the tournament and he had already
clinched it for the Robert Byrne game. Sim-
ply good moves made his score 1O~0.
The final game was a difficult, positional
struggle with little difference in the placement
of Bobby's pieces as Black and Tony Saidy's as
White. Early in the game, Evans spotted Saidy
away from the board and told him, "Good.
Show him we're nor all children." Saidy, like
Evans, was well aware of Fischer's prediction
of a few day's earlier - that he would sweep
the tournament - and he hoped to be the
spoiler, the batter who breaks up a no-hitter
with a scratch single in the bottom of the ninth
Inmng.
After 43 moves he had lost the initiative
but still had solid drawing chances as he faced
the responsibility of sealing a move.
After
43 ... Nh6
Saidy~Fischer, 1964
White temporarily has an extra pawn but
he will lose it back, leaving him with the very
slight inferiority of having a bishop ohstructed
by his own pawn on d4.
Nothing much had happened in the pre-
vious 20 moves when the last exchange of
pieces occurred. Now Saidy just had to pre-
vent an enemy king invasion at e4 or g4.
 The Fischer Era (1957-1969) 115

16th U.S. Championship, New York, Dec. IS-Jan. 3, 1963-64

Totals
FEBSRBWBAMSB W D L Points

1. Fischer X 1 11 0 0 11-0
2. Evans o X 1 632 7Y2-31h
3. Benko o 0 X 1 Y2 542 7-4
4-5. Saidy o V2 0 X 0 V2 5 3 3 6Y2-4Y2
4- 5. Reshevsky o Y2 Y2 X Ih 0 V2 452 6Y2-4V2
6. R. Byrne OYzOY2V2 X 0 Y2 1 353 51h-5Y2
7. R. Weinstein o 1 o X 0 0 5 0 6 5-6
8. Bisguier o o o X 1 o V2 335 4Y2-6Y2
9-10. Addison o o o o X 1h 1h 236 3V2-71h
9-10. Mednis o o o o o o 1/2 X Yz V2 2 3 6 3V2-7Y2
11. Steinmeyer o 0 Y2 Y2 0 0 0 Y2 Y2 1h X Yz 065 3-8
12. D. Byrne o 0 Y2 0 V2 Y2 0 0 0 1h 1h X 056 2V2-8V2

44 Bel? 47 Bh4 Ne4 48 Bel Kg4 49 Ke2 Ng3+!

Saidy thought for 45 minutes, consider-
ing this and a variety of other defenses, such
as 44 Ke2 Nxg4 45 Bgl. That alternative
makes a poor impression since the bishop
would appear to be better placed on the el-h4
diagonal. But from gl it goes to h2 where it
can help promote g2-g3!, eliminating a key
pawn, e.g. 45 ... Kf5 46 Kf3 Nf6 47 Bh2!
(not 47 g3? fxg3 48 Kxg3 Ke4!) and draws.
The king-and-pawn ending (50 Bxg3
KXg3 51 KfI f3!) is lost. So;
50 Kd3 NfS! 51 Bf2 Nh4 52 as NXg2
53 Kc3 Kf3 54 Bgl Ke2 55 Bh2 f3 56 Bg3
Ne3! and White resigns
1965: Letdown

44 ... Nxg4 There was no championship in Decem-

Fischer opened the scaled move, saw
44 Bel, and a smile flickered across his face as
he tasted the all-time record.
45 Bd2
If White tries to blockade with his king
on f3 he can be driven off (45 Ke2 Kf5 46 Kf3
Nh2+).
45 ... Kf5 46 Bel Nf6
And now 47 g3 allows 47 ... f3!. Fischer
finishes off with some fancy knightwork.
ber 1964 and that meant the first break in the
annual series that had begun with the ACF's
initiative seven years before. But it would have
been hard to top the 16th championship and
there would be no way to approach it, since
Fischer was nowhere to be found. He had by-
passed the 1964 interzonal tournament in a
dispute over world championship procedures
and had dropped from sight of the chess world
for all of 1964 and much of 1965. A champi-
onship without Bobby- after the last one-
would have been an anti-climax.
When he returned, for his seventh cham-
pionship, Fischer's absence from the game was
detectable. Not obvious, just detectable. His
116 The United States Chess Championship
lack of sharpness, of tactical acuity, didn't
corne to general attention until well into the
event, well after his usual gangbusters start.
Bobby broke his consecutive win streak by
drawing with Addison in the first round. The
next day he beat Duncan Suttles, a San Fran-
cisco-born master who was planning to settle
in Canada. Suttles opened every game with
Black by fianchettoing his king bishop (I ...
g6) and Fischer was well prepared for him, es-
tablishing a queens ide bind fairly early. Fis-
cher's wins over Evans and Benko in the next
two rounds were vintage Bobby and he made
it four in a row by topping Bernard Zuck-
erman, another Brooklyn protege of his, and
Saidy.
But then came two astonishing losses, one
right after another. His simple oversight against
Robert Byrne left spectators a bit smnncd.
Surely there must be something there I'm miss-
ing, they each seemed to say. It can't be that
simple ~ it must be like the last Byrne game
C03 French Defense
white Fischer, black R. Byrne
1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 Nd2 Nc6 4 c3 eS! S exdS
QxdS 6 Ngf3 exd4 7 Bc4 QhS 80-0 Nf6
Fischer's offbeat handling of the open-
ing - now that Black has avoided 8 ... dxc3
9 Ne4 - promises him little. Byrne could have
played the usual move, 8 ... Be6 followed by
queenside castling, but he adopts a straight-
forward plan of development and this seems
to trigger a misfire of Bobby's imagination.
9 Qel+?! Be7 10 Nxd4 0-0 (see diagram)
Now Fischer must have seen that 11 Nxc6
does not win a piece because Black threatens
mate with 11 ... Bd6 before recapmring on c6
(11 NXc6 Bd6 12 Ne7+ Kh8! 13 g3 Re8).
11 Be2 Bg4 12 Nxc6??
Then how could Fischer have missed
Byrne's move here?
After
10 ... 0-0
Fischer-R. Byrne, 1965
12 ... Bd6! 13 h3 Bxe2 14 NM BxfI and
Black wins in 36 moves
This was only the second game Fischer
had ever lost in a championship and fans were
saying it would be some time before they
would see another upset. It turned out that
they only had to wait one day because Re-
shevsky was out for revenge. In the "11-0" year
Fischer had swindled the old master in a com-
plex position in which Reshevsky briefly held
an extra pawn. As they hegan this year's game
the two men were cordial, for the first time
since their aborted match four years before.
But then Reshevsky sat down and rolled Fis-
cher off the board, winning his queen for a
rook and then demonstrating his usual
endgame accuracy ro win in 61 moves.
The "myth of his invincibility has been
shattered," Reshevsky crowed afterwards. "It
can be safely predicted that future U.S. cham-
pionships will be even closer." But this one
was still Fischer's rournament. He pulled out
of his losing streak ro win a nice game from
Rossolimo and then in the clinching round,
an easy crush of Dr. Karl Burger, a medical
doctor on holiday. The finish of the tourna-
ment was brightened only by the battle for sec-
ond place and the sparkling game it produced.
Byrne needed a last round win to tie with
Reshevsky and had to get it from Evans. But
he had prepared an opening surprise in the
Najdorf Variation of the Sicilian ~ probably
for Fischer, but it worked even better against
Fischer's good friend:
 The Fischer Era (1957-1969)
B97 Sicilian Defense
white R. Byrne, black Evans
I e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6
5 Nc3 a6 6 Bg5 e6 7 f4 Qb6 8 Qd2 Qxb2
9 RbI Qa3 10 eS dxeS 11 fxeS Nfd7 12 Bc4
This line had once terrorized grandmas-
ter chess because of 12 ... Be7 13 BXe6 with
a powerful attack. The sacrifice was discovered
in 1957 but Fischer refuted it five years later
in a game that went 13 ... 0-0 14 0-0 Bxg5
15 Qxg5 h6 16 Qh4? QXc3!. His opponent
forfeited on time after taking two and a half
hours for 28 moves - while Fischer took less
than seven minutes.
Later improvements for White led Evans
to try something new;
12 ... Bb4!? 13 Rb3 Qa5 14 0-0 0-0 15 Bf6!
After 15 Bf6
R. Byrne-Evans, 1965
But Byrne had prepared this surprise an-
tidote and it works perfectly against a stylis-
tic materialist like Evans. In the next Cham-
pionship, however, Byrne trusted his analysis
too much. Bernard Zuckerman met the threat
of 16 Rxb4 Qxb4 17 Qg5 g6 18 Qh6 by the
simple 15 ... Nxf6! 16 exf6 Rd8 with good
chances for Black. He eventually won.
15 ... gxf6? 16 Qh6 QxeS
How does White - having ripped open
the Black king position - shift his power from
the queens ide?
117
17 NfS!! exfS 18 Ne4!
The threat is Rg3+ or Rh3. White's at-
tack remains potent even if Black gives up
queen for rook. We are still in Byrne's home
analysis.
18 ... Bd2 19 Nxd2 Qd4+ 20 Khl Ne5
21 Rg3+ Ng4
Evans' desperate lunge of pieces in front
of his king is almost as ingenious as Byrne's.
But here he had no answer for simple moves:
22 h3 Qe5 23 Rf4! Qel+ 24 Nfl!
Faced with threats of hxg4, Bd3 and
RXg4 Evans played
24 ... Qxg3 25 Rxg4+! Qxg4 26 hxg4 Nd7
27 Ng3 Kh8 but gave up shortly after 28 Bd3
Rg8 29 BxfS Rg6 30 Bxg6. A truly spec-
tacular game.
Reshevsky's prediction about closer
championships may have seemed a bit opti-
mistic, but it seemed at least there would be a
more aggressive and dangerous Robert Byrne
in the future.
1966: A Grand Farewell
The losses to Mednis in 1963 and the
double loss late in the 1965 championship had
troubled Fischer. After the first setback the
idea began to form in his mind that the tour-
naments he had dominated were too chancy.
One bad game and he could lose his title. Or
as he put it, "Something [is] really wrong if a
fellow couldn't lose a game in a U.S. champi-
onship without practically being eliminated."
So, in the fall of 1966 Bobby laid down
the law: The championship would have to be
enlarged. Either it would be a double-round
event, with everyone playing everyone else
twice, or it would be lengthened by adding
another eight or so players. Then it would be
a fair fight, he said. Like the Soviet champion-
ship.
118 The United States Chess Championship

17th U.S. Championship, New York, Dec. 12-31, 1965

Totals
F B R A Z R B E 5 B B 5 WD L Points

1. Fischer X 0 0 Y2 1 8 1 2 8Y2-2Y2
2-3. R. Byrne X Y2 Y2 Y2 0 Y2 Y2 5 5 7Y2-3Y2
2-3. Reshevsky Y2 X 1 Y2 Y2 Y2 0 Y2 1 5 5 1 7Y2-3Y2
4-5. Addison Y2 1/2 0 X Y2 Y2 Y2 1 0 4 5 2 6Y2-4Y2
4-5. Zuckerman 0 Y2 Y2 Y2 X Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 3 7 6Y2-4Y2
6. Rossolimo 0 0 Y2 Y2 Y2 X 1 0 Y2 4 4 3 6-5
7-9. Benko 0 1 Y2 Y2 0 0 X Y2 0 Y2 3 4 4 5-6
7-9. Evans 0 0 0 0 Y2 0 Y2 X 1 4 2 5 5-6
7-9. Saidy 0 0 0 0 0 X Y2 Y2 4 2 5 5-6
10-11. Bisguier 0 V2 0 0 Y2 0 1/2 0 Y2 X Y2 Y2 0 6 5 3-8
10-11. Burger 0 Y2 Y2 0 Y2 0 0 0 0 1/2 X 1 4 6 3-8
12. Suttles 0 0 0 1 0 Yl 0 0 Y2 Yz 0 X 3 7 2Y2-8Y2

The irony of Fischer, who had fought
Russian organizational ideas for the world
championship, suddenly adopting their na-
tional championship as a model for America
was not lost on U.S. officials. Nor could they
understand how a man who had won 53 games
out of 79 played in the previous seven cham-
pionships - for a score of 82%- could sud-
denly be stricken by such doubts about his
own ability. They expected some elaboration
of his position but none came in the months
just before the deadline for invitations to be
accepted. Then, in a long distance telephone
call from Mexico City to the USCF office in
New York, Bobby spelled out his specific
terms. He'd accept a 16-round championship
for 1966, but nothing less. Otherwise, he
wouldn't play.
This is where the diplomacy and gen-
erosity of the Foundation proved instrumen-
tal. Maurice Kasper, who had been a father
figure to many of the young American grand-
masters, offered Bobby two things: (a) a prom-
ise to work towards a longer tournament next
year - there just wasn't enough time this year,
he said - and (b) an extra $500 for showing
up this time. Fischer relented and arrived from
Mexico just a few days before the first round.
His chess, at least in the previous cham-
pionship, had no longer seemed overwhelm-
ing and the appearance continued into his
eighth event. In the very first round he lost
against Benko, and he later had difficult posi-
tions against several players whom he had once
bowled over so easily. In other words, Fischer
was merely good enough to win the champi-
onship by two points.
As in some previous years, there was a
rival to stay with him through the early
rounds. This time it was Evans who also won
his first three games. But eventually the 23-
year-old champion began to build a lead, beat-
ing players that Evans could only draw with
and, in the case of Donald Byrne, that Evans
could lose to. Against Zuckerman, then the
leading U.S. expert (after Fischer) on the
openings, Bobby decided the game by the 18th
move:
B78 Sicilian Defense
white Fischer, black Zuckerman
I e4 eS 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 g6
5 Nc3 Bg7 6 Be3 Nf6 7 Bc4 d6 S f3 Bd7
9 Qd2 ReS 10 Bb3 NeS 11 0-0-0 Nc4
12 Bxc4 Rxc4
 The Fischer Era (1957-1969)
After
12 ... Rxc4
Fischer-Zuckerman, 1966
Black's opening system is distinguished
by his delay in castling, a delay which denies
White the usual target he can assault with
h2-h4-h5. White can't even eliminate Black's
fianchettoed bishop with 13 Bh6 because of
13 ... Rxd4! 14 Qxd4 Bxh6+.
But there must be some way of going after
Black and Fischer realizes the king can be
caught in the center with accurate moves.
13 Nh3! Qc7
On 13 ... 0-0 White could have safely
played 14 Bh6 but he also had a powerful
thrust in 14 eS since 14 ... dxe5 loscs mater-
ial on the pinned d-fi.le to 15 Nc5.
14 Bd1! Be6
White had a second threat in the form of
15 Bxf6 Bxf6 16 NdS followed (after a queen
movc) by 17 Nxf6+. Black's reply covers d5
but leaves the d-filc only partially blocked.
15 e5! dXe5 16 Bxe5 Qc8
Not 16 ... QXeS?? 17 Qd8 mate. Black
must lose material now: 17 NaS ReS
18 Nxb7!. Black actually played 17 NaS Rc7
18 Bxc7 Qxc7 and rcsigned 18 moves later.
After a Fischer draw with Evans in Round
7 and then a draw with Addison, the battle for
first place was still uncertain. But the cham-
pion finished off with three strong victories
reminiscent of his finest form. In 100 moves
he ground down Sherwin -who was making
119
his last championship appearance and was
doing very well. He also demonstrated fine
technique against Reshevsky, who lost a pawn
as Black in an opening known for years to be
inferior (1 e4 c5 2 N f3 e6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4
Nf6 S Nc3 d6 6 g4 dS? 7 exd5 NxdS
8 BbS+! Bd7 9 NxdS exd5 10 Qe2+ Qe7
11 Be3 g6 12 Bxd7 + Nxd7 13 Nb5 Ne5 14 0-
0-0 Bg7 15 Rxd5).
And thc third was a fine ending - and
Fischer's 12th suaight victory - over the man
he replaced as U.S. champion back in 1957.
After 69 Kg1
Bisguier-Fischer. 1966
White is tied up. His bishop must watch
the e-pawn and keep the Black king out of a4.
His king must stay near the a-pawn. It is al-
most Zugzwang. But not quite, because Bis-
guier can always play something like Kh2-hl-
gl if Fischer tries to force him to move his
bishop.
Black must find another way to win. And
he does:
69 ... Bxe4!!
This required morc calculation than it ap-
pears at first glance because 70 Bxe4 Ka4 frees
the bishop, e.g. 71 Bf5 Kxa3 72 Bxg4 Kb3
73 Bd7 with some chances of survival.
70 Bxe4 Ka4 71 Bf5 Kb3!
This is what he had to see. The a-pawn
doesn't matter.
72 Bxg4 e4! 73 Bxh3 Kxc3 74 g4 Kd2
120 The United States Chess Championship

18th U.S. Championship, New York, Dec. 10-29, 1966

Totals
F E B S B A S B R R B Z WD L Points

1. Fischer X Y2 Yz Y2 1 8 3 0 9Y2-!YZ
2. Evans Y2 X Yz Yz Y2 Yz 0 5 5 1 7Yz-3Y2
3-4. Benko 0 Yz X 0 0 Yz Y2 Yz 4 4 3 6-5
3-4. Sherwin 0 Yz X Yz Yz Yz 0 0 4 4 3 6-5
5. Bisguier 0 0 0 Yz X I/Z 0 Yz 1 4 3 4 5Yz-5Yz
6-7. Addison Y2 0 0 Yz X 1 0 Yz Y2 0 3 4 4 5-6
6-7. Saidy 0 Yz Y2 0 0 0 X 1 Y2 1 Y2 3 4 4 5-6
8-10. R. Byrne Y2 Y2 0 Yz 1 0 X Yz Yz 0 0 2 5 4 41/Z-6Yz
8-10. Reshevsky 0 0 I/Z YzYz 0 0 Yz X Yz 2 5 4 4Yz-6Yz
8-10. Rossolimo 0 0 0 0 Yz Yz Yz Yz X Yz 2 5 4 4Yz-6Yz
11-12. D. Byrne 0 1 0 0 0 Yz 0 0 Yz X 1 3 2 6 4-7
11-12. Zuckerman 0 0 Yz 0 Yz 0 0 0 X 3 2 6 4-7

And White resigned when he saw that the
two Black pawns rush home before his g-pawn
does.
1968: Bobby Says No
Fischer didn't argue about the 1968 tour-
nament. According to the USCF he didn't even
respond to his invitation. The rournament was
scheduled to be a 12-player event - not 16-
and Fischer would have none of it. He was off
in Israel playing in a minor international event
when the Americans met to choose their
champion in New York that June.
"I tried to get him to play," said Evans, a
longtime friend, when asked if he had some-
thing to do with Fischer's refusal. "He was
adamant." Evans wanted to make this perfectly
clear because he had finished a commanding
second the previous year and had won the last
time Fischer had failed to appear to defend his
tide. It wasn't his fault that he was the favorite,
Evans seemed to say.
The scoretable included several players of
relatively equal strength - grandmasters Evans,
Reshevsky, Byrne, Lombardy, Benko and Bis-
guier - plus a handful of erratic players who
could beat anyone on a given day- Saidy,
Zuckerman and Rossolimo. And then three
players who were there because of high rat-
ings, upon which the invitations were largely
based - Seidman and Horowitz, both over the
hill, and Tibor Weinberger. The last-named,
a Hungarian emigre living in Los Angeles, was
a tactician making his first and most likely last
championship appearance.
Lombardy, returning to the event after a
seven-year sabbatical, was now a priest. His
daily labors cut into his playing energy, as did
Bisguier's work for Chess Review. Bisguier's
game with that magazine's editor, Horowitz,
a draw, was the first time a player had to meet
his boss in a U.S. championship. The editor's
decision to come out of playing retirement
seemed to be a recognition of an end of an era.
He would sell his magazine the next year and
wanted to get in a few last moments of cham-
pionship glory. But he was 60 years old, and
no Reshevsky.
E06 Catalan Opening
white Benko, black Horowitz
1 c4 c6 2 Nf3 dS 3 h3 Nf6 4 g3 e6 S Bg2
Be7 6 0-0 0-0 7 Bh2 as 8 a3 cS? 9 cxd5!
exdS 10 d4!
 The Fischer Era (1951-1969)
Black's handling of the opening is highly
questionable as it allows White a vigorous po-
sition in the center. Black usually obtains ac-
tive piece play in return for an isolated d-pawn
in similar positions. But here he doesn't get any-
thing.
10 ... Na6 11 Nc3 Bf5 12 Ne5 cxd4
13 Qxd4 NcS
Black's idea is to capture - and also fork
the queen and rook - on b3. If White watches
that squares with 14 Qd I he allows 14 ... d4!
when the isolated d-pawn breaths fire. But
Benko snuffs it out in advance.
14 Nxd5! Nxb3 15 Qf4 NxdS?
No better was 15 ... Nxal 16 Qxf5 Nb3
17 Rdl when White has a killing threat of
NxfG+ (17 ... Nxd5 18 Bxd5 and 19 Bxfl+).
Black's best was to batten down the hatches
with 15 ... Be6.
16 QXf5 Nxal
After
16 ... Nxal
Benko-Horowitz, 1968
17 Nxf7!!
Black was hoping for 17 Rdl which looks
strong but permits 17 ... Ne3' (18 Rxd8
Nxf5). After Benko's brilliant shot Black can-
not take the knight because of 17 ... Rxf7
18 Bxd5 Qe8 19 Rxal, which wins material.
17 ... Qc8 18 Nh6+ Kh8 19 Qxd5 Nc2
20 Qg8+! and Black resigns
121
It's the smothered (21 Nfl) mate.
At the other end of the crosstable were
Evans, Reshevsky and Byrne. Byrne. then an
Indianapolis college instructor, was beginning
to modify his superpositional. Nimzovichian
style and play to win in the middlegame as he
had against Evans in the 17th championship.
Evans. however, was even more defense-ori-
ented than he had been in the late 1950s when
his style became pronounced. He rook a mat-
ter-of-fact, highly unromantic attitude to-
wards winning games and toward the game of
chess itself.
One day during the tournament Saidy.
an archromantic, spoke of chess as a way of
life, a thought that drew out a pang of an-
noyance from Evans. "Ridiculous," he said,
"Chess is an escape. I learned chess as a boy to
escape from life. When everybody else was en-
joying life, I was playing chess." Evans ex-
plained that he was willing to indulge in this
escape for three exasperating weeks every year
because he needed the prize money. "Chess is
my bread and butter," he said.
Reshevsky, who had been making a liv-
ing from the game for longer than anyone
could remember, played the most exciting
chess of all contestants in the 19th champi-
onship. Where Evans was the cool rechnician,
Reshevsky was a seeker of ideas, mainly tacti-
cal ideas. Although he usually won through
the accumulation of many small advantages,
Sammy often did the accumulating through
tactical means:
D92 Gruenfeld Defense
white Reshevsky, black Seidman
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 dS 4 Nf3 Bg7
5 Bf4 0-0 6 Rcl c5 7 dxc5 Be6 8 e3 Qa5
9 Nd4 Nc6!? 10 NXe6 fxe6 11 Qa4 QxcS
12 Qb5!
The endgame favors White because of his
superior pawn structure. White's queenside
pawns will also become doubled. But the pawn
that reaches b5 will deny Black pieces a vital
square at c6 and thereby enable White to load
up the c- and d-files with his pieces.
122 The United States Chess Championship

19th U.S. Championship, New York, July 14-31, 1968

Totals
E B R B B L R 5 Z H W 5 W D L Points

l. Evans X Yz Y2 Y2 ~ Y2 6 5 0 8Y2-2Yz
2. R. Byrne Y2 X Y2 ~ ~ Y2 Yz 5 6 0 8-3
3. Reshevsky ~ Y2 X 0 Yz Y2 Yz 1 ~ 4 6 7-4
4. Benko Y2 Y2 X Y2 0 1 0 0 5 3 3 6Y2-4~
5-6. Bisguier Y2 Ih ~ ~ X 0 0 Y2 Y2 3 6 2 6-5
5-6. Lombardy 0 Y2 Y2 X Y2 I/Z Y2 Y2 0 3 6 2 6-5
7-9. Rossolimo 0 0 0 0 1 Ih X I V2 V2 1 4 3 4 5Y2-5Y2
7-9. Saidy 0 0 ~ 0 Yz 0 X Y2 4 3 4 SY2-5Yz
7-9. Zuckerman Y2 Yz 0 ~ ~ 0 1/2 X ~ Y2 2 7 2 5Y2-5Y2
10. Horowitz 0 0 Y2 0 Y2 Y2 Y2 0 Y2 X 1 Yz 6 tj 4-7
II. Weinberger, T 0 0 0 0 0 0 1/2 0 ~ 0 X 1 2 8 2-9
12. Seidman 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Yz 0 X 9 1Y2-9~

12 ... Qxb5 13 cxb5! Nb8 14 Bd3 Nd7
15 Ke2 e5 16 Bg3 e4 17 Bbl Rac8 18 Na4
Ng4 19 Rfdl e6 20 Rxc8 Rxc8 21 f3!
This begins Reshevsky's thrust against the
weakened enemy center. The chief beneficia-
ries of a pawn trade will be his bishops.
through normal means, such as by getting a
rook to the seventh rank. Reshevsky knows well
what it takes to win such a position and expe-
rience tells him there is no risk in this sacrifice.
27 ... axb6 28 Rxb6 hS 29 Ra6 h4 30 Bf2
N8g6 31 Ra8!

21 ... exf3+ 22 gxf3 Nge5 23 e4! dxe4 After this Black must try to stop three
24 Bxe4 b6 25 Rd6 Nffi 26 b3 queenside pawns with his bishop and distant
king and knights. Even without the help of
White's own king, it's a mismatch:

31 ... Rxa8 32 Bxa8 Be5 33 Bgl Nf4+

34 Kfi Nd7 35 a4 Be7 36 Bc6 Nb8 37 Be4
NdS 38 BxdS exd5 39 b4 Kf7 40 as Nd7
After 26 b3
41 b6 Bd8 42 b7 Nb8 43 Ba7! Bc7 44 b5
Nd7 45 a6 Bxh2 46 b8(Q)! and Black re-
signs

But Reshevsky lost to Benko, who had

Reshevsky-Seidman, 1968
26 ... g5 27 Nxb6!
Black has covered all his weak pawns and
White will not be able to make progress
just married his childhood sweetheart from
Hungary and was inspired to play some of his
best chess. The loss knocked Reshevsky out of
the race for first place and left it to Byrne and
Evans. Both finished unbeaten, and they drew
with one another. What was the difference in
their scores? Evans won a sloppily defended
 The Fischer Era (1957-1969)
King's Indian against Lombardy, while Byrne
could only draw with Lombardy. Larry Evans,
36, had retained his position - he was still the
only other person to win a championship since
the advent of Bobby Fischer.
1969: Back to Square One
The 1960s ended with a blast from Fis-
cher and the last championship of an era. For
13 years the tournament had come to be a mat-
ter of two questions: Will Bobby play? If so,
what will his winning margin be? The ques-
tions ended with the 20th championship as he
made clear his feelings about the tournament.
"Dear Ed," he wrote USCF president Ed
Edmondson in answer to his invitation. Fis-
cher's words quickly assumed an adversary
tone as he accused Edmondson of lying about
the previous championship. He had responded
to the USCF in 1968, and in writing, Bobby
said. What he said then and still felt was that
the championship had to be extended to 22
rounds "as it is in the Soviet Union, Hungary,
Rumania and other East European countries
where chess is taken seriously." Without this
change, he would not play again for his own
nation's title. Twelve rounds was "too chancy."
The former champion acknowledged that
by not playing in the impending tourna-
ment - a zonal- he would be putting off his
hopes for the world championship. According
to FIDE rules, Fischer would not be able to
qualify for the 1970-72 cycle of the world title
elimination unless he survived the U.S. tour-
nament. If he passed that up, he would have
to wait umil1975 for a crack at Boris Spassky's
crown. The implication - that chess bureau-
crats were denying America a world cham-
pion - was clear, and Fischer used it to put
pressure on the USCF by sending the news
media copies of the "Dear Ed" letter.
As it turned out, he did not have to wait
for 1975. With Edmondson's help Fischer
leapfrogged the zonal stage in 1970 and blitzed
his way to the title in 1972. And by 1975 he was
an ex-world champion, having been stripped of
his title by refusing to play his first challenger.
123
The 20th championship was therefore a
milestone, if only because it was the last in
which Fischer's participation was even con-
sidered. But it was also significant because it
was the last of an almost unbroken string of
annual tournaments that had begun in 1957
with the initiative of the ACF. And 1960-70
was also the end of an era when the 19S0s gen-
eration had domination over the event.
The 20th championship might then have
been an afterthought, an era-closing event that
would quickly be forgotten. Actually it was
one of the most exciting of the series that had
begun 33 years before. First, the spectators
were surprised to see the early rounds marked
by a tremendous spurt from Addison. The
pipe-smoking Californian, often dressed in a
three-piece suit, came to New York looking
like a visiting business executive ready to take
over a conglomerate. He didn't take home the
top prize but he put to rest the idea of East-
ern hegemony over the championship.
Addison, who had just earned his inter-
national master title, began with a blitz of
Robert Byrne, Saidy and Bisguier. Then came
a loss to Evans - Evans' highpoint for the
tournament - followed by wins over Burger
and Mednis. Although rated in the lower half
of the scoretable when play first began, he was
running away with the tournament at the mid-
way point. Here is how he began:
E97 King's Indian Defense
white Addison, black R. Byrne
I d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 Bg7 4 e4 d6 5 Nf3
0-0 6 Be2 e5 7 0-0 N c6 8 Be3 Re8 9 dxe5
dxe5 10 Qxd8 Rxd8?!
Black's finesse of 8 ... Re8 was once
hailed as a simple equalizing answer to one of
White's best weapons against the King's In-
dian. If 9 dS Black can reply 9 ... Nd4!
10 Nxd4 exd4 11 Bxd4 Nxe4 with at least
equal chances. But Addison is looking for a
new path, an endgame route, to advantage.
Even Fischer had a hard time drumming up
counterchances in an earlier game after 10 ...
Nxd8 11 NbS Ne6 12 NgS! Re7!.
124 The United States Chess Championship
11 Bg5!
The threat is 12 Nd5 (or 12 Bxf6) and it
isn't easy to meet. After 11 ... Rd7 White can
try Benko's idea, 12 Bdl! followed by 13 Ba4.
11 ... Rf8 12 Rfdl Bg4 13 Rac1 h6 14 Be3
Rfds 15 h3 Bxf3 16 Bxf3 Nd4
After
16 ... Nd4
Addison-R. Byrne, 1969
The centralization of this knight appears
to eliminate all danger. White is probably a lit-
de worse after 17 Bxd4 exd4, but what else
can he do about ... Nxf3?
17 NbS! NeB
Byrne realizes that 17 ... Nxf3+ 18 gxf3
will cost him a pawn. He could capture on b5
but White would obtain strong c-file pressure
as Reshevsky had demonstrated in the 19th
championship against Seidman.
18 Nxd4 exd4 19 Bf4 c6 20 Rd3 gS 21 Bg3
Rd7 22 c5! RadS 23 Bg4 Re7 24 f3 BeS
25 Bxe5 Rxe5 26 Rc4 Ng7 27 R4xd4
Rxd4 28 Rxd4 RXe5 29 h4!
Addison has nurtured a microscopic ad-
vantage thus far. He has the better placed rook
and a superior minor piece. He needs some
targets for his pieces and with that in mind he
gives up the minor piece edge in order to
weaken pawns and get his rook to the seventh
rank. U.S. championships have seen relatively
few of these finely tuned endgame victories.
29 ... Rb5 30 Rd8+ Kh7 31 h3 Ne6
32 Bxe6 fxe6 33 hS! g4! 34 Rd7+ Khs
35 fxg4 Rb4 36 Kf2 RXe4 37 Rxb7 as
38 Ra7 ReS 39 Kf3 ReS 40 Kf4 Rb5
41 Re7 Rh4+ 42 Kf3 a4 43 bxa4 RXa4
44 Rxc6 Kh7 45 Rxc6 Rxa2 46 Kg3 Ra3+
47 Kh2 Ra4 48 Rg6 Rb4 49 g3 RbI 50 g5
hxg5 51 Kh3! Rb4 52 Rxg5 Kh6 53 Rf5
Ra4 54 g4 Ral 55 Rf6+ Kg5 56 Rg6+ Kf4
57 Kg2 Ra2+ 58 Kf1! Kf3 59 Kel Ke3
60 Kdl Kd3 61 Kc1 Kc3 62 Rc6+! Kd4
63 h6 Rg2 64 h7 Rh2 65 Rc7 Ke4 66 g5
and Black resigns
Byrne was never closer to the lead than a
point after this; by Round 6 only Reshevsky
had a chance of stopping Addison. In the Fis-
cher championships Sammy had often been a
major factor - the round of the Fischer-Re-
shevsky game was always the best attended-
hut he was not always a contestant for first
place. Reshevsky hadn't actually won the
championship since 1946, when Fischer was
three years old. Now, in a Fischer-less field, he
knew how each member of the 19505 genera-
tion could be beaten. Addison, who didn't de-
velop into a player of consequence until the
1960s, was not so easy and he held Rcshevsky
to a draw.
But Addison was upset, if upset was the
word, by Donald Byrne in Round 8. Byrne,
who spent his free hours grading the papers of
his English literature students, was playing in
one of his rare championships. Chronically
plagued by ill health, time pressure and the press
of his career work, Donald had not achieved
a plus score in the tournament in 10 years. But
he could still win a big game.
So, Reshevsky took the lead for the first
time in Round 9 and held it going into the
final day. The pairings were Evans versus Re-
shevsky and Addison (a half point behind the
leader) versus Lombardy. Benko and Lom-
bardy were only a half point behind Addison
and each could earn a share of the lead if the
results were righr. Reshevsky knew this and
offered an early draw, which would clinch a
spot in the interzonal tournament of 1970 re-
gardless of what happened in the other games.
 The Fischer Era (1957-1969) 125

20th U.S. Championship, New York, Nov. 30-Dec. 17, 1969

Totals
R A B L B E M Z B B S B W D L Points

1. Reshevsky Y2 Y2 Y2 560 8-3

2. Addison o 0 Y2 632 7~-3Y2

3. Benko Y2Y2XO Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 4 6 1 7-4

4. Lombardy o 0 X Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 3 6 2 6-5
5-8. D. Byrne ~ 0 ~ X ~ ~ 0 ~ ~ ~ 272 5Y2-5~
5-8. Evans o ~ 0 ~ X ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 272 5Y2-5Y2
5-8. Mednis ~ 0 0 ~ ~ ~ X ~ ~ ~ 272 5Y2-5Y2
5-8. Zuckerman ~ ~ ~ ~ 0 ~ ~ X 1 ~ ~ ~ 9 1 5~-5Y2

9-1l. Bisguier ~ 0 ~ ~ 0 ~ 0 X ~ 0 254 4Y2-6~

9-11. R. Byrne o 0 0 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ X 1 ~ 173 4Y2-6~
9-11. Saidy o 0 ~ ~ ~ ~ 0 ~ lOX 1 254 4Y2-6~
12. Burger o 0 0 0 ~ ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 X 047 2-9

Evans declined. ("I would have declined, too,"

Sammy said later.) So ...

E12 Queen's Indian Defense

white Evans, black Reshevsky
After
14 ... c5
1 d4 Nf6 2 e4 e6 3 Nf3 b6 4 Nc3 Bb7 5 a3
d5 6 Bg5 Be7 7 e3 0-0 8 Rcl Ne4! 9 Bxe7
QXe7 10 exd5 exd5 11 Nxe4? dxe4 12 Nd2
Re8!

White has gotten less than nothing out Evans-Reshevsky. 1969

of the opening and should begin to become
concerned about Black's liquidation of the
center with ... c5. Without a d-pawn, White
has a disadvantage in space and a slight deficit
in development.
13 Be2 Nd7 140-0 e5 (see diagram)
15 dxe5?
This permits Black to sink his knight into
the ideal square, d3. Did Evans think that get-
ting his own knight to d4 outweighed that?
It's hard to believe.
15 ... Nxe5 16 Nb3 Rd8 17 Qe2 Nd3!
18 Redl Rae8 19 Qbl Rd6
This rook is headed for h6 or g6 to sup-
port the queen at h4 or g5. White's kingside
is vulnerable because he cannot defend it with
knight at f3 and his queen is out of the game.
20 Nd4 Rxd4!
This is not at all speculative. Black could
have calculated this out to the winning end-
game he reaches in nine moves or the dead
won king-and-pawn ending he gets in 14.
21 exd4 Nf4 22 Rfel Qg5 23 g3 e3!
Black's main threat is to get the queen to
126 The United States Chess Championship

g2 or hl by way of d5. It's easy to see that Reshevsky finds his way to an elementary
24 fxe3 loses to 24 ... Nh3+ and 25 ... Qf6+. endgame win within a few moves:
24 f3 Nxe2+ 25 Rxe2 Bxf3 26 Rcl Re8
28 Rc7 Qd5 29 Rxb7 Qxb7 30 Qd3 Qe4!
27 Reel Bb7!
31 Qxe4 Rxe4 32 Kg2 f5 33 Kf3 Kf7
34 Rxe3 Rxe3+ 35 Kxe3 gS! 36 h4 h6
37 dS Ke7 38 Kd4 Kd6 39 hXg5 hxg5
40 a4 as 41 b3 g4! 42 Ke3 KxdS 43 Kd3
Kc5 44 Ke3 Kb4 45 Kf4 Kxb3 46 Kxf5
Kxa4 47 Kxg4 Kb4! and White resigns
After
27 ••• Bb7
An era was ending and matters were back
where they were in 1956: Sammy Reshevsky
was again the best player in the tournament.
"Maybe I'll be world champion when I'm 60,"
he said.
Evans-Reshevsky, 1969
 Chapter Nine
Primus Inter Pares
(1972-1979)
With the notable and perennial excep-
tion of Reshevsky, the names and faces in the
championship had changed with each gener-
ation. Bur the tournarnenc itself had remained
pretty much what it was in 1936: a regularly
scheduled, 12-to-16-player New York event
featuring a roughly even balance of profes-
sional and amateur players, most of whom
came from the New York area. This - and
much more - changed after 1972.
The first and most obvious difference was
the absence of a dominating figure. Fischer had
virtually been conceded first place whenever
he entered the championship in the 1960s. But
with his defeat of Boris Spassky in Reykjavik
he no longer had any imerest in American
chess or, as it later seemed, in chess at all. With-
out him to attract fans, contributions and
media attention there was some question as to
whether there was any value to holding an an-
nual tournament. And indeed the champi-
onship was not scheduled in 1970 or 1971.
\'V'hen it was resumed in 1972 a pattern
of irregularly held tournaments developed.
There would be championships in 1972, 73, 74
and 75, but not in 76, again in 1977 and 1978
but not in 79. Yes in 80 and 81, no in 82. More
significantly, there was no clear favorite dut-
ing the new Fischer-less era. There would he
several different champions and several ties for
the title. In the first 20 tournaments only seven
different men had held or shared the national
title. But in the 12 years after 1972 there were
ten different champions.
127
And while Fischer's absence took some-
thing away from the tournament, his rise left
a deep impression that would motivate future
competitors. Before 1972 there had been little
enthusiasm for world titles. After all, the Rus-
sians had held the individual and team titles
for 20 years or more. What was the use of try-
ing to beat them?
This attitude filtered down to the young-
est masters, such as the competitors for the
1971 U.S. Junior title. Besides the junior title
there were two prizes that year. First prize was
a trip to Athens to represent America in the
prestigious World Junior tournament. Second
prize was a trip to the U.S. Open in Ventura,
California. When the u.s. Junior ended in a
tie, the two winners had to flip a coin. Greg
DeFotis picked heads and won the toss - and
decided he'd rather go to Southern California.
Ken Rogoff, disappointed on missing out on
a free trip to the Open, had to settle for the
Greek capital. (He surprised himself by nearly
winning the event.)
Fischer's success showed that the Russians
weren't supermen, and that invitations to the
interzonal qualifying events were very valuable
indeed. The invitations in FIDE Zone 5 (the
United States) were decided every three years
by the championship, and it was no surprise
that the strongest events of the next decade
were the zonals-1972, 75, 78, 81 and 84.
There were other fundamental changes at
work. The tournament was loosened from its
New York moorings after 1972 and permitted
128 The United States Chess Championship
to come to port wherever there was local spon-
sorship, organization and enthusiasm. Within
the next decade it shifted from the East Coast
to the West and to the Mexican Border and
Great Lakes, greatly widening the audience of
fans who had never before seen top-caliber
chess.
This was made easier from a financial
point of view because of a substantial change
in the invitation list. During the Fischer pe-
riod pretty much the same group of players
was invited year after year. And, since they all
lived in or around New York, it became the
most appropriate (and cheapest) venue. In
fact, four local grandmasters - Benko, Byrne,
Bisguier and Reshevsky - each played in at
least 10 of the 11 championships between 1957
and 1969. The four of them accounted for
more than a third of the names on the scoreta-
bles. And there were only 14 new faces seen in
the championships of the Fischer years.
But in the next 11 tournaments there were
38 new faces. Fewer than half- many fewer, in
fact - came from New York. The newcomers
arrived from the Midwest (William Martz,
DeFotis, Andrew Karklins, Milan Vukcevich)
and West (James Tarjan, Nick deFirmian,
Larry Christiansen, Kim Commons) and in-
cluded Texans (Ron Henley and Joseph Brad-
ford), a transplanted Bostonian (Jack Peters),
a Syrian-born Seattle student (Yasser Seirawan)
and others from Maryland, Oregon and Vir-
glllia.
It suddenly became very hard, even for
the nation's premier players to get invited to
the championship. During the 1960s (and as
late as 1975), all American grandmasters were
automatically seeded into the event and other
contestants were chosen according (0 rating.
Even with all of the top players accepting their
invitations. the rating cutoff occasionally
dipped below 2400-a point that could then
be said to distinguish the upper echelon of
American chess from the merely strong.
But even with the field expanded to 16
players, as it was in the late 1970s, there wasn't
enough room to accommodate all the grand-
masters, let alone the other highly rated com-
petitors. Moreover, the unfairness of seeding
a GM who had not played well- or at aU-
in the last few years rather than a more highly
rated youngster was obvious. By the late 1960s
the rating cutoff had risen (0 2400 and pushed
over 2440 by the mid-1970s. For the 1984
championship it had reached an unheard-of
2560, which even with an artificial inflation of
points indicated there was exceptional com-
petition for the highly prized invitations.
William Lombardy found himself too low
to be seeded in 1981 and Robert Byrne missed
out in 1983. Reshevsky, who had not made the
1978 and 1980 outings, fattened up his no-
longer-exceptional rating in 1981 by compet-
ing in weekend events against nonmasters
where his chance of losing ground was slight.
And also in 1981 the USCF added a new re-
quirement - that players must compete in at
least two domestic tournaments a year in order
to qualify for future championships. A move
to require Americans to play in American tour-
naments might seem natural, yet it was de-
nounced bitterly by some grandmasters as
being harsh, arbitrary and even "un-Ameri-
can." In short, during the next stage the U.S.
championship became a highly competitive,
well-balanced, truly national tournament.
1972: Three Kings
There were four new faces in the 21st
championship but one was in a class by him-
self. He was Lubomir (Lubosh) Kavalek, who
at 28 already had won two national champi-
onships in his native Czechoslovakia. Not long
after the second of his tides, in August 1968,
Kavalek found himself in Western Europe at
an international tournament when word ar-
rived of the Soviet military intervention in his
homeland. He seized the opportunity to de-
fect, becoming the first in a new wave of chess
defections that would later include Viktor Ko-
rchnoi, Lev Aiburt and Canadian champion
Igor Ivanov.
Kavalek made the European tournament
circuit his new home and quietly, while the
chess world was watching Fischer's progress in
1970-72, he was maturing into one of the top
 Primus Inter Pares (1972-1979)
ten Western players. Eventually Lubosh set-
tled in a suburb of Washington, D.C., im-
proved his English (one of his five languages),
and arranged a comfortable life as a player,
commentator and journalist. He became a true
European-style grandmaster in a non-Euro-
pean setting.
Kavalek was the unknown factor in the
21st championship when it began at the Group
Health Insurance building on West 41st Street
on April 23. Would he become another Pal
Benko - impressive abroad but a flop in the
championship? Or would he be the new Fis-
cher? He had all the proper equipment - an
excellent theoretical background in openings
and endgames and good calculating ability.
His stylistic range was considerable: He could
play for mate or nurse the slightest of posi-
tional advantages for sixty moves. Only his
placid demeanor was a drawback: No Fischer-
like will to win.
The first round was hardly a test for him
but it did indicate how old the Old Guard had
become. Kavalek had the black pieces that day
against Al Horowitz. AI, who had sold off his
magazine to the VSCF, was enjoying the fruits
of retirement. Playing in what turned out to
be his last championship, Horowitz was intent
on having fun. He slammed down his 16th
move, knight to queen five, walked away from
the board and with typical braggadocio, said
in a stage whisper, "Not bad for a patzer!" But
the move was most accurately described as
16 Nd5?? as it lost material immediately and
soon cost him the game.
The second round also seemed an un-
worthy test for Kavalek because he was clearly
better all along against 20-year-old Greg De-
Fotis, the stronger of two talented chessplay-
ing brothers from Chicago. DeFotis defended
skillfully enough to draw, one of several such
rescues by him in the event. Meanwhile, it was
Lombardy, with wins over Feuerstein and
Brooklyn chemistry teacher Orest Popovych,
who took the lead with 2-0. The young priest,
now fully ordained and teaching English to
parochial school students each morning, was
carrying a heavy load, and he lost to Reshevsky
on the next day. The oldest competitor then
129
built up a one-point lead in the succeeding
four rounds - but saw the benefits of his work
go down the drain in his seventh game.
After
22 ... Ne8
Reshevsky-Kavalek, 1972
Going in for the kill, Reshevsky figured
he could obtain a clear advantage by a tem-
porary pawn sacrifice.
23 d6? Nxd6! 24 Rd2
White can get the pawn back with
24 Nxb7 Nxb7 25 Rxd7 Bxd7 26 Bxb7 but
he couldn't keep it after 26 ... Rb8.
24 ... Rad8
Here Reshevsky realized his error. He had
thought (before 23 d6) that the pin on the d-
file would be decisive after 25 Radl b6
26 Nc4. But now he realized that the d7-rook
was defended by a bishop as well as by its fel-
low rook. There was no pin after all.
White's best try here is 25 Rxd6 Rxd6
26 Nxb7 regaining material- but not posi-
tional- equality.
25 h3? e4 26 RadI b6 27 Nc6 Nc4
And here White made a third mistake by
trading rooks. After 28 Rxd7 Rxd7 29 Rxd7
Bxd7 30 Bxe4 Nxb2 31 Nb5 a5 he lost a sec-
ond, and ultimately decisive, pawn.
This put Reshevsky back in a tie for first
place. He emerged from it briefly in Round 8
by beating Larry Kaufman, a 24-year-old
stock investor from Silver Spring, Md., but
130 The United States Chess Championship
Kavalek won the brilliancy prize the next day
against the same Kaufman while Reshevsky fell
to another contender:
C42 Petrov Defense
white R. Byrne, black Reshevsky
1 e4 eS 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 d4 Nxe4 4 NXeS d6
5 Nf3 dS 6 Bd3 Be7 70-0 Ne6 8 ReI Nd6
Bisguier had been playing the Petrov ear-
lier in the tournament ("I can draw with it
blindfolded") and had just split a point the
previous day against Kavalek with 8 ... Bf5.
Reshevsky's move also aims at an exchange of
bishops (9 ... Bf5) while denying White the
opportunity to spice up the center situation
with 9 c4. But Byrne crosses him up (9 Bf4
Bf5? 10 Bd6! wins material).
9 Bf4! 0-0 10 c3 Be6? 11 Nbd2 Qd7 12 Nfl
fS?!
After
12 ... f5
R. Byrne-Reshevsky, 1972
Black is beginning to make concessions -
greater concessions than necessary. He could
have eased his game considerably with 10 ...
Bg4 earlier or now with 12 ... Bf5, rather than
weakening the e-file.
13 Qe2 Ne4 14 Ne5 Nxe5 15 Bxe5 Bf6
16 Bxf6 Rxf6 17 f3!
Here is the difference between White and
Black. Byrne can oust an enemy piece from e4
but his own pieces can rule e5. He prepares to
mine the open file:
17 ... Nd6 18 Qc2 Re8 ]9 ReS g6 20 Racl
Bf7 21 Ne3 c6 22 Qf2! Kg7 23 g4!
This begins a delayed kingside attack.
Black cannot capture on g4 because White's
knight joins up with the queen powerfully
(23 ... fxg4 24 NXg4 Rfe6 25 Qd2! and
26 Qh6+).
23 •.. Ne4
A nice try: Black is very much alive after
24 fxe4 fxe4.
24 Qg2 f4 25 Nf5+! gxfS 26 gxfS+ Kh8
Reshevsky's position collapses quickly be-
cause of the pressure on the diagonal leading
to g6 and on the e-file. Byrne has a neat finish-
ing strike coming up.
27 RXe8 Qxe8 28 fxe4 RxfS 29 Qg4 Bg6
30 Kf2!
This does it. The pin along the e-file is
relieved and a road to a won endgame is
opened (30 ... dxe4 31 Bxe4 RfS 32 BxgG
for example).
30 ... Rf7 31 exd5 Re7? 32 Bxg6 and Black
resigns
This left Kavalek in first place, a half
point ahead of Byrne and Reshevsky. No one
had won the championship on the first try ex-
cept Fischer and Bisguier and so Kavalek's per-
formance was notable. But being a European-
style grandmaster has its drawbacks and one
of them is the casual Continental attitude to-
wards other GMs. Lubosh seemed to make
only half-hearted attempts (0 beat his middlc-
of-the-scoretable rivals and content to score
his points against what Byrne called the
"Swiss-happy contenders of the 'lunge now,
look later' school." So while Kavalek was
drawing quietly with Evans in Round 10,
Byrne caught up with him. Reshevsky made it
a three-way tie in the twelfth round, creating
the tightest last-round situation in champi-
onship history to that time.
 Primus Inter Pares {1972-1979}
In addition to the three leaders - Kava-
lek, Byrne and Reshevsky - there were two
other grandmasters, Benko and Evans, with a
chance to tie for first prize. Even Lombardy
and the tenacious DeFotis had a shot at mak-
ing one of the two interzonal spots, by finish-
ing in a massive tie for second prize. As for
money, a win by one of the leaders could mean
more than $2000 while a loss could drop them
to a $500 prize.
But in the final round Kavalek was due
to meet Benko, a pairing which virtually guar-
anteed a draw. Byrne might have edged ahead
of him with a win over DeFotis, but he fell
into a three-time repetition and only drew. In
the last key game \'Villiam Martz, a law stu-
dent from Wisconsin, was White against Re-
shevsky. Martz was an expert in two areas of
chess - the Four Pawns Attack in the King's
Indian Defense and rook-and-pawn endgames.
He got an opportunity to display both talents
against the hard-pressing Reshevsky and the
game was drawn without adjournment.
For the first time a championship had
ended in a three-way tie. Because only two
spots in the interzonals were available under a
new FIDE apportionment, a playoff was neces-
sary. It began in February 1973 in Chicago and
this time Kavalek was outclassed. He tried to
be more adventurous than he had been in New
York and paid the positional price in a disap-
pointing loss to Reshevsky.
Byrne, however, was beginning to play the
best chess of his life, using his newfound tac-
tical acuity to its utmost. He was only in trou-
ble in one game and this turned out to be the
decisive one of the playoff. Reshevsky could
lock up first place in the double-round event
and clear claim to his seventh title with a vic-
tory in this position (see diagram):
He is poised for the coup de grace but,
as in his tournament game with Kavalek,
Reshevskyerrs badly at the moment of truth.
There are two very strong-looking moves-
39 Re7 which the Monday-morning annota-
tors found to be decisive, and 39 Be5. Re-
shevsky had only seconds to make a choice.
39 BeS??
131
After
38 ... Qxa2
Reshevsky-R. Byrne. 1972
The threat is 40 BXg7 + followed by rook
and queen checks that must end in mate. But
there is one remarkable defense and Byrne, also
short of time, found it:
39 ... Qxg2+! 40 Kxg2 Bxe5+
And with his extra piece (41 ... Bxd6)
Byrne won the title and began his own road
to the world championship eliminations. for
his pains Reshevsky finished second and also
qualified for the interzonals.
1973: The Darkest Horse
For the first time in 25 years the cham-
pionship tournament left New York City. It
headed for EI Paso, Texas, where the local chess
club and Jaycee unit promised a well-organized
tournament not far from the Mexican border.
The tournament invitations also promised a
pronounced non-New York character. Seven
of the invitees, all under 30, were playing for
the first time - the largest crop of rookies in
memory. They assumed the places left when
Byrne declined his invitation in order co pre-
pare for a candidates match with Boris Spassky
and Reshevsky also said no because he would
be playing in the Petropolis, Brazil, interzonal.
Among other GMs, Lombardy declined at the
very last minute - his telegram canceling out
arrived just before the first round began.
This meant that Kavalek, the only sur-
vivor from the Chicago playoff, and Evans
were clearly seen as the frontrunners when play
 21st U.S. Championship, New York, April 23-May 15, 1972

Totals
B K R E B D L M B M K F H P W 0 L Points

1-3. R. Byrne X Yz Yz Yz Yz Yz Yz Yz Yz 5 8 0 9-4

1-3. Kavalek Yz X 1 Yz Yz Yz Yz Yz Yz Yz 5 8 0 9-4
1-3. Reshevsky 0 0 X Yz V2 Yz 1 Yz 7 4 2 9-4
4. Evans Vz Vz Yz X Yz Vz Yz 0 Yz 5 7 8Yz-4Yz
5. Benko Yz Yz Yz I/Z X Yz Yz Vz Yz Yz Vz 3 10 0 8-5
6-7. DeFotis Vz Yz Yz Yz Yz X Yz 0 Yz l/Z 1 Yz 3 9 1 7Yz-5Yz
6-7. Lombardy Yz Yz 0 0 Vz Yz X Yz 0 5 5 3 7Yz-5Vz
8. Mednis 0 0 0 Yz Yz V2 X Yz Vz Vz 4 6 3 7-6
9-10. Bisguier V2 Yz 0 1 Yz 0 0 Yz X Vz Vz Vz 3 7 3 6V2-6YZ
9-10. Martz 1/2 Yz Yz 0 V2 Vz 0 0 Vz X Vz 3 7 3 6Y2-6Yz
11. Kaufman 0 0 0 Vz 0 0 0 Yz Vz Yz X 1 3 4 6 5-8
12. Feuerstein 0 Yz 0 0 Yz Vz 0 0 0 0 0 X 1 Vz 4 8 3-10
13. Horowitz 0 0 0 0 0 0 Yz 0 0 0 0 X 1 2 1 10 2Vz-10Yz
14. Popovych Vz 0 0 0 0 V2 0 0 Yz 0 0 Vz 0 X 0 4 9 2-11
 Primus Inter Pares (1972-1979)
began at the Hotel Paso del Norte on Sep-
tember 9. But handicapping is a dangerous
game - as the players learned during one of
the tournament's free days. (The players crossed
the border to bet on the dog races in Juarez,
Mexico, but no one would risk his money on
the dog named "Check" in the sixth race. Nat-
urally, he won.)
Had they also bet on the outcome of the
22nd championship it is likely no one would
have put his money on both winners. The event
was notable for its surprise result and also for
the debut of three youngsters:
Walter Browne. The son of a Wall Street
businessman, Browne had emerged suddenly
in the mid-1960s as the most promising U.S.
junior since Fischer. Walter had also grown up
in Brooklyn and cut his tactical teeth at the
Manhattan Chess Club before winning a host
of junior and Swiss open titles. But Browne,
born January 10, 1949, in Australia, enjoyed
dual citizenship and left the United States in
1969 to compete under the Aussie flag as the
world's youngest GM. Three years later he had
a change of heart and settled in California, Fis-
cher's adopted state. Browne quickly became
the hardest fighting member of the new gen-
eration, an intense, nervous player who gave
110 percent of himscl fin every game, analyzed
every conceivable variation and, as a result,
was frequently at war with his side of the chess
clock. (And sometimes with his tournament
director as well.)
James Tarjan. Tarjan was then a 21-year-
old humanities student from the University of
California at Berkeley and son of a noted Hun-
garian-born psychiatrist. Although he had
none of Browne's international experience,
Tarjan had shown hints of future stardom in
West Coast events. He had heen playing chess
nearly as long as Browne, three years his elder,
but his uneven style and spotty opening
knowledge tended to hold him behind his ri-
vals in junior events, such as DeFotis and
Rogoff of Rochester, N.Y. Only after remedy-
ing his opening weakness did Tarjan demon-
strate his true ability and he remedied it in an
odd way: He signed up to work on a con-
struction project where for weeks his only out-
133
let after a day of physical labor was a chess set
and a book on the Dragon Variation of the
Sicilian Defense. By September 1973 Tarjan
had refuted many of the older lines, discovered
his own favorites and was soon one of the
world's experts on this complex, aggressive
variation.
John Grefe. Grefe, a 25-year-old master
originally from Hoboken, N.J., had grown up
competing with Browne in Manhattan events
and like Browne had moved west in his early
20s. A quiet, tall, almost glacial young man,
with an elegant positional style of play, Grefe
had become a vegetarian and follower of the
Indian mystic Guru Mahara-Ji. This 22nd
championship was held while Grefe was deeply
immersed in the creed of the teenage prophet
and he explained its role in his life by saying
things such as, "After each game I meditate for
a while and it all fades into its proper place."
Kavalek and Browne took a 2-0 lead in
the tournament's first week while Grefe was
held to a second-round draw by another new-
comer, George Kane. Kane, a North Cali-
fornian then living in New York, had profited
from an accelerated mechanism in the USCF
rating system that had gained him more than
300 rating points as a result of one Marshall
Chess Club championship. He held the supe-
rior position throughout his game with Grefe
and their eventual draw later grew in sig-
nificance as Grefe began to pile up points.
Tarjan fell out of contention with a loss
to Mednis, but Grefe launched an astonishing
streak that began with victories over Bisguier,
Mednis and Larry Gilden of Washington,
D.C. For a while Kavalek managed to keep
pace with him but dropped back after agree-
ing to a draw with Browne. The former Aus-
tralian had already had the "bye" - that is, a
free day created by the withdrawal of Lom-
bardy - so his score was actually better than it
appeared at first. If he could win on the days
that Grefe and Kavalek had their byes he
would be just a half game behind the leaders.
And he could pick up ground if he were to
beat Grefe in their head-to-head meeting. But
that came in Round 7 with an unlucky result
for Browne:
134 The United States Chess Championship
B99 Sicilian Defense
white Grefe, black Browne
1 e4 cS 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6
5 Nc3 a6 6 BgS e6 7 f4 h6 S Bh4 Be7
9 Qf3 Nbd7 10 0-0-0 Qc7 11 Be2 Rbs
The Najdorf (S ... a6) Sicilian was the chief
weapon of both Browne and Grefe. Systems of
defense were still being worked out after the
complex 6 BgS and this game was an impor-
tant step in building up the variation's theory.
A year later against the same opponent Browne
found a different order of moves - 7 ... Be7
8 Qf3 Qc7 9 0-0-0 Nbd7 - after which the
attempt to transpose into the text position
with 10 Be2 is not considered sufficiently
sharp. Instead, in that 1974 game Grefe played
10 Bd3 and Browne obtained a good game
with 10 ... h6! because he could meet 11 Bh4
with 11 ... gS! 12 fXgS Ne5 13 Qe2 Nfg4
14 Nf3 hXgS IS BxgS BxgS+ 16 NxgS Qc5!
After
11 ... Rb8
Grefe-Browne, 1973
With the White bishop on e2 the 11 ...
gS idea is less successful in light of White's
control of g4. Instead, Browne prepares ... bS,
which would have led to extreme sharpness if
played immediately: 11 ... b5 12 eS Bb7
13 exf6!? Bxf3 14 Bxf3.
12 Qg3 RgS 13 Rhfl! g5?
Grefe's piece placement is quite effective
in preparing e4-eS and exploiting ... gS. After
13 ... b5, for example, White would have had
a dangerous attack with 14 fS e5 15 NeG!? or
simply 14 Nxe6! fxeG IS QgG+ Kd8 IG eS!
dXeS 17 f5. It stands to reason that Black might
not be last long after moves such as ... Rb8
and ... Rg8.
14 fxgS Ne5 15 Nf3!
This challenges e5, the square upon whose
control Black has staked his middlegame
chances. The knight retreat also enables Grefe
to meet 15 ... hxg5 with 1G NXgS since the
pinning 16 ... Nh7 would be refuted by
17 Nxe6! (17 ... RXg3 18 Nxc7 +; 17 ... fxe6
18 Qxg8+).
15 ... h5? 16 NXeS h4
This was mack's idea - to force White on
the defensive a bit. Once his c3-knight retreats
White will be less organized for a tactical shot.
Browne had probably gotten a hint of the po-
tential dangers already by calculating 16 ...
dxe5 17 gxf6! Rxg3 18 fxe7 Rg5 which
would lose to 19 BhS!!.
After
16 ... b4
Grefe-Browne, 1973
17 Nxf7!
There are several cute points to this,
among them 17 ... Kxf7 18 gxf6! Rxg3
19 fxe7 + Kg7 after which the heroic e-pawn
performs its final duty by turning into a fork-
ing knight.
17 ... hxc3 IS gxf6! RXg3 19 fxe7 Rg5
Black cannot permit 20 Nxd6+ Kd7
 Primus Inter Pares (1912-1979) 135
21 e8(Q)+. Now White gets all the material resignation on the 58th move. Kavalek, mean-
back with interest. while, was adjourning a favorable if difficult
queen-and-pawn ending.
20 Bxg5 hxg5 21 Nxd6+ and Black resigns

The queen goes after 21 ... Kxe7

22 Rf7 + but the worst part of it is 22 ... Kd8
23 Nxc8+! Kxc8 24 Bxa6+.
While this was going on it took Kavalek
After 52 Kfl
100 moves to defeat Donald Byrne, then com-
peting in his last championship, to stay even
with the surprising Grefe. The guru's disciple,
who followed Kavalek in the tournament pair-
ing draw, was to play all of Kavalek's oppo-
nents the round after the grandmaster did.
This gave Grefe a clear idea of what he needed Karklins-Kavalek, 1973
to match rhe older man's record. He needed
to beat Byrne and he did the very next day Kavalek (Black) has the better placed king
while Tarjan held Kavalek to a draw. Grefe and, after his next move, the more centrally
could then afford a draw with Tarjan - and posted queen. Both are significant factors in
they did in a sprightly Round 9 Dragon. this kind of ending, but the most important
This meant that the lowest-rated player is usually the presence of a passed pawn.
in the tournament had scored eight points out
of nine, including six wins in a row between 52 ... Qe4
his draws with Kane and Tarjan. This streak,
the most extraordinary since Fischer, came to
Karklins, who had earlier defeated Evans
an end in a dubious Queens' Gambit Declined
and Byrne in dynamic attacking positions,
when the two leaders met in Round 10. Grefe
cannot wait for Black to push his pawns. His
threw hi 111 self into a highly irregular - and out
only resource is a series of checks, and with
of character - kingside attack and was re-
only a few minutes left he plays:
pulsed by Kavalek's cool defense. The dark
horse youngster from Hoboken still had a
technical half-point lead but he was due for the 53 Qh5+ Ke3 54 Qe2+ Kd4
bye the next day while Kavalek, who already
had the bye, faced Evans. Now Karklins has two good checks to
Once again Kavalek could only draw with consider as well as the obvious exchange of
a fellow grandmaster with the black pieces and queens. It's not hard for a master to see that
he went into the final two rounds tied with 55 Qb2+ Kd3 56 Qbl+ Ke3 is a perpetual
Grefe. Both men drew cautiously the next day, check (57 Qcl+ Kf3 58 Qdl+ etc.) The same
Kavalek in 12 moves with Benko, Grefe in 17 goes for 55 Qd2+ because 55 ... Qd3+ would
with Evans. The fate of first prize depended lead to a trade of queens and a race of passed
on the final round pairings: Kavalek was Black pawns in which White has the fastest horse.
against the unheralded Andrew Karklins of (Black would, however, manage to draw any-
Chicago while Grefe, also Black, faced Benko. way after 56 Qxd3+ Kxd3 57 a5 f3 58 a6 g2+
But Benko, apparently thinking he would 59 Kf2 gl(Q)+! 60 Kxgl Ke2 61 a7 f2+.)
be offered another early draw, let Grefe build Either way, a draw gives Grefe the title.
up a commanding attacking formation. Byad- But ...
journment time the young master's advantage
was obvious and he crashed through to force 55 Qxe4+?? KXe4 56 as
 22nd u.s. Championship, EI Paso, Sept. 9-27, 1973

Totals
K G B T E B K M B G M B K W 0 L Points

1-2. Kavalek X 1 Yz Vz Vz Vz Yz 7 5 0 9YZ-2YZ

1-2. Grefe 0 X 1 Vz 1 Vz Vz S 3 1 9YZ-2YZ
3. Browne Vz 0 X Yz Vz Yz Y2 1 6 5 1 SYZ-3YZ
4. Tarjan Yz Yz Yz X 1 Yz 1 0 Yz Yz Yz 4 7 7Vz-4Yz
5-6. Evans Yz Vz Yz 0 X Yz 0 Yz Yz Yz 3 7 2 6Vz-5Yz
5-6. Benko Yz 0 Vz Yz Yz X Yz l/Z Yz Yz V2 2 9 1 6YZ-5YZ
7. Karklins 0 0 Vz 0 Yz X Yz Yz 0 1 4 4 4 6-6
S. Mednis 0 0 0 1 Yz Yz V2 X Yz 0 Yz 3 5 4 5Yz-6Yz
9. Bisguier Vz 0 0 0 0 Yz Yz Yz X Yz V2 2 6 4 5-7
10. Gilden 0 0 0 0 0 V2 1 Yz X 0 V2 Vz 2 4 6 4-S
11. Martz 0 0 0 V2 V2 0 0 Yz 0 X V2 Yz 1 5 6 3Vz-SVz
12-13. D. Byrne 0 0 0 Yz V2 Yz 0 0 Yz V2 Yz X 0 0 6 6 3-9
12-13. Kane 0 V2 0 V2 0 0 0 0 0 Yz V2 0 4 7 3-9
 Primus Inter Pares (1912-1919)
Karklins' choice at move 55 permitted
him to make the time control with this move.
Now he expected to win since Black's king is
too far away to force the promotion of a Black
pawn before White makes a queen of his own.
But. ..
56 ... Kf3! and White resigns
The king is close enough to mate (after 57 a6
g2+ 58 Kgl Kg3 59 a7 f3 60 a8(Q) f2).
An incredible finish, and, once again, co-
champions.
1914: Too Much Browne
The success of Grefe, Tarjan and Browne
among other young masters living on the West
Coast tended to overshadow the chess renais-
sance that was going on in Chicago during the
early 1970s. The young players in that area-
Martz, DeFotis, Karklins and Craig Chell-
storp - were briefly among the most talented
in the coumry. (Briefly, because DeFotis soon
gave up chess for contract bridge and Chell-
storp, a junior with nearly as much promise,
gave it up for backgammon.) But at the time
Chicago seemed to he the center of national
chess activity having hosted the 21st champi-
onship playoff, the 1973 U.S. Open and a
moderately strong international tournament-
all within ten months. And in July 1974, with
temperatures approaching EI Paso's heights of
a year before, a slightly weaker championship
field assembled in the historic LaSalle Hotel
in the Loop area for the 23rd championship.
The tournament was without Robert
Byrne again and also minus Kavalek. But Re-
shevsky and Evans were expected to lead the
older generation in a comeback fight against
Grefe-Tarjan-Brownc junior stars. As it turned
out, the older players avenged several of their
losses in El Paso. But in the end it was Browne's
year and the first (and easiest) of his three suc-
cessive championship victories.
The first round saw what promised to be
an exciting pairing - Grefe vs. Browne, a re-
peat of the most dramatic meeting of the El
137
Paso tournament. But the promise went largely
unfulfilled. Browne had improved on his Naj-
dorf Sicilian and quickly counterattacked; no
strange ... Rg8 and ... Rb8 moves this year.
Just as the position became sharp Grefe seemed
to run out of the energy that had kept him in
first place in EI Paso and his position seemed to
contract measurably with each move until ad-
journment. In the sealed move position he had
a rook, bishop and single pawn against Browne's
rook, active knight and two pawns. Four days
passed before it could he played out and by then
Browne had worked the winning line out to
arithmetic certainty. Grefe, somewhat surpris-
ingly, resigned without asking for proof.
And in the second round Browne won
effortlessly over Ken Rogoff, his successor as
U.S. Junior Champion and one of three new-
comers in the tournament. Browne, at 25, was
technically a member of the younger genera-
tion, but at the same time, had been a grand-
master for five years. There was developing a
new, less experienced generation and they
would regard him as almost an oldtimer, a vet-
eran of international play. In 1973 the veter-
ans had taken a pounding in several games in
El Paso (Karklins-Evans, Tarjan-Evans, Bis-
guier-Grefe, Bisguier- Tarjan, Benko-Grefe,
etc.). But this year the veterans - Browne in-
cluded - were getting revenge.
Evans demonstrated this early with vic-
tories over Rogoff, Karklins and an athletic
young southern Californian named Kim Com-
mons. Commons could give a "simultaneous
tennis exhibition" as well as chess exhibition -
and at a later U.S. championship defeated a
team of Robert Byrne and Lubosh Kavalek sin-
glehandedly. But this year, his first in the
championship, Commons was no match for
the veterans, such as Benko, who was having
one of his better years. The Hungarian emi-
gre-who now divided the year between his
homes in Budapest and New Jersey - went
through the 23rd championship undefeated,
drawing most of his games in 20 moves and
waiting for the kind of endgame or positional
middlegame in which he could beat anyone.
Pal was no threat to Browne but he could
sneak his way into second or third place.
138 The United States Chess Championship
The crisis of the tournament came in
Round 5. Browne faced Reshevsky with Black.
but had something else to worry about. In the
previous round, he had adjourned an ending
with a bad bishop against Tony Saidy's good
knight, with several pawns for each side. Browne
told anyone who asked that the game was an
easy draw, while Saidy claimed he had good
winning chances. The truth seemed somewhere
in between - a difficult, problematic position
that was not a win, but could be lost. A Joss
would drop Browne to 3\12-JI12 just ahead of
Reshevsky, Evans and Bisguier, who stood at
2Y2-!Y2 with an extra game to play.
So, when Browne sat down with the tour-
nament's oldest competitor he played the per-
centages and offered a draw about the 15th
move. Reshevsky smiled to himself and de-
clined. By the 20th move he had the hint of
an endgame advantage because of his rwo bish-
ops, which opposed Browne's bishop and
knight. The four rooks came off within five
moves and suddenly Browne was being pressed
hard. All Sammy needed was a clear road for
his king and he would penetrate the shell that
protected Browne's vulnerable pawns. Both
men were long experienced in time pressure
and inevitably a complex position such as this
arose with seconds left on each clock and five
moves to play.
After
35 ... exf6
Reshevsky-Browne, 1974
Browne has defended carefully and he
only has to worry about a pawn break with
g2-g4. All the endings with bishops-of-op-
posite color (36 Bxc5) should be drawn even
if White wins a pawn. So:
36 g4 hxg4+! 37 Kxg4 f5+!
Reshevsky was all set to play 38 f5!, which
would have forced the creation of a winning
passed pawn.
38 Kg5??
Consistent, in fact the only consistent
move in the position - hut also disastrous.
When you're looking for points of penetration
in the endgame, one thing you rarely consider
is checkmate.
38 ... Kg7!
Black threatens 39 ... Ne4 mate as well
as ... Bb2-f6 mate (e.g. 39 Bxc5 Bb2!).
39 Bc3+ Kh7 40 Bc2 Ne4+! 41 Bxe4 fxc4
And with the time battle over, Reshevsky
played 42 Bb4 but then he, as White, resigned
the adjourned position in the face of 42 ... e3,
followed by ... Bd2 and ... e2.
After this scare Browne managed to hold
the draw against Saidy in their adjourned game.
That ending also involved a difficult time-
trouble battle, but it ended with Browne's
claiming a draw when the position had been
repeated three times. The then-current inter-
national rule held that his clock must run
while his claim was evaluated and, if the claim
was rejected, he might forfeit. "I gotta know
now," he shouted to assistant tournament di-
rector Tim Redman, "Is it a draw or isn't it?"
It was. And that virtually clinched first
prize. Browne won three more games and al-
lowed scattered draws in the final two weeks
while Evans, his only close rival, could only
win one more game. The rest of the tourna-
ment is of interest perhaps only because of one
exceptional game, a game with a story:
The day before Arthur Bisguier was to
play Browne he agonized over a choice of
opening. Andy Soltis, then playing in his first
championship, suggested the Petrov's Defense,
mentioning a tricky but untested pawn sac-
rifice in the popular 3 d4 line that Rogoff and
 Primus Inter Pares (1972-1979)
he had analyzed some years before. The analy-
sis eventually was tested, and vindicated, when
Bent Larsen used it to defeat then-world
champion Anatoly Karpov in 1980. Bisguier
was interested in the sacrifice but was cau-
tioned to be sure he had something prepared
for the older variations beginning with 3 Nxe5
"Oh, I know that stuff," Bisguier said.
C12 Petrov Defense
white Browne, black Bisguier
1 e4 eS 2 Nf3 Nf6 3 NXeS!! d6 4 Nf3 Nxc4
5 d4 dS 6 Bd3 Be7 70-0 Ne6 8 c4 Nb4
9 cxdS Nxd3 10 Qxd3 QxdS ] 1 ReI BfS
12 Nc3 Nxe3 13 Qxc3 c6
After
13 ... c6
Broume-Bisguier, 1974
"Bisguicr was yawning out the moves,"
Browne recalled later. But here Walter sank into
deep thought - and the other players began to
wonder about him. Browne was already known
for his penchant of insisting on finding things
for himself rather than trusting the judgment
of chess theory. But here he was thinking hlri-
ously about a position that was known to be
rather quiet and routine and had been consid-
ered roughly balanced for some 30 years.
Ten minutes went by, then twenty, then
thirty. Some of the older players, gathered at
the back of the tournament hall, began to
snicker about Browne's insistence on proving
to himself there was something new. "He has
to calculate everything," one grandmaster said
with derision. "It's as if this position has never
occurred before. It's like he's looking for a
forced win!"
139
14 Bh6!!
Played after 40 minutes' thought and
leading, sure enough, to a virtually forced win.
Later, it was revealed by Zuckerman that his
longtime friend, the forgotten Fischer, had
discovered 14 Bh6!! several years before but had
never gotten a chance to play it. The move
dramatically changes the position since there
is no easy defense to Bxg7, e.g. 14 ... gxh6
15 Re5 Qd7 16 Rae! Be6 17 dS and wins be-
cause of lines such as 17 ... cxd5 18 RXe6!
fxe6 19 Qxh8+ Bf8 20 Qf6 Be7 21 Rxe6.
Bisguier had his turn to think and after
an hour he could find nothing better than the
timid 14 ... Rg8. There followed:
14 ... Rg8 15 ReS Qd7 ]6 Rael Be6
17 NgS!
After this situation becomes clear. All the
complications (17 ... Bf6 18 Nxe6 BXeS
19 NcS or 17 ... gxh6 18 NXe6 fxe6 19 Rxe6
Rg7 20 dS! Kf8 21 Qxg7+! Kxg7 22 Rxe7+)
are bad for Black, and Bisguier must walk will-
ingly into an ending that, even with his
renowned drawing skill, was lost:
17 ... 0-0-0 18 Nx£7! Bxf7 19 Rxe7 Qxd4
20 Rx£7! Qxc3 21 bxc3 gxh6 22 RbI! Rg5
23 h4 RbS 24 RxbS cxbS 25 Rxh7 Rdl+
26 Kh2 Rd2 27 Rxh6 Rxa2 28 hS Rxf2
29 Rh8+ Ke7 30 h6 Kb6 31 Kh3 as 32 g4
b4 33 cxb4 axb4 34 Re8 Rfl 35 Kg2 Rf6
36 gS Rg6 37 h7 RxgS+ 38 Kf3 RhS
39 h8(Q) Rxh8 40 Rxh8 and Black resigns
"I feel like an innocent victim," said Bis-
guier, reflecting on his faith in the "book."
By the 11th round Browne had 8Y2 points,
a score comparable to one of Fischer's winning
margins and one that was just as good as the
furious Kavalek-Grefe pace of the previous
year. Browne was lY2 points ahead of the field
then and could afford to take quick draws on
the last two days. This policy had another
benefit: while everyone else was waiting
around late in the final round to see Benko
wear down Evans in the battle for second
 23rd U.S. Championship, Chicago, July 13-Aug. 1, 1974

Totals
B B E S R C
~T B R W Z S C K G W D L Points

1. Browne X V2 V2 V2 VI V2 V2 V2 6 7 0 9V2-3V2
2-3. Benko VI X 1 V2 V2 V2 V2 VI VI VI VI V2 3 10 0 8-5
2-3. Evans VI 0 X VI VI VI VI VI Vz 1/2 4 8 8-5
4. Saidy VI VI VI X VI V2 V2 0 V2 V2 Vz 1 3 9 1 7V2-5V2
5-8. Reshevsky 0 1/2 VI VI X 1 VI 0 1/2 Vz 0 4 6 3 7-6
5-8. Grefe 0 VI Vz VI 0 X VI VI Vz VI V2 3 8 2 7-6
5-8. Bisguier 0 VI Vz VI VI V2 X VI V2 V2 VI V2 2 10 1 7-6
5-8. Rogoff 0 V2 0 0 V2 VI X III VI Vz 4 6 3 7-6
9. N. Weinstein III V2 V2 VI 0 V2 VI X V2 VI 0 0 1 2 8 3 6-7
10-11. Zuckerman VI VI V2 VI VI Vz Vz 0 V2 X V2 0 0 1 9 3 5VI-7 1/2
10-11. Soltis 0 V2 0 VI 1/2 Vz Vz III V2 V2 X 1 Vz 0 1 9 3 5V2-7VI
12. Commons V2 0 0 0 0 VI 0 1 0 X 1 0 4 2 7 5-8
13. Karklins V2 VI 0 0 0 Vi 0 Vz 1 0 V2 0 X 1 2 5 6 4 1/2-8Vl
14. Gilden 0 0 X 0 0 0 0 0 0 () X 3 9 3Vz-9Vl
 Primus Inter Pares (1972-1979)
place, Browne had left early to see a Bruce Lee
Kung Fu movie.
1975: Encore
Had Chicago been a fluke? Was Browne
that good? Opinion was sharply divided over
his remarkable success. One school of thought
felt his 1974 result was the culmination of five
years' improvement. Another saw it as a tem-
porary surge, such as Grefe's 9Y2-2 1/2 score in
1973 (which was followed by a 7-6 result in
1974 at a somewhat weaker tournament). Also,
something of a hex had built up over the pre-
vious decade: No one had repeated as cham-
pion since Fischer.
The 24th championship was to be an-
other zonal tournament and would therefore
attract any American who harbored ambitions
for the world tide. Byrne and Kavalek were
expected, as well as many of the talented
youngsters such as Tarjan (who had been ab-
sent in Chicago) and veterans such as Re-
shevsky. Moreover, the tone seemed sharper in
1975 - even though the scoretable didn't show
it. The percentage of draws in the champi-
onship had been on the rise for some time and
it crested this year.
Year Percentage of Draws
1936 28.3
1946 26.5
1954 and 1957-58 21.9
1968 40.9
1973 44.3
1974 53.9
1975 63.7
Yet while nearly two out of three games
were ending in draws, it seemed dangerous to
take too many of them. Benko, for example,
thrived in Chicago by playing out only the po-
sitions he considered winnable. He liquidated
the other middle games with a handshake.
Benko finished up in Chicago with three wins,
using his consummate endgame skill, and
shared second place. But a year later in Ober-
lin College - where a score of plus-3 would
have been good enough to get him into the
1976 interzonals, the situation was quite
141
different. Benko again drew 10 games but lost
the other three and finished dead last.
Rogoff also noticed the difference: In the
previous year, he said, the older players had
been content to draw with one another and
work hard only against the kids. This year the
kids would be ready to break this pattern by
winning some games from the older grand-
masters, and thereby force the GMs to play for
wins against each other.
For his own part Browne didn't seem to
see any difference. He complained about poor
lighting in the tournament hall- a complaint
he would revive in 1977 and, unfortunately,
again in 1978. But, he said after failing to win
sympathy from his colleagues, "Since most of
the players didn't come to play chess, they cer-
tainly didn't care about lighting." Still, the
light didn't seem to affect him as he drew blood
with a fine victory over Mednis in Round 2
and additional revenge from Grefe in Round
3. Quickly, he was ahead of Byrne and Kava-
lek, who began unexpectedly slowly.
In fact, the surprise contenders in the early
rounds were Browne, Rogoff and Dr. Milan
Vukcevich, a distinguished scientist who lived
in a nearby Cleveland suburb. Vukcevich's
work, which had earned him a nomination for
a Nobel Prize, had kept him from tournament
play for several years. But when he got to the
board he took the game very seriously indeed,
preparing his openings days in advance and an-
alyzing adjournment with the same precision
and inspiration that made him a recognized
problem composer. His victories over Tarjan
and Grefe showed that he would not go away.
In round 7 the shape of the tournament
began to come into focus as Rogoff, trotting
out his carefully prepared Caro-Kann De-
fense, scored a major upset over Kavalek.
Vukcevich kept pace by defeating John Peters
III, a Massachusetts-educated convert CO the
California way of life. The third leader would
come from this game:
B80 Sicilian Defense
white R. Byrne, black Browne
1 e4 cS 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6
5 Nc3 a6 6 Be3 e6 7 Be2 Nbd7 8 g4l?
 142 The United States Chess Championship
Up to White's last move the opening had
followed Mednis-Browne from the first round.
Mednis had sought to maintain rigid control
over the center with 8 a4, which denies the
flanking attack ... b5-b4. But the extra pre-
caution gave Black time to generate countcr-
play with 8 ... bG 9 f4 Bb7 10 Bf3 Rc8! 11 0-
o Rxc3!? 12 bxc3 NXe4 13 Ne2 Qc7 14 Qe1
d5.
Byrne's choice, 8 g4, allows White to
force matters since Black must take time to
stop g4-g5 ifhe wants to maintain pressure on
e4.
8 ... h6!? 9 f4 bS
Here White would rather not play 10 g5
because it would turn over control of e5 ro
Black. But ifhe takes time out for a2-a3 trlCTI
Browne gets his opporrunity for 10 ... Bb7 and
11 ... Rc8 as he did against Mednis.
10 gS hxgS 11 fxgS Rh3!?!
!j
Mter
11 ... Rh3
R. Byrne-Browne, 1975
"The Black kingside should have come
apart after 12 gG," Byrne later wrote about the
expected retreat of the f6-knight. "However,
this terrific countermeasure not only brought
the attack to a screeching halt, but set Black
up a winning position." Browne later added
some points of his own such as 12 gxf6 Rxe3
13 fxg7 Qh4+ 14 Kd2 Bxg7! (15 KXe3 Bh6+
16 Kf3 Qh3+ with a winning attack), or
12 Qd2 b4!.
He also dismissed 12 Bf2 with the move
12 ... Rxc3 but therein lies a story: Several
months later a Chess Lifo reader questioned this
and pointed out to columnist Larry Evans the
possibility of 13 gxf6 Rh3 14 NXe6. After
Evans cited the analysis, Browne rook issue
with it. Walter insisted that Black was win-
ning all along and that 11 ... Rh3 deserved the
two exclamation points of praise that he had
awarded to it when annotating the game.
Evans tried to respond to Browne's analysis in
print but, he later claimed, was prevented from
doing so by Chess Lifo's editor.
The upshot ofall this? Months later, after
the controversy had blown over, Browne found
himself on the Black side of the diagrammed
position once more, this time at the Interzonal
tournament in Bie!, Switzerland. His oppo-
nent, a Russian named Vitaly Tseshkovsky, was
waiting for 11 ... Rh3 and he continued 12 BE2
Rxc3 13 gxf6! Rh3?! 14 NXe()! Qa5+ (14 ...
fxe6 15 Bh5+ mates) 15 c3 fxeG 16 fXg7 BXg7
17 Qxd6 and White's ferocious attack even-
tually broke through.
12 Bf4? b4
Now Black is in the driver's seat - espe-
cially after 13 gxfG Qxf6! (not 13 ... bxc3
14 NxeG!) 14 0-0 bxc3 15 Bg4 Qg6 16 Bg3
Rxg3+! 17 hXg3 cxb2.
13 Nd5! exdS 14 gxf6 Nxf6 15 Nc6 QbG
16 exdS Ne4
Mter
16 ... Ne4
R. Byrne-Browne, 1975
White can still make a fight of this dou-
ble-edged position with 17 RfI. But instead,
Byrne erred with:
 Primus Inter Pares (1972-1979)
17 Qd4?
And Black achieved a clearly superior
endgame that was capped by White's loss of a
rook on a blunder:
17 ... Qxd4 18 Nxd4 g5! 19 Bel Bg7
20 Ne6 Ng3 21 Rgi NXe2 22 RXg5?? Nd4
23 Rxg7 Nxc2+ 24 Kdl Nxal 25 Rg8+
Kd7 26 RfB Rd3+ 27 Bd2 Rxd5 28 Nxb4
Rf5 29 Bc3 as 30 Nd3 a4 and White re-
signs
Byrne never recovered from this, and in
the following round another leader fell when
Vukcevich lost a marathon 102-move game to
Mednis, Reshevsky managed to escape from a
had adjournment with Byrne the following day
but the strain of overnight analysis seemed to
take all the reserve energy from the veteran. In
the 11th round he was routed by Vukcevich.
Meanwhile Rogoff's Caro-Kann was neutral-
ized by Lombardy who nearly forfeited on the
clock for the fourth time in the tournament,
but beat it this time and won. One by one, each
of Browne's rivals were eliminating one another.
The last chance of stopping the reigning
champion occurred when Benko surprised him
in the first hour of Round 11:
E67 King's Indian Defense
white Benko, black Browne
1 Nf3 Nf6 2 g3 g6 3 Bg2 Bg7 4 0-0 0-0
5 c1 d6 6 d4 Nbd7 7 dS!? eS 8 dxe6
This position had probably never oc-
curred before and may never again. There is
nothing to recommend White's dissolution of
his center - except to create a wholly new
opening position. Browne was on uncertain
ground and within a few moves he found him-
self in trouble.
8 ... fxe6 9 Nc3 Ne5 10 Be3 Nfc4 11 Nxe4
Nxe4 12 Qe2 Nf6 13 c5! Bd7 (see diagram)
Now with 14 Rfdl White would have ex-
cellent prospects due to 13 ... Bc6 14 cxd6
cxd6 15 Bc5. But Benko played clumsily:
143
Af{er
13 ... Bd7
Benko-Browne, 1975
14 Qb3? Nd5!
And here Benko realized he had erred. He
couldn't play 15 Bd4, the move he had counted
on, because of 15 ... Rxf3! which attacks the
queen and gains time for 16 ... Bxd4. So ...
15 Ng5 Rf5!
This second strong move secures a favor-
able trade of Black's rook for two minor pieces.
Even then the position was unclear but, as
Benko explained, "I got so upset after my
blunder that I just couldn't play chess." He
eventually forfeited on time in a lost position.
Meanwhile, Rogoff was emerging as the
surprise of the tournament. Despite the loss to
Lombardy he had scored impressive wins over
both Peters and Kavalek. In such a closely
matched field of masters a few victories were
all that were needed to earn a trip to the in-
terzonal. Browne had already secured first prize
a day before the final round when he played
ahead of schedule and drew quickly with
Commons. The second prize, and interzonal
invitation, depended on two pairings. If
Rogoff were to lose with Black to Bisguier then
Reshevsky, the closest to him, could tie the
young Yale student by defeating a now-de-
moralized Benko.
What happened next did not reflect hon-
orably on the character of u.s. championship
participants. In fact, it recalled the long-for-
gotten Grundy incident of the 5th American
Chess Congress. According to Reshevsky, on the
night before the final round, he approached
 24th U.S. Championship, Oberlin, June 7-26,1975

Totals
B R V B R L B T C K P M G B W 0 L Points

1. Browne X lI2 lI2 lI2 lI2 lI2 V2 lI2 Vz lI2 4 9 0 8Vz-4Vz

2. Rogoff lI2 X Vz lI2 lI2 0 lI2 Vz Vz 1 1 lI2 4 8 8-5
3. Vukcevich Vz lI2 X lI2 0 lI2 1 lI2 lI2 1 0 lh 4 7 2 7l12-5l12
4-5. R. Byrne 0 lI2 lI2 X V2 Vz lI2 1 lh lh lI2 V2 V2 2 10 7-6
4-5. Reshevsky V2 lI2 0 lI2 X Vz V2 lI2 lI2 Vz V2 1 Vz 2 10 1 7-6
6-9. Lombardy Vz 1 Vz lI2 X V2 0 V2 0 Vz 0 lI2 3 7 3 6lh-6l12
6-9. Bisguier lI2 V2 Vz lI2 lI2 lI2 X V2 Vz 1/2 lI2 V2 lI2 Vz 0 13 0 6l12-6Vz
6-9. Tarjan lI2 V2 0 0 lI2 1 lI2 X 1 V2 0 1 lh lI2 3 7 3 6lh-6Vz
6-9. Commons V2 lI2 Vz lI2 V2 0 lI2 0 X lI2 1 0 1 3 7 3 6Vz-6l12
10-13. Kavalek lI2 0 lI2 lI2 lI2 V2 lI2 lh lI2 X 0 lh lh lI2 0 11 2 5l12-7Vz
10-13. Peters Vz 0 0 Vz 0 1 lI2 1 0 X lI2 0 V2 3 5 5 5Yz-7l12
10-13. Mednis 0 0 0 V2 lI2 V2 0 1 V2 lI2 X V2 V2 2 7 4 5Y2-7l12
10-13. Grefe 0 0 0 lI2 0 1 V2 lI2 0 V2 V2 X 1 3 5 5 5Y2-7l12
14. Benko 0 V2 Vz lI2 lI2 lI2 V2 V2 0 V2 V2 lI2 0 X 0 10 3 5-8
 Primus Inter Pares (1972-1979)
Benko with a proposition: If we see that
Rogoff is drawing or winning against Bisguier
tomorrow, he said, there's no point in our ex-
erting ourselves. We might as well draw be-
cause a win means nothing to either of us. But
if Rogoff loses, Reshevsky went on, then I'll
play to win because I can force a playoff for
the Biel, Switzerland, interzonal spot by tying
him for second place.
This in itself is against international chess
etiquette. But Reshevsky added another ele-
ment: Ifhe managed to get into the interzonal,
Reshevsky said he would choose Benko as his
second there and there would be a nice salary
for that. (According to Benko, the question of
a last-round draw came up in the middle of
the tournament and he indicated his willing-
ness to draw.)
In any event, there was no repeat of
"Grundy" the next day. Rogoff drew quickly,
thereby clinching the trip to Biel and also al-
lowing Bisguier to establish a record by draw-
ing all 13 of his games in the Championship.
Seeing this, Reshevsky indicated to Benko that
it was time to draw as they had agreed. But
Benko refused, pointing out that he had the
better position and, more important, he would
finish a humiliating last in the tournament if
he only drew. "I must win to get out of last
place," he told Reshevsky.
Reshevsky was outraged; he complained
to tournament director Tim Redman that his
opponent was not living up to a highly irreg-
ular agreement and, when he got no help from
that quarter, began angrily repeating his draw
offer at the table to Benko. He even tried en-
listing the help of bystander Bisguier to con-
vince Benko. All this served only to upset Re-
shevsky enough to throwaway a pawn, but he
managed to hold the position for a draw when
play resumed the next day. Benko says he was
too upset to win and the incident was soon
forgotten.
1977 Hat Trick
The 25th championship opened more
than two years and fewer than 20 miles from
145
the 24th but the atmosphere had altered dras-
tically. The rosy enthusiasm of the period im-
mediately following Bobby Fischer's greatest
successes had evaporated. In place was a divi-
siveness in the chess community, prompted by
the realization that the good times were over.
There was no championship in 1976 and there
was some question among USCF officials as to
whether one was needed in 1977. In the end,
the players assembled in another Cleveland
suburb, Mentor, Ohio, in October for a
strained and strangely uninteresting tourna-
ment.
The masters and grandmasters who pop-
ulated championships had quarreled with or-
ganizers before - although few of the 1977
contestants had ever heard of the Association
of American Chess Masters and the contro-
versy of 1946. This time the specific issue that
divided the men who played the game from
those who organized it was a fairly obscure
one. Larry Evans' column in Chess Life had
been dropped because of dissatisfaction with
its content. But Evans, Lombardy and several
other masters seized upon the issue to call for
creation of a Professional Chess Association,
which would unite all professional players in
a quest for better living and playing condi-
tions. They wanted higher prize funds in major
tournaments, fewer competitions restricted to
nonmasters and a means of appealing what
they called arbitrary decisions by the USCF.
They even talked about pensions for veteran
players - financed by a tax imposed on all
tournament players in the country.
Within a few years Evans got back into
Chess Life, and the PCA, having failed to win a
widespread following among masters, became
no more than a letterhead organization. But
in the fall of 1977 it was very much a subject
of concern and the controversy peaked when
Evans, Lombardy and others sympathetic to
the PCA aims refused championship invita-
tions - apparently because the grandmasters
were not offered a $700 appearance fee. Also,
the tournament was not a zonal and so was
missing a few of the stronger GMs, such as
Kavalek, and, because of the rating system
which was used to determine invitations, also
146 The United States Chess Championship

lost some of the lower-rated GMs, such as be disrupted and his c8-bishop locked in by
Benko and Bisguier. Finally, Rogoff, the sur- pawns at d5 and f5.
prise of the 24th championship, was busy study-
ing for a doctorate in economics and was un- 4 Bxf6 exf6 5 e3 Be6 6 Bd3 g6 7 Qf3 c6
available. 8 Nge2 Nd7 9 h3! Qb6?!
In only one area had the tournament
strength been improved, and this was in the
arrival of the first Russian emigres. Leonid
Shamkovich, who came by way of Israel and
Canada, and Anatoly Lein, a close friend of
Sham kovich's from Moscow, were both estab-
After
lished - but second-ran k - grandmasters in 9 ... Qb6
their own country and therefore expendable.
They took advantage of the newly eased So-
viet emigration policies and suddenly became
among the very best players in the United
States. In their first two years in America they
lived in the same New York apartment and Browne-R. J3.yrne, 1977
won virtually every Swiss System event they
entered. The Russians could not be ignored. 10 g4! Qxb2?
But to defending champion Browne, the
outcome was already determined. One day Both sides appreciated that White would
midway throughout the tournament he ex- obtain an initiative with g2-g4. It could not
plained to a local reporter that the other play- be stopped (9 ... h5 10 g4 hxg4 11 hXg4 fXg4
ers were not so much motivated by the thought 12 Bxg6+ and White invades on light squares.)
of winning the championship - because they But Byrne's attempt to distract Browne's at-
knew he was too good - but rather they had tention with a queen raid fails miserably. "I
come to Mentor for the opporrunity to play couldn't believe my eyes," Browne said later.
Browne. This comment didn't endear Walter Instead, 10 ... fxg4 11 hXg4, Bf7 "doesn't give
to the other players, and neither did his com- White very much," he said.
plaints about the tournament hall lighting.
Still, when Browne was required to produce, 11 RbI Qa3 12 gxf5 Bf7 13 Rxb7 Bb4
he did:
Because of Browne's complaints about the
lighting, this game was played in a separate
A80 Dutch Defense
hotel room and, as with his previous experience
white Browne, black Byrne
(versus Fischer in 1964) in a separate room,
Byrne finds himself up against a wall very
1 d4!
quickly. Apparently he thought White could
not permit the capture on b 7 because of 13 ...
Browne had been playing 1 e4 since his
Bb4. But after 14 0-0 1 White regains material
early Manhattan Chess Club days. Now he was
after 14 ... Bxc3 14 Rb3 with a clear edge.
broadening his repertoire. A la Fischer?
14 O-O! 0-0-0 15 Rxb4!
1 ... f5 2 Nc3!? Nf6 3 Bg5 d5
This is better than 15 Ba6, the move Byrne
White's unusual treatment of the open- expected and which would have been refuted
ing, especially the avoidance of c2-c4, pre- by 15 ... Bxc3 16 Qg3 Ne5!!.
sents Black with a difficult question. To stop
4 e4! he had to permit his kingside pawns to 15 ... Qxb4 16 Ba6+ Kc7 17 RbI Qd6
 Primus Inter Pares (1972-1979)
Black cannot permit a check on the g3-
c7 diagonal in connection with Rb 7 + and a
discovered rook check. But he can allow dis-
covered checks that do nothing more than re-
pear moves, and Browne now uses them to
gain time on his clock.
18 Rb7+ Kc8 19 Rb3+ Kc7 20 Rb7+ Kc8
21 e4!
This fine stroke - played after spending
half of his last remaining hour- permirs the
White queen or knight to join the mating at-
tack. The first threats are 22 exdS or 22 NbS!
followed by Qc3(+).
21 ... Nb8
After
21 ... Nb8
Browlle-R. Byrne, 1977
22 NbS!! cxbS 23 Qc3+ Nc6
There was bound to be a murderous check
in some key variation. Here, for example, it
was 23 ... Qc6 24 Rxb8+ which would have
ended the game following 24 ... Kc7! 25 Rb7 +
Kd6 26 eS+!. Browne finishes off in excellent
fashion.
24 eS! Qc7
The attack must win - despite Black's
extra rook - ahcr 24 ... fxeS 2S dxe5 d4
26 Nxd4.
25 c6! and Black resigns
The final threat was 26 RxbS+ and it was
147
fatal because d7 had been removed as an es-
cape route. After 25 ... Rd6 26 Rxc7+ Kxc7
27 exf7 or 25 ... Qxb7 26 Qxc6+! Black's
plight would have been obvious even without
the extra light the winner said he needed.
A vicrory such as this one over his most
serious rival, perhaps his only serious rival in
this championship, could have convinced
Browne that the tournament was his. He breezed
ahead with a 2Y2-Y2 start thanks to a scram-
bled schedule - games had to be reset because
of Reshevsky's religious observances - that
gave Browne three whites in his first three
games. For a time Lein and Shamkovich were
right behind the champion, as was Larry
Christiansen, America's newest grandmaster
and, at 21, one of the world's youngest. But
when Shamkovich adjourned a lost position
with Browne in Round S the leader had built
up a huge margin with the tournament hardly
a third of the way completed.
Browne came crashing down to earth in
Round 6 when a doubtful rook sacrifice by
Tarjan proved too much to handle. Walter had
to resign on the SOth move, his first loss in more
than 35 championship games since the Grefe
miniature in 1973. The defeat by Tarjan seemed
to upset the champion more than it should.
The next day he got no advantage at all with
the White pieces against Peters and on the fol-
lowing day against Zuckerman, the kind of
player he had earned a reputation for beating,
he accepted a draw on the eighth move. He
also drew quickly in the next round against
Dumitru Ghizdavu, a 28-year-old Rumanian
student who had emigrated to the United
States shortly before the tournament and was
invited to play on less than 48 hours notice.
Had he shown the same form of the tourna-
ment's first week, Browne would have expected
at least two points from those three games.
The defending champion's lead slipped
to a half point as Byrne won from Shamkovich
and Grefe. Browne won the next day but then
drew quickly with Reshevsky with the White
pieces (11 moves) and the day afterward with
Lein. Byrne picked up 21h points out of three
during this period and managed to tie Browne
on the eve of the final round.
148 The United States Chess Championship

There was no zonal seed up for grabs this

year, only $15,000- a new record - in prizes.
And since Grefe and Reshevsky drew quickly
in order to share third place, there was only
first prize at stake on the top boards. The big
Mter 9 Bd3
prize was $3500, while second was $2500:
Plenty to fight for.
Yet both leaders were cautious. Byrne,
with White, drew in only 15 moves with Zuck-
erman. Browne might also have drawn quickly,
but Christiansen refused his pre-game draw
offer - or at least that was what Christiansen Browne-Christiansen, 1977
said afterwards. The Modesto, Calif., young-
ster had earned the grandmaster title in two A bit too much. After the simple retreat
Spanish tournaments in which he battled for 9 ... Bb7 White could do nothing further to
first prize with Byrne. Now he resolved to slug support his pawn center and would have had
it out tactically with Browne and perhaps help to play 10 dxc6, which grants Black a nice lit-
Byrne to the title. tle edge after 10 ... Nxc6.

A50 Queen's Fianchetto Defense 10 cxbS cXbS 11 Nge2!

white Browne, black Christiansen
This is a common sense decision although
1 d4 e6 2 c4 b6 3 dS!? Ba6! Browne, with his penchant for calculation,
probably had worked out the variations be-
ginning with 11 Bxb5 Bxb5 12 Nxb5 Qa5+
The opening system with ... b6, in which
13 Nc3 Nxd5 14 Qe4 Nxc3! 15 Qxa8 0-0
Black dares his opponent to play e2-e4, was
and concluded there were too dangerous.
both very old and very new in 1977. It had
White now obtains a solid position in the cen-
been tried in the previous century but not
ter in return for a pawn.
often by strong players and as a result was con-
sidered too bizarre for master chess until re-
11 •.. b4 12 Ne4 Nxd5 13 0-0 0-0 14 Rdl
vived in the mid-1970s. It suits this occasion
QaS? 15 N2g3 g6?!
perfectly because for White to avoid a dou-
ble-edged middle game he will have to strug-
On this or the previous move Black
gle for an initiative in a foreign opening.
should have reduced his liabilities by trading
minor pieces C.. , Bxd3 and ... Nf6), Browne's
4 e4 exdS 5 exdS Nf6 6 Nc3? Bb4! kingside attack now springs up quickly.

The attack on White's c-pawn, which was
chosen instead of the more natural 3 ... Bb7,
has granted Black equality with some chance
for more. He can now undermine White's brit-
tle center with ... c6.
16 Bh6 Re8 17 Qd2 Nf6 18 Qf4 Qb6
Christiansen began to realize about this
point the dangers to f7, such as after 18
Nd5 19 Qe5 f6 20 Nxf6+! which wins.

7 Qe2+ Be7 8 Qc2?! c6! 9 Bd3 (see dia- 19 Bxa6 Nxa6 20 Rd6! (see diagram)
gram)
Cutting communication between queen
and kingside. The final combination is one of
9 ... bS? the nicest in championship history.
 Primus Inter Pares {1972-1979}
After 20 Rd6
Browne-Christiansen, 1977
20 ... Bxd6 21 Nxf6+ Kh8 22 Bg7 +! Kxg7
23 Ngh5+!
Now on 23 ... Kf8 White wIns with
24 Qh6+ Ke7 25 Rel+.
23 ... gxh5 24 Qg5+ Kh8 25 Qh6 Bxh2+
26 Kh1!
Black's last move wasn't a spite check;
there actually was a trap (26 Kxh2?? Qd6+ and
27 ... Qd3). But now Black must give up his
queen and the rest of the game is a mop-up,
made interesting only because of Browne's by-
now-patented time pressure, which had two
dozen spectators standing, some on chairs, to
see the pieces fly.
26 ... Qxf6 27 Qxf6+ Kg8 28 Qg5+ Kh8
29 Qf6+ Kg8 30 Qg5+ Kh8 31 Kxh2 Re6
32 Rd1 Rg8 33 Qf4 Reg6 34 g3 f6 35 Rxd7
NcS 36 Rd6 h4 37 Qxh4 as 38 Qd4 and
Black resigns
So it was one great game at the very be-
ginning and one great game at the very end,
to give Browne his third straight title.
1978: Exit Browne, Stage Right
At the heginning of each championship,
and of each other major tournament for that
matter, an appeals committee is chosen. Often
the members are elected from among the play-
ers to decide matters of fact in rules disputes
149
that are appealed above the tournament di-
rector. If there is a question of interpreting the
rules themselves, the matter can be passed on
to the national federation, or even to FIDE
headquarters in Amsterdam. But in a U.S.
championship, despite its traditions of per-
sonality conflict and intense rivalry, few ver-
dicts are ever appealed. When the appeals body
was selected the day before the first round of
the 26th championship, alternate member
Robert Byrne was asked how often he expected
the committee to meet. Byrne couldn't re-
member the last time one had.
The 26th championship would have been
Walter Browne's biggest test up to that time.
Facing him were virtually all the top players
of the last three events - Kavalek, Byrne, Sham-
kovich, Lein, Tarjan, Rogoff and the rapidly
improving Christiansen. There had never been
more than four of these challengers in any pre-
vious championship and while Browne's per-
formances had been remarkable they had also
been far better than his results abroad. They
were better, in fact, than his results in other
tournaments in the United States such as the
annual masters invitational sponsored by re-
tired industrialist Louis Statham in Lone Pine,
Calif. There was doubt in June 1978 that
Browne could do it again.
The tournament was held in probably the
most idyllic of tournament quarters - the
beautifully sculpted Southern California cam-
pus of the Worldwide Church of God. Per-
haps not by accident, the church was Bobby
Fischer's adopted faith, and during the tour-
nament several of the players were granted
brief audiences with the former champion,
then living in seclusion a few miles from the
Pasadena playing hall. No amount of con-
vincing could get him to the Ambassador Col-
lege auditorium for a glimpse of the game he
once dominated.
But Browne seemed to fill the void of
controversy left vacant by Fischer. At the ini-
tial meeting of players he revived his familiar
complaint about lighting. Again, this year, he
said it was inadequate and that this could se-
riously undermine his chances. "I sometimes
get the impression," Grefe had said after the
 25th U.S. Championship, Mentor, September 25-0ctober 14, 1977

Totals
B B R G L Z T C M G P S S F W 0 L Points

1. Browne X 1 Yz Y2 Yz 0 lh Yz Yz 1 6 6 9-4
2. R. Byrne 0 X Yz lh Yz Yz lh Yz I/z 5 7 8Yz-4Yz
3-4.. Reshevsky Yz Yz X 0 Yz 0 Yz lh lh Yz 4 7 2 7lh-5Y2
3-4. Grefe 0 0 1 X lh Yz Yz Yz Yz 0 5 5 3 7lh-5lh
5-6. Lein lh lh 0 Yz X Yz Yz 1 lh Yz Yz Yz Yz 2 10 7-6
5-6. Zuckerman Yz lh Yz 0 Yz X Yz lh Yz lh Yz Yz 2 10 1 7-6
7. Tarjan Yz 0 0 lh lh X Yz Yz Yz Yz Yz Yz 2 9 2 6lh-6lh
8-9. Christiansen 0 Yz Yz 0 Yz lh X 1 Yz 0 Yz 0 3 6 4 6-7
8-9. Matera Yz Yz 0 I/Z Yz Yz lh 0 X 0 lh lh 2 8 3 6-7
10-12. Ghizdavu Yz Yz Yz 0 Yz 0 Yz 0 X 0 Yz Yz 2 7 4 5Yz-7Yz
10-12. Peters Yz 0 Yz liz Yz Yz l/Z Yz 0 X 0 Yz Yz 1 9 3 5Yz-7lh
10-12. Shamkovich 0 0 Yz liz Yz 0 Yz 0 Yz X 0 1 3 5 5 5Yz-7Yz
13. Soltis 0 0 lh 1 lh Yz 0 Yz lh 0 Yz X 0 2 6 5 5-8
14. Fedorowicz 0 0 0 0 0 Yz Yz Yz Yz lh 0 X 2 5 6 4lh-8Yz
 Primus Inter Pares 0912-1919)
previous championship, "that he complains al-
most out of habit, or because he thinks it's ex-
pected of him as a champion." Indeed, the
other players had long since taken Browne's
pursuit of the perfect lighting as an annual
event, one that should be minimized either by
humoring him or ignoring him completely.
In Pasadena the tournament director was
Isaac Kashdan, long in retirement as a player
but among the most inAuential tournament or-
ganizers in the United States. He and Browne
had clashed in the past - at Lone Pine and
elsewhere - and thne was often some diffi-
culty between them in getting their views across
to one another. This time, however, Browne
made his feelings about the lighting crystal
clear and Kashdan obligingly arranged to have
the college's lighting technician meet with
Browne the following morning to work mat-
ters out to the champion's satisfaction.
Here is where things became muddled:
After seeing the lighting man the next day-
a few hours before Round 1- Browne met
Kashdan on the way out of the playing hall.
Walter, somewhat excited, as he admitted
later, explained that the lights were now good
enough for him provided he be permitted to
sit at a particular board throughout the event.
Kashdan knew that this would mean special
treatment for Browne, since the players' seat-
ing assignments are routinely rotated. But the
champion was already being given special
ueatment because he was the champion- i.e.,
an extra $850 appearance fee and a fine guest
cottage compared to the drab dormitories for
the other players. Kashdan was willing to go
along with the lights, and he and Browne
parted on good terms. After Browne left,
Kashdan, inspecting the tournament hall, no-
ticed one of the tables out of line. He moved
it back.
Three hours later the first round began.
Browne came in several minutes late, almost
unnoticed because of the excitement of fans
examining the first moves to be posted on the
handsome set of wallboards. Walter crossed
the auditorium stage and before he got to the
table, his table, he realized it had been shifted
out from under the extra lighting. His light-
151
ing. Thinking that Kashdan had moved it on
purpose, to spite him, Browne rushed over to
the director and asked what had happened to
the table. Kashdan, unaware that it was Browne
who had moved the furniture, explained that
it was moved back to open a path for players
to walk by. Browne seemed shocked but failed
to explain why he was shocked. He did not
say that the table position was important to
him or that the position of the table, rather
than his seat at it, was critical to his earlier de-
mands about the lighting. In fact, he didn't
complain about the table at all: He only asked
Kashdan, "Why do you hate me?"
Kashdan replied that he didn't hate
Browne, and with that Walter stormed off the
stage, without sitting down or even acknowl-
edging his opponent, Christiansen. Hours
later, after Kashdan ruled that the champion
had lost the game on forfeiture, a few inter-
mediaries sought to appeal on Browne's be-
half. They argued that the withdrawal of the
three-time champion could hurt ticket sales,
tournament publicity and ultimately the cause
of chess in the United States. Kashdan agreed
to call a meeting of the players' appeals com-
mittee and later that evening they heard
Browne present his side - and his declaration
that he would leave the tournament site that
night if the forfeiture was not expunged. He
would agree to play the Christiansen game on
some other day. It would be up to Christiansen
and the appeals committee to decide.
During the appeals meeting it became
clear that neither Browne nor Kashdan had
understood one another at their two encoun-
ters earlier in the day and that the forfeiture
was as much an accident as anything else.
Later, in private, the committee asked Chris-
tiansen if he wanted the decision left to him.
The 22-year-old GM, understandably an-
noyed at Browne's behavior cowards him, did
not want the responsibility of deciding whether
Browne might go to the next interzonal. The
appeals committee - Lombardy, Rogoff and
Soltis - wrestled with the problem for two
hours and finally decided that it shouldn't put
Christiansen - the one blameless person in the
whole mess - on the spot. They upheld Kash-
152 The United States Chess Championship
dan's forfeiture. Lombardy then went to
Browne's cottage to talk him out of leaving,
but by morning he was gone.
Meanwhile, there was still chess to be
played. Browne-Christiansen could have been
the feature of the first day, but instead, this
took its place:
B70 Sicilian Defense
white Kavalek, black R. Byrne
1 e4 cS 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6
5 N c3 a6 6 f4 g6
Byrne had played both sides of the Naj-
dorf Variation over the years, including that
memorable win over Evans in 1965. Most re-
cently he had lost to Boris Spassky in their
1974 Candidates match when the Russian
played 6 f4 and Byrne used a plan of ... Qc7
and ... e5. Here he adopts a provocative pol-
icy of transposing into a kind of Dragon Vari-
ation.
7 Nf3 Bg7?
After
7 ..• Bg7
Kavalek-R. Byrne. 1978
8 eS!
This disorients Black's pieces: his knight
cannot go to g4 without losing time to h2-h3
and g2-g4, and it cannot retreat to d7 with-
out dropping a pawn. The only other options
are opening up the game with S ... dXe5
9 QxdS+ KxdS 10 fxe5 (followed by Bf4 and
0-0-0) or the uncomfortable squares h5 and
gS. Best. it turned out. was gS.
8 •.• NhS? 9 Bc4 0-0 10 NgS!
This simply wins a piece. Black cannot
meet the threat of 11 g4 since 10 ... dXe5. for
example. is met by 11 QxdS and 12 Nxf7.
Byrne fought for compensation with:
10 ... e6 11 g4 Nxf4 12 Bxf4 dXeS
... but he was already lost and gave up after
another 21 moves-
13 QxdS RxdS 14 Be3 h6 15 Nge4 bS
16 Bb3 fS 17 gxf6 gxfS 18 Bb6! Rf8
19 Nd6 Bd7 20 0-0-0 Kh7 21 Rhgl e4
22 Ne2 BeS 23 h4 as 24 a3 Ra6 25 Be7
Ra7 26 Bb6 Ra6 27 BeS Rf6 28 Ba2 Rg6
29 Nf7 Rxgl 30 RXgl Bf6 31 Bd4 Bxd4
32 Nxd4 b4 33 NeS Bc8 34 NxfS and
Black resigns
Kavalek then neutralized another poten-
tial rival in the second round when he found
that Rogoff had misanalyzed a delicate. but
defensible. knight-and-pawn endgame. As
with the Byrne surprise. this was also over-
shadowed by a dispute. This time it involved
Mednis and Shamkovich and it later turned
out to have a powerful impact on the fight for
the interzonal places.
It seemed to be a fairly uneventful game
to most witnesses. Mednis then 41. became
short of time in a slightly inferior position. He
tried to beat off Shamkovich's pressure with a
small combination but there was a flaw and
with a few extra minutes to find it.
Shamkovich reached the time control a piece
ahead. Mednis promptly resigned.
A short time later, however. Mednis dis-
covered that he had been victimized by his
clock. A spectator - Rogoff's fiancee - noticed
that the times indicated on the stage clocks for
the amount taken by Shamkovich and Med-
nis were much more than for any other game.
She told another spectator who told an assis-
tant tournament director about the apparently
"fast" clock. But for some unexplained reason
the clock was never examined and Mednis not
informed of the problem until after he had
 Primus Inter Pares (1972-1979)
resigned. Understandably upset when he found
out about the behind-the-scenes activities,
Mednis drafted a well-argued appeal soon after
the game. But his claim posed an extremely
delicate question: If he had forfeited on time
before making his fatal blunder, the game
would have been resumed once the clock's
faultiness was discovered. Now, however, he
was claiming that he would not have blun-
dered if he had had more time. He was asking
for the game to be resumed arbitrarily at the
middlegame position, thereby canceling more
than a dozen moves. The appeals committee
sympathized with Mednis but couldn't accept
his basic premise - that the only reason he
would play such a bad move as 30 ... d5 was
that he was short of time.
The normally affable Mednis, now a full-
time chess player, became visibly upset and
threatened to sue everyone involved in the for-
feiture verdict. He demanded that a statement
be read at the beginning of each round, warn-
ing that he might drop out of the tournament
at any moment. Somehow, in the next few
days, he cooled down and began to win. Or
vice versa.
Meanwhile, Kavalek and Lein assumed
the lead at 3-1, but the absence of Browne had
created a bye which made the standings sus-
pect. Christiansen had 2l/2 points but had only
played three games. Also, Mednis fought back
to equality but had to wait for a bizarre time
forfeiture. In a preposterously lost position,
with no queen of his own and two of Mednis'
on the board, Lombardy sealed his 90th move.
He didn't resign. Nor did he show up for the
resumption of the game, forcing Mednis to
wait for him to forfeit on time in the tenth hour
of a very long game.
The other contender who bounced back
was Tarjan. He had been outplayed by Lein in
the fourth round, getting swindled although
a piece ahead. But Tarjan then pressed a small
but significant advantage against Kavalek until
it had grown to fatal proportions. And the next
round saw him face Byrne in a battle of tac-
tics (see diagram).
With two bishops and a solid pawn in the
ccnter, Byrne would appear to have sufficient
153
Mter
28 ... Rd5
Tarjan-Byrne, 1978
compensation for his king position weaknesses.
But his young grandmaster rival pinpoints the
hole in his armor.
29 Nh2!
This will win the f-pawn - and ulti-
mately the game - if it is permitted to remain
on g4. Black must act quickly and he did.
29 ... Rd4! 30 Ng4 RXe4 31 Rxe4 Qxe2
32 R4e2 Qxf5
Now Black has two pawns for the ex-
change and is ready to activate them with ... f5
and ... e4. Yet the White pressure is still
confining and Byrne is the first to err in a
difficult position.
33 Rf2 Qg6?
There was a nice drawing combination
here in 33 ... Rxg4!! 34 Rxf5 Rxg2 since
White must give back the sacrificed queen or
permit perpetual check.
34 Qh4 Qg5? 35 Qxg5 Rxg5 36 Rei h5
37 Re7!
This fine move crumples Black's bishops
and virtually eliminated Byrne's bid for the
title. The rooks dominate:
37 ... hXg4 3S Rxb7 Be5 39 Rxf6 gxh3
40 gxh3 e4 41 R6xf7 KgS 42 Rfe7! e3
43 ReS+ BfS 44 RbbS RfS 45 Kg2 and
 26th U.S. Championship, Pasadena, June 4-26, 1978

Totals
K T 5 M B L W R L B 5 Z C C R W D L Points

1. Kavalek x 0 V2 1 1 Yz Yz Yz Yz 1/2 7 6 10-4

2. Tarjan X 1 Y2 o Yz 0 Yz Yz Yz Yz 6 6 2 9-5
3-4. Shamkovich Yz 0 X 1 Yz Yz Yz Yz 0 Yz o 5 6 3 8-6
3-4. Mednis o In 0 X Yz Yz Yz Yz Yz Y2 Yz 4 8 2 8-6
5-7. R. Byrne o 0 Y2 Yz X Yz Yz Yz Yz Yz Yz Y2 3 9 2 7Y2-6Y2
5-7. Lein o Yz 1/2 Yz X Yz Yz Yz Yz Yz Y2 o 3 9 2 7Y2-6Yz
5-7. N. Weinstein Y2 Vz Yz Y2 Yz Yz X Yz Yz Yz Yz Yz Yz Y2 1 13 0 7Y2-6Y2
8. Rogoff o 1 Yz 0 o Yz Yz X 1 Yz Yz Yz Yz Y2 3 8 3 7-7
9-10. Lombardy Yz 0 0 Yz Yz Yz 0 X Yz Yz o liz 3 7 4 6Yz-7Yz
9-10. Benko Yz Yz 0 Y2 Yz 0 Yz Yz Yz X Yz Yz 1 Y2 Yz 1 11 2 6Y2-7Y2
11-12. Soltis o 0 0 Vz Yz Yz Yz Yz 0 Yz X 1 liz Y2 2 8 4 6-8
11-12. Zuckerman Yz Y2 Y2 0 Yz Yz Yz Yz Yz Yz 0 X liz Y2 ~/2 o 12 2 6-8
13. Christiansen Yz 0 0 Y2 Yz Yz 0 0 0 0 Yz X 1 3 5 6 5Y2-8Y2
14-15. Common sO Y2 0 0 o Yz Yz Yz Yz Yz Yz o X 1/2 8 5 5-9
14-15. Regan o Y2 Y2 0 o liz Yz 0 Y2 Yz Y2 o Yz X 8 5 5-9
 Primus Inter Pares (1912-1919)
Black resigns (in view of 45 ... e2 46 Rxf8+
Rxf8 47 Rxf8+ and 48 Kf2).
Kavalek held a share of first place until
Round 9, when he drew with Lombardy while
Lein was defeating U.S. Junior Champion Ken
Regan in 28 moves. Lein theoretically held first
place by a half poim but it was Christiansen
who seemed destined to top the field. He was
clearly a contender along with Sham kovich,
Kavalek and Norman Weinstein - another
former U.S. Junior champion and former New
York City resident. But Christiansen had had
his "Browne bye" and could plunge ahead of
the pack when the other leaders had to sit out
a round later on.
Weinstein, who had kept the race tight in
Round 5 by crushing Christiansen, was also in
excellent shape. Anyone who finished with two
wins more than losses might qualify for the
interzonals, and \'V'einstein so far had that one
win and a long string of draws. But Weinstein
refused to take risks. He remained on [he verge
of the "plus-two" he needed, while he piled up
draw after draw, ceding second and then third
place to other, more aggressive players. The
last week began with Kavalek at 7Y2, Lein at
7, Shamkovich at 6 and Christiansen at 5Y2,
but with an extra game to play and a relatively
easy schedule. Yet there followed one of the
most remarkable collapses in championship
history. Christiansen began to lose, first to
Benko in a tactical Sicilian when he overlooked
the loss of a pawn, and then, as Tarjan edged
past him in the standings, he tried to fight off
his fellow Californian and was completely out-
played. This put Tarjan in clear second place
at 7Y2, well behind Kavalek, but a half point
ahead of Lein and Shamkovich. Lein fell in
Round 14 to Kavalek, a game that clinched
first prize for the Czech emigre, while Chris-
tiansen lost again. He finished out with five
straight losses.
The real race was for third prize - and
the last interzonal spot, behind Kavalek and
Tarjan. Mednis had begun to gain ground,
beating Rogoff and Zuckerman in successive
rounds. Yet all Shamkovich had to do to finish
in clear third place was draw with the White
155
pieces against Lombardy on the final day. He
quickly traded off pieces and seemed content
with his position before it sharpened. Both
sides had vulnerable sets of pawns and it be-
came a battle between Shamkovich's bishop
and Lombardy's knight:
After
34 ... Nxbl
Shamkovich-Lombardy, 1978
35 Bc8 Nc3 36 Bxb7 Kd7!
The knight proves more agile than the
bishop and a desperate Shamkovich must rush
to the queens ide to stop the Black a-pawn.
37 BaG NXa4 38 KfI NxcS 39 Bc4 Kd6
40 Ke2 Nd7! 41 Kd2 Ne5 42 Be2 c5
13 Kc3 c4 44 Bf! Kc5 45 Bg2 Nf3
White's chances of holding the position
hinge on getting his bishop to a new diagonal
at eG where it can stop the enemy pawns from
advancing up the queenside files. But Black,
who has played the endgame elegantly, has any
answer.
46 h5 a4 47 Bh3 a3 48 Be6 Nd2!
And since the knight cannot be taken
(49 Kxd2 a2) Black establishes a new wall of
protection. The game ended with:
49 Kc2 Kb4 50 Bd5 Nb3! 51 Kbl c3 and
White resigns
The tie for third place had to be resolved
to determine who would go to the Riga Inter-
zonal the following year, so a match was
156 The United States Chess Championship

ordered by the USCF. But it was never played.
Mednis, still in a contentious mood, said that
he and Shamkovich deserved a substantial
prize fund for their playoff. But the federation
officials, who had raised a relatively large
$25,000 for the championship tournament,
were unwilling to add much more money to
the playoff because then the match winner
might end up with more money [or third place
than Tarjan had for finishing second. Mednis
then indicated that he might not play at all.
And when the match was finally begun, he for-
feited each of the games, claiming ill health.
 Chapter Ten
The Russians Are Coming!
(1980-1985)
American chess had often been domi-
nated by first- and second-generation immi-
grants, all that seemed to change were coun-
tries of descent.
In the early days Great Britain (Charles
Stanley, Capt. George Mackenzie) and France
(Eugene Rousseau, Napoleon Marache) were
major sources. Native-born masters predomi-
nated during the Pillsbury era. But once Frank
Marshall had proven his superiority to Jack-
son Showalter and Albert Hodges, his strong-
est American opponents were newcomers to
the United States from Central and Eastern
Europe, such as Edward Lasker, Charles Jaffe,
Oscar Chajes and Abraham Kupchik. He was
ultimately replaced by Polish-born Sammy Re-
shevsky.
But no wave of immigration had as much
impact on U.S. chess as the exodus from the
Soviet Union during its final decade. Each year's
championship in the 1980s would showcase new
emigres - Vitaly Zaltsman in 1980, Boris
Kogan and Sergey Kudrin in 1981, Roman
Dzhindzhikashvili and Dimitry Gurevich in
1983, and Lev A1burt and Maxim Dlugy in
1984-5. The previous Russian-Americans, such
as Anatoly Lein and Leonid Shamkovich, had
achieved their peak performances well before
emigrating. But most of the new arrivals were
just reaching their prime. Kudrin, Gurevich and
Dlugy were not even masters when they came
to their new country. The new migration meant
an injection of new talent and energy into the
157
championship that would continue into the
final years of the century - as well as creating
friction with native-born players who resented
the change in what they called "the Soviet-
American Championship."
1980: The Old Guard and the New
The 27th and 28th championships can be
considered twin tournaments. They had these
characteristics in common with one another-
and with a few of their predecessors: They were
held in middle America - Greenville, Penn-
sylvania, on the campus of a nO-year-old
Lutheran college in the western part of the state
and South Bend, Indiana, near the Notre
Dame campus. They had new faces in abun-
dance - Yasser Seirawan, Texas Joe Bradford,
Marc Diesen, Peter Biyiasas and Vitaly Zalts-
man in the 27th, and Sergey Kudrin, Joel Ben-
jamin, Boris Kogan and Lev A1burt in the 28th.
They were both influenced by the Soviet emi-
gration that continued to add at least one
strong master to the United States every year.
They were also the first championships into
which players could be seeded by piling up
Swiss System tournament successes under a for-
mat sponsored, and enriched with extra prizes,
by Church's Fried Chicken, a fast food chain.
Moreover, the twin championships showed
two other novelties. Together they comprised
the big step forward by the post-Fischer
I
i,
158 The United States Chess Championship
generation. Players such as Christiansen and
Seirawan would soon be among the world's
very best and would look at Browne, 7 and 11
years older than they, the way Evans and Byrne
had once looked at Fine and Kashdan. They
were a very new generation.
But the second novelty was restricted to
the 27th championship: the last hurrah of the
1950s generation. The results of Byrne, Bis-
guier, Evans and Benko had been slowly but
perceptibly declining during the previous five
years and there was doubt that they would ever
again be a major factor in the race for the na-
tional title. They still could defeat individually
any player in the event on a given day but could
no longer sustain a series of successes that could
put them in prolonged contention. In fact, in
the following year their place would be taken
by the remarkable Reshevsky - who had been
virtually written off nearly 20 years before.
The veterans began exceptionally poorly
in the first round at the Thiel College campus
as Seirawan and Peters methodically crushed
Evans and Bisguier, while Byrne collapsed tac-
tically to Bradford. Of all the players who
played in the post-Fischer championships,
Bradford was one of the biggest surprises. He
came as a virtual unknown, having qualified
by way of an upset victory in the relatively weak
1978 U.S. Open in Phoenix, Arizona. Brad-
ford, of Austin, Texas, was by far the lowest
rated in the field, and considered an easy point
by some of the grandmasters. He certainly
seemed to be living up to predictions as Byrne
developed an overwhelming position with the
Black pieces the first day.
Mter 27 Ba3
Bradford-Byrne, 1980
White's position seems solid enough but
he has too many holes, such as at e3, f2 and
f3, that can be exploited tactically. With two
pieces undefended, he was also vulnerable to
a surprise such as 27 ... Nxa2! which would
have won quickly (28 Nxa2 Qxb3 attacking
three pieces). Byrne, uncharacteristically, misses
this.
27 ... QeS? 28 Na4 NfdS?!
This leads to a winning position after a
few moves but 28 ... Nd3, which threatens
nothing yet contains everything, is stronger.
29 NxcS Nxe3
And this time Byrne misses the powerful
29 ... Qf5! which should end the game quickly,
for example after 30 Qxe4 Qf2+ 31 Kh1 Nxe3
32 Rg1 QXg1+!.
30 Nd7!
Bradford finds the one chance in a diffi-
cult position. He was still dead lost after the
pretty move 30 ... Qd6!, exploiting the in-
ability of White's rook to leave the first rank
(31 Rxd6 RfI mate). Byrne finds a move that
looks just as good, perhaps better.
30 ... Qd4?? 31 Qxh7+!
But it's much worse. Black had to resign
after 31 ... Kxh7 32 Nxf8+ Kg8 33 Rxd4
Nbc2 34 Rxe4. "I had you crushed like a
chicken," said Byrne. "Yup," conceded Brad-
ford.
Brown beat Bradford the next day when
five of the other six games that round were
drawn and he appeared to be starting off in
search of the title he felt had been unjustly
stripped from him in Pasadena. But the fol-
lowing afternoon he came up against Chris-
tiansen, the player who had been waiting for
him on the Ambassador College stage when
Browne walked out two years before. The for-
mer champion appeared to take the game
lightly, playing the black side of a Nimzo-
 The Russians Are Coming! (1980-1985)
Indian Defense very provocatively. When he
opened the center and advanced his h-pawn to
the fourth rank in what seemed to be a perfectly
normal middlegame position, Christiansen's
pieces instantly began to swarm over the board.
Within six moves Browne's game was in ruins
and within ten it was resignable. It was only
Browne's third loss in five championships.
Christiansen at 24 was already an ac-
complished chess professional and the most
feared tactician in the U.S. He had grown up
under the Southern California sun playing
chess with his father and older brother between
laps in the pool of the swimming club the fam-
ily belonged to. At age 14 he was national high
school champion even though still himself at-
tending junior high. By the time of the Green-
ville tournament he had competed in 18 in-
ternational tournaments, from Cuba to Estonia,
and was then touring the United States giving
simultaneous blindfold exhibitions on behalf
of Church's Fried Chicken.
With his unusually deep tactical sight
Christiansen held the lead until the sixth round.
Then, in the tournament's second stunning
upset, he played too quickly against Bradford
in a winning endgame and transformed it into
a loss almost instantly. This dropped him into
a four-way tie, but the tie did not include
Browne, who was given a bye. The bye was
necessary because Marc Diesen, one of the
most promising American youngsters at the
time and a former world junior champion, had
to withdraw after mysteriously falling down a
flight of stairs on the night of the third round.
Browne, a half point back of the leaders, was
promised one more game as a result of the bye
and therefore a chance to catch up.
So could the tournament's oldest con-
tender, Larry Evans. He had been invited al-
most by accident. At the last minute Kavalek
canceled out of the event and the USCF found
itself having to break a tie for the substitute
invitation. On the basis of rating, both Evans,
52, and Nick deFirmian, 23, were next in line.
The USCF decided to break the tie by finding
the average rating for the two players. The
winner of this had to be Evans because he had
played no tournament chess at all in the pre-
159
vious two years - his average rating was his
current rating and also his peak rating.
After the first-round setback, Evans had
picked up speed, knocking o{fPeters and Biyi-
asas in well-played endgames. His defeat of
Biyiasa, a former Canadian then living in San
Francisco, was thematic:
B23 Sicilian Defense
white Biyiasas, black Evans
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Nc3 g6 4 g3 Bg7
5 Bg2 e6 6 0-0 Nge7 7 d3 0-0 8 Be3 Nd4
9 Ne2 Nec6 10 c3 Nxf3+ 11 Bxf3 b6 12 d4
Ba6!
White's delayed advance in the center
only serves to expose his soft underbelly. Here,
for instance, 13 dxc5 would be met by 13 ...
NeS 14 Bg2 Nc4 with a powerful initiative.
As it stands, White is virtually forced to
sacrifice a pawn.
After
12 ... Ba6
Biyiasas-Evans, 1980
13 ReI Qf6! 14 Bg2 Bxe2 15 Rxe2 exd4
16 exd4 Nxd4 17 Rd2 Ne6
Evans, the outstanding materialist of his
generation, is ready to exchange his horribly
weak d-pawn for the White b-pawn. White
cannot regain his lost material but he can make
a good fight of it with f2-f4 on this or the fol-
lowing move.
18 ReI Rae8 19 Rxd7? Qxb2 20 Re2 Qa3
And now White should try to find the
160 The United States Chess Championship
best possible endgame despite his lost pawn.
His attempts to complicate matters only back-
fire.
21 h4 h5 22 Bg5? Ne5 23 Be7 Qa4
One final White slip, on move 27, allows
Evans to demonstrate to a new generation what
he had been famous for in the 1950s: merci-
less technique.
24 R7d2 Rfe8 25 Rxc8 Qxdl+ 26 Rxdl
Rxc8 27 Bm Rc2 28 a4 Nf3+ 29 Kg2
Bd4!! and White resigns (30 Kxf3 Rxf2
mate).
The next day Evans defeated Byrne for
the first time in a generation while Browne,
Christiansen and Seirawan also maintained the
winning pace. Only Seirawan among the lead-
ers could win the next day and it appeared the
20-year-old from Seattle would continue to
move up. But in perhaps the crucial game of
the event, and also the "best overall game" of
the event according to a special prize jury,
Christiansen demonstrated how much he had
grown since the five straight losses in Pasadena.
Al7 English Opening
white Seirawan, black Christiansen
1 c4 Nf6 2 Nc3 c6 3 Nf3 Bb4 4 Qc2 0-0
5 a3 Bxc3 6 QXc3 b6 7 b3 Bb7 8 Bb2 d6
9 e3 Nbd7 10 Be2 e5 11 d4 Ne4 12 Qc2
Qe7 13 Rdl Rad8 14 Bal Rfe8 15 0-0 as
16 Rfel h6
After
16 •.• h6
Seirawan-Christiansen, 1980
A curious bur logical starting point for
the middle game. Black's opening strategy in-
volved the control of e4 and for that reason he
gave up his black-squared bishop. To protect
his black squares he then advanced as many of
his pawns to them as he safely could. White
tried to encourage an opening of the center
that would benefit his two bishops. And now
that both sides have reinforced their center
with rooks it is time for someone to do some-
thing. Black's last move shows he is reluctant
to play ... f5, for example. Seirawan now
forces his hand.
17 Bd3 f5!? 18 c5! bxc5 19 dXe5
This was the point of White's previous
move. Black's pawns come under terrific fire
after 19 ... dxe5 20 Bb5! Ng5 21 Nxg5.
19 ... Kh8! 20 exd6 cxd6 21 BfI Qf7
22 Qb2
A pretty position for White's queen and
aI-bishop and the best way to assault g7. Black
handles the next stage expertly.
22 ... Ndf6 23 Nd2 Bd5! 24 NXe4 Rxe4
25 Rd3?
In a sense, this is the losing move, be-
cause Seirawan never regains control of the
light squares around his king or the vital e4.
The position called for 25 f3!
25 ... Rg4! 26 Qd2 Bf3!
This serves a useful purpose in stopping
White from connecting his queen to the king-
side via f2-f4. Now, for example, 27 Rxd6
would lose to 27 ... RXg2+! 28 Bxg2 Qg6!
29 Rxd8+ Kh7 (but not 27 ... Rxd6 28 Qxd6
Rxg2+ 29 Bxg2 Qg6 because of 30 Qg3).
27 g3 Ne4 28 Q><a5 RfB 29 Qa6
Hoping to bring the queen back to the
kingside, via Bg2 and Qfl. The immediate
29 Bg2 leaves White outgunned on the king-
 The Russians Are Coming! (1980-1985)
side following 29 ... Bxg2 30 Kxg2 f4!
31 exf4 Qxf4 32 f3 Rxg3+! or 32 Rfl Nxf2.
With Black's next move he threatens a
double sacrifice on g3 and also prepares to
meet 30 Bg2 with 30 ... Bxg2 31 Kxg2 Rh4!
followed by ... Nxf2.
29 •.. Qg6 30 Redl!?
After 30 Redl
Seirawan-Christiansen, 1980
30 ... f4!
An illustration of how a powerfully cen-
tralized knight can outweigh a good bishop,
even a bishop that has a clear diagonal from a1
to g7. Black's knight contains the enemy rooks
and threatens to take the kingside apart with
sacrifices on f2 or g3. There was no reason for
Black to blunt his attack by 30 ... Bxdl, al-
though he would have a winning position if
White now allows 31 exf4 Bxdl 32 Rxdl
Rfxf4.
31 Rxd6? fxg3!
Absolutely crushing (32 Rxg6 gxf2 mate;
32 fxg3 Rxg3+).
32 Bxg7 + Kh7! and White resigns
Because Christiansen had the bye the
next day, his half-point lead on the rest of the
field couldn't hold up. Seirawan rebounded by
outplaying Lein easily with his Modern De-
fense and then won the following day against
Peters to surge into the lead. But he too had
to take the bye, and when it came in Round
161
12, a massive tie for first place resulted. The
tie included Evans and Christiansen, who had
been coasting along with draws in the previ-
ous few days. But the tie also was shared by
Browne, who had been given up for dead when
Shamkovich defeated him in a prize-winning
rook-and-knight ending in Round 9. After
that loss he was tied for fifth through eighth
place, a point and a half away from Chris-
tiansen's lead. But with key wins over Biyiasas
and Peters - the latter being one of Browne's
nemeses over the previous few years - the for-
mer champion nudged past "the Russians" and
other contenders into first place.
The final round saw the four leaders with
difficult games, each knowing that a win could
mean $5000 and first place while a loss could
mean $900 and sixth. The youngest of the
group, Seirawan and Christiansen, both had
Black and they played riskily in their openings
with Zaltsman and Shamkovich. Evans also
faced a former Russian, Lein, but he played
cautiously with the White side of a closed Si-
cilian Defense and had no reason to adjourn
a drawish position after 45 moves.
But Walter Browne did have a reason. He
emerged from the opening with Bisguier with
all of the advantages that usually count in the
endgame - better placed pieces, a strong
passed pawn and the initiative. As Browne
pressed closer and closer to a win, Christiansen
dropped a pawn to Shamkovich but had
enough counterplay to force a draw. Seirawan's
game, however, appeared to be deteriorating
as he and Browne adjourned. Those two games
would decide the tournament. Within min-
utes of the resumption later than night, Bis-
guier found a clever defense in the knight-and-
pawn endgame and Browne had to shake
hands. Three of the four leaders had drawn
and first place depended on what happened in
the final game:
A42 Modern Defense
white Zaltsman, black Seirawan
1 d4 d6 2 g3 g6 3 Bg2 Bg7 4 Nf3 e5?!
5 dXe5 dxe5 6 QxdS+ KxdS 7 Nc3 c6
S Be3 Na6 9 0-0-0+ Kc7 10 Ng5 Nh6
162 The United States Chess Championship
After
10 .•• Nh6
Zaftsman-Seirawan, 1980
There arc a number of similar opening
variations in which Black permits this ex-
change of queens and disorientation of his
king. But usually he compensates for it. For
instance, if White has played c2-c4 - which he
has not done here - Black can attack the weak-
ened pawn and perhaps occupy the weaker d4
square in the ending. Here Black has little ro
show for his weaknesses: A risky way to play
in a big game.
11 f4! f6 12 Nge4 Nf5?!
Black wants to block the f-file but he can
do it more successfully with pawns, e.g. 12 ...
Ng4 13 Bd2 f5! and a subsequent ... e4.
13 Bd2 h6 14 h4! Be6 15 g4 Nc7 16 fxe5
fxe5
Zaltsman, a quiet, thoughtful 1976 emi-
gre who had been thriving on Swiss System
events in the United States, establishes a bind
over the center with his next few moves. Black's
KB and QN are sealed off (. .. Nb4 would be
met by Nb5+! and Bxb4) and White just needs
time to prepare for the invasion of his rooks.
17 g5! h5 18 Nf6 Rhf8 19 Nce4 Nd5 20 c4!
Nxf6 21 gxf6 Bxf6 22 Nxf6 Rxf6 23 Bc3
White must regain the pawn and has
good chances of penetrating on the d-file.
Note that 23 ... Rf2 self-traps the rook after
24 BXe5+ and 25 Bf3.
23 ,,' Rf7 24 Bxe5+ Kb6 25 Bd4+ c5?
The losing move. After 25 ... Kc7 White
could still have a long way to go. But now the
sixth rank is cleared and White will playa dev-
astating Rd6+ if allowed. The rest of the game
was a lengthy demonstration of Seirawan's
ability to delay the inevitable.
26 Be5 Rd7 27 Rxd7 Bxd7 2B Rdl Bc6
29 Bxc6 bxc6 30 Rg1 ReB 31 Rg5 Nc7
32 Kd2 Re6 33 e4 NcB 34 Ke3 Kb7
35 Kf4 Kc8 36 Rg3 Nd6 37 Bxd6! Rxd6
38 Ke5 Rd2 39 Rxg6 Rxb2 10 Rxc6+ Kd7
41 Ra6 Rh2 42 Kd5 Rxh4 43 Rxa7 + KeB
44 a4 Rhl 45 Kxc5 KfB 46 Rd7 ReI 47 as!
Ral 4B Kb6 Rb1+ 49 Kc6 Ral 50 Rd5 h4
51 Rh5 Ke7 52 Rxh4 RXaS 53 c5 Ra4
54 Kc7 Ra7+ 55 Kb6 Hal 56 c6 Rb1+
57 Kc7 Rb2 5B KcB Rb1 59 c7 Rb5
60 Rh7+ KeB 61 Rd7 RbI 62 Rd5 Ke7
63 Re5+ Kd6 64 ReB ReI 65 c5+ Ke6
66 Re6+ Kd5 67 Rb6 and Black resigns
1981: The Reason Why
Midway through the 28th United States
Championship Tournament, a few of the con-
tending grandmasters were asked, simply,
"Why?" Why did they play year after year
when only the most promising, ambitious ju-
niors seem to compete in the national cham-
pionships of the Soviet Union and Europe?
Why did they put in weeks of preparation and
three weeks of play for a guarantee of only a
few hundred dollars and the promise of a prize
fund that is relatively small?
No one spoke of the honor of the title.
Or of the tradition that went back to Macken-
zie and Morphy. Or even of the Marshall tro-
phy, which had unaccountably disappeared a
few years earlier.
"I can't say winning a share of the cham-
pionship means anything special to me,"
Christiansen said bluntly. "It's nice to play in
because it's a round robin conducted under
more civilized conditions rhan better-paying
weekend Swisses."
 The Russians Are Coming! (1980-1985) 163

27th U.S. Championship, Greenville, June 11-29, 1980

Totals
C E B S S L Z B B B B P B WDL Points

1-3. Christiansen X ¥2 1 Y2¥2¥2¥21 o ¥2 4 7 7¥2-4¥2

1-3. Evans ¥2 X ¥2 0 o ¥2 ¥2 ¥2 1 5 5 2 7¥2-4¥2
1-3. Browne 0¥2XI0Y21¥2 I ¥2 5 5 2 7¥2-4¥2
4-5. Seirawan o l O X ¥2 0 Y2 1 Y2 5 4 3 7-5
4-5. Shamkovich ¥2 ¥2 ¥2 0 381 7-5
6-7. Lein ¥2 ¥2 ¥2 0 ¥2 X ¥2 ¥2 ¥2 ¥2 ¥2 1 ¥2 1 10 1 6-6
6-7. Zalrsman ¥2 0 0 1 ¥2 ¥2 X ¥2 ¥2 ¥2 0 363 6-6
8-12. Benko ¥2 ¥2 ¥2 0 0 ¥2 ¥2 X 0 ¥2 ¥2 ¥2 8 3 5-7
8-12. Biyiasas o 0 0 ¥2 ¥2 ¥2 ¥2 X 1 ¥2 0 ¥2 264 5-7
8-12. Bradford ¥2 0 0 ¥2 ¥2 0 0 0 X 1 ¥2 345 5-7
8-l2. R. Byrne ¥2 0 ¥2 ¥2 ¥2 ¥2 ¥2 ¥2 ¥2 0 X ¥2 ¥2 o 10 2 5-7
8-12. Peters 000 0 0 1 ¥2 1 0 ¥2 X 1 426 5-7
13. Bisguier ¥2 0 ¥2 ¥2 ¥2 ¥2 0 ¥2 ¥2 ¥2 ¥2 0 X 093 4Y2-7Y2

"It's one of the few round robins in the
country," agreed Tarjan. "The prize fund is
never that great, but it's a great relief from the
Swisses. Also it's a stepping stone to the world
championship in zonal years." He wouldn't
mind winning, he seemed to be saying.
The one player who put it in perspective
was the player to whom it meant the most: "The
U.S. championship is very important to me
personally," said Walter Browne, "and I make
a very conscious effort to finish first. The
championship gives credibility to my simulta-
neous exhibition tours and gives me identi-
fication as 'the best there is.' It makes it easier
to market myself if I have the tide. It means
more in foreign appearance fees and even more
invitations to important tournaments that a
non-U.S. champion may not get, regardless
of his rating."
Christiansen and Tarjan were rated first
and second at the start of the 28th champi-
onship, while Browne was only sixth, behind
Kavalek, Seirawan and the latest Soviet emi-
gre grandmaster, Lev Alburt. When play began
on a hot Friday afternoon, July 10th, there was
no clear favorite. Instead, the tournament
shaped up as a field of relative equals, with no
weak spots. Anyone, it seemed, could beat
anyone, and when the final round.finished 19
days later, it seemed they had. Even the last
place finisher scored three wins, while the top
four prize winners had suffered five losses al-
together.
How rough the competition had become
was apparent by the second round when
Browne saw what had appeared to be a win-
ning bishop sacrifice against Sergey Kudrin
blow up in his face. Evans, another defending
champion, lost his second straight game, this
time being horribly outplayed in the opening
against Byrne and forced to resign before his
21st move. He then withdrew from the tour-
nament - the third straight championship in
which someone had dropped out (Browne in
'78 and Diesen in '80 had preceded him). This
so outraged Lein, whose first-round victory over
Evans was thus wiped out, that he muttered
about it to the final day the players left South
Bend.
Christiansen, who had put teeth into the
Caro-Kann, began with a nice win over Tar-
jan on opening day, then fell back into the
164 The United States Chess Championship
pack with a senes of draws. Browne lost
again - this time to 17 -year-old Joel Ben-
jamin. And to the astonishment of virtually
everyone in the tournament, the leader after
four rounds was Sammy Reshevsky.
E18 Queen's Indian Defense
white Lein, black Reshevsky
1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 e6 3 g3 b6 4 Bg2 Bb7 50-
o Be7 6 c4 0-0 7 Nc3 Ne4 S Bd2 Bf6
9 ReI d6 10 Qc2 Nxd2 11 Qxd2 Nd7
12 Rfdl g6 13 b4 Qc7 14 RbI RfdS 15 e4
c6! 16 ReI RacS 17 Qe3 Bg7 IS Qd2?! Ba6
19 b5 cxb5 20 cxb5 Bb7 21 a4 Rc7 22 Rb3
RdcS 23 Qd3 Qf6!
After
23 ... Qf6
J,ein-Reshevsky, 1981
While seeming to make only defensive
moves, Reshevsky has seized the initiative
thanks to his rwo bishops. The bishops would
have come into their own (with ... c5) even if
White had not forced the first pawn exchange
with 19 b5. Now he has reason to be concerned
about 24 ... e5. A few more careless moves and
White is lost.
24 Ra3 Bfs 25 Bh3 h5 26 Rb3 Bg7 27 Re3
Bh6 2S ReI g5! 29 Bg2 Bg7 30 Rdl g4!
31 e5? dxe5 32 Nxe5 Bxg2! 33 Nxd7 Qf3!
34 NeS BXeS 35 dxeS Rxc3 36 Rxc3 Rxc3
37 Qd2 Kh7 3S ReI Bh3 and White re-
signs
Meanwhile, waiting in the background
was Seirawan. He was born in Damascus, Syria,
on March 24, 1960- the same birthday, he
once pointed out to a Soviet interviewer, as
Vasily Smyslov. By the time his mother had
moved to Seattle he had acquired the nick-
name, "Yes," and a wide range of interests. One.
of those was chess, which he first met at age
12 and mastered with astonishing rapidity. Ten
months after learning the moves he was cham-
pion of Seattle and within two more years he
had defeated his first grandmaster, Bisguier.
He remained an American secret until a re-
markable afternoon during the 1978 Lone Pine
tournament. After polishing off a few other
masters at speed chess, Seirawan found him-
self faced by one of the big boys. Tigran Pet-
tosian. Petros ian was not only a former world
champion but for many years the best speed
player in the Soviet Union. Yet he quickly lost
two games to a 17-year-old few east of the At-
lantic had heard of. Petrosian bore down and
finished the session ahead, but the other GMs
in the room took notice.
By 1981 Seirawan had won two strong in-
ternational tournaments and the world junior,
earning a reputation for long but tactically dy-
namic games. In South Bend he scored his first
win in 53 moves over Fedorowicz and would
later score clutch victories in 41 and 45 moves.
He never seemed to be a leader but suddenly
during the final week appeared certain to finish
first or second. "Yes" was the only one to go
undefeated.
It was Reshevsky and Kavalek during the
early rounds and they kept the lead going into
the second week of play. But then Browne as-
sumed his finest championship form, reminis-
cent of his early rounds in 1975 or the first and
last games of 1977. He won three games in a
row by knocking off Shamkovich in 107 moves
and then Alburt and Peters. (In the Alburt
game he sealed a move and left a Hershey bar.
Tournament Director Bill Lukowiak sealed the
candy in another envelope. On resumption,
Browne opened both and consumed chocolate
and Alburt in quick bites.)
Meanwhile, Kavalek was slowed by draws
with Kudrin and the remarkable Reshevsky.
Seirawan made it a three-way tie in Round
11 by fending off a dangerous-looking but
insufficient attack by Boris Kogan. Kavalek
 The Russians Are Coming! (1980-1985)
and Reshevsky settled for draws with Browne
and Tarjan, but Browne made it six out of
seven by containing Tarjan the next day. That
was the day Christiansen was upset by Ben-
jamin, whose score of 5-7 was a considerable
achievement for a 17-year-old in this company.
Christiansen then beat Kudrin in Round 13
while the other leaders all drew.
At this confusing point, anyone of five
men could win the tournament - Seirawan,
Christiansen, Reshevsky, Kavalek and
Browne - while Shamkovich, Byrne, Peters
and Lein still had chances of getting to the in-
terzonal. Kavalek would have the bye in the
next-to-last (14th) round, while Browne would
sit out the last day. The only thing that seemed
clear was that Christiansen's final games would
be the most significant. He would have Black
against Reshevsky, followed by White against
Kavalek. And it was the first game that set the
stage:
A70 Benoni Defense
white Reshevsky, black Christiansen
1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 cS 3 dS g6 4 eli Bg7 5 Nc3
0-0 6 e4 d6 7 Be2 e6 S 0-0 ReS 9 Nd2
Na6 10 ReI Nc7 11 Bfl b6 12 Nf3 exdS
13 cxdS
This recapture establishes the character
of the opening, after an intentionally delaying
sequence of preparatory moves by Black. The
Modern Benoni setup of Christiansen's allows
him to activate his queenside majority before
White gets the central pressure that custom-
arily gives him the initiative. Under a normal
order of moves -with ... exd5/cxd5 at move
five or six - White would have had time to get
his knight to the excellent c4 square by now
and attack d6.
13 ... Bg4! 14 h3 Bxf3 IS Qxf3 Nd7 (see
diagram)
16 Bf4 Ne5 17 Qg3 Bf6! 18 a4 a6 19 Qe3
Rb8 20 Rab1 b5
White's strategy appears purely defensive
165
After
1S ... Nd7
ReshevskY-C/lristiansen, 1981
but it has a long-term policy in mind: He can
blockade the quecnside with a4-a5 and b2-b4,
though that concedes Black a passed c-pawn.
White would then maneuver to regain control
of the dark squares with Be3-d4 so that he can
blast the center open with f2-f4 and e4-e5.
21 b4 c4 22 Qd2 bxa4!
A wonderful response that involves an at-
tack from the wings and the sacrifice of the c-
pawn in order to weaken critical squares. To
win that pawn Reshevsky will have to give up
his best minor piece.
23 Nxa4 NbS 24 BXeS BXeS 25 Bxc4 Qf6
26 Qd3 h5!
Black hopes to force a weakening at g3
his queen and bishop can exploit.
27 g3 h4 28 f4 hxg3!
Now (29 fxe5 Qf2+), Black is on top.
29 Rfl Bxf4 30 BxbS axbS 31 Nc3 Qg5
32 Kg2 Be5 33 Rael Kg7! 34 Nxb5 Rh8
35 Rh1 Rh4 36 Nd4 Rxb4 37 Nf3 Qf6
38 Rhfl Rf4
Black can finish off with a series of ham-
mer blows within a few moves. White is most
vulnerable along the second rank and he is
constantly vulnerable now to such possibili-
ties as 39 Nxe5 Rf2+! (not 39 ... Rb2+
40 Re2! Rxfi 41 Ng4!) 40 Kgl Qxe5 with a
 28th U.S. Championship, South Bend, July 9-30, 1981

Totals
B S C K R S B P L A K T B F K W D L Points

1-2. Browne X Yz lh lh Yz Yz lh 0 0 6 6 2 9-5

1-2. Seirawan lh X Yz lh Yz lh lh I/z lh Yz Yz 1 1 4 10 0 9-5
3-5. Christiansen 0 lh X Yz Yz Yz lh Yz 0 Yz 1 5 7 2 8lh-5lh
3-5. Kavalek lh lh lh X Yz Yz Yz 0 Yz Yz lh 4 9 8lh-5lh
3-5. Reshevsky Yz lh 0 lh X Yz Yz lh Yz Yz Yz 4 9 1 8lh-5Yz
6. Shamkovich 0 Yz Yz 0 lh X Yz lh Yz 0 1 lh 4 7 3 7Yz-6Yz
7 -8. R. Byrne lh Yz I/z Yz Yz lh X I/z lh lh 0 Yz Yz Yz 1 12 I 7-7
7-8. Peters 0 lh 0 0 Yz Yz Yz X lh Yz Yz Yz 1 3 8 3 7-7
9. Lein lh lh Yz lh 0 Yz Yz lh X 1 Yz 0 Yz Yz Ih 1 11 2 6lh-7Yz
10-12. Alburt 0 lh 0 0 Yz 1 Yz 0 0 X Yz 0 4 4 6 6-8
10-12. Kogan Yz 0 lh 0 0 lh lh Yz X lh 0 0 3 6 5 6-8
10-12. Tarjan 0 Yz 0 Yz lh 0 0 Yz I/z 0 X 1 Yz 3 6 5 6-8
13. Benjamin 1 0 Yz 0 0 lh 0 Yz 0 0 X lh Yz 3 5 6 5lh-BYz
14-15. Fedorowicz 0 0 Yz 0 Yz lh Yz I/z 0 lh Yz Yz X 0 1 B 5 5-9
14-15. Kudrin 0 0 Yz 0 0 lh 0 lh 0 0 Yz X 3 4 7 5-9
 The Russians Are Coming! (1980-1985)
quick win, e.g. 41 Rxf2 gxf2+ 42 Kxf2 Rb2+
43 Re2 Qh2+ 44 Kfl Rbl+!.
39 Re2 g5 40 Qc2 Rb8! 41 Qd3 Rh8
42 Reel g4 43 Nxe5 gxh3+ 44 KgI h2+
And now a pretty finish: The pawns are
cleared away.
45 Khl g2+! 46 Kxg2 hl(Q)+! 47 Rxhl
Rf2+ and White resigns
This fine win dropped Reshevsky back to
No.5 in the list of interzonal candidates and,
in retrospect, was the game that pushed Chris-
tiansen ahead of Kavalek as well. Since Kavalek
and Christiansen drew on the final day, while
Reshevsky won a game he had to against
Kogan, there was a three-way tie for third place.
But Christiansen was in perfect position for a
potential playoff because of his win from Re-
shevsky - he would have the better tie-break-
ing chances as a result.
Meanwhile, Browne completed the most
remarkable comeback since, well, Reshevsky
in 1936. He defeated Fedorowicz, who was
doomed to share last place, and assured him-
self of a final 9-5 score. Even if Seirawan de-
feated Lein in the final round, Browne was as-
sured of second prize. Bur, as in the previous
years, Browne didn't stick around for the final
hours. He left South Bend for his California
home a day early to prepare for a tournament
in Chile and didn't know for hours how
Seirawan had held a slightly inferior position
to achieve a tie for first place.
To break the tie for the third interzonal
trip, a double-round playoff was held less than
three months later in Jacksonville, Florida. If
all six games were drawn, or if Kavalek and
Christiansen were tied, the method of break-
ing the deadlock would favor the young man-
because of that victory over Reshevsky in the
14th round. Reshevsky had one good chance
to squeeze by. He adjourned a highly favorable
rook-and-knight ending against Kavalek on
the fifth day of play but could not break
through. The game lasted 90 moves and Re-
shevsky gave it every ounce of energy he had
167
left before agreeing to the draw. Thus Chris-
tiansen won on tie breaks.
1983: Equal First Among Equals
In the first 26 modern championships
there had been only three ties for the tide.
Usually the winner - a Fischer or a Reshev-
sky - was a point or two ahead of his rivals.
But beginning in 1980 the title was shared
three straight times. Was the age of dominat-
ing champions over?
It certainly seemed that way in 1983 when
the tournament returned to Thiel College.
The selection again of the Pennsylvania cam-
pus was inevitable, and yet also controversial.
It was inevitable because there simply were no
bids from organizers to hold the event any-
where else. Local sponsors were eager to host
a large, profit-making tournament such as a
U.S. Open, which brings in tens of thousands
of dollars in entry fees. But the United States
Championship, by definition, loses money,
and it is attractive to organizers only when
there is a great deal of prestige at stake. "In a
zonal year, it's easy to find a quality playing
site," a top USCF official explained at Thiel that
summer. "In other years you can't give the
tournament away."
In the end the USCF turned to Thiel be-
cause of its low overhead. But this did not sat-
isfy Yasser Seirawan, who had emerged dur-
ing 1981-82 as the highest rated American in
foreign events. At 23 he was already a Euro-
pean-style veteran used to receiving hefty ap-
pearance fees to play at deluxe hotels in places
such as Tilburg, Berlin and London. When he
learned that the 1983 championship was set
for Greenville a "very upset" Seirawan wrote
the USCF asking for more money, better pub-
licity and living conditions and more advanced
notice. The best U.S. players should not be
"living in dormitories and eating cafeteria
food," he said.
The controversy over Seirawan's refusal
of his invitation tended to obscure the strength
of the 29th event. It had been improved
significantly by the presence of two relatively
168 The United States Chess Championship
unknown players who had not been available
in previous years despite very impressive results
and ratings.
One was Roman Dzhindzhikashvili, 39,
a Soviet immigrant who had reached New York
by way of Israel, West Germany and various
European casinos. An inveterate gambler,
"Dzhindy" seemed to play chess whenever
forced to by poker losses. But when he played
he played very well and he had been rated
among the world's top ten grandmasters only
three years before. In 1983 he was considered
for the first time to be an American and there-
fore eligible to play for the national title.
On the other hand, Nick deFirmian, 26,
was a slim, laid-back Californian whose casual
manner contrasted sharply with the high-ten-
sion, chubby Dzhindy. DeFirmian's casualness
extended to his attire - the tournament
officials at Thiel had to ask him to wear shoes
during the rounds. But this concealed an ex-
tremely aggressive tactical style. As Christian-
sen's play seemed to mellow in the 1980s, de-
Firmian assumed the role of America's most
incisive attacking player.
The tournament began during a heat
wave and, with no air conditioning in the dor-
mitories, a series of early, get-acquainted draws
might have been expected during the first
week. But the opposite occurred as there were
16 decisions and only five draws - one of which
earned Sergey Kudrin a prize for "Best Swin-
dle" - in the first three rounds. Profiting the
most from this were Joel Benjamin and the
newest Soviet emigre, Dmitry Gurevich, who
each had perfect 3-0 scores.
Benjamin, then 19, was sharpening his
style and had won what later turned out to be
the brilliancy prize game against Jay White-
head, his successor as U.S. Junior champion,
in the second round. But in the fourth round
he was outplayed in an innocuous opening:
A30 English Opening
white Dzhindzhikashvili, black Benjamin
1 c4 Nf6 2 Nc3 c5 3 g3 e6 4 Nf3 b6 5 Bg2
Bb7 6 0-0 Be7 7 d4 cxd4 8 Qxd4 0-0
9 b3 d6 10 Ba3! Na6 11 Radl d5? 12 Bh2
dxc4 13 Qxc4
To avoid continuing pressure against his
d-pawn Black traded it off. But the result is a
big lead in development for White and this
will be more visible ifhe can position his rooks
on d1 and cl before Black coordinates his
pieces.
13 ... Qc8 14 Qf4 Nh4 15 Rcl Qh8
16 Qxb8! Raxb8 17 Ne5! Bxg2 18 Kxg2
Rbc8 19 a3!
After 19 a3
Dzhindzhikashvili-Benjamin,
1983
Surprise: Black is already lost, in view of
Nb5 and Nc6.
19 ... Nc6 20 NXc6 RXc6 21 Nd5! and
Black resigns (21 ... Rxc1 22 Nxe7+!).
Dzhindy, who speaks Russian, German,
Hebrew and English as well as his native Geor-
gian, had little to say about the game. Neither
did Benjamin. But tournament director
Richard Verber summed up this miniature to
an Associated Press correspondent: "Joel was
killed like a chicken before he had a chance to
flap his wings." The quotation appeared prom-
inently in newspapers the next day, especially
in nearby Pennsylvania and Ohio towns.
"Youngest Chessmaster 'Killed Like Chicken,'"
said one headline, and spectators who had
never heard a chess victory described in quite
those terms began to travel 30 and 40 miles to
Thiel to see what the excitement was all about.

The Russians Are Coming! (1980-1985)
The tempo cooled down in the next four
rounds as Dzhindy and Christiansen main-
tained a cautious half-point lead over Browne.
None of the leaders was taking any risks and
they contented themselves throughout their
three weeks in Greenville by trying to beat the
lower half of the scoretable. As it turned out,
all six games involving the top four finishers
were drawn - and Browne and Dzhindy only
scored one win against the players who finished
in the top seven places. In fact, the most inter-
esting games played during the tournament's
second week were the high-stakes, five minute
games between Dzhindzhikashvili and Kam-
ran Shirazi, an Iranian emigre who specialized
in winning weekend Swiss events in Califor-
nia. And the only drama carne when Green-
ville police carne to the tournament hall to take
Whitehead into custody for breaking into the
town's public swimming pool after hours.
(The officers were talked out of their arrest.)
The main feature of the closing rounds
was deFirmian's late bid for first prize. He had
started out poorly, with two points out of five.
But then he won Jim Tarjan's queen in Round
6, brought Dzhindy to the brink of defeat in
Round 7 and ground down Shirazi and Al-
burt. Going into the 11th round he was still a
distance from the leaders. Then:
AJO Queen's Indian Defense
white Gurevich, black deFirmian
1 Nf3 e5 2 e4 Nf6 3 Nc3 e6 4 g3 b6 5 Bg2
Bh7 6 0-0 Ne6 7 h3 Be7 8 Bh2 0-0 9 d4
Nxd4! 10 Nxd4 BXg2 11 Kxg2 exd4
12 Qxd4 Qe7 13 Radl d6
The opening is similar to the
Dzhindy-Benjamin game and typical of the
restrained systems of the 1980s, which tended
to be more elastic and ambiguous than the
King's Indians and Sicilians of the previous 25
years. Accurate simplifications by Black has left
White with an advantage in space that is
difficult to use. Black is readying ... d5 and ...
b5. Gurevich, who two months later became
a grandmaster, hurries into a kingside attack.
"I
169
14 f4!? a6 15 a4 RfdS 16 Rf3 d5! 17 exd5
exd5 18 h4 Qh7 19 g4 as!
After
19 ... as
D. Gurevich-deFirmian. 1983
Black fights for control of c5 so he can
play ... Bc5 and ... d4, which would virtually
refute White's attack. Gurevich must continue
with a doomed plan.
20 g5 axh4 21 gxf6 Be5! 22 Qe5 hxc3
23 Bxc3 g6 24 Kg3
This last move gets the White king off
the diagonal of Black's queen and prepares
25 Rfd3, e.g. 25 ... Rxa4 26 Rfd3 Re4?
27 Qxe4! dxe4 28 Rxd8+ Bf8 29 Rxf8+! and
mates. DeFirmian won a prize for the best
combination at Thiel for the last four moves
of this game. But it might have been awarded
for all his remaining moves.
24 ... d4! 25 Bxd4 Rd5! 26 Qe3 Qd7
27 Bxe5 (forced) Rxdl 28 Bxh6 Re8
29 Qf2 h5! 30 h3 Qxa4 31 Be5 Re4
32 Be7 Qe4 33 Re3
White's last chance for survival rests on
protecting his pawns at e2 and f4. Yet:
33 ... h4+! 34 Kg4 Rg1+! 35 Qxgl Rxf4+
36 Kg5 Rf5+ and White resigns (it's mate
after 37 Kh6 Rh5).
That left the standings at Christiansen
and Browne, 8Y2; Dzhindy, 8; deFirmian 7'12.
But with these pairings for the final two rounds
it was clear a lot would change: deFirmian vs.
 29th U.S. Championship, Greenville, July 14-August 1, 1983

Totals
B C 0 0 B G S A L W K S K T W 0 L Points

1-3. Browne X Yz Yz Yz Y2 Y2 Yz Y2 Y2 5 8 0 9-4

1-3. Christiansen Yz X Yz Yz Y2 Yz Y2 Yz Y2 5 8 0 9-4
1-3. Dzhindzhikashvili Yz Yz X Yz Yz Yz l/Z Yz Yz 5 8 0 9-4
4. deFirmian Yz Yz Yz X 0 0 Yz 0 1 6 4 3 8-5
5-6. Benjamin Yz 0 0 X Yz Yz Yz Yz Yz 0 4 6 3 7-6
5-6. Gurevich 0 Yz Yz 0 Yz X 1 0 Yz Yz Yz 4 6 3 7-6
7. Soltis Yz 0 Yz 1 Y2 0 X Yz Yz Yz 0 Y2 3 7 3 6Yz-6Y2
8-9. Alburr 0 Yz 0 0 l/Z Y2 X Yz Yz Yz 0 3 6 4 6-7
8-9. Lein Yz Yz Yz Yz Yz 0 Yz l/Z X Y2 0 Yz l/Z 10 2 6-7
10. Whitehead 0 Y2 0 0 0 1/2 Yz Y2 Y2 X 1 1 Yz Y2 2 7 4 5Yz-7Yz
11-12. Kudrin 0 0 Yz 0 Y2 Y2 0 X 0 Yz 0 3 4 6 5-8
11-12. Sh irazi 0 0 0 0 0 0 Yz 1 Y2 0 X 1 4 2 7 5-8
13-14. Kogan Yz Yz Yz 0 Y2 Yz 0 0 Yz Y2 Y2 0 X 0 0 8 5 4-9
13-14. Tarjan Yz 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Yz 0 X 3 2 8 4-9
 The Russians Are Coming! (1980-1985)
Browne, then Christiansen vs. deFirmian.
Browne, meanwhile, would play Benjamin on
the final day. "That's the trouble with this
tournament," Dzhindzhikashvili joked as he
scanned the pairings, "Too many Americans."
An anti-Browne cabal then emerged, co-
alescing over late-night beers at Greenville's
favored watering hole, the Alley Cat bar. What
do I do tomorrow against Browne, deFirmian
asked aloud and with that, pocket sets came
out to help him prepare. After several opening
ideas were proposed by players in the tourna-
ment one internationally titled master offered
a new idea against Browne's Najdorf Sicilian
"provided nobody tells Browne where this came
from."
All the conspirators agreed and they hud-
dled over the idea, a knight sacrifice that - at
1 A.M.-looked strong.
But the next day Browne seemed to refute
the "Alley Cat Variation" after 40 minutes of
thought and a later time scramble. During the
second session of play, Browne had a rook,
knight and bishop but no pawns, against
deFirmian's two rooks and pawn. The game
resumed again in a private room after the
tournament hall air conditioning collapsed
and Walter tried until move 102 to win rook-
and-knight-vs.-rook before he conceded the
draw.
On the final day it was Benjamin who re-
ceived free opening advice from the other play-
ers and he refused Browne's early offer of a
draw. Christiansen, sensing his moment had
arrived, then sacrificed a pawn against deFir-
mian. But his fellow Californian beat off the
attack and in the fourth hour of play it ap-
peared Browne might achieve clear first prize
with a win or draw.
However the tide turned once more, al-
lowing Christiansen a little combination and
Benjamin a method of exchanging crucial
pawns. Both games were drawn. Dzhindy's
slow crush of Tarjan escaped attention but it
allowed him to make it a three-way tie for
$10,500 in prize money.
Couldn't anyone win clear first prize in
this thing? The players wondered as they once
again left Greenville.
171
1984: Fast Break
By the mid-1980s an entire generation of
American players had grown up on weekend
Swiss System tournaments. And because of
that they had a hard time understanding what
happened in Berkeley, California, July 9-30,
1984. How, they wondered, could a player,
who had never gotten as much as an even score
in the national championship in rwo previous
tries, roll up a score of 12V2-4v2 in what seemed
to be the strongest-ever field? How could the
three defending co-champions fall from an
overwhelming record of 27-12 a year before
to a marginal 26-25 in Berkeley? And how
could another strong master, one of the most
successful Swiss event players of the day, man-
age a score of one draw and 16 losses?
The answers lay in the difference berween
round robins and Swisses, and the overriding
significance in a round robin of a strong start.
Players had grown used to Swisses, in which
the master who wins several games is paired
with stronger and stronger opponents until he
exceeds his talent and is pushed back down. A
player who starts off badly knows, on the other
hand, that he'll get easier pairings as a result.
Often, in large Swiss System events, the final
rounds count much more than the first few
rounds.
The round robin is different and, as the
preeminent round robin in America, the U.S.
championship is very different. What had hap-
pened at the University of California Student
Union building that July was similar to what
happened at the Hotel Paso del Norte in El
Paso 11 years before, when John Grefe's string
of victories set the tournament tone. But this
time it was Lev Alburr's string. Here's how it
began:
Round 1. Alburr springs a new opening
idea, a delayed version of his favorite Benko
Gambit on Larry Christiansen and the de-
fending champ has to concede a draw after 24
sharp moves. Only one game ended in a vic-
tory that day - Sergey Kudrin's grinding down
on Kamran Shirazi in what eventually turned
out to be a battle berween the last-place and
next -to-last-place finishers.
172 The United States Chess Championship
Round 2. Alburt stuns Jack Peters, who
returned to the championship after a three-
year hiatus. The game was decided in 18
moves:
EOl Catalan Opening
white Alburt, black Peters
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 g3 c5 4 Nf3 cxd4
5 Nxd4 Qc7 6 Nc3 a6 7 Bg5!? b6
So far, a strange opening in which White
dares Black to take the c-pawn and open the
c-file (7 ... Qxc4 8 Rcl). Alburt, who spe-
cializes in slightly unusual openings such as
Alekhine's Defense and the Benko Gambit,
now tries to unbalance the position with a se-
ries of double-edged exchanges.
S Bxf6 gxf6 9 Bg2 Bb7 10 Bxb7 Qxb7
11 0-0 Be7 12 Qd2 Nc6 13 Nxc6 Qxc6
14 Qh6!
By stopping 14 ... 0-0 as well as the ag-
gressive 14 ... h5, White confronts his oppo-
nent with a difficult decision about the future.
What will Peters do in the next half dozen
moves while Alburt is strengthening his cen-
ter with rook moves and pawn advances? Pe-
ters decides to force matters.
14 ..• Qxc4 15 Qg7 Rfs 16 Rac1 f5?! 17
Rfdl
After 17 Rfdl
Aiburt-Peters, 1984
White's major threat is 18 NdS followed
by Rxc4 or Nc7+. With his last move Black
may have been counting on 17 ... Qg4 but
now this allows the powerful centralization
18 QeS, intending 19 Qc7. For example, 18 ...
Rc8 19 e4 fxe4 20 Nxe4 Rxcl 21 Rxcl with
multiple threats.
17 ... RcS IS e4! fxe4?
Overlooking the point of White's last
move. But Peters was already in deep trouble
(18 ... RcS 19 Rd4 or 18 ... Rc6 19 exf5 exfS
20 Qe5).
19 Ne2! e3 20 Rxc4 and White wins
At this point Alburt's 1\t2-V2 score was
matched by five others.
Round 3. As Black, Alburt draws with
Dzhindzhikashvili, who had beaten him badly
a year before in Greenville and, most memo-
rably, had swindled him in the final round of
the 1980 Lone Pine International out of the
$12,000 first prize.
Round 4. Facing the third defending
champion, Alburt lures the slow-starting
Browne into an inferior endgame and squeezes
him into submission after 71 moves. The So-
viet defector is now tied with Tarjan in sec-
ond place, a half point behind the other tour-
nament surprise, I8-year-old Maxim Dlugy.
Round 5. Alburt uses his delayed Benko
Gambit again, this time against Tarjan. The
Californian weakens Alburt's pawns on both
wings and prevents him from castling - but
then badly misplaces his own minor pieces. By
the 20th move Tarjan's huge lead in space and
development is dissipated and he tosses away
a pawn to break Black's initiative. Alburt en-
gineers a favorable exchange of heavy pieces
and by adjournment the trend is clear. Tarjan
concedes on the 57th move.
Round 6. Facing the tournament leader,
Alburt seeks an early exchange of queens and
then pours on the pressure against his inexpe-
rienced opponent (see diagram).
White's pawn structure is much more
sound and his rook is much better placed. But
a winning plan is missing. White's king can-
not approach the center easily (34 Kb2 RbS+
 The Russians Are Coming! (1980-1985) 173

Round 7 Someone finally plays 1 e4

After
33 ... ReS
Alburt-Dlugy, 1984
35 Kc2 Ra5) and Black is itching to invade
with ... Kf6-e5-f4-g3.
34 a4! g5 35 Kh2 hS?
Whose king will make contact first? It ap-
pears that White is stopped on the queenside
after 46 Ka3 a5.
36 Rd6! g4
Dlugy realizes it is time to be desperate.
He hopes for 37 hXg4 hxg4 38 fxg4 Re5
39 Rxc6 Rxe4. If Black sits on the position
with 36 ... Kf8 or 36 ... f6 White will exploit
the stalemated position of his rook with
37 Ka3 a5 (else 38 Kb4) 38 Kb2! followed by
Kc2-d2-e3-d4.
37 f4! and Black resigns
Nothing can stop the White king now.
against Alburt and it is Robert Byrne, who at
56 is by far the oldest player in the event. His
bid to blow Alburt's Alekhine's Defense apart
backfires and he becomes his fifth victim in
seven games.
Round 8. A slight opening inaccuracy by
Kudrin is relentlessly punished by Alburt who,
for the sixth time, trades queens by the 22nd
move. No one, it seems, can contain him in
the endgame.
At this point the tournament had not yet
reached the halfway mark, since it was to last
17 rounds - the largest championship since
South Fallsburg in 1948. Yet the title was vir-
tually decided because of Alburt's tremendous
spurt. Consider the standings after eight
rounds and how closely they resemble the final
standings two weeks later (see table below):
With a few exceptions the players coasted
during the final nine rounds with many grand-
master draws. First prize was all but conceded
to Alburt by Round 14 and he drew three of
his last four games in a total of 50 moves.
There would be no Browne charge this
year. Losses to Dlugy and John Federowicz had
left him near the bottom of the scoretable after
the first week. He fought back but a terrible
blunder against Dzhindy in Round 12 followed
by a disastrous loss in 20 moves to Tarjan
spelled the end of his hopes for a seventh title
in eight tries.
The closest call for Alburt came in Round
13 when he led Dlugy by one point and Yasser
Seirawan by lY2. Seirawan. trying to make up

8 Rounds Final (17 Round) Result

Alburt 7-1 (plus 6) 12Y2-4Y2 (plus 8)
Dlugy 6-2 (plus 5) lOY2-6Y2 (plus 4)
Seirawan 5Y2-2Y2 (plus 3) 1OY2-6Y2 (plus 4)
Fedorowicz 5-3 (plus 2) lOY2-6Y2 (plus 4)
Christiansen 5-3 (plus 2) 9Y2-7Y2 (plus 2)
Benjamin 5-3 (plus 2) 9-8 (plus 1)
Tarjan 4Y2-3Y2 (plus 1) lOY2-6Y2 (plus 4)
Kavalek 4Y2-3Y2 (plus 1) 9Y2-7Y2 (plus 2)
Henley 4Y2-3Y2 (plus 1) 9-8 (plus 1)
Dzhindzhikashvili 4-4 (even) 9-8 (plus 1)
Kogan 4-4 (even) 9-8 (plus 1)
 30th u.s. Championship, Berkeley, July 9-30, 1984
Totals
ADD F S T C K B D H K B B G P K S W D L Points

1. Alburt x 0 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 9 7 12~-4Y2
2. deFirmian X 1 ~ ~ ~ ~ 0 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 6 10 11-6
3-6. Dlugy o 0 X 1 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 1 ~ 6 9 2 1O~-6~
3-6. Fedorowicz ~ ~ 0 X ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 5 11 IO~-6~
3-6. Seirawan o 0 ~ ~ X ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 1 6 9 2 IO~-6~
3-6. Tarjan o ~ ~ ~ ~ X ~ ~ ~ 1 ~ ~ 0 6 9 2 IOY2-6~
7 -S. Christiansen ~ ~ ~ 0 ~ ~ X ~ ~ ~ 0 ~ ~ ~ 4 11 2 9Y2-7Y2
7-8. Kavalek ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ X ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 2 15 0 9Y2-7~
9-12. Benjamin o 0 0 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ X 1 0 ~ ~ ~ 5 8 4 9-S
9-12. Dzhindzhi ~ ~ ~ 0 0 ~ ~ 0 X ~ ~ ~ 1 ~ ~ 4 10 3 9-8
9-12. Henley ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ X ~ Y2 ~ ~ 3 12 2 9-8
9-12. Kogan ~ ~ 0 ~ ~ ~ 1 Y2 0 ~ ~ X ~ Y2 0 4 10 3 9-8
13. R. Byrne o Y2~~Y2 1 o ~ o ~Y2XY2Y2 0 4 9 4 8Y2-8Y2
14. Browne o ~ 0 o o o ~YzYz 0 Y2Y2YZ X 1 4 7 6 7Y2-9~
15. Gurevich ~ Y2 Y2 0 o OYZ~OY20 I ~OXYZY2 2 9 6 6Y2-10Y2
16. Peters o ~ 0 Y2 0 OYZY2Y20 o o 1 o ~ X 1 3 6 S 6-11
17. Kudrin o o o o o OY2~Y20 o o Y2 o
Y2 0 X I 5 II 3Y2-13~
18. Shirazi o o o o o o o o o Y2 0 o o o o o 0 X o 16 Yz-16Y2
 The Russians Are Coming! (1980-1985)
for his absence in Greenville and seeking a
running start for the 1985 interzonals, had
turned the tables and was pressing Alburt in a
long endgame. A victory would boost him into
the fight for the $5200 first prize and, perhaps
more important, re-establish his claim to being
the top American player.
After
47 ... Rf8
Seirawan-Alburt, 1984
For once it was Alburt's opponent who
had the better pawns, king position and piece
placement in the endgame. The problem for
Seirawan is that all three prime targets, the
a-pawn, d-pawn and g-pawn, are apparently
defendable. I;or example, 48 Kh6 Rh8+
49 Kxg6?? Rg8+.
After six hours of maneuvering to get this
far, Seirawan thinks he has his breakthrough:
48 Rf2 Rb7! 49 f5+?? gxfS 50 exfS+ Rxf5+!
51 RxfS Rg7+
This is the surprise defense that Alburt
had prepared. Seirawan will lose all his queen-
side pawns after 52 Kf4 RXg3 53 Rxh5 Rxb3
54 Rh6+ Kd7 55 Ke4 Kc6 and 56 ... Rd. So
he fought on with:
52 Kxh5 Rxg3 53 Rg5 Rxb3 54 Kg6
But Alburt forced a winning position
with:
54 ... Rb4 55 Rg4 d5 56 cxd5+ Kd6!
57 Kg5 Rxg4+ 58 Kxg5 Kxd5
After this Alburt's lead was unstoppable
175
and, in fact, most of the other players seemed
content to draw with one another - and make
sure they defeated Kamran Shirazi. The Iran-
ian had gotten off to a start as bad as Alburt's
was good. Following six straight losses he man-
aged a draw with Dzhindy, then began another
streak of zeroes. Swiss System players, accus-
tomed to dropping out of the tournament after
the first loss, are often bewildered by the
difficulties of round robins and Shirazi was a
spectacular example. By the 15th round he was
so discouraged that he set a negative record
against Peters: He lost the shortest-ever game
in a U.S. championship. After 1 e4 c5 2 b4
cxb4 3 a3 d5 4 exd5 Qxd5, Shirazi-Peters
1984 continued 5 aXb4?? and White resigned
after 5 ... Qe5+ because he will lose a rook.
The other major second-half exception
was deFirmian. "Nick doesn't care about the
score," explained his friend Fedorowicz. "Nick
just wants to play." And this was illustrated by
his second straight comeback in a champi-
onship. After scoring only 3Y2 points in the
first eight games, the easy-going Californian
won four straight games, defeating Alburt,
Seirawan, Shirazi and Benjamin. His sprightly,
aggressive style of play captured the imagina-
tion of the 1500 paying spectators, a champi-
onship tournament record. And when he
needed a win in the last round, he ended up
sharing the Brilliancy Prize.
A31 Queen's Indian Defense
white deFirmian, black Kudrin
1 Nf3 Nf6 2 c4 c5 3 Nc3 b6 4 e3 Bb7 5 d4
exd4 6 exd4 e6 7 a3 d5 8 exd5 Nxd5
9 Bb5+ Be6 10 Bd3 Nd7 11 0-0 Be7 12 ReI
0-0 13 Ne4 N7f6 14 Ne5 Bb7 15 Ng5!
White has all the makings of a kingside
attack, directed at f7 or h7. The next task is
to direct his qucen and bishop.
15 ... Qc7 16 Bd2 Rad8 17 ReI Qb8
18 Qe2 Bd6 19 Bbl Ne7 20 Ng4! Ned5
21 Qd3 g6 22 Qh3!
Black now blunders in a difficult position.
176 The United States Chess Championship
After 22 Qh3
deFirmian-Kudrin, 1985
22 ... Bf4? 23 Bxf4 Qxf4 24 Nh6+ Kg7
25 Nhxf7! Rxf7 26 Nxe6+ Kg8 27 Nxd8!
Ng4 28 Re8+ and Black resigns
1985: More Than a Fluke
Lev Alburr's remarkable margin in Berke-
ley did not go down well with his colleagues.
They suspected he was an aberration - a one-
time tideist, like John Grefe who had declined
sharply since his championship year of 1973.
And their suspicions seemed confirmed when,
for the first time, the reigning British and U.S.
champions met in a challenge match. The
British tideholder was teenaged Nigel Short
who, a year before, had lost badly in an exhi-
bition match with his opposite number in
America, Joel Benjamin.
When Short destroyed Alburt by 7-1 in
early 1985 the observers could draw one of two
conclusions: Either Short had progressed stun-
ningly in the previous year, or Alburt wasn't
as good as his score at Berkeley. On the eve of
the 31st championship one of his rivals summed
up Alburt's chances of defending his title: "Ac-
cidents don't happen two years in a row," he
said.
The invitation list was scaled down to a
more manageable 14 players for the tourna-
ment, set for the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park,
Colorado, and there were three very notable
absences. Seirawan was competing - and per-
forming creditably - in France at the candi-
dates tournament in Montpellier. Dzhind-
zhikashvili, the star of the 1984 U.S. Olympic
team, had expected to be in Montpellier as
Boris Spassky's second. But that plan fell
through at the last minute and it was too late
for Dhzindy to rescue his invitation to Col-
orado. And Tarjan turned down his invitation,
telling friends he was tired of trying (0 make
a living out of chess.
This left Larry Christiansen and Lubosh
Kavalek as the highest FIDE-rated invitees, fol-
lowed by Nick deFirmian and Benjamin, and
then at a respectable distance in the rating hi-
erarchy, by John Fedorowicz and Walter
Browne - and then Alburt.
The tournament began quietly as six
games in the first round and five in the second
ended in draws - most of them short and
bloodless. The exceptions were largely due to
Shirazi. His risk-taking recalled that of Rudolf
Spielmann, the Austrian attacking star of the
early decades of the century who once won a
special prize for the least draws in a major
tournament, Karlsbad 1923 - by losing the
large majority of his games. The Iranian
seemed headed for another negative record in
1985 when he was the only one to lose the first
day and then lost his queen for a rook in a
time scramble at the end of the first playing
session of the second round.
After 52 e5
Shirazi-McCambridge, 1985
Having been substantially ahead in ma-
terial for 10 moves, Black must have assumed
that just about any move would win eventu-
ally.
52 ... fxeS 53 dxe5 Qd3+?? 54 Kc7!
 The Russians Are Coming! (1980-1985)
And yet now it must be Black resigns or
be mated by 55 Rb8+. An astonishing turn-
about.
Round 3 saw the first of the tournament's
two decisive games. Christiansen, with White,
invited Alburt to try one of his offbeat open-
ings again. The variation (I d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 e6
3 c4 a6!? 4 Nc3 c5 5 d5 b5!) was dubbed the
"Dzhindy-Indian" after his friend, and Alburt
managed to equalize into a double-edged end-
game by move 22. Despite the bishops of op-
posite color that appeared, White was always
fighting for a draw in the later stages and by
the end of time trouble Alburt's KP was too
powerful to stop. Christiansen resigned on the
49th move and never fully recovered.
Alburt, who had played as a reserve on
the Olympic team behind three other men from
this championship, then began to build up a
lead with victories over Kudrin, Browne, Fe-
dorowicz and Shirazi. After eight rounds the
defending champion led the field by an im-
pressive point and a half, and since he would
have the White pieces against his most dan-
gerous opponents in the tournament's second
half, he was again in the driver's seat. The sec-
ond crucial game of the 31st championship
came in Round 9:
A63 Benoni Defense
white Alburt, black deFirmian
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 c5 3 d5 e6 4 Nc3 exd5
5 cxd5 d6 6 Nf3 g6 7 g3 Bg7 8 Bg2 0-0
9 0-0 Nbd7 10 ReI Re8 11 e4 a6 12 a4 c4!
A thematic idea of the Benoni, giving
White the c-pawn in return for pressure on his
squares such as b3, d3 and e4 resulting from
... Nc5. DeFirmian had an even score at this
point and seemed poised for another second-
half charge into contention.
13 Bft Nc5 14 Nd2 Qc7 15 BXc4 Bh3!
Black threatens 16 ... N fxe4 and also eyes
the occupation of the many light-colored
holes. Alburt must defend carefully.
16 Btl Bxtl 17 Kxft Rac8 18 Re3!? Qd7
19 Kg2 Ng4 20 Re2 Bxc3! 21 bxc3 Nd3
177
Now 22 c4, trying to hem in the Black
aggressors, allows 22 ... Ngxf2 23 Rxf2
Qh3+! with a killing attack, e.g. 24 Kxh3
Nxf2+ or 24 Kg1 Nxf2 25 Kxf2 Qxh2+ and
so on. Albun's next move leads to a forced se-
ries of reactions that might have been the only
defense.
22 f3! Rxc3! 23 fXg4 Qxg4 24 Ba3 Nf4+
2S Kf2
After 25 Kf2
Alburt-deFirmian, 1985
Black might hold the material balance
with 25 ... Nxe2 26 Qxe2 Qxe2+ and 27 ...
f5 but he also had to calculate the results of
25 ... Qh5! which forces 26 gxf4 and then
26 ... Qxh2+. The Black pieces prevail then
after 27 Kel? Qg1+ 28 Nfl Rf3 29 Kd2 Qd4+
30 Kel Qc3+ and 31 ... Rxf4.
But the outcome is unclear after 27 Kfl!
Qh3+ 28 Kf2! (and if 28 ... Qh4+ then
29 Kg!! Rh3 30 Nfl). DeFirmian unexpect-
edly is overwhelmed by the complications.
25 ... Nh3+? 26 KfI!
DeFirmian saw that 26 Ke1 couldn't be
played because of 26 ... Rxg3 and assumed
that White had to play 26 Kg2, after which
26 ... Nf4+ would repeat the diagrammed po-
sition and give him a little more time to cal-
culate his chances. Now he must add fuel to
the attacking fire.
26 '" Rf3+ 27 Nxf3 Qxf3+ 28 Kel Qc3+
Black's position looks better than it plays.
 31st U.S. Championship, Estes Park, Colorado, October 20-November 7, 1985

Totals
A B C K F K B 0 0 K S G W M W 0 L Points

1. Alburt X lh lh lh Y2 lh 0 7 5 1 9Y2-3Y2
2. Benjamin lh X Y2 lh Y2 lh Y2 Y2 Y2 5 8 0 9-4
3-4. Christiansen 0 lh X lh Yz lh Yz Y2 Yz Yz 4 8 8-5
3-4. Kavalek Y2 lh Y2 X Y2 Yz Yz Y2 Y2 Y2 lh 3 10 0 8-5
5-6. Fedorowicz 0 Y2 lh Y2 X lh lh lh Y2 lh Y2 Y2 2 10 1 7-6
5-6. Kogan Y2 Y2 lh lh Ijz X 1 lh Y2 Ijz 0 Yz Yz 2 10 1 7-6
7-8. Browne 0 0 Yz Ijz Y2 0 X Y2 Ijz Y2 Y2 3 7 3 6Y2-6Y2
7-8. Dlugy Y2 Y2 0 Y2 Yz Y2 Y2 X 1 Y2 0 Yz Yz 2 9 2 6lh-6lh
9-11. deFirmian 0 Y2 0 Y2 Y2 Y2 0 0 X 1 1 0 Y2 3 5 5 5lh-7lh
9-11. Kudrin 0 0 Y2 Yz 0 Y2 Yz Y2 0 X 1 Y2 lh 2 7 4 5lh-7lh
9-11. Shirazi 0 0 0 0 0 Y2 1 0 0 X 1 5 1 7 5lh-7Yz
12-13. Gurevich 0 0 Ijz 0 Ijz lh Y2 lh 0 Y2 0 X 1 lh 7 5 4lh-8Y2
12-13. Wolff, P. Y2 Y2 0 0 Yz lh 9 Yz 0 0 0 X 1 2 5 6 4lh-8Yz
14. McCambridge 0 Yz lh lh 0 0 0 lh lh 0 Ijz 0 X 6 6 4-9
 The Russians Are Coming! (1980-1985) 179

On 28 ... Rxe4 White solves his remaining game apiece in the final week of play. Ben-
problems with 29 Bb2! Nf2 30 Rxe4!. jamin finished with a flourish and his final
game gave him his first norm towards the
29 Hd2 RXe4+? grandmaster tide.

DeFirmian's last chance to make a fight E12 Queen's Indian Defense

of the game was 29 ... Qe3+!, so that 30 Kfl white Browne, black Benjamin
is refuted by 30 ... Qxe4! and 30 Qe2 is met
by the complex 30 ... Qgl+ 31 Qfl RXe4+ 1 d4 Nf6 2 e4 e6 3 Nf3 b6 4 a3 e5 5 d5
32 Re2 Rxe2+ 33 Kxe2 Qxh2+ (and perhaps Ba6 6 Qe2 exd5 7 cxd5 g6 8 N c3 Bg7
34 Kf3? NgS+ 35 Kf4? Qd2+ and Black 9 g3 0-0 10 Bg2 d6 11 0-0 Re8 12 ReI
wins). Nbd7 13 Bf4 Qe7 14 h3 Ne4! 15 Nxe4
Qxe4 16 Qd2 Nf6 17 Radl Rad8 18 Nh2
30 Kfl! Hd 31 Bb2 Qc4+ 32 Re2 f6 Qc4 19 Bg5 Re8 20 Bxf6? Bxf6 21 Ng4
33 Qc2 Rxg3! 34 hxg3! and Black resigns Bg7 22 e4 Qa4! 23 Qf4 Be2! 24 Rd2 Bxg4
25 hxg4 Be5 26 Qe3 e4 27 ReI ReS
After this blow to Alburt's rivals the 28 Rde2 Qb3 29 Rxe4 Qxe3 30 fxe3 Bxb2
scoretable stood: Alburt 8-1, Benjamin 6-3, 31 Rxc5 bxc5 32 RbI Bxa3 33 Ral Bb2
Christiansen, Kavalek and Boris Kogan 34 Rxa7 Be5 35 Kf2 e4 36 BEl c3 37 Bd3
SY2-3Y2. With only four rounds to go, the de- Rb8 38 Ra2 Rb2+! 39 Rxb2 exb2 and
fending champion could afford to enjoy the \XThite forfeits
view of nearby Rocky Mountain National
Park, and coast along. He did just that with
ll-move draws against Benjamin, Kavalek and
Dlugy (and a messy loss to Vincent McCam-
bridge, who was headed for last place).
Most of the other leaders coasted with
him and by tournament's end the standings Final position
showed that 26 of the 36 games played among
those with plus or even scores had ended in
draws. This pacific policy opened up the race
for second place. Kavalek extended his record
of not having lost in 40 straight championship
games hut he and Christiansen won only one Browne-Benjamin, 1985
 Chapter Eleven
Champions Galore
(1986-1991)
As the 1980s gave way to the 1990s, the
championship had become an annual habit.
The USCF remained committed to holding the
invitational event every year, even while the
base costs - airplane tickets, hotel rooms, etc.-
now topped $60,000. This burden was eased
because the federation was often able to find
sponsors willing to pick up the cost of the prize
fund, which grew to more than $30,000, or
defray some of the other costs.
Other trends continued. There were more
and more Russians and fewer young masters.
And perhaps the most significant trend of all
was the continuing shrink in the talent gap,
the difference in skill that separated the cham-
pion from his challengers.
The age of titans appeared to be over.
Paul Morphy, George Mackenzie, Frank Mar-
shall and Bobby Fischer had dominated their
eras, being probably 100 ratings points ahead
of their closest rivals. Reuben Fine and Isaac
Kashdan were much closer in strength to
Sammy Reshevsky - but they never managed
to wrest the title from him. In the post-Fischer
era there was no single, overpowering con-
tender. Yet there were players who could win
the national championship two or three times
in a row, as Walter Browne and Lev Alburt had
done.
But in the period after 1985 even that ap-
peared impossible to do. Each year a new name
topped the crosstable, despite bitter resistance
by the defending champion.
180
And increasingly, the title was shared.
There had only been one first-place tie in the
tournament up to 1972. But there were two-
and three-way co-champions in 1980, 1981,
1983, 1987, 1989 and 1993. In part to avoid that,
the USCF even returned to the format of Mor-
phy's day-with a knockout tournament in
1990 and 1991.
1986: Up Tempo
The 32nd championship had much that
was familiar. Twelve of the 14 players from the
previous year made the return trip to the ele-
gant Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colo. The
pride of the Rocky Mountains, the Stanley, was
then in its 77th year and enjoying some fame
since it helped inspire Stephen King's novel The
Shining and the 1980 movie based on it.
What was new this year was one player
making his debut, a new time limit and a prize
fund with a gimmick. The new player was
Michael Wilder, another member of the New
Jersey generation that had graduated John Fe-
dorowicz, Ken Regan and Michael Rohde to
the championship in the previous ten years.
Like Joel Benjamin and his New Jersey col-
leagues, the 24-year-old Wilder had a univer-
sal style that allowed him to play attacking and
positional chess with equal talent and con-
fidence. He acquitted himself well in Estes
Park, finishing with an even score.
 Champions Galore (1986-1991)
There might have been another new in-
vitee. Aftcr seven years of waiting, "refuseniks"
Boris Gulko and his wife, Anna Akhsharu-
mova, had been allowed to leave the Soviet
Union in May and quickly became a part of
the extended family of emigre Russian G Ms in
the United States. Lev Alburt, speaking on be-
half of the championship invitees, had sought
at the USCF business meeting in August to gct
Gulko a special invitation to the tourna-
ment - until somc of the U.S.-born players
learned of this and made it known Alburt cer-
tainly wasn't speaking for them.
Meanwhile, the USCF announced the
gimmick: the tournament winner would re-
ceive a prize equal to onc dime for each USCF
member. Since there were 55,568 mcmbers as
of the target date, the winner would receive
$5,556.80 as well as one of the invitations to
the next FIDE Interzonal. That was an 80 per-
cent pay hike over the 1977 tournament and
by far the biggest prize in a national champi-
onship in 1986 - but did little to still the in-
vitees' complaints about inadequate prizes.
The most important novelty this year was
a new, faster time limit - 40 moves in two
hours followed by 20 moves in one. This re-
placed a single session of 40-in-2Y2 that had
been standard since the 19505 and often pro-
duced adjournment after adjournment. The
acceptance of faster chess would within four
years yield other heretical ideas - such as de-
ciding the championship by 15-minute games.
The faster tempo might have been ex-
pected to help the Wilder generation. But the
surprise of the early rounds was 46-year-old
Boris Kogan. The Stone Mountain, Ga., mas-
ter, who would never obtain the grandmaster
tirle despite many GM scalps, won his first
three games and took a quick full point lead.
Among those trying to catch up was
Yasser Seirawan, who began with a shaky 2-1
score, then fattened it with a lucky win over
Kamran Shirazi in Round four. But after that,
Seirawan took command of the tournament.
He scored 5Y2 points in the next seven rounds
and put first prize OUt of reach of anyone else.
Then 26 and rated less than 20 points ahead
of youngsters like Fedorowicz, Rohde and
181
Maxim Dlugy, Seirawan found his form in
games like this:
£87 King's Indian Defense
white Seirawan, black Wilder
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 Bg7 4 e4 d6 5 f3
0-0 6 Be3 Nbd7 7 Nh3 e5 8 d5 Nh5 9 g4
Nf4!? 10 Nxf4 exf4 11 Bxf4 Ne5 12 Be2 fS
13 gxfS gxfS 14 Qd2 Qh4+
Black's pawn sacrifice IS a standard
method of activating his g7-bishop and re-
maining knight and he regains the pawn with-
out difficulty.
15 Bg3 Qh5 16 f4 Nf3+ 17 Bxf3 QXf3
18 RfI Bxc3! 19 Rx£3 Bxd2+ 20 Kxd2 fxe4
21 Rb3! b6 22 Rg1 Kf7 23 Bf2 Bd7
24 Rbg3
But despite the bishops of opposite color,
Seirawan demonstrates - as Horowitz had
tried to do 44 years before against Re-
shevsky - that with at least one pair of rooks
on the board there are serious winning chances
for the player with the better placed pieces and
pawns.
24 ... Rg8 25 Kc3 Rxg3+ 26 Rxg3 Re8
27 Bel! Re7 28 Bc3! Kf8 29 Bf6 Rf7
30 Bg5 Bf5 31 Bh6+ Ke8 32 RgB+ Kd7
33 Bg5
Threatening mate in one and forcing the
win of a pawn (since 35 ... Kc7?? would allow
36 Ra7+).
33 ... c5 34 RaB as 35 Ra6! KcB 36 Rxb6
Rb7 37 Rxb7!
Much clearer than 37 Rxd6 Rxb2. Now
White ties Black down to the a-pawn and
pushes his winning f-pawn up the board.
37 •.. Kxb7 3B b3 Kc7 39 Bf6 Bg6 40 Bc3
Kb6 41 Bd2 Bf5 42 Kf2 Bd7 43 Kg3 a4
44 Kh4 axb3 45 axb3 Kc7 46 Kg5 Bh3
47 fS Kd7 48 f6 KeB 49 Bf4 Btl and Black
resigns before 50 Bxd6.
 32nd U.S. Championship, Estes Park, Colorado, Oct. 19-Nov. 5, 1986

Totals
SA B C K S K F WG 0 K L B R 0 W 0 L Points

1. Seirawan x Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 6 9 o 10Y2-4Y2
2-3. Alburt Y2 X o Y2 Y2 o Y2 0 Y2 7 5 3 9Y2-5Y2
2-3. Benjamin Y2 X Y2 Y2 o Y2 Y2 Y2 1 0 Y2 6 7 2 9 Yz-5Y2
4- 5. Christiansen Y2 Y2 Y2 X Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 0 Y2 Y2 Y2 3 11 8Y2-6Y2
4-5. Kavalek Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 X 1 0 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 1 Y2 Y2 3 11 1 8Y2-6Y2
6. Shirazi o 1 Y2 0 X 0 1/2 Y2 Y2 1/2 o Y2 4 6 3 8-7
7-9. Kudrin o o Y2 Y2 X 1 Y2Y2 0 Y2 Y2 Y2 0 4 5 4 7Y2-7Y2
7-9. Fedorowicz Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 0 XY20 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 2 11 2 7Y2-7Y2
7-9. Wilder o o Y2 0 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 XY2 Yz () 4 7 4 7Y2-7Y2
10. Gurevich o 0 00 Y2Y2Y2 Y2XY20 Y2 4 6 5 7-8
11-13. Dlugy Y2 o Y2 Y2 Yz 1 1/2 Y2Y2 X 00 00 3 7 5 6 1/2-8Y2
11-13. Kogan Y2 Y2 o 000 0011 Xlh 0 4 3 6 6 1/2-81/2
11-13. Lein o 0 Y2 Y2 () 1/2 Yz 0 0 1 Y2 X Y2 Yz 3 7 5 6Y2-81/2
14. Browne Y2 0 Y2Y201 1/2 o lY2 00 Y2XY2Y2 2 8 5 6-9
15. Rohde o 0 00 Y2 1/2Y2 Y2 0 0 1 0 Y2 X 1 3 5 7 51/2-91/2
16. deFirmian Y2 0 o Y2 Y2 0 Y2 0 0 0 Y2 Y2 0 X 2 4 7 5-10
 Champions Galore {1986-1991}
Seirawan was later profiled by the Los An-
geles Times and described as "hale, hip and
handsome ... a hustler, a snorkeler and a no-
torious ladies' man" who had once appeared in
Cosmopolitan as "Bachelor of the Month." But
he was also an ambitious businessman who was
planning to launch his own magazine, Inside
Chess, and planned to run for president of the
USCF.
\Vith five rounds to go Seirawan had
opened a one-point lead over Alburt and Ben-
jamin, followed by Larry Christiansen and Lu-
bosh Kavalek. And that's exactly how they
finished. Luck played a role in the proceed-
ings, since Anatoly Lein blundered away a rook
to Seirawan and Alburt walked into a mate in
a queen-and-bishop ending against Shirazi.
Kavalek, making his last appearance in the
championship, had not lost in the tournament
since 1981, a streak of 46 games. It came to an
end in the 11th round when he was ground
down by Sergey Kudrin in 62 moves.
The 11th round also was crucial to Ben-
jamin, who faced another veteran making his
farewell appearance in the championship,
Lein.
E13 Queen's Indian Defense
white Lein, black Benjamin
1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 e6 3 c4 b6 4 Nc3 Bb4
5 BgS h6 6 Bh4 Bxc3+ 7 bxc3 Bb7 8 Nd2
d6 9 f3 Nbd7 10 e4 gS 11 Bf2 NhS 12 g3
f5 13 Bd3 Qf6 14 Qe2 0-0 15 h4!
The lines are distinct in the exceptionally
sharp opening: White will open the h-file and
play for mate while Black will assault the
enemy center from the wings.
15 ... Ng7 16 Rh2 c5 17 hxgS Qxg5
18 Rh3 cxd4 19 cxd4 fxe4 20 Nxe4 Qa5+
21 Kf1! hS 22 Kgl d5 23 cxdS QxdS
24 Rfi
A bewildered spectator saw this position
and wondered how White managed to get his
queen rook from al to h3 in 24 moves.
183
24 ... Nf6 25 Rh4 Rac8 26 Rf4 Nxe4
27 fxe4 Qd6 28 Be3 Rxf4 29 Rxf4 Rc3
30 Bc4! bS 31 Bb3 as 32 Qd2 Qb4 33 dS!
a4
Leading to a thrilling pawn race. Both
players will promote with check but only one
will mate in the four-queen finale.
After
.H ... a4
Lein-Benjamin, 1986
34 d6! axb3 35 d7 b2 36 d8(Q)+ Kh7
37 Rf7! bl(Q)+ 38 Kf2 Qlxe4 39 Rxg7+!
KXg7 40 Q2d7+ and Black resigns
Benjamin finished a point behind 5eira-
wan and clearly had a future in the champion-
ship. 50 did Nick deFirmian - despite finish-
ing dead last in 1986. Who would guess they
would share the same prize in 1987?
1987: Three for the Future
The championship had become comfort-
able, like a holiday-time family gathering.
Each year a group of 12 to 16 players, most of
them friendly veterans of half a dozen previ-
ous championships, would gather in a famil-
iar setting to swap ideas and test each other's
skill. In 1987 this meant another trip 7,500
feet above sea level to Estes Park and the Stan-
ley Hotel for a solid group of familiar faces. In
fact, 11 of the 14 invitees who began play
November 2 had competed there the previous
November. Also on hand each year was sure
to be Craig Crenshaw, the tournament's No.1
fan. Crenshaw, a retired chess enthusiast,
184 The United States Chess Championship
visited each playing site, from Greenville, Pa.
to Los Angeles, to savor the games and donate
cash prizes such as for Best Swindle and Best
Draw. One of the very few new things about
the 1987 tournament was the addition of
debutant Boris Gulko. But even that, the ar-
rival of another ex-Soviet grandmaster, had
become by then a comfortable U.S. champi-
onship tradition.
Yet 1987 distinguished itself from previ-
ous tournaments because it was the year in
which three of America's newest GMs - Joel
Benjamin, Nick deFirmian and John Fe-
dorowicz - broke out of the pack.
DeFirmian, a 30-year-old former physics
graduate of U.C.-Berkeley, was the senior
member of the trio. An all-or-nothing tacti-
cian, he was capable of finishing second (1984)-
or last (1986) - depending on how sharply and
accurately he was calculating or how much
time pressure he had gotten into. In 1987 he
could have gone either way depending on what
happened in games like this:
B82 Sicilian Defense
white deFirmian, black Rohde
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6
5 Nc3 e6 6 f4 a6 7 Bd3 Be7 8 0-0 0-0
9 Khl Nbd7 10 Qf3 Qb6 11 Nde2 Qc7
12 b4! b6 13 Bb2 Bb7 14 Qh3 d5?! 15 e5
Ne4 16 Ng3 Nxg3+ 17 hxg3!
White's assault on h7 quickly turns the
game his favor.
17 ... g6 18 a3 b5 19 fS! eXfS 20 RxfS d4
21 Qh6!
Of course, not 20 ... gxf5 21 Qxf5 and
Qxh7+-or mate. To meet the new threat of
22 Rh5 Black must clear f8 for a knight. But
as both sides get into deeper time trouble:
21 ... Bg5? 22 RxgS dxc3 23 Rh5! Rfe8
24 Qxh7+ Kf8 25 Qh6+ Ke7 26 Qg5+ Ke6
27 Qg4+ Ke7 28 Qg5+ Ke6 29 Bxg6!
With barely a minute to reach time con-
trol at move 40, deFirmian finds the only win-
ning idea.
29 ... Nxe5 30 Bf5+ Kd6 31 Rdl + BdS
32 Rh6+? Re6 33 Bxe6 fxe6 34 Bel KeG
35 Bf4 Nf7 36 Qxd5+
After 36 Qxd5+
deFirmian-Rohde,1987
Here Black played the remarkable move
36 ... exd5! and White's flag immediately fell.
The tournament director, Dick Gardner, rec-
ognized that Rohde shouldn't be rewarded for
making an illegal move. But he gave deFir-
mian only a few extra seconds as compensa-
tion. So, as soon as play resumed - with in-
stantaneous 36 ... Kb6 37 Be3+- White's
flag fell again and an angry new dispute arose.
Gardner decided to give White more time,
Rohde heatedly appealed and the matter was
left overnight with the players committee. For-
tunately, Rohde withdrew his protest and re-
signed the next day, and the breach in good
will among members of the championship
family was smoothed over.
DeFirmian got off to a good start for
once, while other potential contenders for first
place were floundering. Maxim Dlugy, who
many predicted would be champion by 1987,
couldn't break out of the cycle that saw him
draw his first nine rounds. And that, at least
was better than Larry Christiansen. The for-
mer Californian, who was increasingly com-
mitted to tournaments abroad, arrived in Col-
orado two days late and promptly lost his first
three games.
Another slow starter was Joel Benjamin.
In contrast with deFirmian, who didn't play his
 Champions Galore {1986-1991}
first tournament game until he was 15, Ben-
jamin had been winning scholastic tides since
the mid-1970s. Now 23, he had just earned
the International Grandmaster title and Frank
Samford Fellowship, an annual stipend worth
more than $25,000 that allowed young pro-
fessionals to see how good they could become.
Benjamin didn't win a game in the 1987
tournament until positionally crushing a fel-
low Brooklynite, Dimitry Gurevich, in the
fifth round. His friend and Bronx-born rival,
John Fedorowicz, had also just earned the GM
title and also began the championship roughly,
losing to Gurevich in the first round. But wins
over Rohde and Kudrin lifted the 29-year-old
"Fed" into an eight-way tic for second place
by Round Six.
Still, first place belonged to Vasser Seira-
wan and it seemed inevitable the Seattle GM
would repeat as champion after beating Fe-
dorowicz and Gurevich in the next two rounds.
At that point he held a one-point lead over the
field and had a somewhat easy schedule left as
the tournament headed into its final week.
But as White against Jay Whitehead-
who once finished ahead of Gary Kasparov in
a World Cadet (under 18) Championship-
Seirawan encountered bitter resistance, which
ended only with a stalemate in a king-and-
pawn endgame at move 86. He remained plus-
three, a score good enough to win most cham-
pionships, particularly if a mood of peace and
GM draws broke out as it so often did.
But for once the level of compctitiveness
rose rather than fell in the final four rounds:
Only eight draws were recorded of the 28
games. The chief victim of this fighting spirit
was Seirawan (see diagram).
Having made the best of a bad opening
in this Round 11 game, White should have se-
cured his position with solid moves like
38 Rlc2, preparing Be2 and g3-g4, or 38 Kg2.
38 NcS? Rxc3 39 Rxc3 BxfS!
Seirawan wrotc in his new magazine, In-
side Chess, that when a strong opponent makes
such a capture, you know you've blundered.
But that should have told him he didn't dare
185
After
37 ... Ra3
Seirawan-Benjamin, 1987
capture on f5, certainly not on the final move
of time-trouble. His last chance now was
40 Rb3 or 40 Qf4.
40 QxfS?? Qxg3+ 41 Khl Rb2 and (here,
suddenly realizing that 42 Qf4 covers one mate
but allows another, 42 ... Rh2) White re-
signs
In the 12th and next-to-last round,
Rohde delivered the coup de grace and elim-
inated Seirawan from contention with a
sacrificial attack that helped earn the New Jer-
seyan a $150 Crenshaw prize for Best Come-
back in the tournament's second half. Replac-
ing Seirawan was deFirmian, who moved into
first place with a relatively effortless win over
Whitehead. "The Fed" moved closer to con-
tention after a 29-move win over Dlugy. The
other key game pitted Benjamin and Boris
Gulko, playing in his first championship.
Gulko's wife, Anna Akhsharumova, was win-
ning the U.S. women's championship, also
being played at the Stanley Hotel, with a Fis-
cher-like 9-0 score. The couple seemed to be
in excellent position to become the first hus-
band-and-wife U.S. champions - until Gulko
lost a 66-move queen endgame to Benjamin.
The final day began with deFirmian and
Benjamin tied with 71;2 points and Fedorow-
icz, Michael Wilder and Gulko a half point
back. The first game to end was deFir-
mian-Wilder, a 28-move draw that left both
players free to begin drinking champagne at
the hotel bar. Benjamin joined deFirmian in
first place after a strangely quiet positional
186 The United States Chess Championship

33rd U.S. Championship, Estes Park, Colorado, Nov. 2-18, 1987

Totals
B D F W S D G C R B KWKG WD L Points

1-2. Benjamin X ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 3 10 0 8-5

1-2. deFirmian ~ X Y2 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 1 ~ ~ 1 ~ 3 10 0 8-5
3-6. Fedorowicz ~ ~ X ~ 0 ~ ~ 1 ~ ~ 0 4 7 2 7~-5~
3-6. Wilder ~ ~ ~ X ~ ~ Y2 0 0 ~ 4 7 2 7~-5~
3-6. Seirawan 0 ~ Y2 X Y:z Y2 0 0 ~ 5 5 3 7Y2-5~
3-6. Dlugy Y:z Y:z 0 Y:z Y2 X Y2 Y2 Y:z Y2 Y2 3 9 7Y2-5Y:z
7. Gulko 0 Y:z ~ ~ Y:z Y:z X Y2 0 Y2 Y:z 3 8 2 7-6
8-9. Christiansen Y:z Y2 ~ 0 0 Y:z ~ X 0 1 0 1 4 5 4 6Y2-6Y:z
8-9. Rohde ~ 0 0 1 1 ~ 1 X 0 0 Y:z 0 5 3 5 6Y:z-6Y:z
10. Browne ~ ~ Y:z 1 1 0 Y:z 0 X Y:z 0 Y:z 0 3 6 4 6-7
11. Kudrin Y:z ~ 0 0 0 ~ Y:z 1 ~ X 0 Y:z Y:z 2 7 4 5~-7Y:z
12. Whitehead ~ 0 Y:z 0 Y:z Y2 0 0 0 1 1 X 0 3 4 6 5-7
13. Kogan ~ ~ 0 0 0 0 0 0 ~ ~ Y:z 1 X 1 2 5 6 4Y:z-8~
14. Gurevich 0 0 1 ~ 0 0 0 0 1 ~ 0 0 X 3 2 8 4-9

struggle with Christiansen that ended in a 41-

move draw.
All eyes were now on Fedorowicz-Browne.
The two players, who shared a similar posi-
tional style, remained on good terms despite
After
a falling out when "Fed" served as Browne's 59 ... Qxd5
second - and was fired by him at a 1985 in-
terzonal. In this, the most important game
they'd played with one another, Feodorowicz
quickly obtained an edge in a Nimzo-Indian
Defense and Browne got into his customary
battle with the clock {six minutes for 16 Fedorowicz-Browne, 1987
moves}. But in trying to exploit his opponent's
time trouble, the younger man reacted too And not 61 ... Kh5? 62 Nf4+! gxf4
swiftly and reached move 60 in a highly dou- 63 Qh8+ Kg4 64 Rg6+ Kf3 65 Qhl+ and
ble-edged and no longer favorable position {see mate in two.
diagram}.
62 Qc8! Rxe3
60 Kel! Rd3!
Black could have set a final trap with
Both players find the best. On 60 ... Ra2? 62 ... Kh5!? because 63 Qxe6?? Rdl+ 64 Kf2
White answers with 61 Rdl! Qe6 62 Qc7- Qd2 wins for Black. But 63 RXe6! Rdl+
and shares first prize in a three-way tie because 64 Kf2 Qd2 allows a perpetual check after
of his decisive threats. 65 Qe8+ Kg4 66 Rxe4+.

61 Rb6+ Be6 63 Qxe6+ Qxe6 64 Rxe6+ KhS 65 ReS Kg4

 Champions Galore (1986-1991) 187

66 RXaS f4 67 gxf4 gxf4 68 ReS f3 B07 Ufimtscv Defense

69 Re2 Ra3 70 Re8 drawn white deFirmian, black Miles

Black can still play on with 70 ... e3 1 e4 d6 2 d4 Nf6 3 Nc3 e6 4 f4 QaS S Bd3
(71 Rg8+? Kh4 72 RhS+ Kg5 73 Rg8+ Kh6 eS 6 Nf3 Bg4 7 dxeS dxeS 8 fxeS Nfd7
74 ReS Ra2! 75 Ncl Rg2! and wins). But 9 Bf4 Bb4
White draws comfortably with 71 Rc4+ Kh3
and knight checks at gl and e2. This odd opening was in vogue in 1987.
So only two members of the champion- If Black can recapture on e5 safely he will have
ship family's younger generation - Benjamin good control of the dark squares. But 9 ...
and deFirmian - would share the title in the Ba3!? may have been better than his last move.
next year. And the tournament wouldn't be in-
vited back to Estes Park. After the final night 10 0-0 0-0 11 NdS! Be5+
of partying someone trashed a hotel room as
if they were a rock star, even damaging wooden
banisters. Sometimes even family member
wear our their welcome.

After
1988: The Missing 11 ... Bc5+
Marshall Mystique

With Estes Park no longer available, the

34th championship had to find a new horne.
The answer the user came up with was nos-
talgic: Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania, the deFirmian-Miles, 1988
site of Frank Marshall's greatest triumph, 84
years before. Black didn't like the looks of White's cen-
BUI unlike Marshall's runaway rour, this ter after 11 ... cxd5 12 exd5 (12 ... Qxd5??
tournament turned out to be the closest U.S. 13 Bxh7 +) so he repositions his bishop - and
championship ever. Only two and half points offered a draw,
separated first place from last. And for the first
time since 1980 no one went undefeated. Bur 12 Khl Bd4? 13 e6! fxe6 14 Be7
Marshall's fighting spirit seemed limited to
two players: Of the 32 decisive games, Lev Al- No draw. Black is lost because of a vul-
hurt and Sergey Kudrin figured in exactly half nerable eighth rank.
of them. And their reward was to finish ncar
the bottom of the scoretable.
14 ... Qa4 IS Ne7+ Kh8 16 NgS! hS
The other 10 players seemed to know one
another too well. Like the Evans-Bisguier-
Benko-Byrne generation of the 1950s and '60s, Naturally, 16 ... Bxdl loses to 17 Rxf8+
the 19S0s generation had been meeting one an- and 18 Nfl mate.
ot her regularly for years. They could look at the
blank scoretable before play began on Oct. 1 17 Rxf8+ NxfB 18 Qf1 Nbd7 19 Qf7 Nf6
and recognize which of their games might be 20 e5! and Black resigns
decisive and which would mean rest days.
This was illustrated by the tournament's After this the other players had some fun
inside joke. It began after this second-round with these moves on the days they decided not
sensation: to play chess. For example:
188 The United States Chess Championship

B07 Irregular Defense

white Benjamin, black Fcdorowicz

1 c3 eS 2 d3 dS 3 Qc2 Ne6 4 Nf3 fS S Qa4

Bd6 6 e4 Nf6 7 Bg5 fxe4 8 dxe4 dxe4
9 Nfd2 Bf5 10 BbS 0-0 11 0-0 Nd4 After 21 Nxb7

If you're bewildered by all this, rum the

board around. It's the same position as deFir-
mian-Miles but with colors reversed. The joke
ended with:
Alburt- Wilder. 1988
12 cxd4 cxd4 13 Qb3+ drawn
21 •.. Ng4 22 h3 Nxf2! 23 Kxf2 BxcS+
Since draws were the order of the day, the
24 Nxc5 Qxc5+ 25 KfI Bb5+ 26 NxbS
tournament was virtually over by the fifth
round. In fact, it could be argued that the fate
There was clearly nothing better.
of first prize was decided when Patrick Wolff,
U.S. Junior Champion, passed up his invita-
26 ... Qxc2 27 Bxa8 Qd3+ and White re-
tion and was replaced by Michael Wilder. The
signs
26-year-old Wilder had been living in Paris
and experiencing life as a professional player-
Wilder shared first place with someone
but had already decided to return to school
else for most of the remaining rounds but his
and study law when his late invitation to Cam-
rivals always managed to self-destruct. First it
bridge Springs arrived.
was Seirawan, who achieved a winning posi-
Wilder concentrated his energies in the
tion against deFirmian straight out of the
tournament's first half when he mauled deFir-
opening in the sixth round, then was com-
mian and Kudrin, lost to Gulko and won the
pletely outplayed when his opponent got into
only decisive game of the first round:
time trouble. This enahlcd Wilder to occupy
sole first place by simulating the deFirmian-
Ell Bogo-Indian Defense
Miles joke game against Benjamin.
white Alburt, black Wilder
Then Gulko made his bid. The tourna-
ment's No.2-rated player overcame a disap-
1 d4 Nf6 2 e4 e6 3 g3 Bb4+ 4 Bd2 as
pointing debut in the 33rd championship and
S Bg2 d6 6 Nf3 Nbd7 70-0 eS 8 BgS exd4
would become a leading contender for first
9 Nxd4 0-0 10 Qc2 h6 11 Bf4 NeS 12 Rdl
prize for several years to come. At Cambridge
Ng6 13 Bd2 Re8 14 Nc3 Qe7 15 a3
Springs he defeated Fedorowicz in overpow-
A bad plan is supposed to be better than ering style in Round Seven and then drew with
no plan but Alburt now becomes obsessed Victor Frias, a former Chilean who had be-
with a very bad one, the capture of the a-pawn. come the first Hispanic (0 play in a U.S. cham-
He leaves his kingside with one defensive pionship, and Alburt. But the next day he fell
piece. to Kudrin, who played one of his finest end-
mgs.
15 ... BcS 16 Nb3 Bb6 17 Na4? Ba7 18 cS And Wilder? He sailed into the final
Bd7! 19 NXaS Qxc2 20 Nc3 QhS 21 Nxb7 round with a half-point lead because of an-
(see diagram) other 12-move draw it la deFirmian-Miles, this
time against another close friend, Fedorowicz.
This retains White's extra pawn and tries Wilder made no effort to win on the final day
vainly to keep the a7-g1 diagonal closed. against Frias. He was willing to share the title
 Champions Galore (1986-1991)
with any of three players who could catch him-
Gulko, Seirawan, or deFirmian.
But Gulko made no effort either and
drew in 17 moves as Black against Miles.
Seirawan tried to outmaneuver Dlugy but rec-
ognized on the 54th move he was getting no-
where and offered a draw. Everything then de-
pended on deFirmian, who had White against
Alburt and knew he could count on another
Alekhine's Defense. He began well.
B01 Alekhine's Defense
white deFirmian, black Alburt
1 e4 Nf6 2 eS NdS 3 d4 d6 4 Nf3 g6 5 Be4
Nb6 6 Bb3 Bg7 7 a4!? dS 8 as Ne4
9 Nbd2 b5?! 10 axb6 Nxb6 11 0-0 0-0
12 ReI e6 13 Nfl! h6
White has won the opening battle and
now begins a very promising kingside attack.
11 Nd Kh7 15 Ng4 Rh8!? 16 Bd Ne6
17 Qd2 Qf8 18 Ra3! Ne7 19 Nf6+ Bxf6
20 exf6 NfS 21 Bf4 Nd6 22 Qc1 Nd7
23 Be5 Ne4 24 Bxe7 Nexf6 25 Ba4 a6
26 Bxd7 Nxd7 27 Ne5 f6 28 Rf3 Qe7
Here 29 NeG was suggested as an im-
provement, to be followed by c2-c4. Chances
become double-edged as the players hit time
control.
29 Ng4? g5! 30 Ne3 Qg7 31 e4 dxc4
32 Qxe4 Bb7 33 d5 Rae8! 34 Rh3 Ne5
35 Qe2+ Qg6 36 Qxg6+ Kxg6 37 Bxe5
fxeS 38 dxe6 h5 39 g4 h4 40 NfS Re4!
After
40 ... Rc4
deFirmian-Alburt, 1988
189
Black's position has magically improved
and he has all the chances now. For deFirmian,
no longer counting on a share of first place, a
loss would drop him down to an even score.
41 f3 Kf6 42 Nd6 Rb4 43 Nfl Re8 44 Rxe5
Rxb2 45 Rf5+ Ke7 46 ReS Kf6 47 Rf5+
Ke7 48 ReS as! 49 RXa5 Re8 50 Ral Rec2
51 Nxg5 Rg2+ 52 Khi Rxg4 53 Rgi Rf4
54 ReI Rb5
By now deFirmian was desperately try-
ing to reach the second control without for-
feiting. His imprisoned h3-rook dooms sur-
vival chances.
55 Ne4 ReS 56 Kg2 Rxe6 57 Re2 Kf8
58 Nc3 Rg6+ 59 Kf2 Rgf6 60 Ke3 Re4!
61 Kd3 Rb4 62 Ne4 Ba6+ 63 Ke3 BXe2
64 Kxe2 Rf4 65 Nf2 Rb3 66 Nd3 Ra4
67 f4 Ra2+ 68 KdI Rb1+ 69 Nc1 Rf2
70 Rc3 Rxh2 and White resigns
Four years earlier deFirmian scored plus-
five and only finished second. This time
Michael Wilder took clear first prize with plus-
two. It was all-in-all an extraordinary tourna-
ment.
1989: In Search ofMaecenas
As the world's grandmasters made their
fumbling attempts in the late 1980s and early
'90s to seize control of international chess-
through the Grandmasters Association and
later the Professional Chess Association - they
learned the unhappy truth that organizers well
knew: It's hard finding sponsorship for chess.
FIDE had succeeded in sharply escalating
the prize fund for its triennial world champi-
onship match into the millions of dollars. But
what the world federation couldn't do is find
a sponsor willing to make a long-term com-
mitment. No one, it seemed, was willing to
finance two title matches.
The USCF faced the same problem. The
u.s. championship could be run for less than
$100,000. But it was an annual event and the
190 The United States Chess Championship

34th u.s. Championship, Cambridge Springs, Penn., Oct. 1-17, 1988

Totals
W S G B R 0 Fr Fe D K A M W D L Points

1. Wilder x ~ 0 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 3 7 6Y2-4Y2
2-3. Seirawan ~ X ~ ~ 0 0 ~ ~ ~ 362 6-5
2-3. Gulko 1 ~ X ~ ~ ~ ~ 1 ~ 0 ~ ~ 281 6-S
4-10. Benjamin ~ ~ ~ X 1 0 ~ ~ 0 0 1 353 S~-S~
4-10. Rohde ~ ~ 0 X ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 0 272 S~-S~
4-10. deFirmian o 1 ~ ~ X ~ ~ 0 ~ 0 353 5~-S~
4-10. Frias ~ 0 ~ ~ ~ ~ X ~ ~ 0 272 S~-S~
4-10. Fedorowicz ~ ~ 0 ~ ~ ~ ~ X 1 0 ~ 272 S~-S~
4-10. Dlugy ~ ~ ~ ~ 1 ~ 0 X I 0 0 3 5 3 5~-S~
4-10. Kudrin 00 1~~ 1 OXO~ 434 S~-S~

11. Alburt o 0 ~ 0 1 100 1 X ~ 425 5-6

12. Miles ~ ~ ~ 0 0 0 0 ~ ~ ~ X 6 4 4-7

federation was frustrated in finding a new
sponsor each year. It needed another Lessing
Rosenwald, a Maecenas-like patron who would
pick up at least part of the championship prize
fund from year to year.
To the rescue came Les Crane, a former
television talk show host best known for a dis-
astrous 1964 attempt to beat Johnnie Carson in
the high-stakes ratings game. By the 1980s
Crane had moved into the booming computer
business and his Sherman Oaks-based com-
pany, Software Toolworks, was one of the in-
dustry's many success stories. Crane, an avid
chess fan, had contributed $10,000 to the
Cambridge Springs tournament and picked up
a major chunk of the 3 Sth championship, held
in November 1989 in Long Beach, Calif.
Making their first appearance this year
were two more Russian emigres and both named
Ivanov, Alexander and Igor. They were famil-
iar figures in the large, big-bucks open events
but lacked the solidity needed to win the
championship. Most fans expected even less of
20-year-old Stuart Rachels, a long-time stu-
dent of Boris Kogan's from Alabama who also
earned an invitation to Long Beach as the new
U.S. Junior Champion.
But there was considerable curiosity-
and controversy - about the return of Tony
Miles. The globe-trotting English GM had
been playing in major u.s. Swisses for the last
few years and decided to make a break with
his homeland after feuding with British chess
figures. But what a player without a permanent
U.S. address was doing in the U.S. champi-
onship was something of a mystery.
In the early rounds the big story was
Rachels, who more than held his own against
the GMs. He ground down Dimitry Gurevich
in an even 100 moves in the fourth round and
surprised Browne in the second.
B85 Sicilian Defense
white Rachels, black Browne
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 exd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6
5 Nc3 a6 6 a4 e6 7 Be2 Be7 80-00-0 9 f4
Qe7 10 Khl Ne6 11 Be3 Re8 12 Bf3 Bd7
13 Nb3 b6 14 g4! Be8 15 g5 Nd7 16 Bg2
Rb8 17 Qh5 g6 18 Qh3 Nb4 19 f5 Ne5
20 Nd4 exfS 21 exfS Bb7 22 Ne4! Bxe4
23 Bxe4 BiB?
Now was the time for 23 ... dS followed
by ... BcS. Browne, more comfortable in the
sharper lines of the NajdorfVariation than the
Scheveningen, is soon on the verge of trouble.
 Champions Galore (1986-1991) 191

24 Rael dS 25 Bg2 Bd6 26 c3 Nbd3 White has a slight pull and chooses to
27 Re2!? Qe4 28 Bgl Rbd8 29 Re2 Qxa4? spend it on a kings ide attack.

One mistake is often fatal in a Sicilian 12 ... Qb6 13 a4 Qe5 14 f4 Bd7 15 b3 Ne6
and this is Browne's second. With 29 ... Bb8! 16 Rb2!? Rab8 17 g4 5! IS eXfS eXfS 19 g5
and ... Qc7 he might even have the edge. His Nb4 20 Re2 RfeS 21 Rfel d5 22 RXe8+
flag was almost on the tilt by now. Rxe8 23 RXe8+ BXeS 24 Qe2 Bfl 25 Ba3
dxc4 26 bxc4 b6
30 BxdS BeS 31 fxg6! hxg6 32 Bxfl+!
Nxfl 33 Qxd3 NeS 34 Qe4 Qe4 35 Rf6
Qd5 36 QxdS+ RxdS 37 Re2 and as he
played 37 ... as Black forfeits. But 37 ... Rf8
38 Rxf8+ and 39 Ne6+ was lost.

In fact, Browne lost his first four rounds, Mter

while Rachels shared first place with Fe- 26 ... b6
dorowicz, Gulko and the veteran that the Los
Angeles Times slightly misdescribed as "a
baggy-eyed 45-year-old Russian gambler"-
Roman Dzhindzhikashvili.
Benjamin made it a five-way tie for the
Benjamin-Dlugy, 1989
lead in the sixth round as caution began to
rule. First prize would be nice but many of the
White still holds a minor advantage
invitees would have been content to finish
because of Black's weak pawns at d4 and b6.
fourth, since this was a zonal year and four
It's hard to imagine that d-pawn will queen
tickets to the 1990 Interzonal in Manila were
shortly.
at stake. This meant a score of plus-3 would
probably be good enough, so the leaders began
27 Kfl?! BfS 28 Bb2? Nxd3! 29 Bd5
to make judicious draws as the tournament
headed into the middle rounds. Dzhindy, for
Of course, 29 Qxd3 is met by 29
example, took only nine moves before shaking
Bxc4. White desperately complicates.
hands with Dlugy even though he held the
White pieces.
29 ... Bxd5 30 exd5 Nxb2 31 Qe6+ KhS
Bur the bear-like Georgian regained his
32 Qe5+ Bg7 33 Qe8+ QfS 34 Qe6 d3
aggression in the seventh round when he
35 Nd6 d2 36 Nfl+ Qfl! 37 Qxfl dl(Qh
jumped into the lead by beating Fedorowicz.
and White resigns
Benjamin joined him by knocking off Alburt.
They remained atop the scoretable for the next
At this point the tournament took an un-
three days as several more draws ensued. Then,
precedented holiday - a four-day rest while
in Round 10, the surprising Rachels joined the
the Thanksgiving Weekend American Open,
leaders with a brutal mating attack against
also sponsored by Software Toolworks, could
Sergey Kudrin. The following day saw another
be held in Long Beach. Ten of the champi-
crucial game:
onship players took part and three of them,
A36 English Opening Browne, deFirmian and Dlugy, shared first
white Benjamin, black Dlugy place with Larry Christiansen, who had de-
clined his invitation to the championship, and
lc4e5 2g3g6 3 Bg2Bg7 4Nc3Nc6 Sa3 America's newest star, I5-year-old Gata Kam-
e6 6 RbI as 7 e4 Nge7 8 Nge2 d6 9 d3 0- sky.
o 10 0-0 Nd4 11 Nxd4 exd4 12 NbS When the championship resumed, the
 35th U.S. Championship, Long Beach, Calif., Nov. 9-Dec. 3, 1989

Totals
DRS G B D M D F R K B A G W D L Points

1-3. Dzhindzhikashvili x 1;2 1;2 Vz liz Vz Vz liz Yz Vz Yz Vz 4 11 o 9Vz-5Vz

1-3. Rachels V2XVZVZVz Vz V2 Yz Yz Vz V2 Yz 4 11 o 9Vz-5Yz
1-3. Seirawan VzVzX 0 Vz V2 Vz V2 Vz 'h Vz 5 9 9Yz-5Y2
4. Gulko V2 Vz X 1 Vz Yz Yz 0 1/2 V2 Y2 liz Y2 4 10 1 9-6
5-7. Benjamin VzVzVz 0 X V2 o o Vz Y2 Vz 5 7 3 8Yz-6Vz
5-7. deFirmian V2VZVZ 0 Vz X Vz Vz 'h 0 Yz Yz 4 9 2 8Yz-6Yz
5-7. Miles Vz V2 V2 V2 Vz X Yz 0 1 Yz o o 5 7 3 8Vz-6V2
8-9. Dlugy VzVz 0 Vz Vz Yz X Vz Yz o Vz Vz Y2 1 3 10 2 8-7
8-9. Fedorowicz o VZV2VZVZ Vz 1 Vz X Yz o 1 V2 o 4 8 3 8-7
10. Rohde VzVzVz 0 o Yz Vz X 1 o Vz Vz o 4 7 4 7Vz-7V2
11. Kudrin Vz 00 Vz11z Vz o 1 0 X Vz 'h Vz liz 3 8 4 7-8
12. A. Ivanov VzVz 0 Vz Vz liz V2 000 Vz X 1 Yz Vz 2 9 4 6Vz-8Vz
13. Browne o 0 01;20 o 1/2 0 1;2 0 X 1 1/2 4 4 7 6-9
14. I. Ivanov o 0 0 Vz 0 o liz 0 Yz Vz 0 o X 1 1 3 4 8 5-10
15-16. Alburt o VzVz 00 o o liz Yz V2 o Yz Yz o X 1 1 7 7 4Vz-I0Vz
15-16. D. Gurevich Vz 0 'hV2 0 o o o liz Yz o o o X 2 5 8 4Yz-IOVz
 Champions Galore (1986-1991)
standings shuffled as Dzhindzhikashvili and
Rachels beat Igor Ivanov in successive rounds
and took a half point lead ahead of Boris
Gulko, their nearest rival. When Rachels ac-
cepted Gulko's draw offer in the 14th - and
next-to-Iast - round that half point gave the
psychology major from Alabama the Interna-
tional Master title and an assured place in the
1990 Manila InterzonaL
But there was still the matter of a $7000
first prize to resolve. Even a two-way tie meant
$5750 apiece - or about what Scirawan earned
(in dimes!) at the 1986 championship. Going
into the final round Rachel and Dzhindzhi-
kashvili led with 9 points, followed by Seirawan
and Gulko at 8Y2 and a mess of others in con-
tention for the final Interzonal spots because
Seirawan and Gulko were already seeded into it.
Rachels played it safe, drawing in 11
moves with Michael Rohde and making a bit
of history in the process: Not since 1973 had
the lowest rated player in a championship
ended it in first place. Dzhindy, a true "money
player," appraised the situation while strug-
gling through a King's Indian Reversed with
Alexander Ivanov and realized the difference
between a draw and a win could be from
$1,000 to $3,000. But the difference between
a win and a loss - which could drop him into
a tie for third or fourth - would probably be
at least $4,000. So he tried to win for 31 moves
before conceding a draw.
The key games remaining were Seirawan-
Dlugy and Fedorowicz-Gulko. The latter had
the most at stake, first place for Gulko or a
trip to his first Interzonal for Fedorowicz. But
they both finished disappointed after a 69-
move draw. That left one significant game. A
year before Seirawan tried hard but failed to
overcome Max Dlugy's determined defense.
This time was different:
A36 English Opening
white Seirawan, black Dlugy
lc4c5 2g3g6 3 Bg2Bg7 4Nc3Nc6 5a3
b6 6 Nf3 Bb7 70-0 Nf6 8 RbI 0-0 9 b4
Nd4 10 bxc5!? Bxf3 11 exf3 bxc5 12 Qa4
Qc7? 13 d3 Rab8 14 Be3 Rb6
193
This is how many modern GMs play
when they need a win - not sacrificing pieces
in a King's Gambit but busting up their pawns
in an English Opening. White allows his op-
ponent a terrific outpost at d4 then proceeds
to attack it in order to reach a superior end-
ing. Dlugy, needing only a draw to reach the
Interzonal, may have expected a drawish end-
ing after Be3Xd4 but ...
15 Nb5! Nxb5 16 Rxb5 RxbS 17 Qxb5 d6
18 RbI Nd7 19 Qb7 Rc8 20 Qxc7 Rxc7
21 Bd2 Nb6?
5eirawan said after the game this is when
he knew he would tie for first place. Now 22 a4
NXa4? 23 Rb8+ Bf8 24 Bh6 mates.
22 a4! e6 23 a5 Nd7 24 f4 a6 25 Bb7! Nb8
26 Rb6 BfS 27 Bxa6 Nxa6 28 Rxa6 Rb7
29 Rb6 Ra7 30 a6 Ra8 31 Kfl d5 32 Ke2
Bg7 33 Be3 d4 34 Bel Bf8 35 Kdl Kg7
36 g4 Kf6 37 f3 Ke7 38 Rb7+ Kd6 39 a7
Be7 40 Ba3 and Black resigns
50 it was a three-way tie, the first since
1983 and the third in nine years. "Going in, I
was mainly concerned with not finishing last,"
Rachels told Imide Chess. As Nick deFirmian,
who finished last in 1986 and first in 1987
could tell him, first is definitely better.
1990: A Noble Revival
After a lapse of 133 years - since Paul
Morphy's triumph in the First American Chess
Congress of1857 -the national championship
was held on a knock-out basis as an experi-
ment in 1990. And many fans as well as some
players wondered why.
Part of the reason was that the round
robin format had become stale. In some years
the battle for first prize in the championship
was virtually decided with two or three rounds
to go. And in every tournament there came a
point in the final week when half the contes-
tants realized they had no chance for a prize.
Many of the also-rans than spent the final days
194 The United States Chess Championship
going through the motions to reach move 20
and offer a draw.
In fact, during the cautious 35th cham-
pionship more than 55 percent of the games
were drawn. While this was far from setting a
record, what was distressing was the shortness
of some of the "snuggles." Three of the 1989
games ended in 12 moves or less, 13 were over
by move 15, and 19 were done by move 20.
The format chosen by the USCF for the
36th championship, in Jacksonville, Fla., called
for the 16 invitees to be paired according to
rating, No.1 versus No. 16, then No.2 against
No. 15, and so on. They would play two games
apiece and the eight winners would then ad-
vance to the next round, from which four sur-
vivors would emerge. Finally, a best-of-four
game finals between the last two survivors
would determine who went home with the
$10,000 first prize.
This meant that in every game something
was at stake. Bur it also meant that players who
were used to two weeks of tough competition
could be eliminated in two days. As compen-
sation, those ousted early on could enter the
U.S. Open which was being held concurrenrly
that August at the LAX Marriott Hotel in Los
Angeles.
The players quickly recognized that the
easiest way to win a two-game match was to
play for a draw with Black and a win with
White. In the opening round, this tried-and-
true policy enabled Nick deFirmian and Stu-
art Rachels to advance (beating tournament
newcomers Alex Sherzer and Michael Brooks).
On the other hand, losing with White would
be disastrous, as Yasser Seirawan found when
he was neatly outmaneuvered by Lev Albuft in
a 49-move Queen's Pawn Game. That gave
Alburt "draw-odds" in the second game and
meant Seirawan had to take uncharacteristic
risks - with fatal results.
By the second round, the players were re-
minded of another reason why the knockout
system died out with Morphy: tie matches. In
the 19th century, when draws were relatively
rare, this wasn't that great a problem. But in
1990 it certainly was. To break ties, each pair
of players was forced into a two-game playoff
in which they had only 30 minutes per game.
And if, after that, they were still tied, as in the
Boris Gulko-Roman Dzhindzhikashvili
match, they moved on to 15-minute games.
Dzhindy, then residing in Astoria, Queens,
where Herman Steiner once lived before mov-
ing to Los Angeles, won nicely in 64 moves.
In the same quaner-final round, it took Albun
three IS-minute games before he eliminated
the new U.S. Chess Federation president.
A42 Modern Defense
white Dlugy, black Alburt
1 d4 g6 2 c4 Bg7 3 Nc3 d6 4 e4 e5 5 d5
f5 6 exf5 gxf5 7 Nf3 Nf6 8 Be2 0-0 90-0
as 10 Nh4 f4 11 g3 Bh3 12 ReI Nbd7
13 Bft Bg4
After six draws, at three different time
controls, Maxim Dlugy is understandably un-
willing to give up another White by playing
14 Be2 Bh3 15 Bfl. But. ..
14 f3?! Bh5 15 g4? NXg4! 16 fxg4 Qxh4
17 gxh5 f3!
Black, who threatens lR ... f2+ and
... Nf6-g4, has an overwhelming attack.
18 Rc4!? Qxh5 19 Bd Nf6 20 Khl Nxe4
21 Nxe4 Bh6 22 Qd2 Bf4 23 Bd3 Kh8
24 Rfl Bxe3 25 Qxe3 Rf4
Mter
25 ... Rf4
Dlugy-Alburt, 1990
Now 26 RgI RafS 27 Nf2 Rh4 is hope-
less.
 Champions Galore (1986-1991)
26 cS Rg8 27 Nd2 Rg2 28 Nxf3 Rxf3!
and White resigns
This advanced Alburt to the semi-finals
to face deFirmian while Dzhindy had his
hands full with Christiansen. The latter spent
most of his time in Germany where he was a
well-paid member of a team in the Bundesliga
championship, and only returning to the U.S.
for an occasional big event. In the semifinals
Christiansen guaranteed himself at least $5,000
by the now-familiar strategy: trading down
with the Black pieces to draw in 32 moves in
the first game, then squeezing with the White
pieces in a Sicilian Dragon until Dzhind-
zhikashvili succumbed on move 52.
It took Alburt 107 moves spread over two
games to join Christiansen in the finals, as he
outplayed deFirmian on the White side of a
Modern Benoni Defense then drew an ex-
change down in a Pirc Defense. Christiansen,
who had eliminated three former champi-
ons - Walter Browne, Joel Benjamin, and
Dzhindzhikaslwili - was rated a clear favorite
over Alburt. Whar happened, as Seirawan put
it, was "a shocking rout."
B04 Alekhine's Defense
white Christiansen, black Alburt
1 e4 Nf6 2 eS NdS 3 d4 d6 4 Nf3 g6 5 Bc4
Nb6 6 Bb3 Bg7 7 a4 dXeS!
A considerable improvement over 7
dS 8 as Nc4, as Alburt played in the last
round of the 1988 championship against de-
Firmian. It allows an apparently winning-
but only dangerous-looking- sacrifice.
8 as N6d7 9 Bxf7 + Kxf7 10 NgS+ Kg8
11 Ne6 Qe8 12 Nxc7 Qd8 13 Nxa8 exd4
14 c3!?
This liquidares the annoying d-pawn
with the threat of Qh3 + hut the position needs
quicker reinforcements, such as 0-0, Rfel and
Bg5.
14 ... NcS 15 cxd4 Bxd4 160-0 eS 17 Be3
195
Nba6! 18 Nc3 BfS 19 ReI Kg7 20 Bxd4
Qxd4!
Black has mobilized his mmor pieces
quicker than expected and wants an ending of
rook-versus-two-pieces. Now 21 NbS was rec-
ommended as White's last hope.
21 b4? Nd3 22 Ne2 Qd7 23 Rc3 Rxa8
24 g4!?
After 24 g4
Christiansen-A/burt, 1990
24 ... Nb2! 25 QeI Bd3! 26 Qxb2 Qxg4+
27 Ng3 Bxfl 28 Kxfl Qd4! 29 QeI Rf8
30 Qe3 Qxe3 31 Rxe3 Nxb4
With at least one extra pawn Black won
without difficulty in 14 more moves. Since the
finals was a best-of-four match, this loss was
far from fatal to Christiansen. But their sec-
ond game, a skillfully maneuvered 65-move
Bogo-Indian victory for Alburt, put a 2-0 nail
in Christiansen's coffin. He played the third
game without energy or ambition and was un-
recognizable.
D17 Slav Defense
white Christiansen, black Alburt
1 d4 Nf6 2 Nf3 d5 3 c4 c6 4 Nc3 dxc4
5 a4 BfS 6 Nh4 e6 7 NxfS exfS 8 e3 Bb4
9 Bxc4 0-0 10 0-0 Nbd7 11 Qc2 g6 12 b3
Nb6 13 Bb2 Nbd5 14 Rfdl hS!? 15 BfL h4
16 NxdS? cxdS! 17 RaeI Bd6 18 Qe2 a6
19 Bc3 Ng4 20 h3 Nf6 21 Bel Re8 22 b4
Ne4 23 as f4 24 Qg4 fxe3 25 fxe3 Ng3
26 Bd3 Kg7 27 BXg3 Bxg3 28 RfL Re6
 36th U.S. Championship, Jacksonville, Fla., Aug. 5-17, 1990

-----=-
Seirawan _________ Alburt + 2 _ 0 = 0 >
Alburt
Alburt +2-0=4

Dlugy ~ Dlugy +3-1=0

A. Ivanov
Alburt +1-0=1
deFirmia~
deFirmian +1 - 0 > _ 1
Sherzer
deFirmian + 1-0= 1
Rachels
~ Rachels +1-0=1
Brooks
Alburt +3-0=0
GUlkO~

~
Gulko + 1-0= 1
Kudrin
Dzhindzhikashvili +2-1 =2 ~
D.Gmcvich
DZhindZhikaSh~ Dzhindzhikashvili +2-0=0
Benjamin~

I. Ivanov

Christian~
Benjamin +1-0=1 > Christiansen + 1-0= 1
/
.
Clui",,",,"
. +1-0=1

Christiansen +2-0=0
Browne
 Champions Galore (1986-1991)
29 Bbi Qe7 30 e4?! dxe4 31 Ba2 Rf6
32 Rxf6 Qxf6 33 Qxe4? Qf2+ 34 Khi
Qxa2 and White resigns
For the third time in six years Alburt had
surprised his younger, more ambitious rivals
and taken the title. He was the last player to
defend his tide successfully, back in 1984-85.
}
I
Maybe he could do it again ... if the 37th
championship were another knockout.
1991: Introducing ... Gata Kamsky
More than 25 years had passed since
Bobby Fischer argued with the championship
organizers and more than a decade since Wal-
ter Browne walked off the stage in Pasadena in
a huff. But controversy returned to the tour-
nament in the summer of1991 with the arrival
of Gata and Rustam Kamsky.
The Kamskys had been a sensation since
midway through the final round of the 1989
New York Open when, with the help of Lev
Alburt and two FBI agents, they disappeared
from the Hotel Penta playing site and applied
for political asylum. At the time, Gata was an
obscure 14-year-old Soviet youngster with no
international tirle. But within months he
stunned U.S. chess by winning an elimination
tournament filled with the leading American
players to see who would playa short exhibi-
tion match with world champion Garry Kas-
parov.
By the time play began July 28 at LAX
Marriott Hotel, Los Angeles, Kamsky was
rated 2747 -or 62 points ahead of the next
closest to him on Arpad Elo's totem pole,
Yasser Seirawan. The USCF had decided to em-
ploy the knockout format again and this meant
Kamsky was paired against the tournament's
,
lowest rated player, world junior champion
I Ilya Gurevich. Kamsky had some problems in
holding a draw in the first game of their two-
game match, but won the second convincingly,
and then sailed into the semifinals after elim-
inating Alexander Ivanov.
Everyone else, it seemed, was having their
troubles in the second go-round of the knock-
197
out. It took Seirawan nine games to get by Igor
Ivanov. In fact, the Seattle GM, now a mem-
ber of the older generation at age 31, should
have been the one to be eliminated. He drew
the first two games and was swindled in the
first game/30 tiebreaker.
E51 Queen's Indian Defense
white Seirawan, black Igor Ivanov
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 b6 4 Nc3 Bb4
5 Qb3 Na6 6 a3 Bxc3+ 7 Qxc3 c5 8 b4
0-0 9 dxc5! bxc5 10 b5
Creating a queenside majority- and po-
tential passed b-pawn. Black must find coun-
terplay on the other wing.
10 ... Nc7 11 e3 Ne4 12 Qc2 f5 13 Be2 Bb7
14 Bb2 f4 15 exf4 Rxf4 16 0-0 d6 17 a4
Qe7 18 Bel Rg4!? 19 Ne1 Rg6 20 Bh5
Afterwards Seirawan claimed 20 Bd3
would have won "without any pain" but he
thought this was a better way of winning the
exchange (20 ... Rf6 21 Bf3 d5 22 BXe4 and
23 Bg5).
20 ... Rf6 21 Bf3 Rxf3!? 22 Nxf3 Rf8
23 Ra3 e5! 24 ReI Nf6 25 Nh4? Ne6
26 Nf5 Qd7 27 Rh3 g6 28 Ng6+ Kg7
29 f3? Nd4 30 Qd3 Nh5 31 RfI Nf4
32 Bxf4 Rxf4 33 Ng4 e4 34 Qe3? h5!
Now 35 Qxf4 Ne2+ costs the queen so
White has to allow a murderous capture on f3.
The finish was dazzling.
35 Nf2 exf3 36 g3 Ne2+ 37 KhI (see dia-
gram)
37 ... Qxh3! 38 RgI
Or 38 Nxh3 f2+ and mates.
38 ... Qg2+! and White resigns
But Seirawan rallied with Black in the
second tiebreaker and, after four draws in
 K"n'ky.~ 37th V.S. Cha",pion.hip, Lo, Angele" july 28-Aug. 9, 1991
1. Gurevich Kamsky +1-0=01

KUd"O~
A. Ivanov Kamsky + 1-0=0 1
A. Ivanov +2-0=00

Y,nnoiio'ky ~
Fedorowicz
Fedorowicz + 1-0", 1
Rohde Kamsky +2-0"'0

Wolff
-------------
Seirawan ---------
Wolff +2-0'=2 Fedotowicz +2-1 1
=0

1. Ivanov ............. ---------- Seirawan +2-1=06

Kamsky +2-1==1
Benjamin
Benjamw + 1-0", 1

D1Ugy~
Albun
GUlko _________
Diugy .2-}.2 ~ / /8,Oj'",io. _0.
1 1

Browne Gulko +2-1"'2

. ------------- Gulko +2-0"'0
 Champions Galore (1986-1991)
After 37 Khi
Seirawan-l. Ivanov, 1991
game/IS playoffs, won the clincher in 28
moves. Another newcomer to the champi-
onship this year - and yet another Soviet emi-
gre- was Alex Yermolinsky, a 32-year-old In-
ternational Master who, like Gurevich, was
living in New York. He was rated fifth in the
field of 16 hut still something of a mystery to
the other players. John Fedorowicz, his first-
round opponent, had so much trouble finding
"Yermo" games in past Informants that he en-
listed the help of a friend who located 60 ob-
scure Yermolinsky games from yellowing pages
of Shakhmatny Bulletin. It helped, as Fe-
dorowicz won one game and drew one with
Yermolinsky and then reached the semifinals
by outlasting Patrick Wolff in five games.
Meanwhile the Fed's friend, Joel Ben-
jamin, reached the semis after a lucky escape
against Seirawan.
B12 Caro-Kann Defense
white Benjamin, black Seirawan
1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 eS BfS 4 c3 e6 5 Be2
Nd7 6 Nf3 Ne7 7 0-0 e5
Benjamin had eliminated his first-round
opponent, Dzhindzhikashvili, in a similar
game that went 5 ... c5 6 Nf3 NcG 7 0-0 Bg4
8 Be3 Bxf3 9 Bxf'3 cxd4 10 cxd4 Nge7
11 Nc3 Nf5 12 Bg4 Nxe3 13 fxd Bb4 14 Rf4
and IS Qf3 with a strong attack. This time he
decides to give up the center in order to cre-
ate a queenside pawn majority.
8 dxe5!? Ne6 9 b4 NdxeS 10 Nd4 BxbJ
199
11 Rxbl Be7 12 f4 Nd7 13 f5 e5 14 Nf3 e4
15 Nd4 Nde5 16 Bf4 a6 17 Rb2 Bf6
18 Rd2 Qd7 19 b5 aXb5 20 Nxb5 0-0
21 RxdS Qe7 22 a4 Bg5
White can't hold his extra pawn and
quickly gets the worst of it.
23 BxgS QxgS 24 f6 g6 25 Nd6 Qe3+
26 Khl Qxc3 27 Nxc4 Qb4??
With six minutes on his clock, plenty for
the rest of the game, Seirawan allows mate on
g7 or h7.
28 Qcl! and Black resigns
The semifinals provided an appropriate
match up: Benjamin and Fedorowicz, the most
outspoken critics of the "Russianization" of
U.S. chess, were paired with 44-year-old Boris
Gulko and I7-year-old Kamsky.
Benjamin did his part, exploiting Gulko's
weak center pawns in the game he held White,
and drawing the other. But Kamsky won two
fine games, including a difficult rook-and-
bishop-of-opposite-color endgame, from Fe-
dorowicz. That match was marred by an ugly
confrontation in which Kamsky's father, a
star boxer in Russia, vigorously accused Fe-
dorowicz of discussing the game with deFir-
mian when away from the board. Witnesses
said all John said was, "Oh, excuse me, Nick,"
as he walked about the playing hall. (Three
years later Rustam hired "Johnnie," by then
his good friend, to be Gata's second in the
Professional Chess Association candidates
matches.)
Kamsky's victory set up a finals show-
down with Benjamin, another former junior
star. The best-of-four game finals began qui-
etly with each player winning with Black.
What turned out to be the decisive game might
also have been the tournament brilliancy:
C68 Ruy Lopez
white Benjamin, black Kamsky
1 e4 eS 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Bxc6 dXe6
5 0-0 Qd6 6 d3 Ne7 7 Be3 Ng6 8 Nbd2
200 The United States Chess Championship
eS? 9 Nc4 Qe6 10 NgS Qf6 11 QhS Bd6?
12 f4! exf4 13 eS!
Blasting open the center to exploit Black's
laggard development. Now 13 . . . Bxe5
14 Nxe5 Qxe5 15 Bxf4 Nxf4 16 QXf7 KdS
17 Qxf4 favors him substantially.
13 ... Nxe5 14 Bxf4! NXe4
Mter
14 ..• Nxc4
Benjamin-Kamsky, 1991
15 Bxd6 Qd4+ 16 Khl Nxd6
While Benjamin was studying this crucial
position, Patrick Wolff, who was competing
in the concurrent u.s. Open and playing spec-
tator during the championship, approached
the board to get a better look. Rustam Kam-
sky suddenly returned to the center of atten-
tion, loudly telling Wolff to remove himself
from the area. He and Wolff took their dispute
outside, where tournament organizers listened
to Rustam make a lengthy claim of cheating
by Wolff and other Benjamin supporters.
Tournament Director Carol Jarecki told the
elder Kamsky the proper procedure was to
make an official protest. This calmed him
down but by this time there was more drama
inside the playing hall.
17 Rxf7??
White misses a win: with 17 Rael+ KdS
IS Nxf7+ Nxf7 19 QXf7 the threat of20 Qe7
mate is decisive, e.g. 19 ... Bg4 20 Qe7 + KcS
21 RfS+ or 19 ... Qd6 20 Qxg7 or 19 ... Qd7
20 QfS+!.
17 ... Qg4!
The move Benjamin overlooked. He has
several discovered checks, none with any real
meaning. The rest of the game went:
18 Re1+ Kd8 19 Qxg4 Bxg4 20 Rxg7 h6
21 Nh7 Bd7! 22 Nf6 Be6 23 Kgl Ke8
24 Ree7 Kb8 25 Rxc7 Ne8! 26 Nxe8 Rxe8
27 Kf2 Re6 28 Rce7 Rf6+ 29 Kg3 Ka7
30 Ref7 Rxf7 and White resigns
The final game was anticlimactic: Rus-
tam Kamsky was banned from the playing hall
and so didn't witness the lifeless King's Indian
in which his son sought exchanges from move
eight on. Benjamin agreed to a draw on the
27th move, giving Kamsky a 2V2-!Y2 win. The
Brooklyn youngster, who was not even born
when Lubosh Kavalek won the 1973 tourna-
ment in El Paso, was now the youngest U.s.
champion since Fischer.
 Chapter Twelve
The Talent Wheel
(1992-1996)
The u.s. championship had become a
barometer of the strength of American chess.
In the era of challenge matches, whenever there
was a paucity of strong players, there simply
was no U.S. championship competition - such
as from 1910 to 1922. After the biennial, and
later annual, tournaments were established,
you could tell the state of American chess tal-
ent by examining the players.
During the talent glut of the 1950s and
1980s, the typical invitees were up-and-com-
ing masters in their 20s. But in the talent gap
of the late 19405 and late I%Os-1970s, the
older generation was evident. And despite the
continued flow of highly skilled and trained
players from the former Soviet Union, it be-
came clear in the early 1990s that another tal-
ent gap was developing. The average age of the
contestants steadily grew to the mid-30s, an
ominous sign in a game where 30 is generally
the peak playing age.
When would the talent wheel turn again
and a new generation arrive? As the champi-
onship celebrated its 150th birthday, the an-
swer was far from clear.
1992: Fortune Smiles, and Frowns,
and Then Smiles ...
Luck. There's an element of it in every
hard-fought tournament and the 39th cham-
pionship was hardly an exception. Bad luck
201
knocked players out of contention and good
luck knocked them back into it - and there
was plenty of both kinds for a surprising finish.
There was more Kamsky controversy this
year even though Gata and Rustam never came
within miles of the tournament site, the Red
Lion Inn, in Durango, Colorado. The tour-
nament, originally scheduled for September,
was rescheduled twice to accommodate the de-
fending champion. But after accepting an in-
vitation, the Kamskys requested a $5,000 hon-
orarium, and when that was denied, they
declined -leaving the USCF with the Decem-
ber dates they never wanted.
But the tournament did have Software
Toolworks as a sponsor and since it was a zonal
it was guaranteed a high rate of invitation ac-
ceptances. And since it was a zonal, the knock-
out system was precluded by FIDE rules. Even
if it had been permissible, several players and
fans had become disillusioned with the format
that seemed more appropriate to Wimbledon
and the NCAA basketball tournament. In a
chess tournament, with the usual large num-
ber of draws, knockout chess meant speed
chess to break ties. In the 38th championship,
40 percent of the matches were ultimately
decided by either 15- or 30-minute playoffs.
Bur in 1992 the players and organizers wanted
a return to what was later called "classical
chess."
Durango began with more than its share
of surprises. One was Stuart Rachels' loss on
202 The United States Chess Championship
time to Walter Browne in the first round - in
a winning position. Browne, now a slightly
graying 43-year-old appearing in his 11th
straight championship since 1978, may have
helped put Rachels over the time control when
he banged the quartz clock as he made his 38th
move. Rachels was visibly stunned by the turn
of events and, even though this occurred in
the first round, he never seemed to be in con-
tention after that.
Another source of surprise was Boris Men
of Cleveland. A 41-year-old mathematician,
Men had once been something of a prodigy in
the Soviet Union before giving up the game.
A 1962 issue of the magazine Chess in USSR
reported on the fine results by two promising
ll-year-olds from the Urals who competed in
the Russian Federation Championship in Vladi-
mir. "Borya" Men, from Sverdlovsk, scored six
points out of ten, a point ahead of his col-
league from Zlatoust. His colleague? "Tolya"
Karpov, who later succeeded Fischer as world
champion.
Men's interest in chess revived after em-
igrating to the United States in 1991. Even
without a FIDE rating he proved to be a dan-
gerous foe in Durango - winning his first two
games, against Kamran Shirazi and, thanks to
a blunder in a bad position, Roman Dzhind-
zhikashvili.
Another source of surprise came from the
youngest invitee, 20-year-old liya Gurevich,
who was no relation to Dimitry but someone
to keep an eye on.
C90 Ruy Lopez
white I. Gurevich, black Benjamin
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6
5 0-0 Be7 6 Rei b5 7 Bb3 d6 S c3 0-0
9 d4!? Bg4 10 Be3 Bd7?
If Black doesn't try to punish White's fail-
ure to take time out for 9 h3, such as with
10 ... Na5 11 Bc2 Nc4, White will have gained
an extra tempo that will allow him to dictate
matters in the center.
11 Nbd2 Ng4 12 Nfl Na5 13 Bc2 exd4
14 cXd4 NXe3 15 NXe3 c5
Now 16 d5? would justify Black's open-
ing. The 1990 world junior champion now
makes a series of correct decisions.
16 e5! g6 17 Nd5! Be6? 18 Nxe7+ Qxe7
19 Qd2 Nc4 20 Qh6 dxe5 21 dxe5 f5
22 eXf6 Rxf6
After
22 ••• Rxf6
I Gurevich-Benjamin, 1992
23 Ng5 ReS 24 Re2!
Black is helpless once White takes con-
trol of the e-file.
24 ... Nd6 2S Rae1 Qd7 26 h4 Bxa2
27 Nxh7! Rfe6 28 Bxg6! and Black resigns
Also lost was 27 ... Qxh7 28 Rxe8+ or
27 ... Rxe2 28 Nxf6+.
Men's mixture of skill and luck gradually
trailed off after his fine start and he won only
one more game in the remaining 13 rounds.
Gurevich also fell off the pace and didn't be-
come a factor in the fight for first place until the
very end. But another surprise of Durango did.
He was 21-year-old Alex Sherzer, rated
more than 50 points below the average for the
event and ranked 12th in the field of16. Using
Arthur Bisguier's favorite Berlin Defense, he
confused Alexander Ivanov enough in the first
round to prompt a deadly oversight on the
28th move of an even endgame. Sherzer, an
International Master living in College Park,
Md., built on that victory with solid enough
play to earn a share of the lead after five rounds
with John Fedorowicz, Boris Gulko and
Patrick Wolff.
 The Talent Wheel (1992-1996)
Aside from Sherzer, the 24-year-old Wolff
was just about the only other American-born
master to break into prominence since 1985.
His first contact with chess came in 1972 when
he saw his father, a prominent philosophy pro-
fessor, playing over the moves of the Fis-
cher-Spassky match. Wolff learned the moves
at five and by his teens was beating grand-
masters.
Now playing in only his third champi-
onship, Wolff enjoyed his own brand of luck
when Fedorowicz offered him a draw in a win-
ning first-round position, when Igor Ivanov
blundered badly and when the madcap Shi-
razi, instead offorcing resignation at move 55,
played a double-question mark that allowed a
winning Wolff counterattack.
But luck has a way of equalizing itself in
the long run, as Wolff learned in Round Six.
B66 Sicilian Defense
white I. Gurevich, black Wolff
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6
5 Nc3 Nc6 6 Bg5 e6 7 Qd2 a6 S 0-0-0 h6
9 Bf4 Bd7 10 NXc6 BXc6 11 f3 d5 12 Qe1
Bb4 13 a3 BaS 14 Bd2 RcS 15 Kbl dxe4!
An ingenious and daring idea. Now
16 Nxe4 Bxe4 17 Bxa5 can be met by 17 ...
Bxc2+. Wolff was then preparing openings for
Viswanathan Anand in his drive towards the
world championship and this was one of their
previously undetonated bombs.
16 Bxh6?! Nd7 17 Bxg7 RgS IS Bd4 exf3
19 Qf2 fxg2 20 Rgl Qg5 21 Bd3 Bxc3!
22 Bxc3 Nc5?
Spoiling a fine position which he could
have improved further with 22 ... Ne5!, e.g.
23 Bh7 Rg7 24 h4 Qh5 25 Qf6 Rxh7
26 Bxe5 Qxh4.
23 Bh7 Ne4 24 Qd4 Nxc3+ 25 Qxc3 Qg7
26 BxgS?
Returning the favor. With 26 Qd3
White's survival chances were much better.
203
26 ... QXc3 27 bxc3 Ke7 2S Bh7 f5!
29 Rd4 Kf6 30 Rh4
Mter 30 Rh4
I. Gurevich- Woif!, 1992
Now with 30 ... RhS Black retains good
winning chances, although White can reduce
them a bit by 31 Rh6+ Kg7 32 Rxe6 Rxh7
33 Rxc6!, with a rook-and-pawn endgame.
30 ... Kg5?? 31 Rc4!
What Black overlooked. Now the ex-
change sacrifice wins because the trapped
bishop has an escape route.
31 ... RhS 32 Rxc6! bxc6 33 Rxg2+ Kh6
34 BgS! e5 35 Rg3 and Black resigns
The opening innovation of the year, as
Wolff put it - but it lost. Nevertheless Wolff
still shared second place, with Seirawan, Fe-
dorowicz and Dimitry Gurevich, a full point
behind Sherzer at the midway point, Round
Eight.
Sherzer continued his remarkable un-
beaten streak, knocking off Igor Ivanov,
Browne, Yermolinsky and Rachels in a row.
Igor was providing his own entertainment for
the spectators. His ninth-round game against
Rachels, who was taking a break from studies
at Oxford University, was memorable. Both
players misplayed the early middlegame badly
and reached an unclear endgame - when
Ivanov fell asleep. Suddenly he woke up, real-
ized it was his move and planted his king four
squares forward - thinking it was his queen
giving check. When he realized it was a king
 38th U.S. Championship, Durango, Colorado, Dec. 2-20, l~

Totals
W G Sh Se G F Y B G 0 B R M S W 0 L Points

1. Wolff X 0 ~ ~ ~ Y2 0 Y2 8 5 2 10Y2-4Y2
2-3. Gulko X Y2 Y2 0 1 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 6 8 10-5
2-3. Sherzer Y2 Y2 X Y2 0 0 Y2 Y2 Y2 1 7 6 2 10-5
4-5. Seirawan ~ ~ Y2 X 1 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 0 Y2 ~ Y2 4 10 1 9-6
4-5. D. Gurevich ~ 0 X 1 0 0 0 Y2 Y2 ~ 7 4 4 9-6
6. Fedorowicz ~ 0 1 0 0 X 0 Y2 ~ ~ Y2 6 5 4 8~-6~
7-9. Yermolinsky 0 Y2 0 Y2 X Y2 ~ ~ 0 Y2 Y2 Y2 4 8 3 8-7
7-9. Benjamin 0 0 ~ Y2 0 Y2 ~ X 0 Y2 ~ 5 6 4 8-7
7-9. l. Gurevich Y2 ~ 0 0 Y2 Y2 X ~ 0 0 Y2 1 5 6 4 8-7
10. Dzindzikashvili ~ Y2 Y2 Y2 ~ ~ ~ Y2 X 0 ~ ~ ~ 0 2 11 2 7Y2-7Y2
11-12. Browne 0 0 0 1/2 1 0 0 1/2 X Y2 Y2 0 5 4 6 7-8
11-12. A. Ivanov 0 ~ 0 0 0 0 1 Yz Y2 X 0 Y2 5 4 6 7-8
13. Rachels 0 Y2 0 Y2 Y2 Y2 Yz 0 0 Y2 0 X 1 Y2 3 7 5 6~-8~

14-15. l. Ivanov 0 0 0 Yz Yz 0 Y2 0 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 0 X Y2 1 8 6 5-10

14-15. Men 0 Y2 0 Y2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 Y2 Y2 X 1 3 4 8 5-10
16. Shirazi 0 0 0 0 Y2 0 Y2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X 0 2 13 1-14
 The Talent Wheel (1992-1996)
and was committed to moving it, Ivanov blun-
dered away a pawn and quickly lost what was
probably the ugliest U.S. championship game
since the Fifth American Congress 112 years be-
fore.
Meanwhile, Sherzer somehow had man-
aged to expand his lead to a point and a half
with five rounds to go, as the names of the sec-
ond-place contenders shuffied. He was bid-
ding to duplicate a Fischer-like (or Kamsky-
like) feat of winning the championship as a
junior. But Sherzer's King's Indian Defense
went down in flames against Dmitry Gurevich
in Round 11 while Gulko moved to within a
half point - thanks to another bit of luck: his
opponent was Shirazi. Alex Fishbein, a future
GM who was preparing the daily bulletins, re-
called that at several points in the 60-move
struggle Gulko was "practically begging for a
draw." But Shirazi resolutely passed up a three-
fold repetition of the position and played on
until he forfeited in a lost position, apparently
believing, as Fishbein put it, that "the penalty
for a draw game is death."
Sherzer's 13th round victory over Men-
his fourth with the black pieces - guaranteed
him a spot in the 1993 interzonal an kept him
a half point ahead of Gulko, who by now had
been joined by Wolff in second place. They all
drew the next day, leaving everything to be de-
cided in the last round. The key pairings were
Fedorowicz-Sherzer, Gulko-Ilya Gurevich,
and Men-Wolff.
Gulko, whose enormous talent seemed to
be matched by his occasional lack of ambition,
finished quickly, trading queens in a Gruen-
feld Defense on the 21st move and offering a
draw 11 moves later. Wolff moved past him by
beating Men in 46 moves. Catching the inex-
perienced former Soviet at the end of the tour-
nament was fortunate for Wolff, since a clearly
tired Men lost his last five games. And fortune
did not favor the brave in the last key game:
£89 King's Indian Defense
white Fedorowicz, black Sherzcr
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 Bg7 4 e4 d6 5 f3
0-0 6 Bd c5 7 d5 c6 8 Bd3 cxd5 9 cxd5
205
Nh5 10 Nge2 fS 11 exf5 gXfS 120-0 Nd7
13 Qd2 Ndf6 14 Khl Bd7 15 a4 a6 16 a5!
Qe717 Bc2 Rae8 18 Rae1 e4! 19 Nf4 Qf7
20 Nxh5?
White has been following one of the
modern treatments of the King's Indian, par-
alyzing Black on the queenside while attack-
ing the weakened light squares after exf5. Here
with 20 Bb3! and NeG he would have carried
that plan further.
20 ... Nxh5 21 f4 Nf6! 22 h3 Nh5!
23 Kh2 Qg6 24 Rgl Qg3+ 25 Khl Bh6
26 Rgfl Qh4 27 Qf2 Ng3+! 28 Kgl Kf7
The $10,000 first prize rested on the
speed of Black's attack. To his credit, Sherzer
never offered the draw that would have given
him a tie with Wolff. He plays for mate, al-
though after 28 ... RfG might have been bet-
ter. Now both kings are a factor.
29 Rael! Rg8 30 Ba4 Bxa4 31 Nxa4 Rg4!
32 Rc7 + Kg8 33 Rfel Bxf4 34 Rc8 Rxc8
35 RXc8 Kf7 36 Rc7+ Kg6 37 Bd4 Bh6!
38 Rd7
After 38 Rd7
Fedorowicz-Sherzer, 1992
Wolff later said that both of his rivals,
Gulko and Sherzer, failed because their nerves
gave out - Gulko in a positional struggle,
Sherzer in a crazy tactical one.
38 ... Rf4??
Three moves to go before time control
206 The United States Chess Championship
and Sherzer's Cinderella story rums into a
pumpkin. He had to prepare this move first
with 38 ... Bf8, after which 39 Be5! is a good
defense (39 ... dxe5 40 Qb6+). The game
would likely have ended with 39 ... f4
40 Qb6 and now 40 ... Ne2+ 41 Kfl Ng3+
42 Kgl draw.
39 Rxd6+ Kf7 40 Rxh6!
Black's tragic oversight - and the equal-
izing bit of fortune that had hurt Wolff against
Gurevich eight rounds earlier. Now 40 ...
Rxf2 41 Rxh4 or 40 ... Qxh6 41 Qxg310ses.
So he went through the motions with:
40 ... QgS 41 Rxh7+ Kf8 42 Rg7 Rxf2
43 RxgS Rfl+ 44 Kh2 f4 45 Rxg3 fxg3+
46 Kxg3 Ral 47 Nc5 Rxa5 48 d6 and
Black resigns
For the seventh year in a row the de-
fending champion had been replaced, this time
by a remarkable twist of fate. Sherzer and
Gulko would have the consolation of joining
Wolff in the 1993 Interzonal, along with
Seirawan and Dimitry Gurevich, who had his
best championship result to date in Durango.
1993: Whodunit?
The 39th championship can be seen as a
murder mystery: "Who killed Gata Kamsky's
chances for his second title?" After all, the 18-
year-old Brooklynite was the prohibitive fa-
vorite when the field of 12 assembled at the
Hyatt Regency in Long Beach, Calif. in De-
cember 1993. He was not only far and away
the highest rated American, but already headed
on his way into the elimination contests that
would make him a world championship chal-
lenger two years later.
But someone did Kamsky in. Among the
suspects: Alex Yermolinsky, now a grandmas-
ter. He got off to a terrific start in his third
championship, beating Dzhindzhikashvili,
Christiansen, Wolff and newcomer Gregory
Kaidanov, a 34-year-old former Muscovite
who had taken up residence in Showalter's
Lexington, Ky., and was making a powerful
debut in U.S. Swisses. Yermolinsky allowed
only one draw in the first five rounds in Long
Beach. His brutal treatment of the defending
champ was shocking.
C08 French Defense
white Wolff, black Yermolinsky
1 e4 e6 2 d4 dS 3 Nd2 a6 4 Ngf3 cS
5 dxc5 BxcS 6 Bd3 Ne7 70-0 Nbc6 8 c3
0-0 9 exdS exdS 10 Nb3 Bd6 11 ReI h6
12 h3 BfS 13 Bd Re8
White now plays for conrrol of the a2-g8
diagonal. But he might have done better with
14 BcS Qd7 15 Bxf5 Nxf5 16 Qd3.
14 Nbd4 Be4 15 Qc2 Ng6 16 Bxe4 dxe4
17 Nd2 Nxd4 18 Bxd4 f5 19 Qb3+ Kh7
20 Qxb7?
A blunder, as it turns out.
20 ... BeS! 21 Radl Bxd4 22 cxd4 QgS!
23 NO Nh4 24 Ng3 f4 25 Rxe4 fxg3
26 fxg3 Rah8! 27 Qc6 Nf3+! and White re-
signs
But as a suspect in the elimination of
Kamsky, "Yermo" had a good alibi: He lost to
Kamsky in the sixth round, giving the
youngest player in the tournament a strong 4Y2
out of 6 points. But there were other suspects:
Alexander Shabalov, the most recent star
emigre from the Soviet Union. Shabalov was
a flashy tactician in the mold of his former
countryman, Mikhail Tal. Born in Riga, the
26-year-old GM had had modest results and
perhaps his best showing was sharing 16th in
the massive Grandmasters Association open in
Belgrade in 1988.
He might have been the culprit who did
in Boris Gulko, the 46-year-old GM who had
a plus score against Garry Kasparov but couldn't
seem to win a U.S. championship. Gulko lost
badly to Shabalov in the first round and never
recovered: Twelve days later he finished in last
place without having won a single game.

The Talent Wheel (1992-1996)
Shabalov also helped doom Benjamin's
bid for the title, by beating him in the third
round, as well as knocking off Wolff and
Dzhindy before they could get into contention.
But Shabalov also had a good reason to avoid
suspicion in the demise of Kamsky: He helped,
rather than harmed the Tatar emigre's cham-
pionship chances by losing to him in the 10th
round.
That game, plus Yermolinsky's quick
draw as White with Benjamin, left the stand-
ings muddied on the eve of the final round.
The pairings were
Yermolinsky (7 points) vs. D. Gurevich (6)
Shabalov (7) vs. Fedorowicz (6)
Kamsky (6Y2) vs. Christiansen (4)
There could be a sole winner, or a two-,
three-, four-, even five-way tie for the tide.
Considering that the title had never been
shared by more than three players, the specta-
tors searched the wallboards for clues, trying
to figure out which would be the decisive
game. It took nearly four hours to identify it:
E20 Catalan Opening
white Kamsky, black Christiansen
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 Bb4+ 4 Nc3 c5
5 g3 cxd4 6 Nxd4 0-0 7 Bg2 d5 8 Qb3
Bxc3+ 9 Qxc3 e5 10 Nb3 d4 11 Qa5 Qe8
12 Bg5 Nc6 13 Qc7 Qd7 14 Qxd7 Nxd7
What began as a Bogo-Indian and then
became a Nimzo-Indian Defense has become
a double-edged endgame in which both sides
can attack vulnerable queenside pawns.
15 ReI as! 16 0-0 a4 17 Nal h6 18 Bd2 Nf6
19 Nc2 Bg4 20 Rfel e4 21 f3 BfS 22 fxe4
Bxe4 23 Bh3 Rfe8 24 Nb4 Ne5 25 Bf4 a3
26 b3 Rad8 27 Rcdl Nfg4 28 BXg4 NXg4
29 Bc7?
White can try to encircle the d-pawn
with 29 c5 and 30 Bd6 or go after the a-pawn
with 29 Bel. The move chosen, however, com-
mits him to an attack on the d-pawn from the
rear.
,
207
29 •.• Rd7 30 Bb6 Re6! 31 Rxd4!?
Otherwise Black is clearly better follow-
ing 31 Bxd4 Red6!.
31 •.• Rxb6 32 Rxd7 Rxb4 33 Re7 Bg6
34 Rdl Kh7 35 Rdd7?
Mter35 Rdd7
Kamsky-Christiamen. 1993
Kamsky probably had visualized this po-
sition several moves ago, perhaps at move 29.
Ifhe can force a trade of rooks or win a queen-
side pawn (35 ... b6 36 Ra7) then his com-
bination at move 31 will have been a success.
But:
35 ... Rxb3!
The murder weapon. After 36 axb3 a2
37 Rdl Bbl! the pawn queens.
36 Rxb7 Rb2! 37 Ra7 Rxa2 38 h3 Nf6
39 Re3 Rc2 40 Rexa3 Rxc4
With no queenside pawns left, the two
minor pieces far outweigh a rook. Christiansen
complicated the win in the face of fierce Kam-
sky resistance. But on move 98, as Black was
about to promote his f-pawn, White resigned.
And that was anticlimactic. As Kamsky
was overlooking 35 ... Rxb3 his chances for
first prize collapsed because Fedorowicz went
badly astray in time pressure and lost to Sha-
balov. The other Alex, Yermo linsky, joined
him as co-champion by grinding down Gure-
vich in 56 moves.
It was an ironic finish: two former Soviets
 39th U.S. Championship, Long Beach, Calif., Dec. 2-14, 1993

Totals
Y S K F G K C W B D G W D L Points

1-2. Yermolinsky X Y2 0 Yz Yz lh 6 4 8-3

1-2. Shabalov Yz X 0 0 Y2 7 2 2 8-3
3. Kamsky X Yz Yz 0 0 Yz Yz Yz 4 5 2 6Yz-4Yz
4-5. Fedorowicz lh 0 Yz X 1 Yz 0 Yz Y2 Yz 3 6 2 6-5
4-5. D. Gurevich 0 0 Yz 0 X 1 1 1/2 Yz Yz 4 4 3 6-5
6. Kaidanov 0 1 0 0 X 0 0 Yz 5 1 5 5Yz-5Y2
7. Christiansen 0 0 Yz 0 X Yz Yz Y2 Yz Yz 2 6 3 5-6
8-10. A. Ivanov 0 Y2 Yz 0 lh Yz X Yz 0 lh Y2 1 7 3 4Y2-6Y2
8-10. Wolff 0 0 1/2 lh 0 Yz Y2 X Yz Yz Yz 1 7 3 4Yz-6Y2
8-10. Benjamin Yz 0 0 Yz 0 0 Y2 Y2 X Yz 2 5 4 4Yz-6Y2
11. Dzhindzhikashvili 0 0 1/2 Yz 0 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 Yz X Y2 0 8 3 4-7
12. Gulko Yz 0 0 Yz Y2 0 Yz Yz Yz 0 Yz X 0 7 4 3Yz-7Yz
 The Talent Wheel (1992-1996)
finishing ahead of a third who was being hailed
as the future of American chess and would be
the first world championship challenger from
the United States since Fischer. In fact, in this,
the first all-Grandmaster U.S. championship,
eight of the twelve participants got their edu-
cation in the old country. This prompted the
Russian magazine 64 to report on the tourna-
ment under the headline: "The Soviet School
of Chess at an American resort."
1994: That Old Feeling
As the championship tournament ap-
proached its golden anniversary it was show-
ing its age. In the past, the event was usually
a showcase for young players. In some remark-
able years, such as 1951, 1973 and 1981, the
tournament gave most American fans their first
appreciation of how good the next generation
was.
But the talent boom of 1975-85, had
turned to a drought. Nearly all of the stars of
the late 1980s were players who had burst onto
the scene when rhe decade began. By 1994 they
were aging, and the 40th championship
showed it:
The winner was 47, the oldest champion
since Sammy Reshevsky. Second prize was
shared by a 38-year-old and a 34-year-old,
both of whom had seen better days.
In fact, five of the [Op six finishers were
30 or over, the age when most players have
peaked in playing strength. And even with the
inclusion of the U.S. Junior champion, 18-
year-old Boris Kreiman, the average age was
nearly 35. Compare that with the 1987 tour-
nament, when a 23-year-old tied for first prize
and the average age was 30.
Part of the reason was that several cham-
pionship regulars had gone on to other mat-
ters. Patrick Wolff and Alex Sherzer had
returned to school. Michael Wilder and
Michael Rohde were practicing law. Maxim
Dlugy was attempting to make a living on
Wall Street and Sergey Kudrin was trying his
hand at new business ventures - in Russia.
Tony Miles was back in England. And John
209
Fedorowicz couldn't even earn an invitation
because the rating cutoff was so high.
So it was a generally older group of 14
players who gathered in October 1994 at the
Holiday Inn-Beachside in Key West, Fla. Two
days before the first round the organizers, in-
cluding the honorary chairman, 82-year-old
Arnold Denker, arranged for a display of liv-
ing chess. Local children played the role of
pawns and adults in Renaissance dress per-
formed as pieces at a local spons stadium and
when someone captured a piece, a band played
"Taps." For the second year in a row Inter-
play Productions of Irvine, Calif. chipped in
$30,000 for prizes and Jose Cuchi, organizer
of the New York Open, designed an extra prize,
a 14-karat gold signet championship ring.
At the pre-tournament players meeting
each invitee was asked to pick one of the white
straw hats with red bands. Once they did that
they discovered this was actually the drawing
of colors, since the pairing number that de-
termined who they played in what round was
tucked inside each band. This helped create a
shaky first round in which Alexander Ivanov
(in close to a winning position) forfeited on
time against Kreiman while Benjamin (in a
lost position) did the same against deFirmian.
Alexander Shabalov got off to a good scarr
by successfully resurrecting the Center Game
against Ivanov and winning a fine second-
round game in 32 moves. Larry Christiansen
was also in good shape when he won his first
two games, although he worried his way from
a lost middlegame into a won counterattack
against newcomer Ben Finegold.
But Alex Yermolinsky's chances of wear-
ing (he Cuchi ring - and repeating as co-
champion - suffered a terrible blow in Round
Five when he was rolled off the board by
Seirawan in 17 moves.
D46 Semi-Slav Defense
white Seirawan, black Ycrmolinsky
1 d4 dS 2 c4 c6 3 Nc3 e6 4 e3 f5 S g4!?
Softening up Black on the light squares
and opening the business end of the g-file.
 40th U.S. Championship, Key West, Fla., Oct. 11-26, 1994

Totals
G S C B Y S 0 B K 0 G F I K W 0 L Points

1. Gulko X Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 1/2 6 7 0 9Y2-3Y2

2-3. Seirawan Yz X Y2 0 Y2 Y2 0 Y2 1/2 5 6 2 8-5
2-3. Christiansen Y2 Yz X 1 Yz 0 1/2 0 1/2 Y2 5 6 2 8-5
4-6. Benjamin l/Z 0 X Yz YI Y2 Y2 0 1/2 Y2 4 7 2 7Y2-5Y2
4-6. Yermolinsky 0 0 Yz Y2 X Y2 Yz Y2 Y2 Yz 4 7 2 7Y2-5YZ
4-6. Shabalov 0 YI 0 Y2 Y2 X Y2 0 Yz 5 5 3 7Yz-5Y2
7. Orlav Y2 Y2 1 Yz Yz Yz X Y2 Y2 0 Y2 Yz Y2 2 10 1 7-6
8. Browne 0 0 0 1/2 1 1/2 X 0 1 0 1/2 5 3 5 6 1/2-6 1/2
9. Kaidanav 0 0 0 Y2 Y2 0 Y2 1 X I Y2 Y2 Y2 3 6 4 6-7
10-11. deFirmian Y2 0 Y2 0 0 0 0 X Y2 1/2 Y2 3 5 5 5Y2-7Y2
10-11. D. Gurevich 0 0 1 Y2 0 0 Y2 1 Y2 Y2 X 0 Y2 3 5 5 5Y2-7Yz
12. Finegold Yz 0 0 0 0 YI l/Z 0 Y2 YI X 0 1 2 7 6 4Y2-8Yz
13-14. A. Ivanov Y2 Y2 YI 0 0 0 0 Y2 0 Y2 Y2 1 X 0 6 6 4-9
13-14. Kreiman 0 Y2 Y2 1/2 Y2 0 l/Z 0 1;2 0 0 0 X 6 6 4-9
 The Talent Wheel (1992-1996)
5 .•. fxg4?! 6 Qxg4 NfG 7 Qg2 c5 8 Nf3
Nc6 9 Bd2 a6 10 O-O-O! Qc7 11 dxc5 Bxc5
12 Rgl 0-0 13 Ng5 Kh8 14 Kbl Ne5?
15 Na4! Ba7 16 Bb4 Rg8?? 17 Qg3! and
Black resigns
The threat, 18 Qxe5 QXeS 19 Nfl mate,
costs Black at least a piece.
Others never seemed to get untracked.
Ivanov was a solid player, who once swept a
Soviet junior team event 8-0. But he was per-
haps the most impractical to play in a 20th
century U.S. championship. In his desire to
always play the best move, Ivanov would con-
sume huge amounts of time, leaving him with
only a few minutes for the last dozen moves of
a typical time control. He forfeited six times
in Key West, including five of his first eight
games. As he concentrated at the board, ro-
tating his body back and forth, he appeared to
the other players like a washing machine agi-
tator - earning him the nickname "Spin
Cycle" Ivanov.
It quickly became apparent that three
members of the older generation would be in
contention for first prize until the very end.
Seirawan and Christiansen led after seven
rounds with 5Y2 points, followed by Gulko a
half point behind. Whichever of them could
get through the 16-day event without a loss
would almost certainly take home the $8,000
first prize.
But it wasn't going to be Seirawan, who
forfeited on time in the eighth round:
BI2 Caro-Kann Defense
white Benjamin, black Seirawan
1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 Bf5 4 h4 h5 5 c4 e6
6 Nc3 Ne7 7 Nge2 Nd7 8 Ng3 Bg6 9 Bg5
f6 10 exfG gxfG 11 Be3 Nb6 12 b3 dxc4
Black's last is risky: He wants to castle
queenside and work against enemy pawns on
d4 and c4, even if it means opening the b-file.
13 bxc4 Qc7 14 a4! 0-0-0 15 a5 Nd7
16 Be2 NfS 17 NxfS Bxf5 18 a6 b6 19 0-0
Ne5! 20 c5! bxc5 21 Qb3 Ng4??
211
Forgetting about the prospect of Qb7
mate. Seirawan later claimed he was nearly
winning after 21 ... Rxd4! 22 Bxd4 cxd4.
Black now goes from better to even to worse
very quickly.
22 Bf4! Bd6 23 Bxd6 Rxd6 24 dxc5 Rd4
25 g3 Qb8? 26 Rfbl! Qxb3 27 Rxb3 e5
28 Bf3! e4
Mter
28 ••• e4
Benjamin-Seirawan, 1994
29 Rab1?? Kd7??
Given a golden opportunity to redeem
himself, Seirawan misses the neat sacrifice
29 ... exf3! 30 Rb8+ Kd7 31 Rlb7+ Ke6
32 Rxh8 Bc2! and ... Rd2 is a powerful threat.
In mutual time trouble, Benjamin saw this too
late - and Seirawan didn't see it at all. The rest
was routine:
30 Rb7+ Ke6 31 ReI! Ne532 Bxe4 Bxe4
33 Rxe4 Rd3 34 Ne2 Kd5 35 Rf4 Re8
36 Kg2 Kxc5 37 RxfG Ra3 38 Rf5 Kc4
39 Rxh5 Rxa6 40 Rc7 and Black forfeits
Nor would Christiansen regain the title
he last held in 1983 - not after falling to U.S.
Open winner Georgi Orlov in 69 moves in
Round 11. No, the winner in 1994 turned out
to be the grandmaster who had won just about
every other American title: Boris Gulko.
In the past he had been plagued by lapses,
such as in 1987 when he was in excellent shape
for first place - then unaccountably lost his
last two games. But in 1994 he remained alert
to the very end. Here's how he disposed of
Gregory Kaidanov in Round 8.
212 The United States Chess Championship
D42 Caro-Kann Defense
white Gulko, black Kaidanov
1 c4 c6 2 e4 d5 3 exd5 Nf6 4 d4 cxd5
5 Nc3 e6 6 NO Be7 7 cxd5 Nxd5 8 Bd3
Nc6 9 0-0 0-0 10 ReI Bf6 11 a3 Bd7
12 Bc2 Rc8 13 Ne4 Be7 14 Qd3 g6 15 Bd2
A standard attacking formation for White
and a traditional anti-isolated d-pawn strat-
egy for Black. Instead of trying to weaken the
dark squares with Bg5xe7, Gulko goes for the
light squares with h2-h4-h5xg6. Kaidanov
never finds counterplay.
15 '" Qb6 16 b4 Rfd8 17 Bh3! Be8 18 Racl
a6?! 19 h4! Na7 20 Nc5 Nc6 21 h5 Qa7?
After
21 .. , Qa7
Gulko-Kaidanov. 1994
Gulko attributed his success in Key West
to ideas he had stored up for use in his Pro-
fessional Chess Association candidates match
against Nigel Short six months before but
never got a chance to use. In this game, how-
ever, it was Kaidanov who lacked ideas. His
queenside attack never got going and now he
allows an obvious sacrifice that he thought he'd
prevented with his 17th move.
22 hxg6 hXg6 23 NXe6! fxe6 24 Rxe6 Bf7
25 RXg6+!
Now 25 ... Bxg6 26 Qxg6+ Kh8 27 Bc2
Nf6 28 Ng5 mates as does 26 ... Kf8 27 Bh6.
25 ... Kf8 26 Rh6 Ke8 27 ReI! and Black
resigns
Gulko finished a huge point and a half
ahead of Seirawan and Christiansen. All three
were headed to the next FIDE Interzonal along
with the two survivors of a playoff that had to
be arranged after the final round. Playing at
the rate of Gamel15 minutes, Shabalov found
himself a fish out of water and collapsed while
Benjamin and Yermolinsky advanced.
1995: Return of the Prodigals
The U.S. championship had shown it
could compete with any other event, even the
big-bucks open tournaments, for the attention
of the nation's top players. But it couldn't com-
pete with the real world: Every year, it seemed,
another American grandmaster withdrew ftom
competition in order to return to school or
begin a non-chess career.
But sometimes they came back. Nick de-
Firmian spent 1990-93 as a foreign exchange
specialist with the Bank of America in San
Francisco. But he quit and moved to New
York - to revive his chess career. And at age
38 he was playing better than ever.
Another former champion, Patrick Wolff,
resumed his college career in 1994. But when
Viswanathan Anand earned the right to chal-
lenge Garry Kasparov for the Professional
Chess Association championship, the 27 -year-
old Wolff returned to chess as a second to the
Indian star - and a month later as an invitee
to the 42nd U.S. championship and a leading
contender for its $25,000 in prizes.
The tournament was again sponsored by
Interplay Productions, which pledged to host
the 1996 event as well, and the playing site was
the Red Lion Inn in Modesto, Calif. - Larry
Christiansen's home town. Christiansen, as
well as Gata Kamsky, who was preparing for
his 1996 FrDE world championship match with
Anatoly Karpov, were among the prominent
GMs to turn down invitations.
Once again the field of 14 players was
dominated by Soviet emigres and U.S.-born
veterans. Russian camaraderie was evident in
the quiet early rounds. On the first day three
games involving six former Soviet players
 The Talent Wheel (1992-1996)
ended in draws after a total of 44 moves. Wolff
was the only winner, thanks to a strange blun-
der by Walter Browne, who walked into check-
mate while a pawn up in a rook-and-oppo-
site-color-bishop endgame.
After
54 ... Bbl
Wolff-Browne, 1995
If White eliminates the rooks, even at the
cost of his last pawn, he will draw easily by
blockading the e- and g-pawns. Therefore:
55 h3+ Kf5?? 56 Rh6!
Suddenly Black's refusal to capture on h3
has fatal consequences: 57 Rf6 mate is threat-
ened.
56 ... g4 57 hxg4+ and Black resigns
On the following day Georgi Orlov, the
1994 U.S. Open winner, was the only player
to register a full point in the second round-
thanks to yet another Alexander Ivanov time
forfeit.
Ivanov, 39, had had decidedly mixed re-
sults since emigrating to the United States in
1988: He regularly did well in major Swiss Sys-
tem opens, including three straight first-places
in the National Open. But in invitational
events, like the U.S. championship, he had
lacked consistency.
This year he overcame the Orlov game
and moved into the plus column by beating
Dimitry Gurevich and Josh Waitzkin, the for-
mer Searchingfor Bobby Fischer prodigy, in the
fourth and fifth rounds. But Ivanov again lost
a promising position on time in the sixth
213
round, to deFirmian, in a game that had a key
influence on the race for first place.
Meanwhile, the other stars of the 1990s
began very slowly. Defending champion Boris
Gulko drew his first six games before beating
Joel Benjamin, who was playing a record 14th
straight U.S. championship. Since the super-
conservative Gulko could be counted on to
draw about two-thirds of his games, he could
hardly afford a single loss in Modesto if he
wanted to retain his tide. A defeat by Ivanov
in Round 8 effectively put him out of the race.
The situation seemed ideal for Wolff who,
at 27, was one of only three invitees to the
tournament that were 30 or under. He arrived
well-stocked with new opening ideas because
of his preparation of Anand for the PCA match
that had just ended in New York. And he had
the energy to compete with the youngsters,
grinding down Waitzkin in 78 moves and Alex
Khmelnitsky in 71.
The ability to play well in what was usu-
ally the seventh hour of play had become cru-
cial in the U.S. championship because the
tournament had adopted a rule used in Swiss
System tournaments to eliminate adjourn-
ments. After the first two time controls, of 40-
moves-in-two-hours and 20-in-one, a third
and final session began with each player hav-
ing one hour to complete ail his remaining
moves. This meant no game could last more
than eight hours - but it also meant that in
the seventh and eighth hours fortune smiled
on the players with strong nerves and good en-
durance, like Wolff.
But Wolff still fell into some bad posi-
tions in Modesto in the first hours of play.
Against Alex Yermolinsky, for example, he bat-
tled out of a poor middlegame only to resign
on the 60th move when he saw his two rooks
were no match for Yermo's queen and two
passed pawns.
As the tournament passed the Thanks-
giving break two surprises were emerging. The
first was deFirmian who was playing long, hard
and solid games. The former madcap tacti-
can - who lost seven games in the 33rd cham-
pionship when he was 29 and apparently in
his prime - never lost in Modesto.
 41st U.S. Championship, Modesto, Calif., Nov. 19-Dec. 4, 1995

Totals
0 W Y G Br Be 0 G 0 Ka Kh W K W 0 L Points

1-3. deFirmian X 1 \lz \12 \12 \lz \lz \12 \12 \12 \lz 4 9 0 8\12-4\12
1-3. A. Ivanov 0 X Yz \12 \lz Yz 0 \lz 6 5 2 8\12-4\12
1-3. Wolff \lz \lz X 0 \lz \12 \12 \lz \lz 5 7 1 8\12-4\1z
4. Yermolinsky \12 \12 X 1/2 \12 \12 \12 \lz \12 \12 \12 3 10 0 8-5
5. Gulko \lz 0 \lz \12 X \12 Yz \lz 1/2 I/z Yz 3 9 1 7\12-5Yz
6. Browne \12 0 0 \12 \lz X 1 Yz Yz \12 \12 0 3 7 3 6\12-6\12
7-9. Benjamin \lz \12 \lz \12 0 0 X \lz 0 \12 \lz \lz 2 8 3 6-7
7 -9. Dzhindzhikashvili \12 \lz 0 1/2 \lz I/Z \12 X 0 0 1 '/z \12 2 8 3 6-7
7-9. D. Gurevich \lz 0 0 '/2 \lz \12 X \12 0 0 \12 3 6 4 6-7
10-11. Orlav 0 \12 0 \lz 0 0 \lz X 1 Yz \lz 0 3 5 5 5Y2-7\12
10-11. Kaidanov 0 \12 Yz \12 Yz Yz Y2 0 0 X 0 1 0 2 7 4 5Yz-7\1z
12-13. Khmelnitsky \12 0 0 0 0 Y2 '/2 \12 \lz \12 X 1 0 2 6 5 5-8
12-13. Waiukin \lz 0 0 Yz \12 Y2 0 0 \/2 0 X '/2 2 6 5 5-8
14. Kudrin 0 0 \/z \/2 0 0 0 Yz \12 0 \12 X 2 5 6 4\1z-8\12
 The Talent Wheel (1992-1996)
The other surprise was Ivanov. He won
six games, the most of anyone in the tourna-
ment. And he managed to survive some key
time battles, such as in round 7 when he out-
played Browne, another chronic sufferer from
Zeitnot. "I don't care how you lose," Ivanov's
wife Esther Epstein told him early in the tour-
nament, "just don't lose on time!"
The clearest evidence that this was not
the same Alexander Ivanov of Key West came
in Round 8 when he faced the defending
champion.
C07 French Defense
white A. Ivanov, black Gulko
1 e4 e6 2 d4 ds 3 Nd2 cs 4 Ngf3 cxd4
5 Nxd4 Nf6 6 exds Nxds 7 N2f3 Be7
8 Bd3 0-0 9 0-0 Bf6 10 c4! Nb4 11 Be4
Qe7 12 a3 N4c6 13 Nxc6 NXc6 14 Qc2 g6
15 Bd Rd8 16 Radl Rxdl 17 Rxdl as
18 cs! a4 19 Rd6 Bd7 20 h4!
With a queenside bind and control of the
only open file White realizes his best winning
chance lies in exploiting the dark squares on
the kingside.
20 ... NaS 21 BgS Bxg5 22 hxgs Bc6
23 Bxc6 NXc6 24 Qd2 e5 25 Nh2! Nd4
26 Ng4 Rd8 27 Nf6+ Kg7 28 Qe3 Nfs
29 Rxd8!
The threat of mate on g8 wins the e-pawn
and, more important, sets up a deadly discov-
ered (or double) check.
29 ... Qxd8 30 Qxes Qdl+ 31 Kh2 Qd4!
32 Nhs+ KfS 33 Qb8+ Ke7 34 Qxb7 + Kd8
35 Qb8+ Ke7 36 Nf6 Qh4+ 37 Kgl Qxgs
White could announce mate in seven.
38 Qes+ Kd8 39 Qe8+ Kc7 40 Nds+ Kb7
41 Qd7 + and Black resigns
With three rounds to go, Ivanov and de-
Firmian were tied with 6 and a half points out
of 10, a half point ahead of Wolff. The tWO
215
leaders were held to draws in the nth round
while Wolff joined them by beating Gurevich
with black.
All three gave their best in the 12th
round. Ivanov outplayed Khmelnitsky as Black
in a Ruy Lopez that lasted 48 moves - but
only the first 32 moves survive because the two
scoresheets became illegible in the time scram-
ble. Wolff, meanwhile, was taking a full point
from Waitzkin, while deFirmian watched Orlov
self-destruct with the white pieces in a game
less than a third as long.
A32 English Opening
white Orlov, black deFirmian
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 g3 cs 4 Nf3 cxd4
5 Nxd4 Nc6 6 Bg2 Qb6 7 Nc2 ds 8 Nba3?
Bcs 9 0-0 0-0 10 cxds exds 11 Ne3 Be6
12 Qd3 Rfd8
At first glance White appears to have a
promising game based on pressure against dS.
But he couldn't afford 12 NxdS BxdS 13 BxdS
because of 13 ... Rad8 14 e4 Nxe4!. And now
that dS is solid, he lacks a clear-cut plan-
and begins to "swim."
13 h3 Rac8 14 Kh2 a6 15 f4? Nb4! 16 Qb3
Bxd! 17 Qxe3 d4 18 Qf2 Nc2
Black's pieces invade and he makes major
progress with each of the remaining moves.
19 Nxc2 Rxc2 20 Rdl Bc4 21 Bf3 Re8
22 ReI Bxe2!
Based on the second-rank pin: 23 BXe2
Qe6 or 23 Rxe2 R8Xe2 24 Bxe2 Qe6.
23 b3 Qbs 24 Bg2 Ne4! 25 Qxd4 Bf3
and White resigns
As attention focused on the three leaders,
it was easy to overlook a fourth contender: Yer-
molinsky had been having a remarkable 1995,
including an easy victory in the U.S. Open
three months before. But he seemed to have
lost interest in the closed championship during
 42nd U.S. Championship, Parsippany, N.J., July IS-Aug. 2 1996

Totals
Y G K G A B C de Dz AS 1'S K W D L Points

1. Yermolinsky X 1 0 lh Yz lh lh Yz Y2 6 6 9-4
2-3. Gulko 0 X Yz 0 lh 1 Yz Yz Yz lh 5 6 2 8-5
2-3. Kaidanov 1 Yz X Yz Yz 0 0 0 Vz 6 4 3 8-5
4. D. Gurevich 0 Yz X 1 Yz Vz 1 Vz Vz 0 Y2 Y2 4 7 2 7lh-5Yz
5. A. Ivanov Vz Vz Vz 0 X 0 V2 Vz 0 Vz 1 4 6 3 7-6
6-1 1. Alburt I/Z 0 Vz X Yz Yz Vz 0 0 Vz 0 3 6 4 6-7
6-11. Benjamin 0 l/Z Vz 0 lh X Vz Vz lh Yz Yz V2 Vz 10 2 6-7
6-11. Christiansen lh Yz 0 0 Yz lh X Y2 0 V2 lh Yz 2 8 3 6-7
6-11. deFirmian 0 0 Y2 Yz Y2 Yz Vz Vz X Yz Yz Yz Y2 1 10 2 6-7
6-11. Dzhindzikashvili lh Yz 0 V2 Yz V2 0 Vz X Y2 Y2 Y2 Y2 1 10 2 6-7
6-11. Shabalov lh Yz 0 0 0 lh lh lh X 1 Yz 0 3 6 4 6-7
12. Shaked 0 0 0 Yz Y2 Y2 l/Z Y2 0 X 0 3 5 5 5Yz-7Yz
13-14. 1. Ivanov Y2 0 0 Yz lh 0 Yz Y2 0 1/2 Yz X Y2 1 6 4 5-8
13-14. Khmelnitsky 0 0 0 Y2 0 Vz V2 Yz Y2 0 Y2 X 2 6 5 5-8
 The Talent Wheel (1992-1996)
its last week, since he drew with Gulko, Browne,
and deFirmian in a total of 54 moves.
Nevertheless, once deFirmian accepted
Wolff's draw offer after 23 moves on the final
day, there were only two players who could
catch them - and they were playing one an-
other. A draw by Ivanov or a victory by Yer-
molinsky would give either one a share of first
prize. And an Ivanov victory meant clear first
place for him.
It all came down to one crucial move:
B51 Sicilian Defense
white A. Ivanov, black Yermolinsky
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 Bb5+ Nd7 4 d4 Ngf6
5 e5?! Qa5+ 6 Nc3 Nd5 7 Bd2 Nxc3
8 Bxd7 + Bxd7 9 Bxc3 Qa6 10 d5 Bg4
11 h3 Bh5 12 e6 fxe6 13 dxe6 0-0-0
14 Qd5 Bxf3 15 gxf3 Rg8 16 f4 g6 17 fS?
gxfS 18 0-0-0 Bg7 19 Bxg7 Rxg7 20 Kbl
Rf8 21 c4 Qc6 22 Rhgl Rg6 23 Rxg6
hxg6 24 Rgl Rf6 25 f4 Kc7 26 h4 b5
27 b3 bxc4 28 bxc4 Qb7+! 29 Kal
Now 29 ... Qc8! wins a pawn - and
likely the game, as well as $2800. In addition
to 30 ... Qxe6 Black has a diabolical threat:
30 ... Qh8!! followed by a discovered check.
If White anticipates the check with 31 Kbl
Black replies 31 ... Rf8! followed by 32 ...
Rb8+.
29 ... Qc6?? 30 Rg3! drawn
So it was Ivanov, not Yermo, who joined
in the three-way-tie. The title was shared once
again - the fourth time in seven years, not
counting the knockout-tournaments of 1990-
I in which ties were no possible. The tie cre-
ated a minor problem: What to do about the
championship ring? The answer was a rapid
chess playoff, won convincingly by Wolff.
1996: Looking Up
There had been two-year interludes be-
tween championships in the 1930s and '40s
217
and three-year breaks in the 1950s. But the
tempo speeded up considerably after it became
an annual event in 1983: Within a month or
so after one championship had ended, the
players were carefully calculating their ratings
to see whether they'd be ensured of an invita-
tion to the next one.
And the clocks hardly seemed to have
stopped in Modesto before the 42nd champi-
onship began eight months later in Parisap-
pany, N.]. Because of a heavy schedule of in-
ternational events in the last half of 1996, the
USCF arranged for the 60th anniversary tour-
nament to be held over 18 warm days in July
and early August.
It began with a surprise: The youngest of
the 14 invitees, Tal Shaked, had turned in a
disappointing minus score in the U.S. Junior
a few weeks before. Bur the IS-year-old Ari-
zona student stunned his elders by winning
three games in the first week of play in Par-
sippany, including an upset of Alexander
Ivanov, the defending co-champion. In the
fourth round Shaked also surprised Dimitry
Gurevich, who was playing in his 12th cham-
pionship since arriving in the United States in
1980-when Shaked was just two years old.
E97 King's Indian Defense
white D. Gurevich, black Shaked
1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 Bg7 4 e4 d6 5 Nf3
0-0 6 Be2 e5 70-0 Nc6 8 d5 Ne7 9 b4 a5
Since White cannot reply 10 a3? because
of 10 ... axb4, Black breaks up the enemy's
phalanx of queenside pawns - at the risk of
opening up lines for White's pieces.
10 Ba3 axb4 11 Bxb4 b6 12 a4 Ne8 13 NbS
f5 14 Ng5 Bh6!
The players had made their first 13 moves
quickly bur here the young Arizonan spent 40
minutes to force White into a temporary pawn
sacrifice.
15 Ne6 BXe6 16 dxe6 fxe4 17 Bd2 Bxd2
18 Qxd2 c6 19 Nc3 Nf6 20 g4!
218 The United States Chess Championship
Black's emerging pawn center, which was
about to give him a big edge after ... d5, is
now threatened by 21 g5 and 22 Nxe4.
20 .•. d5 21 cXd5? Nfxd5!
But now Shaked - whose play bore a re-
semblance to another Tal (world champion
Mikhail Tal) - seizes excellent squares for his
knights and avoids 21 ... cXd5 22 Radl which
gives White good pressure.
22 Nxe4 Nf4 23 Bc4 Ned5 24 Qb2 Qc7
25 Ng5 Rae8 26 RaeI h6 27 Nf3 RXe6
28 Rxe5 Ref6!
After
28 ••• Ref6
D. Gurevich-Shaked, 1996
Black's power on the f-file is immense
and the g4-pawn may be doomed. Now
29 Khl Nh3 30 Rfel Rxf3? 31 Re7! is refuted
by 30 ... Qc8!.
29 Rfel? Qd7! 30 h3 Nxh3+ 31 Kh2 Qxg4
White forfeited on time as he played
32 Bxd5+ but after 32 ... cxd5 Black's assault
on the f-file would have been decisive anyway.
Despite misplaying a big edge in the sixth
round against Nick deFirmian, the surprising
Shaked was in first place with 4~ points as the
tournament approached the half-way mark.
Alex Yermolinsky trailed him by a half point.
The other defending co-champion failed to
gain ground when Shaked lost to Alexander
Shabalov because Yermolinsky lost the same
day to Gregory Kaidanov.
But those losses were the turning point of
the tournament for both players. Shaked,
heading into the toughest part of his schedule,
scored only two draws in his final six games.
Yermolinsky, on the other hand, turned into
super-Yermo. He severely damaged Boris
Gulko's chances by winning a double-edged
endgame - Gulko's weakness, according to his
former countrymen - in Round Eight, fol-
lowed by wins from Shaked and another new-
comer, Igor Khmelnitsky in the two following
rounds.
While Yermolinsky was piling up full
points, the native-born contingent was mired
in a string of half-points. There were only four
invitees in Parsippany who had not been born
in the Soviet Union but they included three
former U.S. champions who were still capable
of winning a major event.
Joel Benjamin and deFirmian had shared
first place in the rarefied, Colorado air of the
1987 championship by cautiously mixing three
victories apiece into their schedule of 10 draws.
But in Parsippany, this policy destined them for
the middle of the crosstable: Benjamin and de-
Firmian again drew ten games but this time only
won one apiece, which left them in a six-way tie
for sixth place - only a point out of the cellar.
Since missing the 1995 championship,
Larry Christiansen, the third former cham-
pion, had decided to return to the United
States and take a steady job as an editor of
Seirawan's Inside Chess. The 40-year-old
Christiansen was poised for a strong finish in
Parsippany, after beating Kaidanov in the sixth
round. Despite draws in the next four games
he was in third place and enjoyed excellent
prospects with three rounds to go.
But his chances of repeating his 1983 co-
championship suffered a near-fatal blow in a
time pressure battle with Alexander Ivanov in
the 11th round:
C87, Ruy Lopez, Steinitz
Defense Doubly Deferred
white A. Ivanov, black Christiansen
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 a6 4 Ba4 Nf6
50-0 Be7 6 ReI d6 7 c3?! Bg4 8 d3 Nd7
 The Talent Wheel (1992-1996)
Black has already won the battle of the
opening by discouraging d2-d4 and reaching
rough equality.
9 Nbd2 NcS 10 Be2 NeG 11 h3 BhS 12 Nfl
NgS 13 Nlh2 Nxf3+ 14 Nxf3 0-0 15 g4
Bg6 16 d4 exd4 17 Nxd4! Nxd4 18 Qxd4
eG 19 f4 f6 20 f5! Bf7 21 Bf4 e5!
For nearly 20 years this willingness to ac-
cept weak pawns to avoid passivity (after 22
Radl) had been a hallmark of Christiansen's
enterprising play.
22 Qf2 Qb6 23 b3 Qe6 24 Radl c4! 25 b4
as 26 a3 axb4 27 axh4 Ra2 28 Re2 ReS
29 Red2 Bf8 30 Qg3 dS! 31 e5 fXeS
32 BXeS Qh6+ 33 Bd4 Qh6
Sounder was 33 ... Qd6, but Chris-
tiansen was playing not so much against
Ivanov as against his clock - which left White
only three minutes [Q reach lime control at
move 40.
34 g5 Qh5 35 RfI Re2 36 Rxe2 Qxe2
37 Bdl Qe4 38 Qg4 Bd6?
Preparing a suicidal kingside trick. With
38 ... Rd2, and its threat of 39 ... Bxb4, Black
had chances to make his 15-minutes-to-l time
advantage counr.
39 Bf3! Qd3 40 Bg2 Bh5??
After
40 •.. BhS
A. Ivanov-Christiansen. 1996
219
If this had been the 39th move, and
White had been forced to reply instantly, the
outcome would surely have been different.
Then White might have fallen for one of the
various traps, such as 41 Qxh5?? Rxg2+
42 Kxg2 Qg3+ and mates or 41 Bxd5+ Kf8
42 Bxc4 Qd2! 43 Rf2 Qel!+ 44 Rfl BXg4
45 Rxel Bh2+ and mates. Other moves also
appear to fail White (41 Qh4 Bh2+ 42 Khl
Qxfl+ 43 Bxfl B£3+).
Unfortunately for Black, it was his 40th
move, and with the liberty of a new time con-
trol Ivanov spent 10 minutes to find:
41 f6!! Bxg4 42 Bxd5+ Be6! 43 BxeG+ Kf8
44 fxg7 + Kxe7 45 BfG+!
This is what Black overlooked, counting
only on 45 Rf7 + Kxe6, after which White's at-
tack is over. Of course, 45 g8(Q)-without
check - would have walked into 45 ... Qg3+
and mate next.
45 ... Kxe6 46 g8(Q)+ Kd7 47 Qd8+ KeG
48 Qe8+ and Black resigns
White is mating after 48 ... Kd5
49 Qb5+ Ke6 50 Rel+.
Meanwhile Gurevich had also shaken off
the loss to Shaked. His defeat of Christiansen
with Black in the 12th round killed the latter's
few remaining chances for a prize while vault-
ing Gurevich into second place. That gave him
7V2 points, ahead of Gulko and just a half
point behind Kaidanov and Yermolinsky-
whom he was to meet on the final day.
For Gurevich, this was a remarkable
showing since he had never finished better
than a tie for fourth place before. In fact, had
it not been for a disastrous result against the
tailenders, "Dima" would have taken one of
the very top prizes: he scored only two draws
against the trio of Shaked, Igor Ivanov and
Khmelnitsky, while Gulko and Kaidanov took
three points from them and Yermolinsky gar-
nered twO and a half.
The key game of the tournament turned
out to be:
220 The United States Chess Championship
E42 Nimzo-Indian Defense
white D. Gurevich, black Yermolinsky
1 d4 Nf6 2 e4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 e3 e5
5 Nge2 b6 6 a3 Ba5 7 RbI Na6 8 Qa4
Bxc3+
White's effort to exploit the awkward a5-
bishop now leads to a slight but solid advan-
tage.
9 Nxc3 0-0 10 Be2 Bb7 11 0-0 Ne4
12 NXe4 Bxe4 13 Ral Nc7 14 dxc5 Be6
15 Qdl! Qg5! 16 e4 Qxc5 17 Be3 Qe5 18 f3
fS! 19 Bd4 Qf4 20 e5?
White begins to go astray, taking the first
of several faulty steps that ruin his pawn struc-
ture and his two-bishop edge. He should ei-
ther liquidate his e-pawn (20 exfS) or, ncxt
move, maintain control of d5 with 21 b3.
20 ... b5! 21 Be5?! Rfc8 22 Qd6 bxc4
23 g3 Qg5 24 Bxe4 f4! 25 Qd2 Qxe5
26 Bd6?
Remarkably enough, White could still
reach equality with 26 Bd4 Qg5 27 Qxf4.
But having rejectcd a favorable endgame ear-
lier (with 22 Qd4!) he now slides into an in-
ferior one.
26 ... Qe3+ 27 Qxe3 fxe3 28 Rael Bb5!
29 Bxb5 Nxb5 30 Be5 Re5! 31 Rxe3 d6
After
31 ... d6
D. Gurevich- Yermolinsky, 1996
The worst part of what has transpired to
Gurevich's promising opening is that Black can
play for a win now with virtually no risk. If
there werc any danger to him in the position,
Yermolinsky might have offered a draw, since
that would give him 8Vz points, a score that
could only be exceeded by Kaidanov, who had
gone into the final round with 8 points.
But Kaidanov was slowly losing to Lev
Alburt, reducing that threat. This meant it was
in Yermo's interest to keep playing a bit longer
to determine if he would need a full point to
secure first prize. Now White's major asset, the
bishop, is eliminated (32 Bf4? c5 33 Bg5 h6).
32 a4 dXe5 33 axb5 Rxb5 34 Re2 Rab8
35 Ral a5 36 Ra2? Kf7 37 Kf2?
And after weak moves like these it was
harder for Black to even consider a draw. 36 h4
(or 37 h4) would still have drawn.
37 ... g5! 38 h3 h5 39 Ra4 Kf6 40 h4?
gxh4 41 Rxh4 Rxb2 42 Rxh5 Rxe2+
43 Kxe2 Ra8
White must commit his rook or king now
to stop the a-pawn, allowing Black to create a
winning zugzwang at move 53. The half point
that would have given Gurevich a tie for sec-
ond prize has evaporated.
44 Rh6+ Ke7 45 Kd3 a4 46 Rh2 a3
47 Ra2 Kf6 48 Ke2 Kf5 49 Kbl e4
50 fxe4+ Kg4 51 Rg2 a2+ 52 Kal e5
53 Rgl Ra4! 54 Rfl Kxg3 55 Rf5 RXe4
56 KXa2 Kg4 57 Rf8 Rb4 and White re-
signs
The 42nd championship left many of the
players thinking another era was ending for
American chess. The generation that domi-
nated the tournament for 15 years was ready
to give way to the Tal Shakcds of the future.
Even Walter Browne, a championship fixture
since 1973, was missing at Parsippany. Also,
Craig Crcnshaw, the patron of brilliancy prizes
and other awards since 1981 had died at age 81
in March and was eulogized at the final ban-
quet.
 The Talent Wheel (1992-1996) 221

Within a few days of the final round, Don
Schultz, organizer of the 1994 tournament,
was elected president of the USCF on a platform
pledging a new commitment to the champi-
onship. At Schultz's urging, the federation's
governing policy board set up a special U.S.
championship committee charged with in-
creasing "the prestige, promotion and public-
ity" of the event and its winner. The future
never looked brighter.
 u.s. Championship Summary
Early Matches
1845 - Match: Charles Henry Stanley over
Eugene Rousseau, 15-8, 8 draws.
1850- Match: Stanley over ].H. Turner,
11-5, one draw.
1857 - First American Chess Congress, New
York: won by Paul Morphy, who
defeated Louis Paulsen in finals.
1871 - Second American Chess Congress,
Cleveland: won by Capt. George
Mackenzie.
1874- Third American Chess Congress,
Chicago: won by Mackenzie.
1880-Fifth American Chess Congress, New
York: won (in playoff) by Mackenzie.
1890- Match: Jackson Showalter over
Solomon Lipschutz.
1891 - Ma tch: Lipschutz over Showalter
7 -1, draws. (Lipschutz retires as
champion.)
1894 - Match: Showalter over Albert B.
Hodges, 8-6, 4 draws.
1894-Match: Hodges over Showalter, 5-3,
1 draw. (Hodges retires as champion.)
1895 - Match: Showalter over Lipschutz, 7-
4,3 draws.
1896 - Match: Showalter over Emil
Kemcny.
1896 - Match: Showalter over John F.
Barry, 7-2, 4 draws.
1897 - Match: Harry Nelson Pillsbury over
Showalter, 10-8,4 draws.
1898 - Match: Pillsbury over Showalter,
7-3, 2 draws.
223
1906 - Pillsbury dies. Showalter
subsequently recognized as champion.
1909-Match: Frank]. Marshall over
Showalter, 7-2, 3 draws.
1923 - Match: Marshall over Edward
Lasker, 5-4, 9 draws.
Matches (after 1936)
1941 - Sammy Reshevsky over I.A. "AI"
Horowitz, 3-0, 13 draws.
1946 - Arnold Denker over Herman
Steiner, 3-1, 6 draws.
1952 - Larry Evans over Steiner, 8-2,4
draws.
Modern Tournaments
Ist-1936 (New York) Sammy Reshevsky,
1st place.
2nd - 1938 (New York) Reshevsky.
3rd - 1940 (New York) Reshevsky.
4th - 1942 (New York) Reshevsky (after
playoff with Isaac Kashdan).
5th - 1944 (New York) Arnold Denker.
6th - 1946 (New York) Reshevsky.
7th - 1948 (South Fallsburg, N.Y.) Herman
Steiner.
8th - 1951 (New York) Larry Evans.
9th - 1954 (New York) Arthur Bisguier.
Also world championship zonal.
10th-1957-58 (New York) Bobby Fischer.
Also zonal.
11 th -1958-59 (New York) Fischer.
12th - 1959-60 (New York) Fischer.
224 The United States Chess Championship
13th-1960-61 (New York) Fischer. Also
zonal.
14th - 1961-62 (New York) Evans.
15th-1962-63 (New York) Fischer. Also
zonal.
16th-1963-64 (New York) Fischer.
17th - 1965 (New York) Fischer. Also zonal.
18th-1966 (New York) Fischer.
19th - 1968 (New York) Evans.
20th - 1969 (New York) Reshevsky. Also
zonal.
21 st - 1972 (New York) Robert Byrne (after
playoff). Also zonal.
22nd-1973 (EI Paso, Texas) John Grefe
and Lubosh Kavalek co-champions.
23rd-1974 (Chicago) Walter Browne.
24th-1975 (Oberlin, Ohio) Browne. Also
zonal.
25th -1977 (Mentor, Ohio) Browne.
26th - 1978 (Pasadena, Calif.) Kavalek.
Also zonal.
27th - 1980 (Greenville, Pa.) Browne,
Evans and Larry Christiansen
co-champions.
28th - 1981 (South Bend, Ind.) Browne
and Yasser Seirawan co-champions.
Also zonal.
29th - 1983 (Greenville, Pa.) Browne,
Christiansen and Roman
Dzhindzhikashvili co-champions.
30th - 1984 (Berkeley, Calif.) Lev Alburt.
Also zonal.
31st-1985 (Estes Park, Colo.) Alburt.
32nd- 1986 (Estes Park, Colo.) Seirawan.
33rd - 1987 (Estes Park, Colo.) Joel
Benjamin and Nick deFirmian. Also
zonal.
34th - 1988 (Cambridge Springs, Pa.)
Michael Wilder.
35th - 1989 (Long Beach, Calif.) Dzhind-
zhikashvili, Stuart Rachels and Seira-
wan co-champions. Also zonal.
36th - 1990 (Jacksonville, Fla.) Alburt.
37th - 1991 (Los Angeles, Cal.) Gata
Kamsky.
38th - 1992 (Durango, Colo.) Patrick
Wolff.
39th - 1993 (Long Beach, Cal.) Alexander
Shabalov and Alexander Yermolinsky
co-champions.
40th - 1994 (Key West, Fla.) Boris Gulko.
Also zonal.
41st-1995 (Modesto, Calif.) deFirmian,
Alexander Ivanov and Wolff
co-champions.
42nd-1996 (Parsippany, N.J.) Yermolinsky.
 Individual Records

In the first 41 tournaments to decide the (5) Lev Alburt, Yasser Seirawan
modern (1936 on) United States Champion- (including one tie each), Lubosh
ship, a number of remarkable records have Kavalek (including two ties), 3
been achieved:

Most Plus Scores

Most Tournaments Played In
(1)Sammy Reshevsky, 21
(1) Sammy Reshevsky, 21 (2)Larry Evans, 14
(2) Robert Byrne, 17 (3-4)Pal Benko, Robert Byrne, 10
(.3-5) Pal Benko, Arthur Bisguier, Walter (5-6)Joel Benjamin, Yasser Seirawan, 9
Browne, 16 (7-8)Larry Christiansen, Bobby Fischer,
(6-7) Larry Evans, Joel Benjamin, 15 8
(8) Larry Christiansen, 13 (9-12) Arthur Bisguier, Walter Browne,
(9) Dimirry Gurevich, 12 Lubosh Kavalek, William
(10) Yasser Seirawan, 11 Lombardy, 7

Most Finishes in Top Three Places

Most Consecutive Tournaments
Played In (1) Sammy Reshevsky, 15
(2) Larry Evans, 9
(1) Joel Benjamin (1981-96), 15 (3) Bobby Fischer, 8
(2) Pal Benko (1958-59 to 1975), 14 (4) Walter Browne, 7
(.3) Robert Byrne (1958-59 to 1972), 11 (5-7) Robert Byrne, Larry Christiansen,
(4-5) Arthur Bisguier (1962-63 to 1975), Yasser Seirawan, 6
Larry Evans (1961-62 to 1974), 10 (8-9) Pal Benko, Lubosh Kavalek, 5
(6) Larry Christiansen (1977 to 1987), 9 (10-14) Lev Alburt, Joel Benjamin, Reuben
(7) Nick deFirmian (1983 to 1990), 8 Fine, Isaac Kashdan, Jams T.
Sherwin, 4

Most Games Played

Most Games Won
(1) Sammy Reshevsky, 269
(2-3) Walter Browne, Robert Byrne, 209 (1) Sammy Reshevsky, 127
(4) Larry Evans, 193 (2) Larry Evans, 79

225
226 The United States Chess Championship

(3) Walter Browne, 67 Most Consecutive Wins

(4) Bobby Fischer, 61
(5) Isaac Kashdan, 58 Bobby Fischer, 12 (Round 11 of 1962-63 to
(6) Joel Benjamin, 54 Round 11 of 1963-64)
(7) Robert Byrne, 51
(8) Pal Benko, 49
(9) Larry Christiansen, 48 Highest Winning Percentage
(10) LA. Horowitz, 47 (three or more tournaments)

(1) Bobby Fischer, 83.3 percent

Most Tournaments Without a Loss (2) Reuben Fine, 78.0 percent
(3) Isaac Kashdan, 71.2 percent
(1) Bobby Fischer, 6 (4) Herman Steiner, 66.6 percent
(2-3) Robert Byrne, Sammy Reshevsky, (5) A.5. Pinkus, 62.3 percent
5 (6) Lubosh Kavalek, 61.7 percent
(4) Lubosh Kavalek, 4 (7) Albert C. Simonson, 61.2 percent
(5-6) Larry Evans, Walter Browne (8) Arnold Denker, 60.7 percent
(9) Vasser Seirawan, 60.6 percent

Biggest Margin of Victory

Highest Percentage of Draws
(two or more tournaments)
Bobby Fischer, three and a half points
(1) N orman Weinstein, 77.1 percent
(2) Anatoly Lein, 70.4 percent
Most Wins, One Tournament (3) Lubosh Kavalek, 67.6 percent
(4) Bernard Zuckerman, 66.6 percent
Arnold Denker (1944) and Sammy (5) Charles Kalme, 63.7 percent
Reshevsky (1946), 14 (6) Fred Reinfeld, 62.5 percent

Most Draws, One Tournament Lowest Percentage of Draws

(two or more tournaments)
Lubosh Kavalek, 15 (1984)
(1 ) Kamran Shirazi, 13.4 percent
(2) Weaver Adams, 16.5 percent
Most Losses, One Tournament (3) Isaac Kashdan, 25.2 percent
(4) Anthony Saidy, 27.7 percent
Louis Persinger (1946) and Kamran Shirazi (5) Reuben Fine, 28.6 percent
(1984), 16
 Openings Index

Alekhine's Defense 189, 195 Nimzo-Indian Defense 65, 68, 220

Benoni Defense 165,177 Orangutan Opening 102

Bogo-Indian Defense IR8
Petrov Defense 130, 139
Caro-Kann Defense 199, 211, 212
Catalan Opening 83, 120, 172, 207 Queen's Fianchetto Defense 148
Queen's Gambit Accepted 35
Danish Gambit 39 Queen's Gambit Declined 43, 60, 73, 75, 89
Dutch Defense 11, 22, 146 Queen's Indian Defense 125, 164, 169, 175, 179,
183, 197
English Opening 49, 160, 168, 191, 193, 215 Queen's Pawn Game 87

Four Knights Game 16, 77 Ruy Lopez 6, 21, 33, lIO, 111, 199, 202
French Defense 12, 23, 116, 206, 215 Ruy Lopez, Steinitz 218

Giuoco Piano 5, 32 Scotch Game 48

Gruenfeld Defense 83, 121 Semi-Slav Defense 209
Sicilian Defense 7, 14, 71, 82, 85, 86, 97, 107, 117,
Irregular Defense 188 118, 134, 141, 152, 159, 184, 190, 203, 217
Slav Defense 195
King's Gambit 9
King's Indian Defense 78, 94, 105, 112, 123, 143, Two Knights Defense 13, 56
181, 205, 217
King's Indian Reversed 93 Ufimtsev Defense 187

Modern Defense 161, 194 Vienna Game 8, 28, 29, 41

227
 ECO Openings Index

AOO 102 B78 118 DI7 195

A0893 B80 141 DI8 60
Al7 160 B82 86,184 D21 35
Al849 B85 190 D3443
A30 168,169 B97 117 035 73
A31 175 B99 134 041 89,100
A32 215 042 212
COl 23 D4548
A36 191,193
C03 116 D46 209
A42 161,194
C07 215 D92 I21
A50 148
C08 206 D97 83,112
A63 177
C21 39
A70 165
C2629 EOI 172
A80 11,146
C29 28 E02 83
A8522
C3041 E06 120
C389 Ell 188
B04 189,195
C42 130,139 E12 125, 179
B06 12
C4777 E13 183
B07 187,188
C48 16 E18 164
Bl2 199, 211
C50 5,8 E20 207
B21 7
C55 13 E29 65
B23 159
C5956 E42 220
B35 97
C67 110,111 E43 68
B40 14
C68 199 E5l 197
B48 107
C706 E61 105
B50 71
C84 21. 32, 33 E67 78,143
B51 217
C87 218 E87 181
B65 86
C90 202 E89 205
B66 203
B70 82,152 DOl 87 E97 123,217
B74 85 DI3 75 E99 94

228
 General Index

Adams, Weaver 8,47,50,56,58,70-71,76,80,226 Biel, 1976 International Tournamenr 142, 145

Addison, William 109, 111-12, 115-16, 118-20, 123-25 Bilguer, Paul Rudolf von 11
"Ajeeb" 31 Bird. Henty 23, 26
Aksharumova, Anna 181, 185 Birth of the Chess Tournament 10
Albin, Adolf 31 Bisguier. Arrhur 67, 73. 85-93, 96-99, 101, 103-6.
The Albion (N.Y.) 7 109-112. 115. 118-20. 122-23, 125, 128. 130. 132-33,
Alburt, Lev 128, 157, 163-64, 166, 170-83, 187-92, 136, 138-40. 143-46. 158. 163, 187. 202. 223. 225
194-98, 216. 224 Bisno, Alexander 92
Alekhine, Alexander 46, 59. 72 Biyiasas, Perer 157. 159. 161. 163
Allison, WS. 19 Blackhurne. Joseph Henry 26. 28. 30
Almgren, Sven 70. 80 Bock 24
Airman. B. 64. 70 Bondarevsky, Igor 73
Ambassador College (Pasadena. Calif,) 149. 158 Borvinnik, Mikhail 92
American Chess Associarion 21-22 Bourdonnais. Louis de la 3. 7. 11
American Chess Bulletin 37-38, 42-43 Bradford. Joseph 128. 157-58. 163
American Chess Congress, First (1857) 1. 7. 9-20. 92. Brandts. Paul 88
193.223 Bristol, 1861 Inrernarional Tournament 14
American Chess Congress, Second (1871) 21-22.223 British Chess Magazine 21
American Chess Congress, Third (1874) 21-22.24, 223 Brooklyn Chess Club 32
American Chess Congress, Fourth (1876) 23-24, 223 Brooks. Michael 194, 196
American Chess Congress, Fifrh (1880) 21, 1·1.3. 205. 223 Browne. Walrer 12, 133-51, 158-61. 163, 165-67,
American Chess Congress, Sinh (1889) 28, 35, 55. 109. 169-74. 176-78, 180, 182, 186, 190-92, 195-96, 198.
223 202-4,210, 213-15, 217, 220, 224-26
American Chess Congress, Sevenrh (1904) 34-35.223 Brunswick, 1880 Inrcrnational Tournamenr 14
American Chess Fcdcrarion 72 Burger, Karl 88,116,118,123.125
American Chess Foundarion 92, 109, 123 Burns, James F. 27
American Chess Magazine 32 Byrne, Donald 67,73.86,91-92.97-100, 103. 106.
American Chess Quarterly 112 108, 114-15, 124-25. 135-36
American Open 191 Byrne, Robert 12. 20. 67. 73. 86. 91. 93. 97-98. lOa.
Americas Chess Heritage 34 103-4, 106-8. 111-18. 120-25. 128-32. 137. 141.
Anand. Viswanathan 203, 212-13 143-44, 146-50. 152-54, 158, 160. 163. 165-66.
Andersscn, Adolf 3. 5, 6. 14. 19, 20. 29 173-74,187, 224-26
Association of American Chess Masters 72.74, 145
Ault. Rohin 102, 104 Cafe de la Regence 3
Averbakh, Yuri 113 Calderon, Jose 92
AVRO, 1937 International Tournamenr 51 Calthrop. S.R. 12. 19
Cambridge Springs. 1904 Internarional Tournament 38.
Baker, H. 64 187
Barry, John F. 31. 35, 51, 223 Capablanca, Jose 38-39,41.44
Basman. Michael 14-15 Carpentier. Charles Le 3
Belgrade, 1988 Internarional Tournamenr 206 Carson, Johnnie 190
Benjamin, Joel 157, 164, 166, 168, 170-71, 173-76. Chajes, Oscar 157
178-80, 182-88, 192, 195-96,198-200, 202.204. Chellsrorp. Craig 137
207-14.216,219,224-26 Cherney, Irving 63-64. 70
Benko. Pal 97-98, 103-4. 106-8, 111-12, 114-15,118. Chess in the USSR 202
120-22. 125, 128, 131-32, 135-37, 140-41, 143-46, Chess Life 142, 145
154. 158. 163, 18~ 225-26 The Chess Players 3
Berliner, Hans 88. 92-93. 96, 106. 112 Chess Review 46. 52. 59.62. 69. 71. 87, 93. 100, 120.
Bernsrcin, Sidney 1.48-50, 54, 58-59.62,81-82, 84, 129
86, 88, 92-93, 96, 101-02, 104, 108 Chess Secrets I Learned from the Masters 43

229
230 General Index

Chicago Chess Club 22 Gardner, Dick 184

Christiansen, Larry 128,147-49,151-55,158-63, Ghizdavu, Dumirru 147, ISO
165-71, 173-74, 176-79, 182-84, 186, 191, 195-96, Gilden, Larry 133, 136, 140
206-12, 216,218-19,224-26 Gladstone 70
Civil War 19-21 Grandmasters Association 189, 206
Cleveland City Club 43 "The Great Match" R, 223
Cohen, S. 54 Green, M. 58, 64
Cohnfcld, Albert 24, 26 Grefe, John 1.'n-37, 139-41, 144, 147-50, 171, 176, 224
Collins, Jack 92 Grundy, James 24-26, 143, 145
Commons, Kim 128, 137, 140, 144, 154 Gulko, Boris 20, 181, 184-86, 188-94, 196, 198-99,
Congdon, J.A. 22, 24, 26 202, 204-6, 208, 210-19, 224
Cosmopolitan 183 Gunsberg, Isidore 28
Crane, Les 190 Gurevich, Dimicry 157, 168-70, 174, 178, 182, 185-86,
Crenshaw, Craig 183, 220 190,192, 196, 202-8, 210, 213-17, 219-20, 225
Crenshaw Prize 169, 183, 185 Gurevich, lIya 197-99, 202-5
Cuchi, Jose 209
Cura,ao, 1962 International Tournament 108 Hahlbolm, Herman 63-64
Hamilton Club (Chicago) 42
Daily Sketch 40 Hanauer, MilLon 49-50,52,54,58,81,84
Dake, Arthur 45-47,49, 50, 52-54,62,64,67,72,77 Hanham, James M. 27-28
Dallas, 1957 International Tournament 94 Harding 22
Damiano 11 Harkness, Kenneth 69
deFirmian, Nick 128, 159, 168-71, 174-79, IS2-96, Harrwitz, Daniel 19
199, 209-10, 212-IS, 224-25 Hastings, 1895 International Tournament 32,41
DeFotis, Greg 127-29, 131-33, 137 Hastings, 1935-36 International Tournament 46
Delmar, Eugene 24-26,28 Hastings, 1946 International Tournament 73
Denker, Arnold 46-47, 50, 58,62,67-77. 81, 86, 92, Hearst, Eliot 86-90, 100, 106-8
96-97, 104, 209, 223, 226 Heirner, I. 80
Descombe Rooms II Helms, Hermann 30, 42
Detroit Chess and Checker Club 43 Helsinki, 1952 International Tournament 84
DiCamillo, Atillio 70, 76, 93, 96 Henley, Ron 12R,173-74
Diesen, Marc 157,159,163 Hesse. H. 80
Dlugy, Maxim 157,172-74,178-79, 181-82, 184, 186, Hodges, Albert 27,30-31,35,51,61.157.223
189-93, 196, 198,209 Horowitz, I.A. "AI" 46-47, SO, 54, 59-64, 67-68, 70,
Drexel, G. 76 72.75-77, 81-82, 84, 92. 95, 99, 120-22, 129, 132,
Dubrovnik, 1950 Internarional Tournament 82 lSI. 223, 226
Dzbindzbikashvili, Roman 157, 168-76, 191-96, 198, Hot[. Vlastimil 103
202, 204, 206-8, 214, 216, 224 Hosmer. H. 21-22, 24
Hotel Astor 62
Eden Musee 31 Houghton 22
Edmondson, Ed 123 Howard, F. 80
Elder 21-22, 24
Elo, Arpad 197
Informant 199
Euwe, Max 93
Inside Chess 185, 193, 218
Evans, Larry 63,67,73,78-84,86-89,91-93,98-100,
International Chess lvfagazine 21
103, 106-12, 114-18, 120-26, 131-32, 136-38, 140,
Interplay Productions 209,212, 221
142, 145, 152, 158-61, 163, 18~ 223-26
Isaacs 70
Ivanov, Alexander 190. 192-93, 196-98. 202, 204,
Factor, Samuel 47,49-51
208-11,213-19, 224
Family Herald 7
Ivanov, Igor 128, 190, 192-9.),196-98,203-5,216
Fedorowicz, John 2,150,164,166-67, 173-78, 180-82,
184-86, 188, 190-93, 19S-99, 202-6, 208-9
Feuerstein, Arthur 93, 96, 129, 132 Jaffe, Charles 157
Fine, Reuben 45-59,62,67-72,77,81-82,95,158, Janes, H. SO
180, 225-26 Janowsky, David 41
Finegold, Ben 209-10 Jansa, Vlastimil 103
Fink, A. 76 Jarecki, Carol 200
Fischer, Robert J. "Bobby" 4, 32, 37, 68, 91-120, 123, Johnston 22
127, 133, 135, 139, 141, 145-46, 149, 167, 180, 185, Judd, ~ax 21-22, 24, 26-27, 34
200,203,205,209,223-26
Fishbein, Alex 205 Kaidanov, Gregory 206, 208, 210-12, 214, 216, 21S-
Fiske, Daniel 7, 9, 10, 12, 19 20
Ford, D.A.P. 3 Kalme, Charles 91. 98, 101, 106, 226
Frank Samford Fellowship 185 Kamsky, Gata 2,37,191, 197-201,205-8,224
Franklin, Benjamin II Kamsky, Rustam 197, 199-201, 212
Frankfurt, 1887 International Tournament 26 Kane, George 133-.31. 136
Frias, Victor 188, 190 KarkJins, Andrew 128, 135-37, 140
Fried, Charles 1 Karlsbad, 1923 International Tournament 176
Fuller, W.j.A. II, 12, 16, 18, 19 Karpov, Anatoly 8, 139, 202, 212
 General Index 231

Kashdan, Isaac 44-56, 58-59, 62-68, 72, 74-78, Margate, 1935 International Tournament 46
80-81, 91, 151, 158, 180, 223, 225-26 Mar6czy. Geza 30
Kasparov, Garry 185, 197. 206, 212 Marshall. Frank 1, 30-31, 35-46, 60-61, 63, 157, 180,
Kasper, Maurice 92. 118 187,223
Kaufman, Larry 129, 132 Marshall Chess Club 40-41,43-44.46,47, 51, 60, 62,
Kavalek, Lubosh 91, 103, 128-33, 135-37, 139, 141, 78, 86, 101. 133
143-45, 149, 152-55, 159, 163-67, 173-74, 176, Martinez, D.M. 21, 23, 24
178-79, 182-83, 200, 224-26 Manz, William 128, 131-32, 136-37
Kemeny, Emil 31, 33, 35, 223 Mason, James 21, 23-24, 28, 38
Kennedy, John F. 110 Matera, Sal 150
Kennicott, H. 12, 19, 22, 24 Mednis, Edmar 92-93, 96, 98, 100. 102-4. 106.
Kevitz, Alexander 47, 50, 67, 72, 81 108-12. 115. 117. 123, 125, 132-33, 136, 141-44,
Keyes, Francis Parkinson 3 152-56
Khmelnitsky, Alex 21.'3-16, 218 Meek. Alexander 11-13, 19
Kieseritsky, Lionel 3 Men. Boris 202, 204-5
King, Stephen 180 Mengarini, Ariel 82-84. 87-89,92
Kmoch, Hans 81, 100 Mcnuhin, Yehudi 68
Knott, Hubert 19 Miles, Tony 187-90,192,209
Kogan, Boris 157. 164, 166, 170, 173-74,178-79, Modern Chess Instructor 17
181-82, 186. 190 Mohle, Charles 24-27
Kolisch, Ignaz 14 Montgomery. Hardman Phillips 10, 19
Korchnoi, Viktor 8, 128 Montpellier, 1985 International Tournament 176
Korn, Walter 34 Montreal Chess Club 37
Kowalski, S. 76 Morphy, Ernest 3, 5
Kramer, George 67, 72-73, 75-76,78. 80-81, 86, Morphy, Paul 3, 5, 6, 9-21, 26-27, 29, 32, 35, 37, 84,
92-94, 106, 108 92, 162, 180, 193, 223
Kreiman, Boris 209-10 Morton, Harold 47, 49, 50, 52, 54, 59
Kudrin, Sergey 157, 163-66. 168. 170-71, 174-78.
182-83, 185-88, 190-92. 196, 198, 209, 214 Najdorf, Miguel 84
Kupchik, Ahraham 46-47, 50, 54, 56, 58, 157 The Nation 60
National Chess Association 22
Ladd, Alan 72 National Chess Federation 72
Larsen, Bem 97, 139 National Open 213
Lasker, Edward 1,31,40-44,46, 60, 72, 157, 223 Neidich 70
Lasker, Emanuel 30, 32, 35, 41, 45, 51 New Orleans Chess Club 3-4
rasker's Chess Magazine 34-35 New York, 1924 International Tournament 44
Lein, Anatoly 146-47,149-50, 153-55, 157, 161, New York Chess Association 39
163-67, 170, 182-83, 226 New York Chess Club 3-4. 11
Leningrad, 1960 International Tournament 103 New York Courier 7
Lessing, N. 64 New York Illustrated News 7
Levin. Jacob 64, 74, 76 New York Ledger 19
Levy, L. 64 New York Open, 1989 Imernational Tournament 197
Lichtenhein, Theodor 9, 11-13, 19 New York Times 42
Lipschutz, Solomon 21, 28-31, 35, 223 New York University 11
Littman, G. 58 Newnes Trophy 34
Lombardy, William 1, 91-96, 98, 100, 103, 106, 112, Nottingham, 1936 International Tournament 46, 51
120, 122-23, 125, 128-29, 131-32, 143-45, 151,
153-55, 225 Oberlin College 141
London, 1851 International Tournament 11 Oliver, Benjamin 3
London, 1946 International Tournament 73 Orlov, Georgi 210, 213-15
Lone Pine, 1978 International Tournament 164 Oxford Encyclopedia of Chess Games 7
Lone Pine, 1980 International Tournament 172
Lone Pine (Calif.) tournaments 149. lSI, 164, 172 Panno, Oscar 97
1.os Angeles Times 81, 183, 191 Paris, 1878 International Tournament 26
Louis, Joe 72 Paris, 1900 International Tournament 38
Lowenthal, Johann 8, 16, 19 Paulsen. Louis 11-19, 26, 29. 35. 223
Lukowiak, Bill 164 Pavey, Max 84, 86. 88
Perr{n, Frederick 12. 19, 22-24
McCambridge. Vincent 176, 178-79 Persinger, Louis 68. 70. 226
McCrary, R.J. 10 Peters, Jack 71, 128. 141. 143-44, 147, 150, 158-59, 161,
McDonnell. Alexander 11 163-66, 172, 174-75
MacDonnell, G.A. 20 Perropolis, 1973 International Tournament 131
Mackenzie, George Henry I, 20-28, 35, 37-38, 157. Petrosian, Tigran 164
162, 180, 223 Philidor, Frans:ois 12
Man, Alrick 43 Phillips, Harold 45
Manhattan Chess Club 25,31,38,40,45,47,51, 55, Pillsbury, Harry Nelson 30-36, 38-39. 41. 157. 223
GO. 83. 94. 97, 133, 146 Pilnick, Carl 63-64, 88, 114
Manila. 1990 International Tournament 191, 193 Pinkus, A.S. 55, 58, 62. 64, 67-68, 70, 72, 75-76. 84,
Marachc. Napoleon 11-12,19, 157 226
232 General Index

Platz. J. 80 Short, Nigel 176. 212

Polland. David 54. 58 Showalter, Jackson 1. 27-35, 37-41. 157. 206, 223
Pollock. W.H.K. 28. 30 Simonson. Alben C. 47,49-51. 54. 58. 62. 81-82. 84.
Popovych. Orest 129. 132 226
Porur} Spirit ofthe Times 7 64 209
Poctorozh. 1958 International Tournament 97 Smeikal, Jan 103
Poschel. Paul 80 Smith, H.D. 21
Professional Chess Association (International) 189. 199. Smyslov. Vasily 29. 164
212-13 Software Toolworks 190-91, 201
Professional Chess Association (U.S.) 145 Soltis. Andy 138, 140. 150-51, 154, 170
Souths ea. 1950 International Tournament 86
Rachels. Stuart 190-94. 196. 202-4. 224 Spassky. Boris 4. 103. 123, 127, 131, 152. 176. 203
Raphael. B.1. 11-13. 19 Spielmann. Rudolf 176
Redman. Tim 138. 145 Stamma. Phillippe 11
Reeves. Rosser 92 Stanley. Charles Henry 3-10,12,19.27.157.221,223
Regan. Ken 154. 180 Stanley Hotel (Estes Park. Colo.) 176. 180, 183. 185.
Reichhclm. Gustavus 21 187
Reinfeld. Fred 9. 51. 54. 57-58. 226 Statham. Louis 149
Reshevsky. Sammy 41.45-68.71. 74-77. 81-84. 89. Staunton. Howard 4. 8. 12 19
91-99. 101. 104-6. 109. 111-12. 114-16. 118. 120-22. Steiner. Herman 46-47. 50, 62, 64. 67-68. 70, 72-81,
124-32.137-38.140-41,143-45.147-48.150. 84-85,9~ 194.223.226
157-58, 164-67. 180-81, 209. 223-26 Steinitz. Wilhelm 16-18. 21, 26. 28, 30-31. 34. 45, 110
Ricci. Ruggiero 68 Steinmeyer. Robert 109.112. 114-15
Riga, 1979 International Tournament 156 Stephens. L. Walter 62-63. 100
Rio. Ercole del 6. 11 Stern. Isaac 68
Riviere. Arnous de 3 Stockholm. 1962 International Tournament 106
Rockefeller Center 51 Stromberg 70
Rogoff. Ken 127. 133. 137. 140-41. 143. 145-46. 149. Suesman, Walter 52. 54. 76
151-52.154 Sur.ci. A. 80
Rohde. Michael 180-82. 184-86. 190. 193, 198. 209 Suttles. Duncan 116. 118
Rosenwald. Lessing 92. 190 Szen. Josef 11
Rossolimo. Nicolas 86. 88. 110. 112-14. 116. 118. 120.
122 Tal, Mikhail 97, 206
Rothman. Aaron 70-71.76 Tarjan. James 128. 133. 135-37, 141. 144. 147. 149-50.
Rousseau. Eugene 3-7.10.157.221.223 153-55. 163, 165-66. 169-74, 176
Rousseau. Jean-Jacques 3 Tarrasch. Siegbert 26
Rubinow. Sol 76-78. 80 Tartakower. Savielly 47
Ryan 26 Tchigorin, Mikhail 28. 30. 41
Thiel College 158, 167
Saidy. Anthony 100. 106. 114-15. 118. 120. 122-23. 125. Thirty-One Games at Chess (Stanley) 4
138. 140. 226 Thompson. James 11. 12. 19
Saint-Amant. Pierre 3, 8 Tomlinson, J.M. 27
Salvio. Alessandro 11 Tournaments, International see specific location
Sandrin. A .• Jr. 76.80 Treysman. George 47.49-51,54
Santasiere. Anthony 51. 52, 54. 72. 76. 80. 82. 84 Tseshkovsky, Vitaly 142
Sazerac Coffee House 4 Turner, Abe 94.96. 108
Schulten. John W. 3-4 Turner. J.H. 8-9.223
Schultz. Don 221
Searchingfor Bobby Fischer 213 Ulvestad. Olaf 76-78. 80
Seidman. Herbert 58. 62. 64. 72. 81-82. 84. 86-89. U.S. Championship [Durnament: 193646-51. 68, 167,
92. 96. 101-2. 104. 106-8. 120. 122 223; 1938 51-54. 223; 194053. 55-59, 68, 223;
Seirawan. Vasser 91. 128. 157-58. 160-67. 173-76. 194261-66, 68. 91. 114. 181, 223; 194467-72. 223;
181-83. 185-86. 188-90. 192-94. 196-99. 203-4. 194667, 72-76. 124. 223; 194867. 77-81, 106, 173.
206. 209-12. 224-26 223; 195181-84. 106, 209. 223; 195485-90, 92.
Sellman. Alexander 24. 26 106-7.223; 1957-58 93-96. 102, 223; 1958-59
Shabalov. Alexander 206-10. 212. 216. 218 97-99.223; 1959-6099-103. 223; 1960-614.
Shainswit. George 51. 54, 58. 68, 70-71, 80, 83-84 103-6.223; 1961-62106-8. 223; 1962-63108-12,
Shaked. Tal 216-19 117.223; 1963-6491.112-15,146.223; 1965115-17.
Shakhmatny Bulletin 199 152.223; 1966117-20. 223; 1968120-23. 223; 1969
Shamkovich. Leonid 146-47. 149-50. 152. 154-57. 161. 123-26.223; 1972127-32. 224; 1973 127. 131.
163-66 133-37. 141. 147. 171. 176. 200. 209. 224; 1974127,
Sherwin, James T. 86-90. 93-94. 96. 98. 104. 106-8. 137-41, 224; 1975127. 141-45. 164. 224; 1977127.
110. 112-13. 119-20. 225 141. 145-50, 164. 224; 1978 127. 141. 149. 151-56,
Sherzer. Alex 194. 196. 202-6. 209 160. 224; 1980127. 157-62. 180, 187. 224; 1981127,
The Shining 180 157.162-67.180.209.224; 1983 167-71.180.211.
Shipley. Walter Penn 34-35. 39 224; 1984 40, 128, 171-76, 224; 1985176-79. 224;
Shipman. Walter 80. 92 1986180-83, 193. 224; 1987180. 183-88. 209. 224;
Shirazi, Kamran 71. 169-71. 174-78. 181-83. 202. 1988187-90.224; 1989180, 189-94, 224; 1990180.
204-5. 226 193-97. 217. 224; 1991180. 197-200. 217. 224; 1992
 •

General Index 233

201-6, 224; 1993 180, 206-9, 224; 1994209-12, 221, Weinstein, Raymond 91, 97-98. 101, 103-4. 106-8,
224; 1995212-15,217,224; 1996216-21,224 114-15
U.S. Chess Association 27, 29, 30 Weinstock 70
U.S. Chess Federation 27, 61-62. 72-73, 77. 81, 84. Weiss, Max 26
86, 92, 97. 102, 109, 118. 120, 123, 128-29. 145. 156. Wertheim. Maurice 60
159, 167. 180-81. 183, 189. 194. 197. 201. 221 Western Chess Association 41, 72
U.S. Open: 193659; 1938 59; 194673; 1948 8; 1950 Whitaker. Norman 80
86; 195182; 1953 86, 100; 195791-93; 1960 106; 1961 Whitehead. Jay 168, 170. 185-86
107; 1973 137; 1978 158; 1990 194; 1994210. 213; Wilder, Michael 180-82,185-86,188-90,209.224
1995215 Winawer. Simon 23,26
U.S.-U.S.S.R. match (1955) 100 Wolff. Patrick 1, 178, 188. 198-200, 202-10. 212.
U.S.-U.S.S.R. radio match (1945) 67. 73 214-15. 217, 224
Woliscon. P. 58
Verber. Richard 168 World Cadet Championship 185
Vezin. Charles 4 World Championship 2. 8. 59, 127
Vienna. 1882 International Tournament 26 World War II 61-62
Vukcevich. Milan 128, 141, 143-44 Worldwide Church of God 149

Yermolinsky, Alex 198-99, 203-4, 206-10. 212-20.224

Wachs, Saul 88
Waitzkin, Josh 213-15 Zaltsman, Vitaly 157. 161-63
Ware. Preston, Jr. 21-22, 25-26 Zuckerman. Bernard 116-20, 122. 125, 139-40. 147-48.
Weinberg. Tibor 120. 122 150, 154-55. 226
Weinstein, Norman 140. 154-55. 226 Zukenort, Johannes 18. 26, 110