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Chess by Isaac Kashdan 08 Feb 1959, Sun The Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, California) Newspapers.com
Chess by Isaac Kashdan
International Grandmaster
RESHEVSKY ON TOP OF NEW RATING LIST
The U.S. Chess Federation just issued a new national rating list, covering tournament and match play through Sept 30, 1958.
Samuel Reshevsky of Spring Valley, N.Y who has been the forerunner in American chess for a generation, is still at the head of the list with 2693 points. This is a slight drop from the 2713 mark he had on the last previous list, in March, 1958.
U.S. Chess Champion Bobby Fischer, the 15-year-old Brooklyn lad, is again second on the rating list, with 2636 as against 2626 last year. Having placed ahead of Reshevsky in two successive championship tournaments, Fischer is evidently on the way up.
New York players dominate the group of leading masters, placing 13 in the first 20. Leading Californian on the list is James B. Cross of Los Angeles, who advanced from 2306 to 2425 in a year's competition.
Your editor, who has not participated in tournament play for the last two years, does not appear on the active list. His last rating was 2525.
Following are the current leaders, with their 1958 points for comparison. The only new comer is Paul Benko, former Hungarian chess champion and freedom fighter, who defected to the United States recently.
NATIONAL MASTERS 1959 1958 1—Samuel Reshevsky . . . . . 2693 2713 2—Robert J. Fischer . . . . 2636 2626 3—J. T. Sherwin . . . . . . 2511 2474 4—W. J. Lombardy . . . . . . 2509 2499 5—Arthur Bisguier . . . . . 2506 2436 6—Larry Evans . . . . . . . 2506 2591 7—Donald Byrne . . . . . . . 2504 2454 8—Paul Benko . . . . . . . . 2496 9—R. H. Steinmeyer . . . . . 2445 2379 10—James B. Cross . . . . . . 2425 2306 11—Robert Byrne . . . . . . . 2409 2538 12—Arnold Denker . . . . . . 2408 2408 13—Edmar Mednis . . . . . . . 2397 2444 14—C. Kalme . . . . . . . . . 2396 2300 15—S. N. Bernstein . . . . . 2393 2259 16—W. J. Shipman . . . . . . 2392 2392 17—H. Seidman . . . . . . . . 2386 2386 18—A. W. Feuerstein . . . . . 2385 2405 19—A. F. Saidy . . . . . . . 2370 2370 20—H. Berliner . . . . . . . 2365 2406
The list includes 91 players rated as masters, with 2200 points or more. Of these 13 are Californians, the majority from the Los Angeles area. The ratings follow.
CALIFORNIA MASTERS 1—James B. Cross, Los Angeles . . . 2425 2—W. G. Addision, S.F. . . . . . . . 2338 3—G. Ramirez, S.F. . . . . . . . . . 2295 4—Larry Remlinger, L.B. . . . . . . 2278 5—Ray J. Martin, Sta. Monica . . . . 2277 6—J. N. Schmitt, S.F . . . . . . . . 2274 7—Henry Gross, S.F. . . . . . . . . 2250 8—Ronald Gross, Compton . . . . . . 2250 9—E. Pruner, S.F. . . . . . . . . . 2250 10—Irving Rivise, Los Angeles . . . . 2249 11—Saul Yarmak, Los Angeles . . . . . 2241 12—Robert Cross, Los Angeles . . . . 2231 13—Louis Spinner, Montrose . . . . . 2217
The next rating list, to be published in the USCF publication, Chess Life, is scheduled for July. It will include contests through March 31, according to rating statistician Kenneth Harkness.
H. Gordon, Simon Lead In Steiner Master Play
After four rounds of the Masters Tournament of the Herman Steiner Chess Club, Hyman Gordon and Leslie Simon are tied for first with scores of 3½-½. Each won three games. Gordon drew in the first round against his brother Morris, while Simon halved the point against LeRoy Johnson.
Robert Hamman is in third place with 3-1. Tied at 2½-1½ are Frank Burke, Irving Rivise, Robert Rupeiks and Leonard Standers.
The fifth round is scheduled for this afternoon at the club headquarters, 108 N. Formosa Ave. Following are details of the last two rounds and a game from the tournament:
Joe Mego (white) vs. Leonard Standers (black)
Dutch Defense: Classical Variation, Stonewall Variation
SANTA MONICA TOURNEYS
Dr. S. Weinbaum defeated S. Almgren in the key game of the fourth round and took over the lead with 3½-½ in the masters and experts tournament of the Santa Monica Bay Chess Club.
Almgren dropped to a tie at 3-1 with E. Bersbach, F. Leiber and R. Martin. Following was another group tied at 2½-1½, C. Henderson, A. Loera, G. Palmer and R. Sale.
In the Class B tournament B. Mints and O. Wentcher have plowed through all opposition and are far in the lead with 60 scores. Tied at 4-2 are A. Carter, Dr. B. Collins and S. Sturges.
Following are last week's results and games from the event:
MASTERS:
Round Four—
Bersbach 1, Palmer 0;
Leiber 1, Sale 0;
Martin 1, Kerllenvich 0;
Jaffray 0, Loera 1;
Michaelson 0, Jones 1;
Rivise 1, Jeffers 0;
Henderson 1, Forrest 0;
Coon 1, Kempner 0;
Almgren 0, Dr. Weinbaum 1;
Wrangel 0, Price 1;
Lessing vs. Haight, adjourned.
CLASS B: Round Five—
Mintoz 1, S. Sturges 0;
Lerner 1, Crissinger 0;
Carter 0, Banhagel 1;
Dr. Collins 1, Anderson 0;
Wentcher 1, G. Sturges 0;
Hovey vs. DeBriac, adjourned.
CLASS B: Round Six—
S. Stuges 1, G. Sturges 0;
DeBriac 0, Wentcher 1;
Anderson 1, Hovey 0;
Banhagel 0, Dr. Collins 1;
Crissinger 0, Carter 1;
Mintz 1, Lerner 0.
Ray Martin (white) Marcos Kerllenevich (black)
Pirc Defense: Bayonet Attack
Emil Bersbach (white) vs. Gordon Palmer (black)
French Defense: Tarrasch Variation
STEINER RAPID TRANSIT
An unusually large group was attracted to the regular Tuesday evening rapid transit tournament at the Herman Steiner Chess Club. Leslie Simon won by a wide margin with a tally of 20½-2½.
G. Soules, L. Weinberger and A. White tied for second at 17-6. S. Amneus was next with 15½-7½, followed by A. Hamman and R. Rupeiks, 14-9.
The Los Angeles Times, Chess by Isaac Kashdan, Sunday, February 08, 1959, Los Angeles, California Time Problem 3039 by...
Posted by Bobby Fischer's True History on Monday, May 23, 2022
Time Problem 3039 by E. Petite
Black 9
White 10
White mates in two.
FEN 7q/2BpR3/1p1P4/3k4/3P1rN1/7p/b3Pb2/1NRQ3K w - - 0 1
Solution: 1. Qa4 Rxd4 2. Qb5#
The Los Angeles Times, Chess by Isaac Kashdan, Sunday, February 08, 1959, Los Angeles, California Time Problem 3040 by...
Posted by Bobby Fischer's True History on Monday, May 23, 2022
Time Problem 3040 by A. Ederer
Black 7
White 4
White mates in three.
FEN 8/3K4/4Rp2/3k4/2p1p1P1/4B1p1/n7/4b3 w - - 0 1
Solution: 1. Rb6 Nc3 2. Rxf6 g2 3. Rf5#
The prepared mates after the pawn captures in 3039 are all changed after the key move. A beautifully constructed problem. The interest in 3040 is the interference between Black's pawn and minor pieces.
