Chess Notebook 09 Aug 1959, Sun The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) Newspapers.com
Chess Notebook By Lyman Burgess
Arthur B. Bisguier, New York, won the 6th U.S. Open chess championship at Omaha.
He racked up a score of 10-2 (8 wins and 4 draws) and finished a half point ahead of Paul Benko, New York, the pre-tournament favorite, and David Weinstein, Brooklyn, former junior champion.
Going into the final round Bisguier stood second with 9-2 and was paired with Olaf Ulvestad, Seattle, 8½-2½. Front runner Benko (9½-1½) drew Weinstein as his last opponent. Weinstein defeated Benko thus pulling the Hungarian refugee down to a tie for second and paving the way for Bisguier's win.
Benko, one of the world's outstanding players (he will play in Yugoslavia next month for a crack at Botvinnik's world title), has recently won the Greater New York championship and the Third Western championship in Milwaukee.
Bisguier, national champion 1954-7, won the Open championship twice before; at Detroit in 1950 and Oklahoma City, 1956.
High scores in the 134-man field were: 1. Bisguier, 10-2; 2-3. Benko and Weinstein, 9½-2½; 4-5. Hans Berliner, Littleton, Colo., and Eliot Hearst, Arlington, Va., 9-3; 6-10. Ulvestad; J.T. Sherwin, New York; Robert Steinmeyer, St. Louis; Curt Brasket, Minneapolis; and Charles Henin, Chicago; 8½-3½.
Mrs. Sonia Graf Stevenson, Los Angeles, received the trophy for the highest score made by a woman, in addition to the title of women's Open champion.
From Shane Hugh O'Neill, Fairbanks, Alaska!!: “The Greater Fairbanks Chess Club, recently organized as the only USCF affiliated club in the state of Alaska, sends greetings to the wood pushers of Massachusetts and expresses an interest in establishing contact with chess-players of your area.
“Our organization schedules correspondence, radio and (where feasible) over-the-board matches with any organization from any place in the world.” Interested chessers write to: Shane Hugh O'Neill, Greater Fairbanks Chess Club, 1902 Mary Ann #51, Fairbanks, Alaska.
Below Bisguier punishes inexact opening play professionally. Murphy, in the other miniature, suffers the consequences of overlooking a vital pawn push.
Dario Vissepo vs Arthur Bisguier
60th US Open (1959), Omaha, NE USA, rd 1, Jul-20
Queen's Gambit Accepted: Central Variation. McDonnell Defense (D20) 0-1
Alpen Gardner Murphy vs Robert Henry Steinmeyer
60th US Open (1959), Omaha, NE USA, rd 1, Jul-20
Sicilian Defense: Lasker-Pelikan. Exchange Variation (B33) 0-1
