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Chess Notebook 25 Oct 1959, Sun The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) Newspapers.com
Chess Notebook By Lyman Burgess
Reshevsky entered the recent Log Cabin silver anniversary tournament which was supposed to be restricted to the top 10 ranked players in the country. He withdrew before the tournament began. October's Chess Review explains the withdrawal to his inability to gain the unanimous consent of the other players to reschedule Friday evening and Saturday games. Reshevsky cannot play at these times without violating his Sabbath.
In paying tribute to Reshevsky, Chess Review's editorial concluded: “For the past 20-odd years, Reshevsky has participated in an untold number of events and not once has he not been accorded the courtesy to his religion. Always, despite admitted inconvenience, arrangements were effected relatively to satisfy all. And, during all this time, he has achieved a record equalled by few. In matches of late he has defeated Bisguier, Donald Byrne, Lombardy; a few years ago, Gligoric, Najdorf (twice) and later even Botvinnik in a short set-to; many years ago Horowitz and Kashdan. In fact, he has won every match he has ever played. More! He has won the United States championship five times! And he has finished at the top or near the top in every tournament in which he has played.
“Why then was this man barred who has contributed so much to chess and whose very existence is chess? Can it be that prestige and dignity are sacrificed to dollars? Can it be, heaven forbid, that, since he cannot be beaten out, he is booted out? This is a dark chapter in American chess.”
The Russians finally got to Bobby Fischer. During the current tournament in Yugoslavia Tal and Petrosian have dealt him nothing but curves and goose eggs. He has done well enough against Keres (2-1) and he managed to draw his first two games with Smyslov before losing the third. His overall against the four front-running Russians is 3½-8½. This lonely statistic is reason enough in itself why our Bobby languishes in the second division.
At this writing it appears that Tal will win; nothing short of a complete collapse can stop him — but collapses occur.
Mr pre-tournament favorite was Petrosian with Tal a strong second. But the performance which makes me want to throw away my crystal ball is that of Paul Keres, the old man of the tournament. Except for his troubles with Fischer, Keres has been on fire. He remains within striking distance of Tal should Tal have a letdown.
Topman Tal hangs one on tail-ender Olafsson.
Mikhail Tal vs Fridrik Olafsson
Bled-Zagreb-Belgrade Candidates (1959), Bled, Zagreb & Belgrade YUG, rd 4, Sep-11
Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation (B96) 1-0
