Chess Notebook By Lyman Burgess
Just in time to rescue the harassed tournament director of the New England championship tourney the U.S.C.F. issued its latest ranking list. With the new rule fully in effect at last (i.e., rated events must have 100 percent U.S.C.F. membership) the number of players ranked has been cut by half. Despite the shrinkage and the tightening of the rules U.S.C.F. membership is rising rapidly.
While the masters club has been increasing (99 this time; 92 in February) nationally Massachusetts has lost two. Dr. Orest Popovych, New England champion until tomorrow night, now lives in New Jersey. John Curdo of Lynn dropped enough points in recent tournaments to slide out of the elite class. Boris Siff is the only Massachusetts player now ranked among the masters.
Reshevsky and Fischer still top the list in that order, and, strangely enough, with the same number of points they had in last Winter's ratings. In fact, eight of the 12 masters who played for the United States title Dec. '58-Jan. '59 have exactly the same number of rating points in the August list as they had in the February list. February's rankings purported to include tournaments and matches reported through Sept. 30, 1958. Furthermore, the 1959 national championship tournament is not included among “events rated for current list” dated Aug. 20. It would appear, superficially, that the latest national title tourney, although supposedly co-sponsored by the U.S.C.F., has not been rated. This seems odd.
Greater Boston chess tournament will be held Oct. 24, 25 and 31 and Nov 1. The site has not yet been chosen.
Lithuanian Chess Club formed by Kazys Merkis, then newly arrived from Europe, will celebrate its 10th anniversary at the South Boston Lithuanian Citizens Assn. Nov. 8. Featured performer will be Povilas Tautvaisas, Chicago, U.S.C.F. master. Tautvaisas, born 1916 in Lithuania, represented his country in the chess Olympics before World War II. In the late 1940's he won several international tournaments in Germany. Tautvaisas won the Boston championship in 1949 with a perfect score. Here is a game played in Kassel, Germany, 1948.
Walter Niephaus (white) vs. Povilas “Paul” Tautvaisas (black)
Ruy Lopez: Morphy Defense, Steinitz Deferred
(a) 8. P-Q4 NxB; 9. RPxN B-N2; 10. is better.
(b) Or: 14. K-K6 Q-Q2; 15. NxPch. K-B2
(c) A mistake. But White's position was poor, e.g.: 17. N-N3 Q-Q4; or, 17. N-K3 B-K5; or, 17. N-Q2 Q-B3.