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Chess 18 Sep 1932, Sun The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) Newspapers.com
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We regret to announce the death of Hugo Bilgram on August 27 at his home at Moylan, Pa. Mr. Bilgram was 88 years of age. By pro fession a skilled engineer of marked ability, devoting special attention to gear machinery, he had designed many new and Intricate processes and machines. He was a member of the Franklin Institute and gave considerable study to social conditions.
In 1914 he published an ablo work on the cause of business de pression. To the chess world, how ever, he waa known as the father of Oscar H. Bilgram, for many years a member of the Franklin Chess Club and a player of marked ability. When a youth Oscar, through an accident, had the misfortune of los ing hts eyesight. He then turned his attention to music, devoting special aiwnuon to tue organ.
His father, Hugo, was a chess player of fair ability and conceived the idea of giving his son an additional Interest In life by teaching him the game. For this purpose Hugo Bilgram worked out a unique chess board where all the pieces were flat (similar to checkers, excepting the fact that the surfaces of the pieces were tilted at an ancle with the surface of the board, the pieces being inserted In the board, from which they coma reaany oe lifted. The pieces representing the white forces had their far edge raised, while the black forces were built on the reverse plan; thus, by passing the hand over the board, the player could instantly recognize whether the piece was a DiacK or wnite one. The pieces were then either Dlain on the surface or grooved. The perfectly smooth pieces were the Pawns and those that were grooved represented the other pieces.
These grooves varied according to the Dieces that they were to represent. The youthful Bilgram soon be came markedly proficient in han dling mis board. When he played in a tournament his father invariably sat by him, calling off the moves that were made by his oo- ponent; The writer well recalls nearly 30 years ago playing against him In one of the Franklin ChamDionshiD Tournaments and watched with in terest hts youthful opponent han dling the board. Whether It was Bilgrim's turn to move or not, his nngers played over the board as a musician's hand might move silently over the keys of a piano. At times tney would be concentrated at one particular corner of the board and then they would wander backwards and forward over the board, sometimes with rapidity and then again with a slow rhythmic motion, just as a player would allow his thoughts to concentrate first on one section of the board and then again to take in the situation covering the whole chess board.
v In 1891 Oscar H. Bileram entered the Continental Correspondence Tournament, the largest and most successful correspondence tourna ment that, lias evei been held either in this country or abroad. Seventy players entered, divided into five sections of 14 players each, these players being drawn from Canada and 21 of the United States. CHESS AND BY WALTKR Bilgram was entered In the fifth section. In which section he had to meet such well-known experts as J. F. Narroway, of Canada; W. A. Phillips, of Ohio, as well as some of the strongest of the Philadelphia players. The four players with the highest score in each section then entered a final tournament in order to decide the standing of the 70 players who had entered.
Bilgram was one of the four In his section and made an excellent showing in the final round. In this round he drew with Mor-decal Morgan, one of the ablest correspondence players In America; with J. A. Kaiser, the well-known problem expert of Philadelphia and the writer of this article. He also defeated such able players as L'hommede, of Chicago; F. Smyth, S. W. Bampton and Arthur Hale, of Philadelphia, and W. J. Ferris, of New Castle, Del.
The writer has always believed that this chess board invented by Hugo Bilgram should be Introduced into the blind asylums of this country, as It undoubtedly would give great pleasure to many of those associated or studying in these Institutions. The following game was played in the recent Pasadena International Tournament and was the only game lost by Kashdan. Had this game been drawn, Alckhine and Kashdan would have tied for first place. Alekhine and Kashdan have now met five times in tournaments. Four of the games were drawn and the one now published was won by Alekhine.
Ninth Round Queen's Gambit Declined Alekhine Kashdan WHITE 1- P-Q4 2 P-QB4 3 Kt-QB3 4 B-Kt5 5 PxP 6 P-K3 7- B-Q3 8- Q-B2 9- KKt-K2 10 Castles QR 11- BxKt 12- P-KR4 BLACK 1 Kt-KB3 2 P-K3 3 P-Q4 4 QKt-Q2 5 PxP 6 P-B3 7 B-K2 8 Castles 9 R-K 10 Kt-K5 11 PxB 12 P-KB4 13 K-R 14 Kt-B3 15 P-KR3 16 Kt-Kt 17 K-R2 18 RxKt 19 QxB 20 KtxQ 21 B-Q2 22 BxP 23 R-QB 24 Kt-Ktf 25 R-B2 26 Kt-B3 27 KtxP 28 Kt-B3 29 K-Kt3 30 R-B2 31 K-R2 32 K-Kt3 33 P-R3 34 BxKt 35 K-R2 36 K-Kt3 37 K-R2 38 P-KKt4 39 K-Kt2 40 Kt-Kt5 41 PxPch 42 Kt-R7 43 PxP 13 Q-Kt3ch 14 Kt-B4 15 P-R5 16 Q-B7 17 Kt-Kt6ch 18 KtxB 19 BxR 20 QxQ 21 P-Q5 22 PxP 23 R-Q6 24 KR-Q 25 R-Q8 26 R-KB8 27 KR-Q8 28 RxP 29 K-Q2 30 R-B5 31 R-Q6 32 R-B5 ' 33 R-QR5 34 Kt-Q5 35 R(R5)xB 38 R-KB5 37 R-B5 3-K-K2 39 P-QK14 40-P-R4 41 P-B3 42 PxP 43 P-B4. And Alekhine with the exchange ahead won In 60 moves. Problem No. 2895 Is solved by P-Q4. Problem No. 2896 Is solved by Kt-QR8.
Solutions received from George E. Baker, George Bender, Arthur C. Bing, L. D. Benner, Harry W. Co-hick, S. B. Conner, Russell Fry, Perry Stewart Flegel, Horace O. Faunce, Harry W. Gundal, E. M. Grimm, George J. Grix, John Hanr nah, J. W. Harris, Kenneth Herster, Joseph W. Halberstadt, Charles P. Lake, William Raymond Halberstadt, E. Carleton Jameson, H. L. Jameson, Roberts Lowrie, George F. Meeter, Raymond T. Murphy, Karl V. Nygaard, Paul F. Reber, Sr., Louis B. Scott, John Schwaben-land, Slgmund Twersky, Charles Willing, L. S. Walle and Z. M. Zook. Problem No. 2899 By F. Novejarque BLACK SEVEN PIECES WHITE ELEVEN PIECES White to play and mate In two moves. WHITE K at KR6; Q at QKt7; Rooks at QB4 and Q3; Bishops at QB8 and KKt7; Knights at Q4 and K3; Pawns at QKt3, QB2 and KKt3, BLACK K at K5; R at QR3; B at KR2; Knights at QKt8 and QB3; Pawns atj QR4 and KR5. Problem No. 2900 By F. Kallaway BLACK ONE PIECE WHITE FIVE PIECES ' White to play and mate In three moves. WHITE K at KKt8; Kt at Q7: Bishops at KB3 and KR4; Kt at Q7;PatK6. BLACK K at QBsq.
In 1914 he published an ablo work on the cause of business de pression. To the chess world, how ever, he waa known as the father of Oscar H. Bilgram, for many years a member of the Franklin Chess Club and a player of marked ability. When a youth Oscar, through an accident, had the misfortune of los ing hts eyesight. He then turned his attention to music, devoting special aiwnuon to tue organ.
His father, Hugo, was a chess player of fair ability and conceived the idea of giving his son an additional Interest In life by teaching him the game. For this purpose Hugo Bilgram worked out a unique chess board where all the pieces were flat (similar to checkers, excepting the fact that the surfaces of the pieces were tilted at an ancle with the surface of the board, the pieces being inserted In the board, from which they coma reaany oe lifted. The pieces representing the white forces had their far edge raised, while the black forces were built on the reverse plan; thus, by passing the hand over the board, the player could instantly recognize whether the piece was a DiacK or wnite one. The pieces were then either Dlain on the surface or grooved. The perfectly smooth pieces were the Pawns and those that were grooved represented the other pieces.
These grooves varied according to the Dieces that they were to represent. The youthful Bilgram soon be came markedly proficient in han dling mis board. When he played in a tournament his father invariably sat by him, calling off the moves that were made by his oo- ponent; The writer well recalls nearly 30 years ago playing against him In one of the Franklin ChamDionshiD Tournaments and watched with in terest hts youthful opponent han dling the board. Whether It was Bilgrim's turn to move or not, his nngers played over the board as a musician's hand might move silently over the keys of a piano. At times tney would be concentrated at one particular corner of the board and then they would wander backwards and forward over the board, sometimes with rapidity and then again with a slow rhythmic motion, just as a player would allow his thoughts to concentrate first on one section of the board and then again to take in the situation covering the whole chess board.
v In 1891 Oscar H. Bileram entered the Continental Correspondence Tournament, the largest and most successful correspondence tourna ment that, lias evei been held either in this country or abroad. Seventy players entered, divided into five sections of 14 players each, these players being drawn from Canada and 21 of the United States. CHESS AND BY WALTKR Bilgram was entered In the fifth section. In which section he had to meet such well-known experts as J. F. Narroway, of Canada; W. A. Phillips, of Ohio, as well as some of the strongest of the Philadelphia players. The four players with the highest score in each section then entered a final tournament in order to decide the standing of the 70 players who had entered.
Bilgram was one of the four In his section and made an excellent showing in the final round. In this round he drew with Mor-decal Morgan, one of the ablest correspondence players In America; with J. A. Kaiser, the well-known problem expert of Philadelphia and the writer of this article. He also defeated such able players as L'hommede, of Chicago; F. Smyth, S. W. Bampton and Arthur Hale, of Philadelphia, and W. J. Ferris, of New Castle, Del.
The writer has always believed that this chess board invented by Hugo Bilgram should be Introduced into the blind asylums of this country, as It undoubtedly would give great pleasure to many of those associated or studying in these Institutions. The following game was played in the recent Pasadena International Tournament and was the only game lost by Kashdan. Had this game been drawn, Alckhine and Kashdan would have tied for first place. Alekhine and Kashdan have now met five times in tournaments. Four of the games were drawn and the one now published was won by Alekhine.
Ninth Round Queen's Gambit Declined Alekhine Kashdan WHITE 1- P-Q4 2 P-QB4 3 Kt-QB3 4 B-Kt5 5 PxP 6 P-K3 7- B-Q3 8- Q-B2 9- KKt-K2 10 Castles QR 11- BxKt 12- P-KR4 BLACK 1 Kt-KB3 2 P-K3 3 P-Q4 4 QKt-Q2 5 PxP 6 P-B3 7 B-K2 8 Castles 9 R-K 10 Kt-K5 11 PxB 12 P-KB4 13 K-R 14 Kt-B3 15 P-KR3 16 Kt-Kt 17 K-R2 18 RxKt 19 QxB 20 KtxQ 21 B-Q2 22 BxP 23 R-QB 24 Kt-Ktf 25 R-B2 26 Kt-B3 27 KtxP 28 Kt-B3 29 K-Kt3 30 R-B2 31 K-R2 32 K-Kt3 33 P-R3 34 BxKt 35 K-R2 36 K-Kt3 37 K-R2 38 P-KKt4 39 K-Kt2 40 Kt-Kt5 41 PxPch 42 Kt-R7 43 PxP 13 Q-Kt3ch 14 Kt-B4 15 P-R5 16 Q-B7 17 Kt-Kt6ch 18 KtxB 19 BxR 20 QxQ 21 P-Q5 22 PxP 23 R-Q6 24 KR-Q 25 R-Q8 26 R-KB8 27 KR-Q8 28 RxP 29 K-Q2 30 R-B5 31 R-Q6 32 R-B5 ' 33 R-QR5 34 Kt-Q5 35 R(R5)xB 38 R-KB5 37 R-B5 3-K-K2 39 P-QK14 40-P-R4 41 P-B3 42 PxP 43 P-B4. And Alekhine with the exchange ahead won In 60 moves. Problem No. 2895 Is solved by P-Q4. Problem No. 2896 Is solved by Kt-QR8.
Solutions received from George E. Baker, George Bender, Arthur C. Bing, L. D. Benner, Harry W. Co-hick, S. B. Conner, Russell Fry, Perry Stewart Flegel, Horace O. Faunce, Harry W. Gundal, E. M. Grimm, George J. Grix, John Hanr nah, J. W. Harris, Kenneth Herster, Joseph W. Halberstadt, Charles P. Lake, William Raymond Halberstadt, E. Carleton Jameson, H. L. Jameson, Roberts Lowrie, George F. Meeter, Raymond T. Murphy, Karl V. Nygaard, Paul F. Reber, Sr., Louis B. Scott, John Schwaben-land, Slgmund Twersky, Charles Willing, L. S. Walle and Z. M. Zook. Problem No. 2899 By F. Novejarque BLACK SEVEN PIECES WHITE ELEVEN PIECES White to play and mate In two moves. WHITE K at KR6; Q at QKt7; Rooks at QB4 and Q3; Bishops at QB8 and KKt7; Knights at Q4 and K3; Pawns at QKt3, QB2 and KKt3, BLACK K at K5; R at QR3; B at KR2; Knights at QKt8 and QB3; Pawns atj QR4 and KR5. Problem No. 2900 By F. Kallaway BLACK ONE PIECE WHITE FIVE PIECES ' White to play and mate In three moves. WHITE K at KKt8; Kt at Q7: Bishops at KB3 and KR4; Kt at Q7;PatK6. BLACK K at QBsq.
