Chess 01 Oct 1960, Sat The Montreal Star (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) Newspapers.com
Let's Play Chess
Winnipeg's Yanofsky Rated Top Canadian Chess Player
By Bill Oaker
Winnipeg lawyer Dan Yanofsky and Brooklyn teenager Bobby Fischer are the top rated players in Canada and United States, respectively, according to the latest rating lists released by the Canadian Federation of Chess and the United States Chess Federation.
Yanofsky, one time conqueror of former world champion Mikhail Botvinnik, of Russia, and seven times winner of the Canadian title, scored 2,499 points, according to the official CFC ratings.
He is followed by Paul Vaitonis, of Hamilton, a former champion of Lithuania, who tallied 2,406 rating points.
Bobby Fischer, the boy grandmaster, is the leading U.S. chess player, with 2,640 points. In second place, according to the official USCF rating list, is Sammy Reshevsky.
The two rating lists are entirely separate, and do not reflect the results of tournaments held outside of Canada or the U.S.
The Canadian list shows six Masters, in the following order, including Yanofsky and Vaitonis: Frank Anderson, Toronto, 2,387; Elod Macskasey, Vancouver, 2,377; Z. Vranesic, Toronto, 2,373 and Laszlo Witt, Montreal, 2,326.
A score of 2,300 or more constitutes the title of Canadian Master.
Lionel Joyner, of Montreal, is seventh, with 2,299, one point below the Master category. He is followed by Geza Fuster, of Toronto, with 2,232; Noel Williams, of Montreal, with 2,224; Leon Moser, of Edmonton, with 2,215, and Nick Engalicev, of Montreal, with 2,198.
Other Montreal standings in the expert class are Heinz Matthai, 2,177; Al Reiter, 2,160; Alex Sikins, 2, 157; Tony Cayford, 2,105; and Ignas Zalys, 2,104.
The rating list does not include the results of the recent Canadian Open Championship, held in Kitchener. In this respect, we would suspect that the rating of Vaitonis and Vranesic will tumble somewhat, and those of Joyner and Williams will rise. Since Joyner is only one point away from the Master class, this ensures his becoming a master, unless he has a bad tourney during the next nine months.
The American ratings show Pal Benko in third pace, followed by Robert Byrne, Arthur Bisguier, Raymond Weinstein, Herbert Seidman, James Cross, James Sherwin, Arthur Feuerstein and Hans Berliner.
The American list suffers from the curious absence of three names, Larry Evans, William Lombardy and Anthony Saidy, all three of whom have been making chess headlines during the past year.
How Good Are You?
White to Play and Win
FEN 3k4/2p2p2/2P2P2/3r4/4R3/8/8/4K3 w - - 0 1
1. Ra4 Ke8 2. Rh4 Re5+ 3. Kd2 Kd8 4. Ra4 Rd5+ 5. Ke3 Ke8 6. Rh4 Re5+ 7. Kf4 Rf5+ 8. Kxf5 Kd8 9. Rh8#
If you have ever read Edgar Allen Poe's short story “The Pit and the Pendulum,” you will have some sympathy for black in this position, and also a clue to its solution.
