AThe Boston Globe Boston, Massachusetts Sunday, August 09, 1964 - Page 156 — Big Chess Tournament Returns to Boston by Jim Burgess — In the ballroom of the Sheraton Plaza Hotel next Sunday George Koltanowski of San Francisco will give a signal and 150 chess clocks will start to tick as 300 chess players begin a two-week grind in the 65th renewal of the United States Open Chess Championship.
Absent from this city since 1938, the Open makes a triumphant return as the biggest thing in American chess. Twenty-six years ago it was smaller, statlier, but still important. In the interim adoption of the Swiss system, a complex method of dividing and subdividing players of various strengths, has made possible the large congresses of recent years. Last year in Chicago, 266 players entered from 36 states, District of Columbia, Canada and Yugoslavia.
William Lombardy, a seminary student from the Bronx who holds the resounding title of international grandmaster, won the tournament in 1963 when his weighted score was fractionally higher than that of Robert Byrne of Indianapolis. Svetozar Gligoric, Yugoslavian grandmaster, was third, and Pal Benko, transplanted Hungarian, now an American citizen, was fourth. All but Gligoric have signified their intention to come to Boston to have another go at it.
But more than bigwigs of the chess world will be here. Even back in May, Frank Ferdinand of Swampscott had received communications from young, practically unknown chess players from England, Scotland, Canada, as well as from sea to shining sea, all seeking information, housing or both. This is one reason why Chairman Bob Goodspeed of Bridgewater anticipates a record-breaking entry surpassing by far the field at Chicago.
Local chess players will turn out en masse. And the first question asked of the supposed insiders is usually which Bostonian (or New Englander) has the best chance of winning. Frankly, on the record, lcoal boy makes good seems — at this time — a semi-forlorn hope. Only once in the history of United States Open has a native New Englander picked up all the marbles. That was in Baltimore in 1948 when the winner was the later Weaver W. Adams. Sam Reshevsky has won it several times, but although he lived in the Hub for some years after his marriage, he is really just a Bostonian-in-law.
John Curdo of Lynn, U.S.C.F. master and many times Boston, New England and state champion, will play well, as he always does; but he frankly admits to little confidence in the race for first place.
Shelby Lyman, sometime Boston champion, won an important tournament in New York recently and has established himself as one of the local (ex-local?) boys to watch.
Little has been heard from Gediminas Sveikauskas of West Roxbury since he went to New York, but his chess mentor, Kazys Merkis, expects Geddy will compete.
Then there is Harlow Daly of Sanford, Me., who, since he passed his 80th birthday, has won two tournaments and is now champion of Maine. He began winning chess tourneys in 1908; he just can't seem to break the habit.
Seventeen-year-old Cecilia Rock of Hinsdale, will make an all-out assault on the women's title. She almost made it last year and is now wiser and several tournaments richer.
With all the knowns and unknowns and the locals and the aged and the young, the star of the show could be that fiendish device — the chess clock. This innocent-looking contraption has caused more heartache among chessplayers than all the gambits ever invented. Two clock and a coupple of levers stuck in and on a piece of wood. As a player cogitates his clock ticks, then he makes his move and his clock stops and his opponent's clock starts. It's as simple and deadly as that. There are those players who consistently and persistently squander great gobs of time on their early moves and end up the game in a time scramble. Watch the clocks; destiny's devils.
Although in this country chess is not generally considered a spectator sport, it does not entirely lack box-office appeal. Certain events have drawn fairly large crowds—such as the U.S.A.-U.S.S.R. match. Fischer's exhibitions and the Piatigorsky tournament. Harold Dondis, president of the M.S.C.A. expects the Boston tournament to join the gate elite. Playing sessions are in the evening from 7 to 12.
The late Fred Reinfeld, in one of his descriptions of championship tournaments, came to a group of players who had finished middling-low on the score table. And of these he said, in effect, “They played solidly and gave body to the tournament much as massed strings give weight to the sound of an orchestra.”
This is what most of the players will do at the Sheraton Plaza from Aug. 16 to Aug. 29: give weight, then wait till next year. Though strange things happen, upsets occur, and the race is not always to the swift; yet in tournament chess the title goes unfailingly to the strong.
Caption: A crowded section at a chess tournament as seemingly bewildered players fight the clock and their own memories as well as their opponents.
Caption: Busy brains at the Boylston Chess Club during a Boston-Philadelphia match played by telephone. Dr. Gerald Katz of Boston, with the cigar, to his left is Harry Lyman of Saugus. Behind them is Shelby Lyman, with the tellers manning the speaker phone.
Cecilia Rock of Hinsdale, the Bay State's gift to distaff chess. Young Miss Rock, who has won her share of titles, has her eye on the women's open championship, the one that got away last year.
William Lombardy, United States Open Chess Champion, who will defend his title at the Boston tournament, uses demonstration board during a lecture.
Gediminas Sveikauskas of West Roxbury, former Boston chess champion, props his head and shades his eyes as the moment of truth approaches.
Big Chess Tournament Returns to Boston 09 Aug 1964, Sun The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) Newspapers.com
Big Chess Tournament Returns to Boston 09 Aug 1964, Sun The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts) Newspapers.com
