The Press Democrat Santa Rosa, California Tuesday, December 06, 1949 - Page 13
Koltanowski, Chess Master, Sets New World's Record
George Koltanowski, The Evening Press and Press Democrat chess editor, holds another world's record today.
This time it is for simultaneous, continuous chess—271 games in 12 hours, 251 won, 3 lost, 17 drawn.
He already holds the world's record for blindfold chess and the record he broke this time was his own which he set in 1929 in Dallas, Tex., 226 games, 212 won.
The new record was set Sunday at the Marine Memorial Club in San Francisco with Mr. Koltanowski pacing the inside of a rectangle, his opponents on the outside. In shirtsleeves and with a painted chessboard on his tie, Mr. Koltanowski made many of his moves swiftly, stepping from table to table and moving the pieces. Occasionally, however, he paused with elbows on table to study a board.
AS HE WON, he would pick up a chess man, rap sharply on the table and signal to the judges at the end of the rectangle— then shake hands with the defeated opponent and pass on to the next board.
Sometimes, Mr. Koltanowski refused to play challengers with elaborately carved sets until they replaced the pieces with plainer chessmen.
“Fancy sets are too confusing,” he said.
Rather plain and unpolished standard design sets are used by most experts. But the first man to beat the chess expert, Andy Buschine, 49, of San Jose, a long-time friend and fellow native of Belgium, brought a set he had carved himself.
Mr. Buschine, San Jose water works maintenance engineer, has been a chess player 30 years.
“Learned most of my games from Mr. Koltanowski,” he said. “But I never beat him before.”
HE DID IT this time in 38 moves, two and a quarter hours.
Second challenger to defeat Mr. Koltanowski was Robert Willson, 41, a San Francisco letter carrier. Mr. Koltanowski gave up at the 43rd move. Each had missed an opportunity, but Mr. Koltanowski's oversight was “more fatal,” according to Willson.
The third winner was Clyde Tolhurst, a student from San Jose.
Among those who held the chess expert to a draw were Wade Hendricks, Oakland; Francis Mills, Pacific Grove; M.E. Mattingly, Stockton; and Robert Holten, Santa Rosa Junior College student.
Youngest opponent was Alta Lu Townes, 9, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William A. Townes of Santa Rosa. She lost to Mr. Koltanowski.
Alta Lu lasted 20 moves.
For Mr. Koltanowski, the 12-hour tournament was almost an athletic exhibition. Hour after hour, he strode from table to table, smoking continuously on cigarettes which he moved nervously from one side of his mouth to the other. He took to a wheelchair once to rest his feet, but abandoned it soon.
“Much too slow. One has to be fast to set this kind of a record.”
“Nice, but too slow,” he said.
Koltanowski, Chess Master, Sets New World's Record 06 Dec 1949, Tue The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, California) Newspapers.com
