1953

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• Ray Martin and Arthur Spiller, state champion chess masters playing game, as group of boys watch in Los Angeles, Calif., circa 1953

March 11, 1953

• The Lincoln Star Lincoln, Nebraska Wednesday, March 11, 1953 - Page 2 — Liepnieks Retains City Chess Crown — Alexander Liepnieks of 135 No. 14th is the City chess champion of the Lincoln Chess tournament for the second year in a row. All ten rounds of the tournament, including Tuesday night's final, were played at the YWCA. Peter Tumek of 138 No. 14th was the top man in the second division and Stanley Reeder of 903 No. 66th was the ranking winner in the third division.
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March 14, 1953

• The Gazette Montreal, Quebec, Quebec, Canada Saturday, March 14, 1953 - Page 29 — (Column) Chess News, Views and Moves — New Prodigy — Thanks to E. Viires of this city, we are able to publish the following interesting game from the recent international at Bucharest, won by 15-year-old Boris Spassky from the well-known grandmaster V. Smyslov. Spassky placed second in the Leningrad city championship last fall. Read More

May 03, 1953

• The Los Angeles Times Los Angeles, California Sunday, May 03, 1953 - Page 64 — Chess by Herman Steiner

• The Los Angeles Times Los Angeles, California Sunday, May 03, 1953 - Page 64 — Top Russ Chess Team Will Play New York Match — New York, May 2—A delegation of the top chess players in Russia, all internationally known and headed by Mikhail Botvinnik, the world champion, has accepted an offer to meet an American team in an eight- board match in New York City, June 10-18. This information was disclosed here by Harold M. Phillips of this city, president of the U.S. Chess Federation, after receipt of a cablegram from Folke Rogard of Stockholm, president of the International Chess Federation. Y. Auerbach, Isaac Boleslavsky, E. Geller, Paul Keres, Alexander Kotov, T. Petrosian, Vassily Smyslov, Mark Taimanov and Alexander Tolush, with Botvinnik, have been named by the Soviet for the international test. Read More

May 20, 1953

• The Kingston Daily Freeman Kingston, New York Wednesday, May 20, 1953 - Page 4 — Crack In The Curtain. — Not all communication is cut off between Russia and the United States. A delegation of the ten top Soviet chess players has accepted an offer to meet an American team in New York City, June 10-18. This includes Mikhail Botvinnik, the world champion. The Kremlin had better be careful. Absorbed as chess players often are in their favorite game, they cannot help but notice the superior comfort Americans enjoy, and compare it with their own slim rations at home. This international match might turn out to be a real crack in the Iron Curtain. Read More

Sub Debs 23 May 1953, Sat The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, California) Newspapers.com

May 23, 1953

• The Sacramento Bee Sacramento, California Saturday, May 23, 1953 - Page 21 — Dorothy Haltom Is Lone Girl In Chess Club by Marion Dietrich — What is so masculine about the game of chess? Dorothy Haltom is sure she does not know. But this she does know: she is the only feminine member of the Sacramento High School Chess Club—outnumbered 19 to one.
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July 10, 1953

• The Shreveport Journal Shreveport, Louisiana Friday, July 10, 1953 - Page 8 — True to Form — The Soviet government, in cold war, hot war or even a chess game, plays in one way only—that is, according to its own rules. Recently the Russians accepted an invitation of the American Chess Federation for a New York appearance of the champion Red chess team. The U.S. state department issued visas for the 12-man Soviet team on the sole condition that members of the team not leave the limits of New York City during their visit.
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July 12, 1953

• The Philadelphia Inquirer Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Sunday, July 12, 1953 - Page 33 — Russians Cancel U.S. Chess Match — New York, July 11 (AP) — The U.S. Chess Federation said tonight that Russian chess authorities had called off a scheduled Soviet-U.S. chess match here. The American federation, saying it learned of the cancellation via Radio Moscow, immediately sent a letter of protest to the International Chess Federation. The letter termed the Russian action “a blow to world chess prestige.” Milan Greer, American Chess Federation spokesman who said he monitored Radio Moscow, quoted the Soviet announcement as saying that U.S. State Department restrictions on movements of the chess players while in New York had made the match impossible. Read More

July 13, 1953

• Arizona Daily Star, Tucson, Arizona, July 13, 1953 - Page 13 — Russians Cancel Chess Tourneys With U.S. Group — New York, July 12—(AP)—The U.S. chess federation said tonight that Russian chess authorities have called off a scheduled Soviet-U.S. chess match here. The American federation, saying it learned of the cancellation via Radio Moscow, immediately sent a letter of protest to the international chess federation. The letter termed the Russian action “a blow to world chess prestige.”
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July 26, 1953

• The Los Angeles Times Los Angeles, California Sunday, July 26, 1953 - Page 53 — Boy Chess Player, 11, Holds His Own With Best — Bright Future—Larry Remlinger, 11, moves a piece in chess game, watched by Herman Steiner, Times chess editor, who calls boy most promising prodigy.

August 19, 1953

• Lincoln Journal Star Lincoln, Nebraska Wednesday, August 19, 1953 - Page 13 — Named Director — Alexander Liepnieks of Lincoln was named a director in the American Chess Association at its meeting in Milwaukee. Liepnieks, Nebraska champion, is presently engaged in a tourney there.

September 05, 1953

• The Gazette Montreal, Quebec, Quebec, Canada Saturday, September 05, 1953 - Page 27 — (Column) Chess News, Views and Moves by D.M. Le Dain — Canadian Stars in U.S.A. Open, Frank R. Anderson, many times Toronto and Ontario champion, placed sixth among 181 competitors in the 54th annual U.S.A. Open at Milwaukee. Don Byrne, young N.Y. master who did so well in the International Team Tournament at Helsinki last year, topped the record-breaking field … Max Pavey, N.Y. … Boris Spassky, the 16 year old prodigy from Leningrad, who tied for fourth place in the very strong Bucharest tourney, has been awarded the first brilliancy prize for the following game in that event. Read More

September 28, 1953

• Republican and Herald Pottsville, Pennsylvania Monday, September 28, 1953 - Page 2 — American Wizard Opposes 9 Russian Chess Experts — Zurich, Switzerland (UP) — Little American wizard Samuel Reshevsky fought against terrific odds today in a one-man campaign to beat the Russians in a “cold war” on the chessboards. The quick- thinking New Yorker, determined to bring the championship across the Iron Curtain, faced no less than nine Russians who celebrate their gains with caviar and vodka. Even though outnumbered and in second place, the five-foot, two-inch American was favored by onlookers to win the two-month contest staged here to find a challenger for present world champion Mikhail Botvinnik, a Russian. The tournament is now at the half-way mark and Reshevsky trails only Vassily Smyslov, a 28-year-old music student from Moscow. “Reshevsky is the greatest player of the West—a tough little man, full of brilliant ideas,” tall, husky Smyslov admitted. Reshevsky, six times winner of the United States title, said the Russians are “kind of unsociable—careful, I guess.” His relations with them go no farther than a friendly “hello” or pat on a back. Dwarfed by his Iron Curtain competitors, Reshevsky usually sits bathed in sweat in an oversized chair and his feet swinging inches above the floor as he tries to outsmart the enemy. The spectators believed Reshevsky will win because he exudes self-confidence and has an uncanny sense of timing like that of a champion prize fighter who rallies in the late rounds. Read More

December 29, 1953

• The Leader-Post Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada Tuesday, December 29, 1953 - Page 16 — Yanofsky Learned Chess on Weekends — Winnipeg (CP)—Abe Yanofsky says he learned chess “the hard way.” So what could be better title for a book? Just out, “Chess the Hard Way” reflects, says the 28-year-old Winnipeg master “how I learned and how I progressed.”
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