CHESS : FIFTY YEARS AGO

This week marks the 50th anniversary of the Pan American Chess Congress. Billed as “the championship of the Western Hemisphere,” the tournament pitted the best American players against representatives of Argentina, Brazil, Cuba and Mexico. Herman Steiner, Times chess editor and tireless chess promoter, organized the event at the Hollywood Athletic Club, and the Times contributed the prize fund of $3,600.

Steiner’s task was greatly complicated by wartime restrictions. Two invitees dropped out because of the difficulties in traveling across the country, and others arrived late. The best foreign player, Herman Pilnik of Argentina, was involved in a car crash on his way to Los Angeles. He spent two days in a hospital in Arizona and missed his first-round game against Sammy Reshevsky. Herbert Seidman had to skip the final three rounds because he was called back to duty in the Army. Somehow, the tournament limped on.

Reshevsky won with an outstanding score of 10 1/2-1 1/2, which included a draw from a poor position against his great rival, Reuben Fine. Sammy’s first prize of $1,000 was a substantial sum in those days; he earned a mere $600 for winning the U.S. Championship a few years earlier. Fine, the only other undefeated player, finished second at 9-3. Pilnik, who lost only to Reshevsky in their rescheduled game, took third with 8 1/2-3 1/2, followed by Al Horowitz at 8-4 and Isaac Kashdan (then a New Yorker, later Times chess editor) at 7-5. Steiner made a respectable showing, tieing for seventh at 5 1/2-6 1/2 with Weaver Adams, the eccentric author of the “White to Play and Win” series of booklets.

The tournament ended Aug. 12, 1945, with a true Hollywood touch: a living chess exhibition featuring actors and actresses. The glamorous scene made the front page of the next day’s Times.