The Boston Globe Boston, Massachusetts Sunday, December 24, 1961
Chess Notebook
By Lyman Burgess
The 1962 United States championship tournament opened last Sunday at the Prince George Hotel in New York. Samuel Reshevsky, five-time winner and all-time threat was not present. But most of the top players of the country had accepted invitations including two former champions Evans and Bisguier. The Byrne brothers, Robert and Donald, Raymond Weinstein and Pal Benko lend sparkle to a shining field. This will be a wide open tournament because, hold onto your hat, Bobby Fischer will not compete!
Some time ago it was hinted here that Bobby, mightily miffed at A.C.F. for their handling of his match with Reshevsky. As usual, no reason has been given for the absence of Fischer, who had won the previous four tournaments. However, Fischer may be absent for a reason that has nothing to do with pique but a lot to do with pride. Bobby several months ago was invited to compete in the annual Hastings Christmas tournament. Playing dates in the two tournaments, Hastings and United States, overlap. The Hastings tourney is full of prestige and history yet is usually no match for the resounding title of national champion.
Fischer's reason for accepting the Hastings challenge is probably the report that World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik has also accepted a Hastings invitation. Fischer has never played Botvinnik and is itching for a crack at him. So, maybe this is it. However, Botvinnik has accepted and later declined many invitations. In fact since he has been champion his appearances in tournaments outside Soviet territory have been few and widely spaced.
Early American champions begin with Paul Morphy in 1857 and run through G.H. MacKenzie, Jackson Showalter, Simon Lipschuetz, A.B. Hodges and end with H.N. Pillsbury who picked up the title in 1897 and held it to his death in 1906.
F.J. Marshall became champion in 1909 and grimly retained the title until he was almost forced into retirement in 1936. He defended his title once in that 27 years. But then he was charming and beloved and besides in those fallow years there were really no other American players in his class. Tournament play began on an every other year basis in 1936 and Sam Reshevsky copped the first four. Denker won in 1944 and Reshevksy came back in 1946. Steiner won the 1948 even and was ousted by Evans in 1951 who, in turn, was moved out by Bisguier in 1954. Then came the Fischer era which now, temporarily at least, is at an end.
This highly untypical game by the darling of the younger generation, Russia's Tigran Petroshan (or Petrosian) is an example of what can happen to a fully accredited grandmaster when he doesn't mind his Ps and Qs (pun intended). Pachman gained himself a gooseegg and permitted Petroshan (sian) to produce this “little bit of Morphy”.
Tigran Petrosian vs Ludek Pachman
Bled (1961), Bled YUG, rd 6, Sep-10
Formation: King's Indian Attack (A07) 1-0
