FISCHER RE TURNS --.-- (See 1'. 191) (Ph oto by Robl. P(l v(>7!t) .:z UNI'l'ED S'l'A:I'ES VoJvme XX t\'vm ber 9 Septernbtr, I~ EDITOR: J . F. Reinhardt CONTENTS CHESS FEDERATION AS WE GO TO PRESS ... Leaders in the Capablanca Memorial Tournament are Borislav Ivkov (1 3-3), Vas· PRESIDENT sily Smyslov (12·3 and one adjourned) and Robert Fischer (12·4). All three ba\'c Lt. Col. E. B, Edmondson lost at least once: Iykoy to Ratmir Kh olmov, Smys10v to Ivkov and Fische.r. and VICE·PRE$ID£i:NT Fischer to lykov. Fjscher's loss, in round ten, was his first defeat since be was David Hortmann upset by Edmar Mednis in the opening round of the 1962-63 U. S. Championship. REGIONAL VICE·PRESIDENTS Here is how Fischer's opponents have fared, round by round: NEW .NOLAND Stanley lOn, 1. Heinz Lehmann (W. Germany) ... ................................... ... .0 Hlrold Dondl, 2. Vassily Smyslov (USSR) ...................................................... 0 Ell "ourdon EASTeRN DoDald Scbulb 3. Victor CioeaUea (Rumania) .............................................. 1,2 Lewla E. Wood. 4. Alberic O'Ke lly (Belgium) ................................................ l;2 Robert LaBelle MIQ-ATUNTIC WIL LIam Bragg 5. G. P. TriDgOV (Bulgaria) .................................................... 0 £ar'I Clary 6. Robert G. Wade (England) ................................................ 1:1! Edwud D. Strehle SOUTH .... N Dr. Robert Froemke 7. Bruno Parma (yugoslavia) ................................................ ~ hter Lahd, 8. Lazlo SUibo (Hungary) ...................................................... 0 Carroll M. Crull GREAT LAIC .. Norbert Matthe'... 9. Gilberto Garcia (Cuba) ........................... ............................. 0 Don&l4 W. Rlldln, 10. Borislav Jvkov (yugoslavia) ................................................ 1 Dr. Harvey McCle llan NORTH CUITIlAL Robert Lerne r n. Karl Robatscb (Au stria) .................................................... .. 0 J OM OaIeu 12. Istvan Bilek (Hungary) ........................................................ 0 Xen Rykken SOUTHWlSTlltN W. W. Crew 13. Ludek Pacbman (Czechoslovakia) .................................... 1:1! Kenneth SmIth 14. Eldis Cobo (Cuba) ..................................................................0 Park Blsbop 15. Eleazar Jiminez (Cu ba) ...................................................... ':-2 PACIFIC Ke nneth J onel Gordon B.arreU 16. Johannes Donner (Holland) ................................................ 0 Col. P ...I L Webb The following opponents remain on Fischer's schedule: SECRETARY Marshall Rohland 17. Ewfim Geller (USSR) 18. Ratmir Kholmov (USSR) NATIONAL CHAIRMEN and OFFICERS 19. Z. Doda (poland) ARMED FORC.' CHESS ................Rohert Karch 20. Francisco J . Perez (Cuba) BUSINESS MANAO ........... .......J . F. Reinhardt 21. Wolfgang Pietzsch (E. Germany) COLLEGI! CHIiSS.. .......... """ ............ .. Paul C. JaM Note: Fischer White in EVEN·NUMBERED games. INDUSTRIAL CH ......... ... .... Stanley W . D. lOna' INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS....... baae ~.hd.n Women'. lnternlUonal 'H'H¥.~_ Kathryn Slater JUNIOR CH US ¥_~. ~~ .... Mord.eea1 D. Treblow MASTERS AFFAlltl.. ~_ ...... ¥ ...........Robert Byrne MEMaEltSHI .. "~~_~~ __ ¥"_"HDonald Sebulb MEMBERSHI .. SICReTARY ~ ........ _ Qreta heM JOIN THE UNITED STATES CHESS FEDERATION NATIONAL OPIi N.___ .. _ ........ .Hermu FAtrada NOMINATIONS ......... _ ..Dr. Ale:.; JanushkO'Qky usc .... a Don-profit demoeraUc ora:anllatioD. the oftidal a:overn.Ln. body and FlDE IlDlt tor PRESIDENTIAL AUISTANT""H.H.Fred Cramer chu a Ln the USA. Anyone lIlten!s ted. ID advaneilla: Ame rican che." IJi e.Uaible tor membenblp. RATINGS & P AlltINGI.... H. .. H.HHArpad E.. £10 RATINO STATISTICIAN.H.HH ....Wm . Qok bber. Me"'nhlp. lncludlna: CHESS LIFE subRrlptloll , e\l.a:1bWty for USCF·retlDa:. an(!. all TAX D.OUCT ..ILlTY _H ..... _ ........ Harold Dondb prlvUe,H : I yr.: Ilo.OO; 2 yra.: ,9.&0; a yn.: '" . ~ Suatalnln, : ' 10.00 (becom1D6 ute KernbenbJp TOURNAM.NT AOM._ .. _ Georae Koltanow• .t1 attar 10 J>*¥ID.e nta); Ltte: $100.00. !'amll., MamtHInhlp (two or mOn! fam1ly members at _ a TOURNAMINT RUL •••_ .. _ ...... ,IIa mu S ba rwLn acldreaa. onb' o ne CHESS LIFE subaerlptl.on): retes .. above (or fint hmUy me mber. plus TREASURER HH_ ... __.. _ ..... _ ....... MUton Rusllin tollo~ tor eac:b ad<llUooal membar: I y r.: 'L50; 2 yre.: ....' 5; 3 "r .. : N .7S. U. S. CKAMPIONSHIP...... ___. Maurice Kuper CHI!SS LIFE 11 pubUahe.d monthly by USCF and en tel'f!d as HcoDd..eJus JDat.ter at Bast Dubuqlla. DJlnob. Noo.member I ~ r. .... blerlpUon: "'00 (p.OO outside USA); alnsle copy; 411!1 (5OIf WORLD CHESS FEDERATION outltde USA). Chan.. of address: Allow tour weeka noUce; please rive U$ both the n ew addrea (P.'.D.I .) aDd. tha old addresl, lncludlna the numbera ud datea on Ute top ltr>e of your $teneu, Fred Cramer Viee.president, Zone r; (U.S.A.) Ad4re&l an eommunieat1ons, and make all ehecki payable to: UNITED STATU CHI .. "IOIRAT10N, SO latt 11th SIre". NIW YORK a. N. Y. 190 CHESS LIFE play the complete schedule from a room strumcnt in a remarkably short time. at the l\larshaU Chess Club. An open Moves are transmitted in full; e.g., Fi Returns teletype and telephone line would be "WHITES }I'IRST MOVE PAWN TO kept in operation for the month that the KL!\l"G FOUR" and the elapsed time on tournament lasted, paid [or by the Cub· the player's clock is sent with every by J. F. ans. move. In addition, the New York and Then, suddenly, it seemed as if the Havana referees are in touch by tele· At B p.m. on Wednesday, August 25, entire thing would fall through. Fidel phone whenever any important point Robert J. Fischer's chess clock began Castro was reported to have hailed the comes up. ticking for the first time in more than State Department ban as a "propaganda a year and a hal£. victory" for Cuba; Fischer fired back a • • • That tiny sound, momentarily lost in cable in which he stated he would not • • a hubbub of newspaper and television play if the Cuban government used his In spite of the speedy transmission of photographers, was soon loud enough to participation for propaganda purposes. moves, a fi ve·hour playing session can be heard by chessplaycrs around the Castro, in reply, claimed that he had last as much as eight hours-quite a wo rld. Bobby Fischer, so mysteriously in­ never said anythi ng about the tourna­ strain on Fischer, especially with ad­ active in master chess since his sensa­ ment to anyone and strongly implied that journed games to be considered. So far tional 11·0 triumph in the 1963·64 United Fischer was looking for an excuse not (this is being written on September 7) States Championship, was playing in the to play. The next thing anyone knew­ Bobby seems to be standing up to it CapabJanca Memorial Tournament. Fischer was playing. quite well, but the tournament has a When the sliding doors at the Marshall long way to go. Chess Club were closed, Fischer was • • • • • alone except for a referee. His opponent, • • and all the other tournament contest· We already reported, in our last issue, • • • ants, were in the ballroom of the Cuba the results of Fischer's first two games: There werc a lot of strained faces Libre Hotel in Havana. More than 600 vi ctories over Heinz Lehmann and form­ among the spectators in New York dur­ spectators were on hand to watch the er world champion Vassily Smyslov. The ing the Parma·Fischer game. It was quite play in Cuba; the Marshall club was latest results, as we go to press, appear obvious, at an early stage, that Fischer jammed to capacity with fans who follow­ on p. 190. couldn't win and the question was: Can ed the game, move by move, on a demon­ he draw? He managed to, but later stration board. For the first time in the • • • • analysis may show that Parma had win­ 114year history of tournament chess a • ning chances. player's moves were being transmitted Saul Rubin, president of the Marshall by teletype. There have been many long­ Chess Club, is in charge of the arrange­ distance chess games, oC course; but now, ments in New York. William and Kath­ for the first time, one player in a ryn Slater put in long hours at the tele­ * * tournament would be playing all his type, both of them mastering that in- * games by teletype while the other con­ testants met one another in the usual manner. This unique anangement came about after Fischer had been denied State Department permission to travel to Cuba. He had applied to the Department for permission to visit Havana as a journal­ ist, intending to cover the event for both CHESS Ln~ E and the "Saturday Review". The Department, however, de· cided that Fischer's main reason for wanting to go was to play in the tourna­ ment; his journalistic labors would be merely ir.cidental. When the adverse rul­ ing was made public, a number of news· papers-including the N.Y. "Times"- ran editorials critical of the State Depart­ ment's position. The question of whether the State Department has, or should have, the right to restrict foreign travel by Ameri­ can citizens is a political one, not to be argued here. It seems clear, however, that the State Department ruling was quite senSible-indeed, unavoidable-if one grants that they do have a r ight to restrict such travel. Fischer would have gone to Havana with a prize in mind_ but it wouldn't have been the Pulitzer Prize. Like any sensible person, Bobby would rather be Superman than Clark Kent. At any rate, Fischer accepted the State Department ruling without protest and there was never any question oC his going to Cuba on his own. Instead, ar­ J . F. Reinhardt, who Wl5 New York referee in the first two games of the rangements were made with the Cuban Capablanca Memorial, makes White's second move in Round I_ Bill Goich· committee- with the agreement of all berg, who relayed the moves from the teletype room, is in the foreground.