The Denver Jewish news., 1921-06-01
Sammy Rzechewski, Boy
Genius in Denver
YOUTHFUL CHESS PLAYER
SHOWS VERSATILITY OF POW
ERS IN VISIT HERE.

w Titlen by special request IoT tile
Denver Jewish News by Paul Moses
Segal
One of the most interesting visitors
that has ever come to tile attention of
the Jewish Community OF Denver has
just left the city. Samuel RZeschewski,
who spent the ninth anniversary of his
birth in this city. Little SAMMY"
who is famous the world over as one
of the greatest chess players of all
time, who has played S44 matches in
checkmated, is probably one of the
worlds greatest characters. 1t is as
tGnishing that so great distinction
should come to a boy who has just
finished his eighth year of life. small
as child six years old, weighing but
seventy pounds and to all appearance
n normal yOungster just out of kinder
garten.
A closer examination, however, re-
veals in Sammy pair of grey eyes
that penetrate everything to which
their gaze is directed. n mead almost
ChestertOnian in size seven hat and
a pOise and bearing which stamp him
as genius. Samuel Rzechewski is
by no means n prodigy or freak; ;
there is nothing of the curiosity about
him. The boy is natural genius.
His ability is scarcely short of uni
versal and it is but by accident that
his great powers have been turned to-
ward Chess. The world knows of the
boy thru his chess because 1t has been
thru chess that he has been able to
make so spectacular an exhibition of
the extraordinary powers with which
he is gifted.
But the genius of the boy is such
that 1t manifests itself IN everything
he does. In six months III America.
Sammy has made such progress in
the English language that lie is able
to speak 1t freely without grammatical
error. with very little difficulty in
pronunciation, with a-eeminand of yo-
cabulary far beyond that of much
older boys reared in this country. In
fact the boys insight into the English
language Is so great that he criticises
very freely and intelligently the logi-
cal Inconsistency of English spelling.
Sammy utters no word that he can
not spell and l have watched him
put to shame men of almost voting
age with spelling game which he
delights in playing.
81, :. in which
the young mans genius displays IT.
self is in his interest in automobiles,
| have ridden with the hoy when he
was driving an eight cylinder auto
mobile Mt fifty miles an nour and yet
controlled it as surely, safely and
calmly as many an experienced adult
Mt half the speed Sammy drove
Cadillac car at racing speed from Den
yer to the top of Lookout Mountain
and back the very first day of his
visit here. beating. in the race up the
mountain, a Cole Eight driven by one
who has driven automobiles for as
long rs Sammy has lived. Every car
that Sammy passes in the street or
sees. even front distance, he is able
to name feat which shows very
strikingly the extraordinary ability
with which he pursues his automotive
hobby.
Jacob Rzechewski, the boys father
gives him instruction in Talmud and
says of the work that he has but to
explain one time and then but sketch
jly, Sammy's mind grasping the whole
lesson permanently and easily as 1t
were but a single, simple thought.
Little Sammy has an extensive re-
pertoire of traditional Chasidic mel
odies i'm which he chants his prayers,
singing in beautiful, melodious So
prano as well controlled and modulat-
ed as the voice of many Ii cantor. He
is also gifted with a remarkable wit
coupled with an excellent insight INTO
human character so that one who at
tempts to deceive him finds himseli
caught, exposed and laughed at by
all the company, thru some neat sally
of the boy's. None of the ruses which
suffice to divert the minds of older
children from things which they de-
sire can ever he of any effect against
Sammy, who is as quick to detect
trick or falsehoOd. to nail 1t as such
and to ridicule the falsifier as any
adult of normal type. Likewise Is
The boy quck to see thru affectatioh
nnd insincerity and he utterly ignores
those who are guilty of either.
1t has been said by many who nave
but n hearsay knowledge of samm!