Evening star., 1936-12-13

BY PAUL ]. MILLER, JR.,
Americas Authority on Social Chess.
Turning Time Back.

D1 fAOL j. MlAAkkh, Jn.,
Americas Authority on Social Chess.
Turning Time Back.
WEEPING from coast to coast,
leaping from continent to con-
tinent. the chess fever in 1886,
gathering impetus with each
! tournament, expanded to embrace
more nationalities than. in any pre-
vious year Of the era Of modern chess.
Since December is, 1885, when
kind-hearted and simple spoken
Frank b. Walker laid down his pen
and passed ON to the Valhalla Of great
chess players, 1t has been my privilege
and pleasure to carry on the torch" ="
to hold it high and let Caissas beacon
radiate q message Of light and good
will for the Thousands who read this
weekly log Of chess events and chart
Herewith their future course Of chess
voyaging.
When Thomas Carlyle, savant of
knowledge, wrote Art is long and
difiicult, criticism short and easy" he
must have been reminiscing on his
personal experiences as q chess play
er. Aptly his words describe the
treacherous path that every chess COL
umnist must tread If he would serve
his public impartially and faithfully.
One year Of chess as told in
the columns Of The Washing
ton Sunday Star was my
thought as turned gently over
the fast-yellowing pages Of my
homeIy scrapbook. And out Of
the sports pages Of The Sunday
Star for exactly one year comes
this lay Of chess activity.
International Chess Events.
A YEAR ago DR.. Max Euwe of Hol-
land defeated DR.. Alexander Alex
hin Of France to win the chess
championship Of the world. Reuben
Fine, youthful American, won the
Christmas Hastings. England. interna-
tional masters tournament.
International masters tournaments
were held at Podebrad, Amsterdam.
Moscow, Oslo, Nottingham. San Juan
and . team tourney Of 20 nations was
played at Munich.
Euwe and Fine tied at Amsterdam,
Capablanca and Botwinnik were
prominent at Moscow, Fine was first
at Oslo, Botwinnik and Capablanca
tied for first at Nottingham, a con-
gress Of the highest possible magni-
tude, in which tournament ex-world
champions. Emanuel Lasker, Capa-
blanca and Alekhin participated to-
gether with World Champion Max
Euwe; Irving Kashdan captured first
prize at San Juan and Hungary won
the team tournament at Munich.
National Chess Events.
IN THE United States Samuel
Reshevsky. naturalized American
Of Polish extraction. succeeded to the
toga Of United States Champion
Frank J. Marshall. who announced
his voluntary retirement. The ma
tional tournament was conducted
under the auspices of the National
Chess Federation. o. S. A. Forty
seven players competed in the pre-
liminaries, Is in the finals.
At Philadelphia Israel Horo-
witx, New Yorker, won the Kirk
d. Holland Trophy and the na-
tional championship Of the
American Chess Federation.
Fifty players competed in the
Thirty-seventh Annual National
tournament Of the A. C. F.. for
merly the Western Chess Asso-
citation.
Noteworthy were the tournaments
of Illinois, Texas, New York. Virginia.
Pennsylvania, the Paul Morphy An
nual Chess Festival Of the Southern
California Chess League. the inter-
state tournament of Denver, Col: the
ans-Mississippi chess tourney on
Credit Island, near Davenport. Iowa.
and the Southern Chess Association
battle at Atlanta.
Milwaukee is chess mad and there
was no end of events in Wisconsin.
Minnesota staged a tournament OF
keen interest. Indiana developed
series of inter city matches. OF major
importance was the struggle for cham
pionship of the strong Manhattan
Chess Club Of New York City.
On King Island, Alaska, the
Eskimos huddled over their
chessboards for their annual
six months fray. moving chess
pieces carved from walrus ivory.
Binghamton, N. Y, witnessed q
large city tournament. Jackson, Miss,
staged an intraclub tourney and Maj.
]. B. Holt has been constantly agi-
tating State players to the end of initi-
ating a Statewide title contest. The
States of Washington and Oregon held
interesting tournaments, with many
clubs competing.
In mail-order chess circles were the
several quarterly and national tourna-
ments of the Correspondence Chess
League of America. Covering the same
territory were the postal Journeys of
the North American Correspondence
Chess League, with central head
quarters In California. Between Eng
land and the United States was begun
the board match sponsored by
Walter r. James Of the c. c. L. A.
With the Ladies.
DURING the Summer a special sec
ton of the Trans ississippi Fes-
tiyal was devoted to the ladies. Oak
Park, nl, held . woman's State chess
tournament, to which came many fair
players of first-rate ability.
Russia staged . nationwide
tournament for women. Some
10000 tilted for the woman's
championship Of all Sovietland.
Soma Graf Of Germany won the
Arst ladies' international chess tour
nament at Semmering, Austria, in
which IL nations took part.
Washington Chess Conscious.
(HESS activity in any city depends
~ largely upon the publicity given
1t. One year ago Washington boasted
only one organized chess club, one
league that functioned for the purpose
Of holding . single tournament and
an ipAfFoefiva interfi0h cl,esS nr.