Chess in 1953
by Bill Wall
In 1953, the first chess book published by the Tatar language, written by byRashid Nezhmetdinov (1912-1974).
In 1953, the USCF awarded the 1954 U.S. Open to Hollywood. A month later, the USCF Tournament Committee rescinded that award. The reason for the change was a fundamental disagreement between the Committee and the Hollywood sponsors. The Hollywood plan was to have the Open in a number of sections. The sponsors were to raise a large prize fund so as to guarantee cash prizes and extra money for the Master Section to attract master chess players. Prizes for the other sections were to be trophies only. The plan was rejected by the USCF, and they awarded the site to New Orleans (won by Larry Evans).
In 1953, the first British junior championship was won by D. Griffiths.
In 1953, Mona Karff won the US women's championship.
In 1953, the first Clare Benedict International Team Tournament was won by the Dutch.
In 1953, Paul Keres became the first sportsman of the year in chess in the USSR.
On January 3, 1953, Cenek Kottnauer (1910-1996), 42-year-old Czechoslovak chess champion, defected and applied to Switzerland for political asylum. He had just won the Lucerne international chess tournament. He made the decision not to go back to Prague because of the political situation which he said was getting worse every day. He later moved to England and became a naturalized citizen in England. (source: New Philadelphia Daily News, Jan 3, 1953)
In February 1953, Bobby Fischer played in his first organized tournament, the Brooklyn Chess Club championship, and took 5th place.
On February 9, 1953, Timothy Taylor was born. He was awarded the IM title in 1982.
On February 23, 1953, Jacek Bielczyk was born in Katowice, Poland. He was awarded the IM title in 1979.
On March 7, 1953, Tamas Erdelyi was born in Hungary. He was awarded the IM title in 1986.
On March 16, 1953, Rainer Knaak was born in Pasewalk, East Germany. He was awarded the IM title in 1973 and the GM title in 1975. He was East German Champion in 1974, 1978, 1982, 1983 and 1984.
On March 30, 1953, Henryj Dobosz was born in Lublin, Poland. He was awarded the IM title in 1978.
On March 22, 1953, Kenneth Rogoff was born in Rochester, New York. He was awarded the IM title in 1974 and the GM title in 1978. He is currently the Thomas D. Cabot Professor of Public Policy and Professor of Economics at Harvard University.
On March 31, 1953, Cecil Purdy won the first world correspondence chess championship.
On April 8, 1953, Oscar Humberto Castro-Rojas (1953-2015) was born in Colombia. He was Colombian champion in 1972 and 1973. He was awarded the IM title in 1975. He died in 2015 in Medellin of a heart attack when he was assaulted by robbers.
In May, 1953, the first chess match over television was shown in London. It was limited to three sessions of 10 minutes each. (source: La Crosse Tribune, May 27, 1953)
On June 14, 1953, Laszlo Hazai was born in Budapest. He was awarded the IM title in 1977.
In August, 1953, Donald Byrne won the US Open, held in Milwaukee.
On August 19, 1953, Zdenek Beil was born in Frydek-Mistek, Czechoslovakia. He was awarded the IM title in 1985.
On September 4, 1953, Michael Francis Stean was born in London. He was awarded the IM title in 1975 and the GM title in 1977.
On September 11, 1953, Jonathan Berry was born in Chilliwack, British Columbia. He was awarded the GMC title in 1985.
On September 26, 1953, David Gurgenidze was born in Russia. He was awarded the GMComp title in 1990.
On October 5, 1953, Alexander Panchenko (1953-2009) was born in Chelyabinsk, Russia. He was awarded the GM title in 1980.
On October 10, 1953, Ioan Biriescu was born in Darova-Timis, Romania. He was awarded the IM title in 1979.
On October 20, 1953, Bela Perenyi (1953-1988) was born in Budapest, Hungary. He was awarded the IM title in 1981. He was Hungarian Open champion in 1985 and 1988.
On October 24, 1953, Vasily Smyslov won the 2nd Candidates tourney, held in Zurich.
On November 9, 1953, Joszef Pinter was born in Budapest. He was awarded the IM title in 1976 and the GM title in 1982. He was Hungarian champion in 1978 and 1979.
On November 17, 1953, Sergey Makarichev was born in Moscow. He was European Junior Champion in 1973-74. He was awarded the IM title in 1974 and the GM title 1976. He jointly won the Moscow Championship in 1976 and 1983.
On November 30, 1953, Robert S. Gruchacz was born in New Jersey. He was awarded the IM title in 1980.
On December 2, 1953, Carlos Garcia-Palermo was born in La Plata, Argentina. He was awarded the IM title in 1981 and the GM title in 1985.
On December 8, 1953, Jordan Grigorov was born in Sofia, Bulgaria. He was awarded the IM title in 1979.
On December 9, 1953, Guillermo Garcia-Gonzales (1953-1990) was born in Las Villas, Cuba. He earned the IM title in 1974 and the GM title in 1976. He was Cuban champion in 1974 and 1983.
On December 15, 1953, an episode (Season 6, Episode 12) called “Cagliostro and the Chess Player,” starring Jack Palance (1919-2006), appeared on Suspense (TV series from 1949 to 1954). Count Alessandro di Cagliostro engages Poland’s King Stanislaus in a game with his mechanical chess player.
On December 16, 1953, Arshak Petrosian was born in Erevan, Armenia. He was awarded the IM title in 1978 and the GM title in 1984.
On December 17, 1953, Alexander Beliavsky was born in Lviv, Ukraine. He won the world junior championship in 1973. He was awarded the IM title in 1973 and the GM title in 1975. He was USSR champion in 1974.