1930-1955

by Bill Wall

Here are some chess highlights from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle from 1930 through 1955:

Harvard is again champion of the "H. Y. P. W." Chess League. They scored 12-4. — Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jan 2, 1930

Capablanca won the 10th annual Christmas Chess Festival of the Hastings and St. Leonard's Chess Club. 2nd place went to Vidmar of Jugoslavia, one point below Capablanca.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jan 5, 1930

Alexander Alekhine became the victor at San Remo, Italy by a wide margin. Akiba Rubinstein was second up to last night. Apart from his playing fee as champion, Dr. Alekhine will receive 10,000 lire as his reward for winning the tournament. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Feb 2, 1930

13 victories, 2 draws, and no defeats in a total of 15 games played constitutes the performance of Alekhine. 2nd place went to Aron Nimzowitsch, followed by Akiba Rubinstein. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Feb 6, 1930

Why Chess is Popular, by J. R. Capablanca. Chess is more popular than ever. The majority of mankind, while they do not take an active part in sport, take an intellectual interest in it, and flock to contests. Abstract study is good groundwork for chess. You also must possess a great deal of imagination to bring a game to a successful issue. A good chess player must have imagination as well as logic in his makeup. Reflection is necessary, and quick judgment, the better to profit by one's opponent's mistakes. I always play with prudence and take no risks. Recklessness is a direct contradiction to the original principle of chess, which is not a game of chance but of skill.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Feb 14, 1930

Backgammon is providing a new thrill for Dr. Alekhine. With Tartakower, he daily twirls the dice box and moves the men from point to point in the playroom of the Cercle du Palais Royal where for years nothing faster than chess has been played.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Mar 10, 1930

The Manhattan CC won the annual championship series of the Metropolitan Chess League, defeating the Marshall CC with the score of 6-1. ... Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Apr 10, 1930

A cablegram dispatched from here last night in behalf of the National Chess Federation to the Hamburg Chess Club effected the formal entry of the US in the team tournament to be held at Hamburg, July 12 to 27, under the auspices of the International Chess Federation. Frank Marshall and I. Kashdan will constitute the backbone of the team and will be counted on to do the lion's share of the scoring. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, May 15, 1930

There will be 20 countries [only 18 played] at the Hamburg international team tournament. They will play 14 rounds and the pairing will be based on the Swiss system. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jun 19, 1930

Poland won the team tournament at Hamburg, followed by Hungary. Germany took 3rd. The US team took 6th. Miss Menchik won the women's championship. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jul 31, 1930

Alekhine is a prominent resident in Paris and Capablanca, too, is making Paris his headquarters during his prolonged stay in Europe. Notwithstanding their close proximity, however, the necessary negotiations have not been quickened due to the strained relations existing between them. When Capablanca dropped in at the recent congress in Hamburg, he sauntered about looking at a number of the boards but kept away from the one were Dr. Alekhine was engaged in play. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Aug 14, 1930

Having made the longest stay of his career in Europe during the past year, Capablanca is turning his thoughts toward home. Capa will make New York a port of call.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Nov 20, 1930

Year 1930 Saw Development of New Chess Star. Kashdan US Hope. Alekhine Scored in San Remo Play. Kashdan represented the US in the team tournament in Hamburg and won first places in tournaments at Berlin, Gyor and Stockholm. He finished 2nd at Frankfort. In the world championship match, Capablanca was not able to finance the sum required for a purse under the London conditions of 1922. In July, Alekhine assisted the French team in 9 of its matches at Hamburg, winning all of his games. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Dec 21, 1930

Reports from Jugoslovia have it that Alekhine, retiring late after an exhibition, fell asleep at his hotel with a lighted cigarette in his hand. In due course, the flames brought him back to consciousness and he barely escaped fatal consequences. Suffering from burns he was taken to a hospital.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Dec 31, 1930

Dr. Max Euwe of Holland took first prize at Hastings. Capablanca finished 2nd and Mir Sultan Khan, holder of the British chess championship, third.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jan 7, 1931

"Only 30 more years and there will be no mystery to chess," said Capablanca. "I used to think the game would last 50 years, but at the rate things are going I think now that everything will be worked out in 30." He suggested enlarging the board and creating new chessmen to occupy the added squares. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jan 15, 1931

Capablanca played 200 opponents from 49 clubs in a record-breaking performance at the 7th Regiment Armory in Manhattan. He won 28, drew 16, and lost 6. He had been on his feet for 8.5 hours. Former Governor Charles Whitman was introduce by George Emlen Roosevelt, the chairman. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Feb 13, 1931

Edward Lasker who has won chess championships of Berlin, London, New York, and Chicago, has been added to the list of competitors in the internationals masters tournament planned for the middle of next month in New York, when Capablanca is expected back from Havana. Besides Lasker and Capabanca, four others have accepted the invitation of the tournament committee. These are Frank Marshall, Isaac Kashdan, Herman Steiner, and I.S. Turover. George Emien Roosevelt will be the chairman of the tournament committee. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Mar 22, 1931

After 10 rounds of the New York International, Capaplanca has won 8 and drawn 1 (with Turover). Kashdan is in 2nd with 8 wins and 2 losses, followed by Kevitz with 6 wins and 4 losses. The tournament is being played at the Hotel Alamac. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, May 3, 1931

Capablanca won the New York International chess tournament at the Hotel Alamac. He drew his final game, scoring 10 wins and 2 draws. Kashdan took 2nd with 6 wins and 5 draws, followed by Kevitz. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, May 3, 1931

The first game of chess played 102 stories above street level was played on Monday atop the Empire State Building by Joseph C. Cook, president of the Rhode Island Chess Association and Hermann Helms.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, May 3, 1931.

Samuel Reshevsky is a member of one of the tennis teams at the University of Detroit, where he is studying accounting. Last month, he played 1,500 chess games in Chicago, winning all of them with one exception, which was a draw. (picture)—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, May 24, 1931

Norman T. Whitaker of Haddon Heights, NJ, Pennsylvania State champion, failed to appear in Atlantic County Criminal Court here today to answer to the charge of defrauding the telephone company. His $1,000 bail was forfeited. Whitaker was arrested in Pleasantville, NJ Dec 4, 1930 when he was charged with depositing slugs in the coin box of a telephone pay station.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jun 13, 1931

The USA team won the international team tournament in Prague, ahead of 18 other countries. Poland took 2nd, followed by Czechoslovakia. The USA team members were Frank Marshall, Isaac Kashdan, I.A. Horowitz, Herman Steiner, and Arthur Dake. The USA team scored 13.5 — 4.5, winning the Hamilton-Russell Cup. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jul 30, 1931

Alekhine Invincible In Bled Chess Meet; Kashdan Is Fifth. After 8 rounds, Alekhine has 7 wins and 1 draw. Aside from Dr. Alekhine, Rudolf Spielmann of Vienna alone remains undefeated. With 3 wins and 5 draws, he holds 2nd place, ahead of Bogoljubow and Vidmar.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Sep 3, 1931

Alekhine won first prize at Bled. He won 15m drew 11, and lost none, scoring 20.5 — 5.5. 2nd place went to Bogoljubow, scoring 15-11. Nimzowitsch took 3rd place. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Oct 1, 1931

Samuel Reshevsky won the Western Chess Association annual tournament at Tulsa, Oklahoma. His score was 7.5 — 1.5. 2nd and 3rd place went to S. Factor and Norman Whitaker. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Oct 15, 1931

1931 in review. The USA team won the international team ch. Kashdan won the Manhattan CC championship. Capa beat Euwe with 2 wins and 8 draws. London won the Insull Cup in a cable match with Philadelphia. NY beat the British Chess Club of Paris. Reshevsky won the Western Chess Association. Fred Reinfeld won the NY state championship. Harvard won the HYPD college chess league. The Marshall CC won the Metropolitan League.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Dec 27, 1931

Salo Flohr won at Hastings win 7 wins and 2 draws, followed by Isaac Kashdan. Euwe, winner of last year's congress, took 3rd place. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jan 7, 1932

Alekhine won the international tournament in London. He scored 7 wins and 4 draws. He now plans to play 300 opponents seated at 60 tables. The game at each board will be conducted by 5 players consulting. Last year Capablanca played against 200 at 50 boards, scoring 28 wins, 16 draws, and 6 losses. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Feb 18, 1932

Alekhine played 300 opponents, in groups of 5 seated at 60 tables, last Sunday afternoon. He began his long session at the Hotel Claridge. It was a benefit performance in behalf of the French war veterans. He won 37, drew 17, and lost 6. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Mar 3, 1932

Salo Flohr and Vidmar tied for 1st at the international tournament just concluded at Sliac in Czechoslovakia. Both scored 9.5 — 3.5. Pirc took 3rd place. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jun 30, 1932

Alekhine took 1st at Berne, Switzerland. He has now on his was to play in Pasadena on Aug 15. At Berne he scored 12.5 — 2.5, with one loss to Bogoljubow, 3 draws, and 11 wins. Euwe and Flohr tied for 2nd. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Aug 4, 1932

Reuben Fine took 1st at the Western Chess Association at Minneapolis, going undefeated. Reshevsky finished 2nd, ½ point behind, followed by Fred Reinfeld. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Aug 11, 1932

Alekhine won at Pasadena. Second was Isaac Kashdan. Each lost a game. Alekhine lost to Dake and Kashdan lost to Alekhine. Dake, Reshevsky, and Steiner shared 3rd place. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Sep 1, 1932

Alekhine and Kashdan tied for 1st in Mexico City, both winning 8 and drawing with each other. Araiza took 3rd. Alekhine will then go to New York to give a big simultaneous exhibition. George Emlen Roosevelt is the chairman and former governor Whitman will open the proceedings.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Oct 20, 1932

Alekhine played 200 players on 50 boards, winning 30, drawing 14, and losing 6. It was played at the 7th Regiment Armory in Manhattan on Tuesday. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Nov 10, 1932

Five robbers interrupted a chess game between David Miller and his cousin Charles in David's living quarters over his bakery in New York at 1:40 this morning. They tied up the chess players and went to the bakery on the floor below, held up 3 bakers, broken open the safe and escaped with $4,000.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Dec 3, 1932

Kupchik and Willman tied for 1st in the Manhattan Chess Club championship. Both scored 9-2. 3rd place went to Horowitz. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jan 19, 1933

Capablanca played against 330 opponents at 66 boards in Cuba. He will be going to Panama, then to California. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jan 26, 1933

For the third year in succession, the Marshall CC holds the championship of the Metropolitan Chess League. Next Saturday, the Marshall CC will have as its guest Samuel Reshevsky, who was recently graduated from the University of Chicago. He will play simultaneously against 25 opponents. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Apr 20, 1933

Fine, Dake, and Simonson qualified for the USA team for the international team contest at Folkestone. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, May 18, 1933

The USA team won the international team tournament in Folkestone with 43 wins and 17 losses. In the first 13 rounds, they won 12 and drew 1. They lost in the 14th and 15th rounds, against Sweden and Czechoslovakia. Czechoslovakia and Hungary took 2nd and 3rd. The USA team players were Kashdan, Marshall, Fine, Dake, and Simonson. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jun 29, 1933

The Chicago Century of Progress Exposition has a chess playing area in the Hall of Science. Directly across the hall is the Chess Museum. Chess items were sent by Gustavius Pfeiffer, Kermit Roosevelt, and Donald Liddell. Alekhine will be giving a record-breaking performance of blindfold play. There is a series of games of Living Chess. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jul 13, 1933

Alekhine played 32 opponents blindfold at the Hall of States at the Chicago World's Fair. His exhibition lasted 12.5 hours and established a new world's record. He won 19, drew 9, and lost 4. Lt. John D. Matheson of West Point won the intercollegiate championship at the fair.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jul 27, 1933

Fred Reinfeld won the New York championship in Syracuse, duplicating his performance at Rome two years ago. 2nd place went to Denker, followed by Fine.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Aug 31, 1933

Reuben Fine won the Western Chess Association tourney, held at the Hotel Tuller in Detroit. Reshevsky took 2nd, followed by Dake. Fine won 12 and lost 1. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Oct 5, 1933

City College of New York (CCNY) beat out Columbia to win the Intercollegiate Chess League. Brooklyn College took 3rd. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Dec 30, 1933

Salo Flohr won the 14th Hastings Christmas Congress with 5 wins and 4 draws. Alekhine and Lilienthal tied for 2nd. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jan 11, 1934

Alekhine tried to get married for the 4th time in Nice. A marriage license clerk demanded proof of Alekhine's Amsterdam divorce from his 3rd wife and told the chess player he was ineligible to marry because he had not lived here a sufficient length of time.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Mar 19, 1934

Alekhine defeated Bogoljubow for the world championship when he gained his 8th victory in the 25th game, with 14 draws. At the moment the score stands 15 — 10 in favor of Alekhine.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jun 14, 1934

Alekhine finished 1st in the international tournament in Zurich, Switzerland. Alekhine had 12 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss. Euwe and Flohr tied for 1nd place. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jul 29, 1934

Reshevsky won the international tourney at Syracuse. He won 10 and drew 4 games, with no losses. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Sep 6, 1934

Rabinovich and Chekover are among the instructors in a chess school for children recently opened here with an enrollment of 300. — Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jan 6, 1935

Euwe, Flohr, and Thomas tied for 1st at Hastings. Capablanca took 4th, followed by Botvinnik and Lilienthal, who tied for 5th. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jan 6, 1935

Botvinnik and Flohr tied at the international tournament in Moscow. They scored 13 out of 19. Emanuel Lasker took 3rd and unbeaten, like Flohr. Capablanca took 4th place. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Mar 15, 1935

Samuel Reshevsky won the Kent County Chess Association tournament at Margate. His score was 7.5-1.5. Capablanca took 2nd, followed by George Thomas. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, May 4, 1935

Alekhine will play Euwe for the world championship in the Netherlands in October. In order to finance the contest it is planned to hold a lottery. It is proposed to issue 20,000 tickets and offer 1,500 prizes, the first of which to be an automobile. Bridge tournaments will also be arranged. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, May 23, 1935

Fine took 1st place in the Western Championship tournament at Milwaukee, followed by Dake. Kashdan took 3rd place. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Aug 8, 1935

The USA team won the Hamilton-Russell Team Trophy in Warsaw. Sweden took 2nd, followed by Poland. Miss Vera Menchik won the women's world championship at Warsaw. Dake had the best individual score. ..—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Sep 2, 1935

Euwe won the world championship match against Alekhine, winning 9 games to 8, with 13 games drawn. Euwe is a math teacher in the Amsterdam Girls Lyceum, where one of the games with Alekhine was contested. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Dec 19, 1935

When Maroczy wanted to train Mary Bain for the women's chess title of the world, she said no because of her kids. She learned the game in Hungary. — Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Mar 15, 1936

Salo Flohr won at Margate with 7.5 points. Capablanca was second with 7 points.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Apr 24, 1936

The chess championship of the US which Frank Marshall had held ever since 1909 passes to Samuel Reshevsky because of his victory in a tournament that ended last Saturday. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, May 21, 1936

Capablanca won the Moscow International with 8 wins and 10 draws. Botvinnik took 2nd, followed by Flohr. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jun 11, 1936

Reshevsky won the US championship, succeeding Frank Marshall. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jun 18, 1936

Fine won at the international tournament in Zanovoort, Netherlands, followed by Euwe. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Aug 2, 1936

Botvinnik and Capablanca tied at Nottingham, scoring 10-4. Tied for 3rd place included Euwe, Fine, and Reshevsky. Alekhine took 6th. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Sep 3, 1936

Euwe and Fine tied for 1st at Amsterdam, scoring 5-2, followed by Alekhine. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Oct 22, 1936

Alekhine won the 17th Christmast congress of the Hastings and St. Leonards Chess Club. He won 7 and lost 2. Fine took 2nd, followed by Eliskases. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jan 7, 1937

Fine finished 1st at Stockholm, scoring 8-1, with 7 wins and 2 draws. Stahlberg took 2nd. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jan 28, 1937

Bonfires of books by Jews lighted the German skies as Hitler purged his Reich of non-Aryan influences. Nearly all Jews are excluded from the professions, arts, and public service — even from the chess league.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jan 31, 1937

Fine and Keres tied for 1st at Margate. Alekhine took 3rd.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Apr 10, 1937

The USA team won the Hamilton-Russell team championship cup in Stockholm, followed by Hungary and Poland. The USA team won 15, drew 3, and lost none. The USA team has won it 4 times. The USA team included Reshevsky, Fine, Kashdan, Marshall, and Horowitz. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Aug 19, 1937

David Polland captured 1st prize in the championship tournament of the American Chess Federation at the Congress Hotel in Chicago. He scored 7.5-1.5. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Sep 4, 1937

Keres won the international tourney in Semmering, Austria. He won 6 and drew 5. Fine took 2nd place. Capablanca and Reshevsky tied for 3rd place.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Sep 30, 1937

Alekhine regained the world chess title by defeating Euwe. Dr, Euwe resigned after the 43rd move of the 23rd game of their month-long tournament. Alekhine scored 15.5 to 9.5 for Euwe. The 5 remaining game to be played will have no bearing on the championship and will be merely exhibitions.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Dec 8, 1937

During the spring at Havana, Capablanca set a new record for simultaneous play, meeting 350 opponents seated at 70 boards. He won 50, drew 14, and lost 6. Koltanowski conducted 34 games simultaneously blindfolded, winning 24 and drawing 10. David Polland won the NT state championship and the American Chess Federation championship. The women's world championship was again successfully defended by Miss Vera Menchik at Stockholm, where she won 14 games straight. Harvard retained the championship of the HYPD College Chess League.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Dec 26, 1937

For the first time in the history of US chess, the national championship title will be defended in an open tournament starting today in the RCA building at Rockefeller Center. Samuel Reshevsky will defend his national title against a field of 16. The first women's chess championship of the US will also be decided in a tournament in which 11 feminine experts will compete. The competitors were guests at the University Club last night given by Silas W. Howland, president of the Marshall CC. Former President Herbert Hoover dropped in and greeted the chess masters. He extended to Howland, National Chess Federation Committee chairman his wished for a successful tournament.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Apr 2, 1938

Samuel Reshevsky of New York and Miss N. May Karff of Boston were crowned chess champions of the US as they ended National Chess Federation tournaments without defeat at Rockefeller Center yesterday. Reshevsky won 10 and drew 6. Miss Karff succeeds Mrs. Adele Rivero to the women's crown. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Apr 25, 1938

Horowitz and Kashdan tied for 1st at the American Chess Federation Open at Boston. Polland and Boris Blumin of Montreal tied for 3rd. Miss Bain, Miss Weart and Mrs. McCready were hurt on their return journey from Boston as their car skidded out of control. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jul 28, 1938

Nazis reorganize chess games on military basis. Tac-tics, a new militarized kind of chess, is being played by Nazis, young and old, in Hitler's Reich. It is played between red and blue forces on 121 squares. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Aug 7, 1938

Losing only 1 game and drawing another in a total of 9 contested, Arnold S. Denker won the NY state chess championship at the Cazenova Seminary Junior College. 2nd place went to Anthony Sanatasiere. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Aug 18, 1938

Fine and Keres tied for 1st at the AVRO tournament in Amsterdam. Botvinnik took 3rd. Alekhine, Euwe, and Reshevsky tied for 4th. ... Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Dec 1, 1938

Salo Flohr took 1st at the Leningrad-Moscow International, followed by Rehsevsky. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Feb 2, 1939

Salo Flohr won at Kemeri-Riga with 9 wins and 6 draws. Stahlberg and Szabo tied for 2nd. ---—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Mar 23, 1939

Fine has withdrawn his name from the list to play in the world team championship in Buenos Aires. Reshevsky, Kashdan, and Horowitz are expected to play. There still remains the major problem of finance. The traveling and hotel expenses have been guaranteed by the Argentine Chess Federation. To meet the requirements of the players, however, a fund of more than $2,000 is needed. Thus far it has not been forthcoming.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jul 13, 1939

The US will not be sending a team to Buenos Aires for the international team championship to defend the Hamilton-Russell trophy. This was decided yesterday when George Emlen Roosevelt, chairman of the National Chess Federation's committee, sent word to the captain, Frank Marshall, that the jaunt was off. Several factors operated against the success of the plan. Chief among these was the failure of the Argentine Chess Federation to obtain the government subsidy upon which reliance had been placed. Miss N. May Karff will go to Buenos Aires to take part in the woman's championship. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jul 27, 1939

Great Britain's action in calling up reserves caused the English chess team to withdraw from the international tournament in Buenos Aires. Three players, Sir George Thomas, B.H. Wood, and P.S. Milner Barry left for England yesterday.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Sep 2, 1939

Germany won the international team chess tourney in Buenos Aires, followed by Poland and Estonia. Germany scored 36 out of 56 after winning 22, drawing 28, and losing 6 in 14 matches. Iceland won on tiebreak over Canada in the second division. Capablanca won 6 and drew 5. Mrs. Vera Menchik Stevenson won the world women's championship, scoring 18-1. 2nd place went to Miss Sonja Graf of London. N. May Karff took 5th. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Sep 21, 1939

South American chess players have not abandoned the idea of a return match between Alekhine and Capablanca. Capablanca is said to be prepared to go so far as to let the winner take the entire purse of $10,000. Under the rules adopted in London during 1922 it was stipulated that the champion should take $2,000 as his fee and that the remaining $8,000 be divided up in the ration of 60% to the winner and 40% to the loser. Senor Augusto de Muro, head of the Argentine Federation and newly elected president of the International Chess Federation, has taken a personal interest in the negotiations.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Oct 5, 1939

Chess players in this country are now united for the first time under one form of national control, as the result of the formation of the United States of America Chess Federation. George Sturgis of the City Club of Boston is president of the new federation. It is a merger of the National Chess Federation, USA, organized in 1927, and the American Chess Federation, a more recent offshoot of the long-established Western Chess Association. Maurice Kuhns, age 80, of Chicago, has been named president-emeritus of the larger body for the rest of his life. ... Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Dec 7, 1939

Because of the ware the scene of international chess activities shifted from Europe to South America late in 1939. L. Szabo of Hungary carried off the honors at the annual Hastings Congress, with Euwe as the runner-up. Vera Menchik won the women's tournament at Buenos Aires, retained the world title she had held ever since these contests were started. She scored 18 points out of 19. Fine won the American Chess Federation held in New York, followed by Reshevsky. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Dec 24, 1939

Alekhine won 28, lost 3, and drew 9 games in 40 simultaneous matches with leading players at the Geographic Society in Lisbon, Portugal.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Feb 2, 1940

Horowitz and Harold Morton, former New England champion, were victims of a serious car accident while crossing Iowa on the return journey after a tour of the South and Far West. Morton, driving their car, was killed outright in a collision with a truck, and Horowitz, suffering concussion of the brain and chest injuries, was taken to St. Anthony's Hospital in Carroll, Iowa.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Feb 22, 1940

Fine retained his national open chess championship yesterday in Dallas. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Aug 28, 1940

Reshevsky National chess champ for 3rd consecutive year. Keres defeated Euwe in a match. Bondarevsky and Lilienthal tied in the USSR championship. Smyslov, 19-year-old student at a Moscow aviation institute, took 3rd. Francisco Planas of Havana is to play 600 opponents at 120 tables with 5 consultants seated at each. Kashdan won an international tournament in Havana. Koltanowski was 2nd. Fine won the Open in Dallas, followed by Reshevsky. Mrs. Adle Rivero won the women's national championship. Karff won the American Chess Federation women's championship. Fine won the Marshall CC championship. Denker won the Manhattan CC championship. Robert Willman won the NY championship. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Dec 29, 1940

Dr. Emanuel Lasker, 72, died yesterday at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Manhattan. He made his home for a short time in Hollis. — Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jan 12, 1941

Fine won the US Open in St Louis, played at the Hotel De Soto. Herman Steiner took 2nd. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jul 26, 1941

The Navy clashed with the Army at chess last night, but suffered a 7-0 rout. Captain Howard S. Hoit of Montclair, NJ, former president of the Manhattan Chess Club, was the successful defender of Army prestige. He played 7 Navy players in a simul at the Navy Yard and won all his games. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Oct 23, 1941

The US Chess Federations biennial championship tournament scheduled for March, 1942, has been called off because of conditions resulting from the war, it was announced yesterday by L Walter Stephens, vice president of the federation and head of the tournament committee.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Oct 23, 1941

Jose Capablanca died yesterday of a brain hemorrhage 7 hours after he suffered a stroke at the Manhattan CC, 100 Central Park South, Manhattan. Funeral services will be in Havana and burial will be in Colon Cemetery. He was 53. He was stricken while watching a game of chess. He died at Mount Sinai Hospital, the same hospital where Dr. Lasker died last year. He won the championship of Cuba at age 12. In 1907 he entered Columbia University to study chemical engineering. He is survived by his second wife, Princess Olga Chagodalf of Georgia, Russia, and two children by his first wife.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Mar 9, 1942

Steiner and Yanofsky tied for 1st in the US Open in Dallas. Horowitz took 3rd. At the business meeting, Reshevsky and Kashdan were officially recognized as co-champions. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Sep 3, 1942

Kashdan of Flatbush will have a chance to annex the national championship in a set match with Reshevsky. Kashdna tied with Reshevsky at the Hotel Astor in Manhattan last April. The will begin play Oct 7 in the first game of a series of 14, under USO auspices. Army camps will be the scenes of the first 4 games. Reshevsky is now a father, a daughter being born to Mrs. Reshevsky in Boston, 3 weeks ago. Her name is Silvia. Kashdan is the proud father of a boy going on 19 months. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Sep 10, 1942

Reshevsky yesterday suffered his first defeat since 1936 in competition involving the US championship. Reshevsky resigned to Kashdan in a game they played at Camp Upton, Long Island. Previous to this encounter, Rehsevsky had gone through 73 straight championship games without defeat. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Oct 12, 1942

Alekhine said yesterday in the German-controlled Pariser Zeitung that a new era has begun in which "the Unites States would have nothing to day in the world of chess." He said that an international tournament now in progress in Munich "stresses the leading role played by new Europe ... And marks the end of the inopportune interference of America in the European chess questions."—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Oct 15, 1942

Edward S. Jackson Jr of Philadelphia yesterday finished 1st in the national amateur championship finals at the Manhattan CC. He is the first holder of such a title. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Nov 9, 1942

Humphrey Bogart and Paul Henreid started a chess game months ago, when production first started on "Capablanca." They have continued making a move by note or telephone or catching up, face to face, for a few minutes on the set of new pictures in which they are working.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Dec 6, 1942

Reshevsky beat Kashdan 7.5 — 3.5 for the national championship. It is the 4th time that he has held the title. Reshevsky and Kashdan tied for the title for 8 months.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jan 7, 1943

The Swedish Chess Federation today withdrew from the European Federation after several local chess clubs protested Nazi predominance.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Feb 8, 1943

Fine is seen as successor to Reshevsky. Reshevsky to retire from US titular series. Reshevsky won 4 in a row since 1936. He will step aside next year. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Dec 23, 1943

Turkey's President Ismet Inonu has for years found relaxation in working out difficult chess problems.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jan 3, 1944

A new champion of the US Chess Federation was crowned yesterday, when Arnold Denker of Forest Hills, champion of the Manhattan CC and former Empire State titleholder, drew has last game at the Hotel Central, Manhattan. He score 15.5 — 1.5. He gained custody of the Frank J. Marshall trophy for 2 years. He won 14 and drew 3. Runner-up was Reuben Fine of Washington, DC. Mrs. Gisela K. Gresser of Manhattan, a native of Detroit, scored 8 straight victories and won the women's championship. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, May 8, 1944

Frank J. Marshall, 67, dies. He was US chess champion for 27 years. He died last night while walking along Van Vorst Street in Jersey City. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Nov 10, 1944

Brooklyn College won the Intercollegiate Chess League championship. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Dec 30, 1944

Anthony Santasiere won the US Open, held in Peoria, Illinois, with a 7-1 score. Sandrin took 2nd.—- Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jul 19, 1945

Reshevky won in Hollywood at the Pan-American Chess Congress, followed by Fine and Horowitz. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Aug 13, 1945

Arnold Denler will play in the Victory tournament at the Hastings Chess Club in England. The US champion had a rough voyage on the Queen Mary, bur arrived in good condition. Herman Steiner of Los Angeles flew across after missing connections with the Cunarder and surprised the champion when he met him in London en route to Hastings. Nine countries will be represented by a total of 12 players. Two places have been reserved for Russian experts, whose names have not yet been given out.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Dec 27, 1945

Dr. S. Tartakower, 59, of Poland, won the International Chess title at Hastings. Ekstron took 2nd, followed by Euwe, Steiner, and Denker. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jan 10, 1946

Alekhine died at Estoril near Lisbon on Sunday. Only a short while before, negotiations had been begun for a title match between the champion and Mikhail Botvinnik. Moscow had offered to contribute $10,000 to the fund and the British Chess Federation had taken under advisement the question of sponsoring the contest.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Mar 28, 1946

Denker defeated Herman Steiner and retained the US chess champion title. The match was held at the Griffith Park Auditorium in Los Angeles. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, May 20, 1946

Botvinnik won the International Chess Masters' tournament in Groningen, Netherlands. He scored 14.5 points. Euwe took 2nd.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Sep 8, 1946

Reshevsky won the US championship, followed by Kashdan. He scored 14 wins and 4 draws. Miss Karff won the women's championship wins 8 wins and 1 draw.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Nov 21, 1946

Isaac Kashdan won the US Open at Corpus Christi, Texas. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Aug 28, 1947

Botvinnik, 37, was crowned world chess champion in Moscow. He drew with Max Euwe in the final round of the world tournament.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, May 10, 1948

Next to his "babies" Humphrey Bogart likes chess best. Every script for a Bogart picture includes at least one chess shot.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Sep 28, 1949

Pat Bliss, deputy sheriff of King County, Washington, started an international chess game in 1945 by airmail with King Abdullah of Transjordan — which continued for 3 years.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Oct 2, 1949

Mrs. Ludmilla Rudenko, 47, won the world women's chess championship in Moscow. She is the mother of a chess playing son. She won 11.5-3.5. Her only loss was to Mrs. Gisela K. Gresser, US co-champion. Mrs. Olga Rubsova, born in 1909, who is in 2nd place, has been the Soviet national champion 4 times.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jan 19, 1950

Yugoslavia won the Hamilton-Russell trophy team tourney at the 9th chess Olympiad at Dubrovnik. USA took 4th. 16 nations participated. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Sep 14, 1950

Najdorf won the international tourney in Amsterdam. Reshevsky took 2nd. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Dec 14, 1950

Max Pavey of Brooklyn gave a convincing display in simul display at the Brooklyn Public Library, last night. He played 13 games without losing one. He drew two games against Edmar Mednis, a junior member of the Marshall CC, and Sylvan Katske. The other 11, including 8-year-old Bobby Fischer, were defeated.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jan 18, 1951

FBI today checkmated New England chess champion James M. Bolton for evading the draft. Bolton, 22, of New Haven, was charged with refusing to report for induction, Connecticut's first evasion case under the new Selective Service Act.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Mar 3, 1951

Mary Bain won the US women's chess championship, scoring 8.5-0.5. She is the mother of 2 children. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Nov 8, 1951

A Hungarian tournament chess player, Geza Fuefter, today joined a number of Iron Curtain athletes who recently have sought asylum in the West.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Apr 27, 1952

Playing chess can sometimes be fatal. Capablanca suffered a stroke while kibitzing at the Manhattan CC. Last Spring, Juan Quesada died suddenly after playing through 16 rounds of the tournament in Havana. Julio Bolbochan of Buenos Aires had to withdraw from the zonal tournament in Sweden due to a hemorrhage.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Sep 18, 1952

Samuel Reshevsky is unwilling to play in the 1953 world championship challengers' tournament because 9 of the 12 players are Soviets. He declared this to be an inequitable setup, which has no appeal to him.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Oct 30, 1952

Reshevsky defeated Najdorf 11 — 7 in Buenos Aires. He was hailed as the chess champion of the Western world. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jul 2, 1953

Soviet chess players refuse to play in New York unless travel restrictions are lifted. They had to stay at the Glen Cove, Long Island country house of the Soviet delegation to the United Nations—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jul 10 and 19, 1953

Donald Byrne won the US Open in Milwaukee. Max Pavey took 2nd. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Aug 23, 1953

Jack Collins of Flatbush won the Marshall CC championship. He scored 9.5 — 2.5. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jan 14, 1954

Dr. Edward Lasker, newly elected to fellowship in the New York Academy of Science, has been re-elected president of the Marshall Chess Club. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Feb 4, 1954

A. Purmalis scored 11.5 — 1.5 to win the Brooklyn Chess Club championship. He succeeds Henry Spinner as title-holder. Spinner finished runner-up.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Feb 18, 1954

William Lombardy of Morris High finished 1st with a score of 7.5 — 0.5 in the Interboro High School Chess League.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Feb 18, 1954

The Russians defeated the Argentina team, scoring 20.5 — 11.5 in Buenos Aires. The USA team will play the Russians in June. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Apr 1, 1954

Arnold Denker is the new champion of the Manhattan Chess Club. Max Pavey was last year's winner.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Apr 1, 1954

Mikhail Botvinni, who barely retained the world championship in the recent tie match with Vassily Smyslov, will not accompany the Russian team due to arrive here about June 10, for a series of 4 matches at the Hotel Roosevelt in Manhattan. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jun 3, 1954

The Russians defeated the USA at the Hotel Roosevelt, scoring 20 — 12. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jun 25, 1954

The International Chess Federation has been faced with a predicament in consequence of an announcement from Buenos Aires that the Argentine Chess Federation has cancelled the biennial team tournament which has been scheduled for September.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jul 22, 1954

Arthur Bisguier, US chess champion, won the Pan-Americna tournament in Los Angeles. He scored 11.5 — 2.5. He won $1,000. Larry Evans took 2nd. Evans won the rapid transit tournament.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jul 29, 1954

Larry Evans won the 55th US Open in New Orleans on tiebreak over Arturito Pomar of Madrid. Both scored 9.5 points in 12 rounds. Bisguier and Steinmeyer tied for 3rd. Gisela Gresser won the women's prize. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Aug 19, 1954

Russia will have on hand its most powerful team to defend the Hamilton-Russell trophy in the biennial team tourney starting in Amsterdman on Saturday. It will be headed by world champion Mikhail Botvinnik. The rest of the team includes Smyslov, Bronstein, and Keres. 27 countries will be represented, including Canada and Cuba. The US will be among the absentees.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Sep 2, 1954

9 years ago at Saratoga Springs, George Kramer of Rego Park, Long Island, age 16, won the NY state championship. This feat was duplicated at Binghamton, the other day, by William Lombardy, age 16, junior champion of the Marshall CC. He did not lose a single game. He won 5 and drew 4. Mednis and Campomanes took 2nd. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Sep 9, 1954

Reshevsky, 43, won the Lessing J. Rosenwald tournament in New York. He won 6, drew 3, and lost 1. Larry Evans took 2nd and Bisguier took 3rd.—Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jan 6, 1955

William Lombardy may succeed Jack Collins as champion of the Marshall CC. Lombardy is the present NT State champion and recently graduated from Stuyvesant High School. Lombardy leads in the Marshall CC championship with 8.5 — 1.5. —Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Jan 20, 1955







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Above is a rendering of the Eagle's editorial offices in its building on Washington and Johnson streets, which the paper moved to in 1892 after a half-century on Fulton Street.