ADaily Press Newport News, Virginia Sunday, March 29, 1964 - Page 71
RACE BEGINS.
The 7-round, one round per week Peninsula Chess Club championship tourney got under way Tuesday evening, March 10, at South Morrison School under joint sponsorship of the Newport News Recreation Department. The event drew 26 entrants. including a hard core of strong hopefuls. The consensus predicted a tough battle all the way to the final round.
Tournament roll:
Williamsburg — Trevor B. Hill and J. T. McQueen.
Gloucester—Lawrence Hoffman, Gloucester Point; Pete Carver, Hayes.
Langley AFB — Bill Vahey.
Hampton — George Massinger, Leonard Weinstein, Richard Brightly, Warren S. Gilman, George Bonafe, Thad Paszkowski, D. W. Velsor.
Newport News — Jerry Flowers, Mario W. Schenkel, Norman Cantor, R. D. Crozier, Tom Burgess, Jim Rice, J. L. Covington, H. A. Smith, Stephen J. Urben, Robert Blount, Mike Burvis, Martin 0. Kincaid, William F. Griffin, M. K. Spencer.
PROMINENT VISITOR.
Grandmaster Bobby Fischer gave a 50-board simultaneous exhibition at the Richmond Chess Club on Thursday evening, March 5. Notice of the event was received too late for publicizing in the Peninsula area. However, three Peninsula players who got word in time to participate were H. A. Smith of the Peninsula Chess Club and George Bonafe and Steve Urben of the Knight Owls.
Smith says, “Fischer turned out to be a very personable young man in spite of those negative articles in some of the national magazines. After all, he's only 20 years old. While Jack Chappel of the Richmond club was introducing him, Fischer was slightly ill at ease, but he became self-assured when he began discussion of one of his games against (the Russian grandmaster) Yefim Geller.
“Fischer's performance,” continues Smith, “was fantastic. He may have lost as many as five games — I left before all the games were finished — but he seemed exhausted from travel. As a matter of fact, the exhibition was delayed four hours until his arrival at 11 o'clock!—and the conditions were not exactly ideal. Chess sets were of every size, shape and description, and the same could be said for the boards. Some players broke the rules of the exhibition by moving before Fischer walked up to their boards. With all that, Fischer showed great self control and understanding and mowed down the opposition one after the other. It was really something to see. The way he acted through that grind I'd say he's tops both as a person and player.”
REPORT. Comes word from upstate that the Arlington Chess Club, which meets every Wednesday night at the Arlington YMCA, has clinched the championship of Section B of the District of Columbia Chess League. The winner in Section A has not yet been determined, two teams —Washington Chess Divan and Library of Congress — being tied for first place. Unless there is an undisputed winner when the Section A round robin is completed, the tied teams will have to play a match for the right to play Arlington for the League championship.
