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Samuel Reshevsky

SAMUEL RESHEVSKY (born Nov-26-1911, died Apr-04-1992, 80 years old) Poland (federation/nationality United States of America) [what is this?] Samuel Herman Reshevsky (Szmul Rzeszewski) was born in Ozorkow, Poland. He learned to play chess at the age of four. At eight years old he was giving simultaneous exhibitions and defeating some of the country's most prominent players. Following the events of World War 1, Reshevsky immigrated to the United States (1920). As a 9-year-old, his first American simultaneous exhibition was with 20 officers and cadets at the Military Academy at West Point. He won 19 games and drew one. He toured the country and played over 1,500 games as a 9-year old in simultaneous exhibitions and only lost 8 games. In his early years he did not go to school and his parents ended up in Manhattan Children's Court on charges of improper guardianship. His benefactor was Julius Rosenwald, founder of Sears & Roebuck, who agreed to provide for Reshevsky's future if he devoted himself to completing his education. Reshevsky then largely abandoned chess for 10 years to pursue a vocation as an accountant, receiving an accounting degree from the University of Chicago in 1933 which he put to use in New York City. After obtaining his college degree, he devoted himself to tournament chess. Several subsequent successes in international events led to his invitations to both AVRO 1938 and the World Championship Tournament ten years later. Between 1936 and 1942, he had a streak of 75 games without a loss in U.S. Championship competition. He won the US Open in 1931, 1934 (tied with Reuben Fine), 1944, and 1955 (on tiebreak over Nicolas Rossolimo). Pan-American Champion at Hollywood 1945. He played in 21 U.S. Championships, from 1936 to 1981. Over the course of a long international career that continued until he was almost 80, he qualified for the Candidates five times. He won the U.S. Championship eight times (1936, 1938, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1946, and 1969), a record he shares with Bobby Fischer. He tied for first in 1972 but lost the playoff in 1973 to Robert Byrne. He played 11 World Champions, from Emanuel Lasker to Anatoly Karpov. He won matches against several notable Western players, including Svetozar Gligoric, Miguel Najdorf and Robert James Fischer (after Fischer was forfeited while the match was tied). However, he was never able to secure the right to a World Championship match. In 1981, at the age of 70, he tied for 3rd place in the U.S. Championship. In 1984, at the age of 72, he took first place in the powerful Reykjavik Open, which featured many grandmasters. (1) Wikipedia article: Samuel Reshevsky; (1) http://www.365chess.com/tournaments... Last updated: 2023-12-31 22:30:50

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page 1 of 65; games 1-25 of 1,625  Game   Result Moves Year Event/Locale Opening 1. Reshevsky vs Rubinstein 0-1 24 1917 Blindfold game C50 Giuoco Piano 2. Reshevsky vs S Factor 0-1 26 1917 Lodz C22 Center Game 3. Reshevsky vs Traube 1-0 17 1920 Hanover A02 Bird's Opening 4. C Jaffe vs Reshevsky 0-1 17 1920 New York blindfold C30 King's Gambit Declined 5. Reshevsky vs R Griffith 1-0 30 1920 Blindfold game C67 Ruy Lopez 6. Reshevsky vs K Romeikat   ½-½ 38 1920 Berlin (simul) B01 Scandinavian 7. Reshevsky vs J Zabludowski 1-0 29 1920 Simul, 20b C62 Ruy Lopez, Old Steinitz Defense 8. Reshevsky vs L von Dory 1-0 16 1920 Simul C35 King's Gambit Accepted, Cunningham 9. Reshevsky vs Saemisch 0-1 38 1920 Berlin E50 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3 O-O 5.Nf3, without ...d5 10. P Krueger vs Reshevsky ½-½ 39 1920 Blindfold game C48 Four Knights 11. Reshevsky vs Euwe 0-1 15 1920 Simul, 20b C83 Ruy Lopez, Open 12. Reshevsky vs M Herzfeld 1-0 52 1920 Simul, 20b C66 Ruy Lopez 13. Reshevsky vs M Gency 1-0 37 1920 Simul, 20b C30 King's Gambit Declined 14. Reshevsky vs L Schwarz 1-0 65 1920 Simul, 20b C00 French Defense 15. Reshevsky vs G W Beaumont 1-0 30 1920 Simul, 15b C34 King's Gambit Accepted 16. Reshevsky vs F Knoller 1-0 40 1920 Simul, 20b C79 Ruy Lopez, Steinitz Defense Deferred 17. Reshevsky vs S Katz ½-½ 29 1920 Simul, 20b B21 Sicilian, 2.f4 and 2.d4 18. Reshevsky vs A Simchow   0-1 34 1920 Simul, 20b D05 Queen's Pawn Game 19. Reshevsky vs M J Clurman ½-½ 23 1920 Simul, 20b B15 Caro-Kann 20. Reshevsky vs L S Stillman 1-0 20 1920 Simul, 20b B21 Sicilian, 2.f4 and 2.d4 21. M A Schapiro vs Reshevsky 0-1 40 1920 Exhibition game C14 French, Classical 22. Reshevsky vs E B Hilliard 1-0 27 1920 Blindfold game C30 King's Gambit Declined 23. Reshevsky vs J H Longacre ½-½ 25 1921 Simul, 20b C68 Ruy Lopez, Exchange 24. Reshevsky vs C More   ½-½ 21 1921 Simul, 20b D37 Queen's Gambit Declined 25. Reshevsky vs S Sharp ½-½ 27 1921 Simul, 20b C31 King's Gambit Declined, Falkbeer Counter Gambit  page 1 of 65; games 1-25 of 1,625

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< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 64 OF 65 ·  Later Kibitzing> Oct-15-21    keypusher: <Reshevsky had beaten Najdorf in a couple of matches in 1952> Well, almost. Should have said Reshevsky - Najdorf (1952) and Reshevsky - Najdorf (1953). Oct-15-21    RookFile: On paper, you have to invite Euwe, the former world champion. Alas, he was past his prime at this point. Reshevsky certainly was at or near his prime, a tie for 2nd was very respectable. Oct-15-21    keypusher: <RookFile: On paper, you have to invite Euwe, the former world champion. Alas, he was past his prime at this point. Reshevsky certainly was at or near his prime, a tie for 2nd was very respectable.> Euwe finished next to last but two of his wins made Burgess, Nunn, and Emms' <The World's Greatest Chess Games>. Geller vs Euwe, 1953 Euwe vs Najdorf, 1953 May-01-22    perfidious: Today's Quote of the Day and a mighty tribute from Fischer, someone who had no love for him: <For a period of ten years--between 1946 and 1956--Reshevsky was probably the best chessplayer in the world. I feel sure that had he played a match with Botvinnik during that time he would have won and been World Champion.> May-10-22    HeMateMe: Did reshevsky really meet with Fischer in Pasadena for three hours? I'm sceptical. Does reshevsky himself say this occurred? I thought they hated each other. May-10-22    Sally Simpson: Hi, K.P <Has anyone read <The Art of Positional Play>? Was it helpful?> No. Not read it. (It came out in the mid 70's and then as now I still have my head up my ass when I see the word 'Positional' or 'Endgame' on a cover. If see 'Opening Trap' then I'll buy it.) That was also the name of his chess column, so perhaps it was those columns redone (tidied up, theory updated, more background...) but I honestly do not know. I have his (most likely ghosted by Fred Reinfeld - see below) 'Reshevsky on Chess.' and you can see Reinfeld's influence. Lets go with Sammy provided the life and background stories, Freddy noted up the games, Sammy checked the notes. I also have his book on the 1972 match. It does it's job. Here (game 15) click for larger view Spassky has just played 14.Qxg7. Golombek writes in his ‘Fischer v Spassky’ book; “An interesting pawn sacrifice that at once enlivens the position from Black’s angle.” Purdy on his Fischer-Spassky book ‘How Fischer Won’ “Black hasn’t very clear compensation for his pawn - just the initiative and prospect of getting Spassky to use up a lot of his 2½ hours at an early stage.” And then we come to Sammy on his ‘Fischer - Spassky’ book; “The question is what did Black have for the pawn? The answer is that he had nothing for it.” --- 'Sidney Bernstein 25 September 1986: ‘I was a close friend of Reinfeld – and, for what it’s worth, he confided to me that he had indeed written the Reshevsky book [Reshevsky on Chess]....' https://www.chesshistory.com/winter... May-11-22    HeMateMe: well, Larry Evans wrote Fischer's <Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess>. Fischer is the laziest, most selfish MoFo chess has ever produced, so I can't blame Reshevsky if he did something that others, like Fischer, have done. BTW, are books like Golobek and Reshevsky on the Fischer/Spassky '72 match now free downloads? Don't copyrights expire after 50 years? Just curious. Maybe Ray Keene would know. May-11-22    0ZeR0: <Fischer is the laziest, most selfish MoFo chess has ever produced> Prepare for the wrath of Harry in three, two, one... May-11-22    HeMateMe: England hasn't had a world chess champion since Bismark was Chancellor of Germany. Harry has decided to adopt Fischer as his own, a surrogate world champion, if you will. Aug-08-22    belgradegambit: Actual film of his famous 1920 simul when he was a prodigy: https://twitter.com/olimpiuurcan/st... Oct-05-22    Helios727: So why was Reshevsky not in the 1958 Interzonal? Oct-07-22    Petrosianic: <Helios727: So why was Reshevsky not in the 1958 Interzonal?> "Word comes from Yugoslavia of the financial arrangements for the forthcoming Interzonal Tournament scheduled for that country in August of this year. The Yugoslavian Chess Federation will meet all the internal expenses for the two participants to which the U. S. is entitled, but will not pay traveling expenses incurred in crossing the Atlantic. This news is a sharp blow for the unsubsidized U. S. Chessmasters, Fischer and Sherwin (Reshevsky has vowed never to play in another Interzonal) now may be unable to take part in the event. It would be more than grotesque, as has been suggested, to allow two other players, more financially independent, to go in their stead .. . Place your bets on Botvinnik to recapture his World Championship crown - so advises Fischer anyway." -- <Chess Life, March 5, 1958, page 9> Reshevsky did play several more interzonals later, and even qualified for the 1968 Candidates, but perhaps this situation had changed by then. Oct-07-22    Petrosianic: <FLASH NEWS RECEIVED TOO LATE FOR FRONT PAGE ... RESHEVSKY TELLS CHESS LIFE: "I HAVE DECIDED NOT TO PLAY IN THE INTERZONAL IN YUGOSLAVIA."> June 20, 1958. So I guess it wasn't official until later. Oct-22-22    FSR: "Almost every time I laid eyes on Reshevsky - at several large American Swisses - he was antagonizing someone. He seemed to enjoy it. At the U.S. Open one year, I saw him use every dirty trick to try to bother his opponent, who was in time pressure: Reshevsky rocked his body back and forth very distractingly; he adjusted pieces on his opponent's time; and he kept one hand perpetually over the clock, moving the pieces and hitting the clock with different hands. All this he did, and his opponent was only 14 or 15 years old. He should have been forfeited." Stuart Rachels, The Best I Saw in Chess, pp. 205-06. In a footnote, Rachels relates that Reshevsky's opponent was probably Robby Adamson. He says that Adamson told him, "At one point, Reshevsky picked up the clock when it was my turn to move." Oct-22-22    perfidious: <....(Reshevsky has vowed never to play in another Interzonal)....> This bit, at least, lasted longer than many a New Year's resolution. Oct-22-22    Z free or die: <The child prodigy as a global celebrity: the chess wonder Samuel Reshevsky -- Andrea Graus (2021)> https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf... Get it while ya can. Oct-22-22    HeMateMe: I have a friend who had heard, second hand, that Bill Lombardy was a real dik at weekend swisses, very rude to TDs, some of the other players. This if after he was no longer a big star. Oct-23-22    FSR: <HeMateMe> Lombardy was known to do things like sealing a "move" that, when the envelope was opened, turned out to be "F#$% you." Oct-23-22    Chessius the Messius: The good old days :) Oct-23-22    perfidious: Met Lombardy during the 1984 New York Open, then at the board two years later in the New England championship; found him quite reasonable actually. Oct-24-22    HeMateMe: I bumped into BL several times in the Village in NYC. He was often in chess clubs, trolling for students, to pay the bills. Watched him play backgammon at $1/point at the Chess Forum for half an hour. He quickly cleaned out some kid. I didn't see anything mean, but he seemed agitated, difficult to have a conversation with. It was a certainly a sad business, how he got way behind on his rent in Stuyvesant city in Manhattan, the whole legal mess. Dec-20-22    pazzed paun: The Fischer quote about Reshevsky Is worded in a way too make Fischer look much better ,much sooner than he actually earned his place at the top The best reshevsky quote is one made by. Botvinnik Reshevsky the most talented player of my generation ,but in the end it did not matter I worked harder Dec-20-22    HeMateMe: Didn't smyslov have a winning head to head record against reshevsky? Maybe that's why he was never world champion. Of course having to work a day job probably hurt Sammy's chances. Mar-13-23    Mike75018: Smyslov beat Reshevsky 5-3, Botvinnik beat him 5-2, and Bronstein beat him 3-0. I love Reshevsky, but as a part-time player he just couldn't prevail against the top Soviets. Mar-17-23    Baxer: Hi all, I have a question regarding Samuel Reshevsky that I hope some of the people on this site can further enlighten me on regarding the man himself. I have heard that Samuel Reshevsky was not a nice person and was in some ways worse than Robert Fischer (an achievement) and would like some evidence/general information on the topic if available. Thanks, Jump to page #   (enter # from 1 to 65) search thread:    < Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 64 OF 65 ·  Later Kibitzing>

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