February 1965 'On the Cover'

This month's 'On the Cover' marks a full year since the first post in the series, March 1964 'On the Cover'.

Left: 'A New Title'
Right: '50 Years Ago: Chess Hoax of the Century?'

Chess Life

Reshevsky Wins National Open • A bright new tournament made a stylish debut on the American chess scene at the Stardust Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Signed up for a one-week engagement in the first National Open Chess Championship were 138 players, headed by four international grandmasters. All had a chance for a share of a record breaking prize fund of $4500. [...] Our Cover • Samuel Reshevsky, first National Open Champion, is awarded his trophy by Mark Swain, Director of Sales at the Stardust Hotel. USCF President Ed Edmondson is on the left, Tournament Director Koltanowski on right.

This would be a good place to mention something about 'the shortest and the tallest' chess players, but I'm not sure where to start. How tall was Reshevsky?

Chess Review

In 1915, with the Great War on, chess activities were necessarily somewhat limited. But, under that date, an astounding game appeared. Both sides advanced Pawns, Black taking a piece in the process. Queens appeared, to the number of five, all on the board at one time. Black snatched another piece, and White announced a mate in five!

Alas! Research has indicated, notably that of Dr. Buschke who wrote a volume on the subject, that the winner, the great Alekhine, must have concocted the game, or at least the finish, much as he did his brilliant "win" against Oscar Tenner. But the game long flourished in books and may well rate the title, "Chess Hoax of the Century".

Albrecht Buschke's research was published in Chess Life as a column titled 'Alekhine's Early Chess Career', starting December 1949. For more about both the 'Gregorieff' game (the name given to Black on the CR cover) and the Tenner game, see Meine Besten Gefälschten Partien, on Chessgames.com.