August 1974 & 1999 'On the Cover'

For the last couple of months, 'On the Cover' has been alternating between the World Championships of 50 and 25 years ago. Last month's post, July 1974 & 1999 'On the Cover' (July 2024), had the 1999 event on the right. Now we have both events behind the respective covers.

Left: '?'
Right: 'Hummel Wins 1999 National High School Championship'

Chess Life & Review (50 Years Ago)

Dapper Grandmaster Svetozar Gligoric happily receiving his 1st-place trophy from TD Isaac Kashdan at the Los Angeles International. Story [inside].

The 'story [inside]' was titled 'Los Angeles International Tournament 1974' by Edmar Mednis. It started,

The United States Chess Federation has organized and sponsored three international invitational toumaments within the space of less than a year. The latest of these was held April 6-19, 1974 in Los Angeles.

These tournaments are intended to provide American masters the opportunity to obtain international titles and FIDE (Elo) ratings. [...] It is important that our top masters receive these rating for two reasons: (1) foreign organizers do not invite Americans rated at 2200 in absence of a FIDE rating, but whose real strength is 2400-2500, because to do so would artificially lower the rating category of the tournament: (2) even in our own tournaments, a 2200-rated American is a handicap, as this lowers the category of the tournament and thus increases the point total required for achieving IM and GM norms.

So far the USCF has been most successful in achieving the goals set for these tournaments. At the first one, held in June 1973 in Norristown, Pennsylvania, Ken Rogoff achieved an IM result, while Kim Commons and Craig Chellstorp obtained FIDE. ratings. At the second, Chicago, November-December 1973, Norman Weinstein was a smashing first with an IM result, Jim Tarjan also had to IM result, and Andrew Karklins obtained a FIDE rating. And at Los Angeles, this writer obtained an IM result, his third this year, and will be awarded the IM title at the FIDE Congress in Nice.

A crosstable for the event appeared in the July issue of CL. The big news of recent months was recorded on the 'The Editor's Page - News & Views' by Burt Hochberg, a column which was running monthly in 1974 and which I've already referenced in previous 'On the Cover' posts. The August column started,

Chess players of every strength, their wives and team captains, FIDE delegates and committee members, armies of tournament directors and arbiters, journalists from everywhere -- and assorted problems -- descended like a plague on the world's most famous jet-set resort, the French Riviera. The 21st Olympiad and the concurrent FIDE Congress, hosted by the bustling tourist city of Nice, took place June 6-30 with a record participation of 73 FIDE-affiliated federations.

[Chess 'descended like a plague'?] The big news followed. It would affect world chess for the next decade and even beyond.

The FIDE Congress was shaken by several controversial decisions. Following Dr. Euwe's reelection as President, the Congress decided to approve only part of World Champion Fischer's set of "non-negotiable" proposed conditions for the 1975 title fight. He had asked that 10 wins determine the match winner, that there be no limit on the number of games played, that draws not be counted in the scoring, and that if the score was 9-9 the Champion would retain his title.

FIDE approved the 10-win regulation and the elimination of draws from the scoring, but imposed a 36-game limit and rejected the 9-9 proposal. On learning this, Fischer (in daily contact by phone with Fred Cramer at Nice) cabled the Congress: "FIDE has decided against my participation in the 1975 World Chess Championship. I therefore resign my FIDE World Championship title." FIDE'S response was to ask Bobby to "reconsider possibility of defending title under regulations adopted here."

Also important for the future of chess was a political decision from the Congress.

Another painful episode was the "temporary exclusion" from FIDE of South Africa and Rhodesia because of their racial policies. The motion had been made by Bulgaria at Helsinki last year.

The idealistic FIDE motto 'Gens Una Sumus' was no longer a reality.

Chess Life (25 Years Ago)

Congratulations to Patrick Hummel, our 1999 National High School Champion and not just for winning a national title, but for his stellar performances at the Memorial Day Classic (beat Ehlvest, drew with Ziatdinov) and the Chesswise University - CCA International (defeated WGM Anjelina Belakovskaia in the last round to earn his first IM norm). The cover photos were taken by Carla Hummel and the design is by Jami L. Anson.

For more about Hummel's chess career, see The chess games of Patrick Hummel (chessgames.com). For more about his current whereabouts, see Patrick Hummel (patrickhummelecon.github.io). I imagine that two years after Kasparov lost a match to a computer -- see Kasparov vs. IBM's Deep Blue (m-w.com) -- a chess careeer was not an attractive option for a brilliant teenage student with so many tantalyzing choices in front of him.

The 'On the Cover' introduction continued with the 1999 version of the World Championship.

FIDE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP UPDATE • We now have NINE USCF representatives in the FIDE Knockout World Championship, which will begin on July 30, 1999 (opening ceremony) at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. There is no charge for watching the games, which begin July 31.

With a number of invitations having been turned down, a spot opened up for Alex Yermolinsky. Thus, the first round of two-game matches will begin on July 31 and we will see: [...]

The intro continued with a list of the initial pairings of the nine U.S. players. According to my page on the event, 1999 FIDE Knockout Matches, Las Vegas (m-w.com), eight of the players started the event in the first round, where three won their matches to join GM Kamsky in the second round. All four were eliminated in the second round, Kamsky losing to GM Khalifman, the eventual winner of the tournament.

***

Later: I neglected to mention the article 'Hummel Wins 1999 National High School Championship' by IM John Donaldson in the August 1999 CL. It started,

The 1999 National High School Championship, held April 8-11 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, will be long remembered for the emergence of a new talent and for the excellence of its organization. Patrick Hummel, representing Meadows High School of Las Vegas, won the event with a score of 6 1/2 - 1/2.

The 14-year-old Hummel, who recently became a Senior Master after learning how to play five years ago, won his first six games before drawing in the last round with Steven Winer of Vermont. Hummel is in distinguished company as he joins GMs Larry Christiansen (1971) and Michael Rohde (1974) as the youngest-ever winners of the event.

None of the games from the event are listed on the Chessgames.com page that is linked in the main post. For a long article on Hummel, see Las Vegas teen on his way to becoming a chess grandmaster (lasvegassun.com).