New York Times, New York, New York, Monday, December 19, 1960
At the National Chess Tourney: The Head Must Know What the Hand Is About to Do
Fischer Beats Weinstein in U.S. Title Chess
17-Year-Old Defender Wins in First-Round Play Here
The first round of the Lessing J. Rosenwald tournament for the United States chess championship and the Frank Marshall trophy was held yesterday at the Empire Hotel.
The defending champion, 17-year-old Bobby Fischer, won his match from Raymond Weinstein, a student at Brooklyn College and the co-champion of the Marshall Chess Club. Weinstein, who recently represented the United States in international team tournaments in Russia and Germany, defended the king-pawn opening with a variation of the French Defense.
Weinstein chose to place his king on the queen's side of the board. There the king became an object of a concerted attack.
Disregarding the loss of material, Fischer offered to sacrifice first a pawn and then a rook. Acceptance would have resulted in checkmate. But the alternative was also hopeless. Three moves later, when Fischer offered his queen, again threatening checkmate, Weinstein resigned.
James Sherwin, a New York attorney and a co-champion of the Marshall Chess Club, played Tony Saidy, the Canadian open champion, to a draw.
A victory was scored by the Hungarian grandmaster, Pal Benko, over Robert Byrne, the United States open champion. Byrne had the white pieces. The opening position resembled a Sicilian defense with the “Maroczy bind.”
Playing aggressively, Byrne did not take time to place his king in safety. Benko achieved a favorable ending wherein he was a pawn ahead and his two bishops dominated the board.
To a drawn match, William Lombardy, a former junior world champion, played the Gruenfeld defense to the queen-pawn opening of Samuel Reshevsky, the many-time United States champion.
Arthur Bisguier, a former national champion, playing the Sicilian defense, and Herbert Seidman failed to finish. Taking the offensive, Bisguier broke open the center. Seidman, however, defended well and was a pawn ahead at the end.
Hans Berliner, a former New York state champion, and Charles Kalme, a former intercollegiate champion, also failed to finish.
