ANew York Times, New York, New York, Friday, December 23, 1960
Fischer In Draw With Reshevsky
Champion, 17, Retains Lead in U.S. Chess — Byrne Beaten by Lombardy
Bobby Fischer, the 17-year-old defending champion, played Samuel Reshevsky, the seasoned grandmaster, to a twenty-four-move draw last night in the fourth round of the United States chess championship at the Empire Hotel.
The draw left Fischer in sole possession of first place with a 3-1 score. Reshevsky and William Lombardy are tied for second with 2½-1½ records.
Against Fischer, Reshevsky used a queen-pawn opening and the Brooklyn youth, the youngest grandmaster in chess history, countered with the king's Indian defense. Both players sought an outlet on the king-bishop file and the middle game was fairly even.
Then Reshevsky employed one of his favorite tactics, pushing his queen pawn to Queen 5. Fischer at once recognized the danger, challenged it and liquidated it. Only a move later, the two agreed to a draw.
Eight of the other ten players in the tournament found themselves under severe time pressure. Robert Byrne actually lost on the time limit, losing first one weak pawn and then another to William Lombardy until the clock finally put an end to the contest.
Hans Berliner held a pawn advantage in a difficult ending with Pal Benko when the game was adjourned. Arthur Bisguier also held a pawn advantage over Tony Saidy when that game was adjourned, but the contest appeared fated to end in a draw. The only major pieces left were bishops of opposite colors.
Raymond Weinstein and James Sherwin played an intellectual, positional game that ended in a carefully worked-out draw. The game between Charles Kalme and Herbert Seidman was adjourned with an apparently even position although Kalme earlier had sacrificed a piece and two pawns.
Earlier in the day, Saidy defeated Benko in an adjourned game from the third round that went eighty-two moves. Saidy is the present Canadian Open chess champion and currently a medical student at Cornell University.
