AThe Los Angeles Times Los Angeles, California Sunday, December 25, 1960
Fischer Scores In U.S. Title Tourney
The feature of the first round of the United States Chess Championship at the Empire Hotel in New York was the victory of defending champion Bobby Fischer over Raymond Weinstein of Brooklyn College.
Weinstein, one of Fischer's teammates in the Chess Olympics in Leipzig, used the French Defense, then castled on the queen's side of the board, Fischer immediately developed an attack, sacrificing first a pawn and then a rook.
Acceptance of the rooks would have resulted in checkmate. Weinstein varied, but three moves later Fischer offered his queen, against threatening checkmate, to force his opponent's resignation.
Another victory was scored by the Hungarian grandmaster Paul Benko over Robert Byrne, U.S. Open champion. Byrne played aggressively with the white pieces but did not take the time to place his king into safety. After complications Benko obtained a favorable ending with a pawn ahead and two bishops dominating the board.
Former champion Samuel Reshevsky played to a draw with former world junior champion William Lombardy. Also drawn was the encounter between Canadian Open champion Anthony Saidy and James Sherwin.
Two games were unfinished, according to a report from the New York Times. Arthur Bisguier took the offensive against Herbert Seidman, but the latter defended well and was a pawn ahead at adjournment. Hans Berliner and Charles Kalme also adjourned.
Fischer In Iceland
Just before he was due in Leipzig for the Chess Olympics, U.S. champion Bobby Fischer stopped off in Reykjavik, Iceland. He took on four of the strongest local masters in round-robin play, winning three games and drawing one for a winning score of 3½-½.
Second place was taken by Ingi R. Johannsson with 2½-1½. Grandmaster Fridrik Olafsson had an even score of 2-2. F. Thorbergsson, who earned the only draw against Fischer, tied at 1-3 with A. Gudmundsson.
