Introduction:

Reuben Fine and Herman Steiner contested this match in March 1944 at the The Washington Social Chess Divan 1, Parkside Hotel, Washington D.C. 2, 14th and Eye Sts (now demolished). Although the March edition of "Chess Review" states "last month" , Herman Helms reported on Games 1 and 2 on Thursday 23rd March 1944 3.

The exact dates of the match are as yet unconfirmed, but it seems most likely that it took place in week commencing Sunday 19th March 1944, and was finished by the end of same week.

Steiner

Herman Steiner was the dominant Californian player of the time. He was also an important West Coast chess organizer, the contemporaneous Los Angeles Times chess columnist and had founded and ran a chess club that was frequented by Hollywood stars.

Steiner had an infectious and irresistible personality that complemented his good looks, and all this suited both his entrepreneurial chess ventures and the Hollywood scene. 4

Steiner was a strong master. He had previously lost a close match to Fine by 5½–4½ (New York 1932). Steiner tied for first place with Daniel Yanofsky in the Game Collection: US Open 1942, Dallas , and had come fifth in the 1942 US Championship. In 1943, he had dominated the California Open State Championship with the score of +17.

Fine

Reuben Fine was the challenger to the supremacy over American Chess of Samuel Reshevsky.

"Fine's greatest success came in the AVRO (1938) tournament in Holland in 1938. This event, comprising the top eight players in the world, was generally accepted as a contest to decide who had the best credentials to challenge Alexander Alekhine for the world championship. Fine shared first place with Paul Keres, ahead of four past, present or future world champions.

On the strength of that result, Fine later described himself as 'World Champion 1946-48' on the grounds that he had best claims to that title between Alekhine's death in 1946 and Mikhail Botvinnik accession to the throne in 1948." 5

Progress:

Steiner was White in the odd numbered games.

Round ..1 2 3 4  
Fine ...1 1 1 ½  
Steiner.0 0 0 ½

Games:

Fine's victories came from better calculation, Steiner twice went into variations that Fine refuted by seeing inter-mezzo moves (Games 2 and 3). In the first and in the final game, Steiner had promising attacks but he was unable to land the coup de grâce.

Game 1

"The most exciting game of chess ever to be played in Washington between two master players was the first in the four-game match by Herman Steiner and Reuben Fine." 6

Steiner sacrificed his <g> pawn for an attack after an opening in which the opponents castle on opposite sides. He then gave up the exchange for an attack which was probably unsound. Fine did not find the best defence and a level game ensued, but then Steiner blundered and Fine did not squander his second chance.

Game 2

Fine attacked on the K-side and kept the initiative for most of the game. Steiner defended well, but blundered late in the game and shed material.

Game 3

Steiner miscalculated and appears to have thought that he was winning a pawn in an equal position. Fine had seen further and created a very powerful passed pawn which won the game. Fine's notes to Game Three appears in "Chess Review" of March 1944 as "Game of the Month" column.

Game 4

This was the only <e> pawn opening of the match. Steiner as black developed a powerful attack and came very close to victory. Unfortunately for Steiner, he got his Queen trapped in a forced repetition and Fine saved the point.

Postscript

Both players then took part in the 1944 US Championship in New York (ending May 7th). In the absence of Samuel Reshevsky, Fine was expected to take his first title but the exceptional form of Arnold Denker (+14=3-0) relegated him to second place (+13=3-1). Steiner tied with Israel Albert Horowitz for third half a point behind Fine.

Notes

1 "Reuben Fine defeated California's Herman Steiner by 3½ to ½ in an exhibition match at the Washington Chess Divan last month. Steiner was the guest of the Divan for two weeks... "Chess Review", March 1944, p.10.

2 "Chess Review", June-July 1944, p.8

3 "Brooklyn Daily Eagle", 23rd March 1944, p.16

4 NM Andy Sacks, http://www.chessdryad.com/articles/...

5 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/p...

6 Willard Mutchler in "The Washington Post", March 26th, 1944.