gabrielr: On uscf.org:
Charles Kalme was born in Riga, Latvia, home of many fine chessplayers, including world champion Mikhail Tal. After the war his family fled to Germany, where they lived for several years in Displaced Persons Camps in the Allied zone.
“It was here that Charley learned chess, though he didn’t play seriously until his high school days in Philadelphia, where his family settled in 1951. He was the city’s leading player for several years. He is a former U.S. Junior and U.S. Intercollegiate titleholder, having won the former title twice, in 1954 and 1955, and the latter in 1957. He tied for first place in the North Central Open in 1957, in which he defeated Bobby Fischer, a feat which has not since been duplicated in an American chess tourney.” (CL, March 1961 by Charles Henin)
A math professor, he returned to action at the World Open a few years ago, still playing his favorite king’s fianchettoes, then emigrated to his native Latvia, where he died (details unknown).
The 1960 World Student Championship victory in Leningrad remains the only win ever by a U.S. team over the USSR. Kalme was avenging his father, a high-placed victim of Stalin’s conquest of Latvia, and scored 11˝ out of 13 on second board. (Bill Lombardy, on first, scored a sterling 12-1, defeating Boris Spassky. His other teammates were Ray Weinstein, Edmar Mednis, Anthony Saidy, and Eliot Hearst. The captain was USCF Pres. Jerry Spann.) — IM Anthony Saidy
