‘I met Jacob Bernstein (who had completely given up chess and was running a gambling parlor) when I was in my prime. He seemed very old to me. We played some offhand games (I was never much good at offhand play) and he trounced me mercilessly – I must have scored 2 or 2½ points out of 15 or 20’ (17 April 1987). ‘I don’t know the exact address of the “dive” where I met Bernstein – it was on E. 14th St in Manhattan between 4th and 3rd Aves. ... Jacob Bernstein was Jewish and probably died in 1959’ (29 April 1987). ‘The “chess club” I visited when Jacob Bernstein drubbed me was actually a gambling house. On my second visit, I played chess with the youngster Tobias Stone, who later became (and still is, no doubt) a world-renowned bridge player who achieved notoriety by accusing the famous Italian team of cheating ... Anyway, in the middle of play, the police raided the place, confiscating lots of gambling equipment and arresting everyone but us. And I remember Jacob Bernstein complaining loudly that under Mayor LaGuardia it was impossible any longer to “make a living” because the police could no longer be bribed’ (16 May 1987). ‘I do remember that one of the famous habitués there was Abraham Kupchik (the most “neglected” and underrated player in US history – on the occasion of the Manhattan Chess Club centenary celebration a few years ago Chess Life did not mention the fact that he had won the club championship 11 times). I just learned last month from IM Walter Shipman that he (Kupchik) was most unhappy at not being chosen for the US team that journeyed to Moscow (in the 1950s). I was picked (though I did not go) and I find it interesting in retrospect that I have never given a thought to the fact that he was overlooked in my favor. He was a completely insignificant personality – at least on the surface’ (29 May 1987).>

Not the best quality but there are also other players like Alekhine, Dr. Fine, Reshevsky, Kashdan, Reinfeld, Factor...

Karpova,
It would be interesting to discover the circumstances behind Bernstein's invitation to compete in the 1923 Carlsbad tournament. He seems at the most a minor master who would not be considered one of the top players in the world.

The second-best American player in 1923 was probably Abe Kupchik. Noisy lobbying was not his style, though, so he mostly kept quiet when he was left out of tournaments where he should have been invited.