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Reshevsky 
 
Samuel Reshevsky
Number of games in database: 1,260
Years covered: 1917 to 1991
Overall record: +463 -206 =580 (60.3%)*
   * Overall winning percentage = (wins+draws/2) / total games
      Based on games in the database; may be incomplete.
      11 exhibition games, odds games, etc. are excluded from this statistic.

MOST PLAYED OPENINGS
With the White pieces:
 Nimzo Indian (107) 
    E46 E54 E43 E47 E59
 King's Indian (79) 
    E92 E97 E94 E60 E63
 Grunfeld (40) 
    D81 D97 D83 D82 D94
 Modern Benoni (32) 
    A56 A57 A70 A65 A79
 English (32) 
    A15 A16 A10 A17 A14
 Queen's Gambit Declined (31) 
    D37 D35 D31 D30 D36
With the Black pieces:
 Ruy Lopez (119) 
    C96 C93 C95 C86 C92
 Sicilian (96) 
    B42 B93 B52 B32 B40
 Ruy Lopez, Closed (83) 
    C96 C93 C95 C86 C92
 Nimzo Indian (68) 
    E33 E56 E54 E46 E21
 King's Indian (54) 
    E94 E60 E79 E69 E90
 Queen's Indian (45) 
    E12 E19 E17 E15 E16
Repertoire Explorer

NOTABLE GAMES: [what is this?]
   Larry Evans vs Reshevsky, 1963 1/2-1/2
   Reshevsky vs F Vasconcellos, 1944 1-0
   Botvinnik vs Reshevsky, 1948 0-1
   Reshevsky vs Petrosian, 1953 1/2-1/2
   Szabo vs Reshevsky, 1953 1/2-1/2
   Reshevsky vs Capablanca, 1935 1-0
   Reshevsky vs Najdorf, 1952 1-0
   Lasker vs Reshevsky, 1936 0-1
   Keres vs Reshevsky, 1953 1/2-1/2
   Alekhine vs Reshevsky, 1936 0-1

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: [what is this?]
   FIDE World Championship Tournament (1948)

GAME COLLECTIONS: [what is this?]
   Match Reshevsky! by amadeus
   Reshevsky's Best Games of Chess, Vol. I by suenteus po 147
   WCC Index [Zurich 1953] by suenteus po 147
   Garry Kasparov's On My Great Predecessors (4) by AdrianP
   WCC Index [World Championship Tournament 1948] by Resignation Trap
   Match for the Championship of the Free World by Resignation Trap
   Rematch for Championship of the West 1953 by Resignation Trap
   Semmering/Baden 1937 by suenteus po 147
   Dallas, 1957 by Resignation Trap
   First Piatigorsky Cup 1963 by Benzol
   Tournament: Syracuse 1934 by Phony Benoni
   AVRO 1938 by Benzol
   Nottingham 1936 by Hesam7
   US Championship 1957/58 by suenteus po 147

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SAMUEL RESHEVSKY
(born Nov-26-1911, died Apr-04-1992) Poland (citizen of United States of America)

[what is this?]
Samuel Herman Reshevsky (Schmul Rzeszewski) was born November 26, 1911 in Ozorkow, Poland. He learned to play chess at the age of four. At eight years old he was giving simultaneous exhibitions and defeating some of the country's most prominent players.

Following the events of World War 1, Reshevsky immigrated to the United States (1920). As a 9-year old, his first American simultaneous exhibition was with 20 officers and cadets at the Military Academy at West Point. He won 19 games and drew one. He toured the country and played over 1,500 games as a 9-year old in simultaneous exhibitions and only lost 8 games. In his early years he did not go to school and his parents ended up in Manhattan Children's Court on charges of improper guardianship. His benefactor was Julius Rosenwald, founder of Sears & Roebuck. He abandoned chess for 10 years to pursue a vocation as an accountant, receiving an accounting degree from the University of Chicago in 1933. After obtaining his college degree, he devoted himself to tournament chess. Several subsequent successes in international events led to his invitations to both AVRO 1938 and the World Championship Tournament ten years later. Between 1936 and 1942, he had a streak of 75 games without a loss in U.S. Championship competition. He won the US Open in 1944. He played in 21 U.S. Championships, from 1936 to 1981. Over the course of a long international career that continued until he was well over sixty years old, he qualified for the Candidates five times, won the U.S. Championship on six occasions (first time in 1936; last time in 1971)and played a record eleven World Champions ranging from Emanuel Lasker to Anatoli Karpov. He won matches against several notable Western players, including Svetozar Gligoric, Miguel Najdorf and Robert James Fischer (after Fischer was forfeited while the match was tied). However, he was never able to secure the right to a World Championship match. In 1981, at the age of 70, he tied for 3rd place in the U.S. Championship. In 1984, at the age of 72, he took first place in a grandmaster tournament in Reykjavik, Iceland. He was an accountant in New York city,


 page 1 of 51; games 1-25 of 1,260  PGN Download
Game  ResultMoves Year Event/LocaleOpening
1. Reshevsky vs Factor 0-126 1917 Lodz, PolandC22 Center Game
2. Reshevsky vs Rubinstein 0-124 1917 Warsaw C50 Giuoco Piano
3. Reshevsky vs Simchow  0-134 1920 New York simD05 Queen's Pawn Game
4. Reshevsky vs Haller 1-039 1920 Paterson simD02 Queen's Pawn Game
5. Reshevsky vs Clurman ½-½23 1920 New York simB15 Caro-Kann
6. M Schapiro vs Reshevsky  0-140 1920 New YorkC14 French, Classical
7. Reshevsky vs Ed Lasker 0-129 1920 ChicagoC80 Ruy Lopez, Open
8. Reshevsky vs Stillman 1-020 1920 New York simB21 Sicilian, 2.f4 and 2.d4
9. Reshevsky vs Griffith 1-030 1920 LondonC67 Ruy Lopez
10. Reshevsky vs Katz  ½-½29 1920 New York simB21 Sicilian, 2.f4 and 2.d4
11. C Jaffe vs Reshevsky 0-117 1920 New YorkC30 King's Gambit Declined
12. Reshevsky vs Traube 1-017 1920 HanoverA02 Bird's Opening
13. Reshevsky vs Knoller  1-040 1920 New York simC79 Ruy Lopez, Steinitz Defense Deferred
14. Reshevsky vs Doery 1-016 1920 -23808C35 King's Gambit Accepted, Cunningham
15. Reshevsky vs Zabludovsky 1-029 1920 BerlinC62 Ruy Lopez, Old Steinitz Defense
16. Reshevsky vs Moore  0-126 1921 Cleveland simC67 Ruy Lopez
17. Reshevsky vs A B Stamer  ½-½60 1921 San Francisco simC79 Ruy Lopez, Steinitz Defense Deferred
18. Reshevsky vs Griffith  ½-½63 1921 Los AngelesC55 Two Knights Defense
19. Reshevsky vs Simonds  1-030 1921 Milwaukee simC50 Giuoco Piano
20. Reshevsky vs I Spero  1-033 1921 Cleveland simA22 English
21. Reshevsky vs E D Duncan 0-117 1921 San Francisco simC40 King's Knight Opening
22. Reshevsky vs A Candee  ½-½33 1921 Milwaukee simC46 Three Knights
23. Reshevsky vs Bruckstein 1-024 1921 San Francisco simC34 King's Gambit Accepted
24. Reshevsky vs Stearns  ½-½35 1921 Cleveland simB30 Sicilian
25. Reshevsky vs B Bernstein  1-025 1921 San Francisco simB01 Scandinavian
 page 1 of 51; games 1-25 of 1,260  PGN Download
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2) | Reshevsky wins | Reshevsky loses  
 

Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 20 OF 20 ·  Later Kibitzing >
Feb-14-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  whiskeyrebel: Actually, he's looking away across the playing hall. Some clown forgot to silence his cellphone.
Feb-14-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  chancho: <whiskeyrebel> lol
Feb-15-09   Jim Bartle: Once a cellphone started ringing during a tennis match, and kept ringing. The umpire kept asking for it to be turned off, until one of the players walked over to his equipment bag, took out his phone and shut it off.

The umpire announced, "We request that the players turn off their cell phones so that the spectators are not disturbed."

Feb-15-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  Stonehenge: I didn't know Danailov had become a tennis coach.
Feb-15-09   laskereshevsky: <chanco> What is write on the wall in the picture?!.... and is it a bricks wall, or a cardboard one?!..

looks like he's playing in a toilette.

Feb-15-09   laskereshevsky: Or in a Circus back stage...

Was he a Ringlin and Barnum's guest in that occasion?!

Feb-18-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  whiteshark: Quote of the Day

<164 days> Bingo! :D

Feb-18-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  Phony Benoni: That picture is interesting in another way. Reshevsky appears to be playing the White side of a Closed Ruy Lopez, something he did very rarely. There are only arouind 15 examples in the database, about half from his days as a preteen prodigy.

If I had to guess, I'd say it was staged in a photographer's studio.

Feb-18-09   laskereshevsky: I'd too noticed that was much probably a Closed Ruy Lopez... the presence of a Re1, a Bc2 and the contemporary abscence from the second rank oft the c/d/e/ PP drive to the Spanish game....

About the stage, of course I was joking...

U know, dear CG's kibitzer fellows... in the evening at home... after a more or less stressed day... after 1 (or 2) glass of a good 10 Years old LAPHROAIG.... Same little wander from the POINT could be forgived.....I hope..

But I dont think the Photo was taken in a Photographer's Studio... If yes the Guy was not a big profi.... very poor and careless ambientation..

Maybe, as often happen, the set board was not a real game but only created for the occasion....

Mar-22-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  fred lennox: His thoughts constantly twists and contorts and his games maintain an inner tension - they are made of metal through and through. Economy and tension seems to be his guiding light. His ability to create tension in simple positions and his endgame fears no comparison to Lasker maybe not quite as bold and imaginative. If Alekhine is a dragon Reshevsky is a snake, quiet but dangerous.
Mar-22-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  AnalyzeThis: Reshevsky was described a bulldog. In White Fang, the wolf is a champion fighter against other animals, but loses to the bulldog even though for most of the fight, White Fang was inflicting bad cuts on the bulldog. What happened is that at some point, the bulldog got close enough snap his jaws closed around White Fang's throat, and then tenaciously hung on despite all of the wolf's attempts to get free. They had to have two men use a crow bar to relax the grip.

That's what Reshevsky was - a bulldog.

Apr-22-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  whatthefat: But little Bobby White Fang lived to fight another day... :P
Apr-22-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  HeMateMe: He was leading Fischer in their match, till Fischer walked out. RJF was off form, might have lost the match. bob can't lose. So he gathered up his toys, said "I'm not playing anymore" and went home.
Apr-22-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  chancho: <HeMateMe> I believe the match was tied when Fischer quit.
Apr-22-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  AnalyzeThis: It certainly was tied in terms of games actually played.

But you can get into all kinds of semantic battles that nobody cares about, because Fischer forfeited first one game, then another, before the match was declared over.

Apr-22-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  chancho: I remember that Fischer was royally pissed off because the scheduled time for a game in the match was suddenly changed to accomodate Mrs Pitiagorsky's attendance of it without Bobby's consent.
Apr-23-09   Jim Bartle: Something about her husband liking to play the cello, and she wanted to go to a little recital he'd arranged.
Apr-23-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  AnalyzeThis: Yes that was the issue. I understand Fischer's point of view. On the other hand, I understand Reshevsky's, too. The old warrior showed up to play, without excuses, ready to do battle, even though it was inconvenient for him too.
Apr-23-09   SimonWebbsTiger: I just looked up the Piatigorsky incident in "The Games of Robert J. Fischer".

Arthur Bisguier didn't shed too much light on it other than say the schedule was moved to 11 am and that was enough to make Fischer walk out and that reader's letters to "Chess Life" were quite pro-Fischer re. his decision!

No doubt there's more in Frank Braidy's book on Fischer?

May-31-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  technical draw: <Bronstein, in his last book, Secret Notes, published in 2007 just after his death the previous year, confirmed long-standing rumours by writing that the nine Soviet grandmasters (out of a field of 15) at Zurich were under orders from both their chess leadership and the KGB to not let Reshevsky win the tournament under any circumstances, with Smyslov being the preferred victor. When Reshevsky maintained his strong contention late into the two-month event, Bronstein claims that the Soviets prearranged several results in games amongst themselves to successfully prevent Reshevsky's overall victory, while also ensuring that Reshevsky faced the maximum test in his own games against the Soviet players.[8] Several other writers, including Alexei Suetin (who was the second of Tigran Petrosian at Zurich 1953), also confirmed the Soviet collusion in Zurich.>

Candidates tournament, Zurich, 1953.

I guess Fischer wasn't paranoid after all.

May-31-09   ughaibu: Bronstein's claims are obviously sour grapes. The various points where they dont make sense have been thoroughly exposed.
May-31-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  AnalyzeThis: Actually, Reshevsky himself implied that the Russians colluded in his last interview.
Jun-01-09   ughaibu: "I cannot say, or course, exactly how much, but what he says is not 100% true, about anything, really. This is my experience based on many contacts with him. Let us say, he cannot be 100% objective; this is the point." Averbach talking about Bronstein, with particular reference to Zurich. http://www.chesscafe.com/text/skitt...
Jun-01-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  AnalyzeThis: Found out a tidbit tonight: Averbakh's daughter married Taimanov.
Jun-01-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  technical draw: Taimanov. A grandmaster, world championship contender, accomplished pianist, survivor of the Soviet system and father in his old age. What a life!
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