Fischer vs. Pupols

     Tim Sawyer's Blog gives an interesting game that Bobby Fischer lost in the 1955 US Junior Open Championship to Viktors Pupols. The story goes Pupols had told Fischer that he was going to play the Latvian Gambit against him that evening, but Fischer didn't believe him. The game was riddled with mistakes, but it's still fun to play over. Remember, at the time the game was played neither player had yet reached the master level!
     Viktors Pūpols was a mainstay in tournaments in the Northwest for many years. Pupols victory over Fischer was one of only two games that Fischer ever lost on time. On the December, 1955 rating list Fischer's rating was 1726. 

Fischer scored as follows: 
Rd 1 - Kenneth Warner (1550) of Bakersfield, California (Fischer lost) 
Rd 2 - William Whisler (unrated) of Concord, California (Drawn) 
Rd 3 - Jimmy Thomason (1600) of Fort Worth (Fischer won) 
Rd 4 - David Ames (unrated) of Quincy, Massachusetts (Drawn) 
Rd 5 - Kenneth Stone (1600) of Los Angeles, California (Drawn) 
Rd 6 - John Briska (unrated) of Albany, New York (Drawn) 
Rd 7 - Viktors Pupols (2027) of Tacoma, Washington (Fischer lost) 
Rd 8 - Robert Blair (1650) of Midwest City, Oklahoma (Drawn) 
Rd 9 - John Winkelman (1650) of Lincoln, Nebraska (Drawn) 
Rd 10 - Franklin Saksena (1600) of Ft. Worth, Texas (Fischer won) 

Fischer won a trophy for best player 12 or under by default...he was the only 12 year old and the youngest player in the tournament. 

Charles Kalme (born 15 November, 1939) died in Latvia on March 20, 2002. 
William D. Whisler, MBA, of Danville, Calif., received his Ph.D. in engineering from UC Berkeley in 1965 and spent six years working in industry before joining California State University, Hayward, for 28 years, retiring in 2000 as professor emeritus of business and economics. He received two Fulbright grants and was a professor at the University of the Republic in Montevideo, Uruguay, where he initiated the country's first doctoral program in business. As a Senior Fulbright Scholar in Ecuador, he evaluated the country's graduate business programs. He and his wife, Ruth, and daughter, Lia, lived in Madrid from 1989 to 1990, when he served as resident director of international programs for California State University students abroad. A 1999 article in Chess Life discusses his draw with Bobby Fischer in the 1955 US Junior Chess Championship. Since retiring he has co-authored a textbook used in graduate business schools and traveled on a yearlong trip around the world visiting 40 countries. 
Kenneth Warner won the Fresno, California Junior Chess Championship in 1955. He was the Bakersfield High School chess champion in 1954 and 1955. He tied for 36th-38th place in the 1954 U.S. Junior championship in Long Beach, California. He tied for 11th-21st place in the 1955 U.S. Junior championship in Lincoln, Nebraska. 
Jimmy Thomason (born in 1941). In 1954, he placed 21st-28th in the U.S. Junior championship, held in Long Beach, California. In 1955, he placed 11th-21st in the U.S. Junior championship, held in Lincoln, Nebraska. He is originally from Fort Worth, Texas.
David Ames. In 1955, he took 11th-21st place in the U.S. Junior championship, held in Lincoln, Nebraska. In 1956, he took 21st-24th place in the U.S. Junior championship, held in Philadelphia. In 1960, he took 3rd-6th place in the U.S. Junior championship, held in West Orange, New Jersey. He is a former ICCF U.S. Secretary. 
John Winkleman