Reshevsky Romps To First

     The Sixth U.S. Championship Tournament was held in New York City during November of 1946 shortly after the U.S. had taken a drubbing at the hands of the Russians in a match. Eight of the players were New Yorkers, the rest coming from the hinterlands, but the New York players took seven of the top nine places and accounted for 60 percent of the wins.
     Originally there were twenty players, but after nine rounds Chicago Master Lewis J. Isaacs, who had one win and eight losses, didn't show up for the tenth game against Denker due to a misunderstanding as to when the game was supposed to be played and was forfeited. Isaacs protested his forfeiture and the TD, Kenneth Harkness, proposed that the matter be placed for final decision before the Tournament Committee. However, Isaacs replied that he didn't want to put anyone to any trouble and didn't show up for his remaining games, so his score was canceled. Isaacs was born in Lithuania on December 21, 1878 and died in Chicago on March 11, 1967 at the age of 88. 
     This time the tournament wasn't held in a hotel ballroom, but in a theater in a large office building, the Chanin Building, that left the players “smothered by spectators.” Even so, it was comfortable and Reshevsky said it was done in "a more lavish and showmanlike fashion than ever before," The tournament was a race between Reshevsky and Kashdan with brief challenges by a few others. Jacob Levin of Philadelphia was playing in only his second U.S. championship, but he managed to find his way to fourth place ahead of defending champion Denker. In the end it was one of Reshevsky's easiest championship to date as he permitted only a four draws (Santasiere, Levin, Horowitz and Albert Sandrin). 

Jacob Levin

     The following game between two also rans was quite interesting. The game shows how difficult messy tactical situations can be even for a strong master. 
     I have posted on Sol Rubinow HERE. Rubinow qualified in one of six area events held around the country; his opponent was Dr. Gustave Drexel who also qualified in one of the area events. He had placed first in the 1945 Southern Chess Association Tournament and second in the 1946 event. Drexel had played under the name Gustav Littman in the 1940 U.S. Championship where finished dead last in 17th place, scoring only four draws, although one of them was against Kashdan who finished in third place. 
     At some point after that he changed his name. He was born on July 9, 1916 and shortly after the 1946 event moved to Miami Beach and became the Florida State Champion in 1957. He passed away at the age of 94 on August 3, 2101 in Bay Harbor Islands (Miami), Florida.

1) Samuel Reshevsky 16.0 
2) Isaac Kashdan 13.5 
3) Anthony Santasiere 13.0 
4) Jacob Levin 12.5 
5-6) Aronld Denker and I.A. Horowitz 12.0 
7) Herman Steiner 11.0 
8) Albert Pinkus 10.5 
9) George Kramer 9.5 
10) Albert Sandrin 8.0 
11) Olaf Ulvestad 75 
12) Sol Rubinow 7.0 
13-16) Weaver Adams, Attilio DiCamillo, Sid Rothman and Walter Suesman 6.5 
17) Gustave Drexel 5.0 
18) Adolf Fink 4.0 
19) Stephen Kowalski 3.5 
Kowalski was sick and forfeited his 17th round game against Steiner.