Syracuse 1934, a Forgotten Tournament

     Syracuse, New York is the fifth-most populous city in New York following New York City, Buffalo, Rochester, and Yonkers. It has a noted history as an active center of the abolitionist movement, a social and political push for the immediate emancipation of all slaves and the end of racial discrimination and segregation dating from the 1830s to about 1870. 
     Syracuse abolitionists, lead by Gerrit Smith were mostly associated with the Unitarian Church and their pastor, Reverend Samuel May as well as with nearby Quakers. The city was known as the "great central depot on the Underground Railroad" prior to the Civil War. 
     On October 1, 1851, William Henry, a freed slave known as "Jerry", was arrested under the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850. The anti-slavery Liberty Party was holding its state convention in the city and when word of the arrest spread, several hundred abolitionists broke into the city jail and freed Jerry. The event came to be widely known as the "Jerry Rescue". In the aftermath, the Congregationalist minister Samuel Ringgold Ward had to flee to Canada to escape persecution because of his participation. 
     Before the outbreak of World War II, factories located in Syracuse made shoes, typewriters, air conditioners, washing machines, and many other civilian products. But shortly after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor they began producing anti-aircraft gun mounts, anti-tank landmines, rifles, radar systems, Browning machine guns and signaling lights for planes and ships. 
     In 1934 an international masters tournament, organized as part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the New York State Chess Association, was played at the Hotel Onondaga in Syracuse from August 13th to the 25th. It was hoped that Alekhine and Capablanca would participant, but they didn't which is probably why nobody remembers the tournament. 
     Held at the same time as the Masters tournament was the annual State Championship which had 12 entrants.  It was won by Robert Levenstein after a tie with E.B. Adams was decided by match play. There was also a women's tournament and a problem solving tournament. The results of these two events was not reported on and have apparently been lost.
     The games were begun at 7:00 P.M. with adjournments scheduled for the next day. To fit 15 rounds into a 13 day schedule, extra afternoon rounds were added on August 15 and August 20. The time control was 36 moves in two hours, followed by 18 moves in one hour. Originally the tournament had 16 players, but I.S. Turover withdrew after losing to Arthur Dake in the first round and the game was canceled. 

     Reshevsky was the favorite and he was undefeated, scoring +10 -0 =4. His draws were with Kashdan, Fine, Kupchik and Reinfeld. 
     That's not to say he wasn't lucky.  Against Erling Tholfsen both were in a time scramble when Reshevsky sacrificed a piece and Tholfsen found himself in a mating net.   Reshevsky lost a Pawn against Monticelli, but got some play against his opponent's King.  Monticelli missed the best defense and ended up a Pawn down in a lost Rook and Pawn ending.
     Reshevsky came within a whisker of losing to Fred Reinfeld who had a material advantage plus two connected passed Pawns.  Reshevsky managed to hold the draw though thanks to opposite colored Bishops.
     Kashdan was also undefeated, but 8 draws meant he wasn't even close to challenging Reshevsky.

1) Reshevsky 12.0-2.0 
2) Kashdan 10.5-3.5 
3-4) Dake and Fine 10.0-4.0 
5) Kupchik 9.5-4.5 
6) Horowitz 8.5-5.5 
7) Steiner 8.0-6.0 
8) Monticelli 6.5-7.5 
9-10) Reinfeld and Santasiere 6.0-8.0 
11-12) Denker and Seitz 5.0-9.0 
13) Araiza 4.5-9.5 
14) Tholfsen 3.0-11.0 
15) Martin 0.5-12.5 

     Just two years before the tournament Al Horowitz (1907-1973) and Isaac Kashdan (1924-1975) had founded Chess Review magazine, however, Kashdan dropped out after just a few issues and Horowitz became sole owner. Before that, Horowitz had been a securities trader on Wall Street. He had been partners with Maurice Shapiro, Mickey Pauley, Albert Pinkus and Maurice Wertheim. Horowitz quit Wall Street and devoted himself to chess, while the others remained, at least for a while.  The most notable of the group was Albert Pinkus who became an adventurer in South America and Maurice Wertheim who became a millionaire and chess patron.
     At the time of the tournament Horowitz was a leading player in the U.S. and continued to be so during the 1930s and 1940s. Mario Monticelli (March 16, 1902, Venice-June 30, 1995 was an Italian player. He was awarded the IM title in 1950 and in 1985 the Honorary GM title. He was Italian champion in 1929, 1934 and 1939. In 1926, he tied for 1st with Ernst Gruenfeld in Budapest and in 1933, he finished first in Milan and in 1938, he tied for first in Milan with Erich Eliskases.