Irving Heitner, a Forgotten Player

Heitner in 1945

     Yesterday was the beginning of an incredible winter storm that in places is 1,600 miles wide and stretches over 2,600 miles from Quebec to Mexico! The day started with a light misty rain which continued into the night when it turned to fine snowflakes. The snow is expected to continue through today into Friday morning. It has allowed for a lot of reading and the name of a long forgotten player named Irving Heitner popped up. Who was he?

     From the July 18, 2007 edition of The Palm Beach Post: "Heitner, Irving, 87, of West Palm beach, died Monday. Menorah Gardens and Funeral Chapel, West Palm Beach. Funeral today." And that is just about all I could find on Irving Heitner and I cannot be one hundred percent sure it's the chess player. 

     On the first USCF rating list in 1950, Irving Heitner was rated as an Expert with a rating of 2175. On that list Experts were 2100-2299, Masters 2300-2499, Senior Masters 2500-2699 and Grandmaster, of which there were only two, Reuben Fine (2817) and Samuel Reshevsky (2770). The ratings were for the year 1947, 1948, 1949 or for the first seven months of 1950 whichever rating was the highest. 

     From the November, 1945 issue of Chess Review we learn that over the Labor Day weekend (Labor Day that year was Monday, September 3rd) Heitner became Pennsylvania's new champion and that he starred for City College of New York in his undergraduate days. Later he represented the Manhattan Chess Club. In more recent years he had been engaged in war work in Philadelphia and did not have much time for serious chess. 

     In the first U.S. Amateur Championship, held in December, 1942, he was in the running for first place throughout the tournament, but finally finished tied for second with H. Saperstein and Russell Chauvanet who finished a half point behind E.S. Jackson, Jr. 

     Heitner also participated in the 1948 U.S. Championship which was won by Herman Steiner. Arnold Denker (playing in Mar del Plata), Samuel Reshevsky (occupied with the 1948 World Championship tournament) and Reuben Fine (semi-retired) were not playing. 

     For the championship Heitner had qualified from an Area 7 preliminary tournament along with winner Anthony Santasiere and six others who were all tied at 6.5-3.5. They were Heitner, George Shainswit, Larry Evans, George Kramer, Joseph Platz and Walter Shipman. The championship finals were held in South Fallsburg, New York and had 20 players. Heitner scored +4 -9 =6 and finished in 15th place. 

     In the following game Heitner goes on a King hunt after his opponent leaves his King in the center a bit too long.

[Event "US Champ, S. Fallsburg, NY"] [Site "South Fallsburg, NY USA"] [Date "1948.08.18"] [Round "?"] [White "Irving Heitner"] [Black "Franklin S. Howard"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D11"] [Annotator "Stockfish 14.1"] [PlyCount "63"] [EventDate "1948.??.??"] {Queen's Gambit Declined} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Bd3 Nbd7 6. O-O dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Qc7 {Black's choices here are 8...Bb7, 8...a6 and 8. ..Bd6. After the text White seizes the initiative.} 9. e4 e5 {Black correctly reacts in the center, but in any case white has a strong initiative.} (9... c5 {This move is favored by Stockfish, but for the P black gives up he does not gain any greater benefits than after the text.} 10. Bxb5 cxd4 11. Nxd4 Bd6 12. h3 O-O {White is betetr.}) 10. h3 {This does not hurt anything, but it's not really required.} (10. dxe5 Nxe5 11. Nxe5 Qxe5 12. Nd2 {White is better.}) 10... a6 {Black wants to defend the b-Pawn so he can play ...c5 which turns out to be ill fated!} (10... Bd6 {was better. Then after} 11. dxe5 Nxe5 12. Nxe5 Bxe5 13. f4 Bd4+ 14. Kh1 Bb7 {white can play 15.Nc3 followed by e5 or he can play 15.e5 immediately with the initiative.}) 11. dxe5 Nxe5 12. Nxe5 Qxe5 13. Nd2 {Black should now continue his development with either 13...Nd7 or 13.. .Be7} c5 {After this clunker black finds his King caught in a merciless assault from the white pieces.} 14. Nf3 Qc7 15. e5 Nd7 {Only marginally better was 15...Nd5} 16. Ng5 {Believe it ot not, black is lost in this position!} Nxe5 {This exposes his K on the open e-file, but there was nothing better!} (16... Nb6 17. Bxh7 Be7 18. Be4 Bb7 19. Qf3 Bxg5 20. Bxb7 Bxc1 21. Raxc1 Rb8 22. Bc6+ Kf8 23. Rxc5 {and white is winning.}) 17. Re1 f6 {This exposes his K to a fatal check, but there was no other move that avoided defeat.} 18. Qh5+ Ke7 ( 18... Kd7 {runs into} 19. Bf4 Bd6 20. Rad1 Kc6 21. Be4+) 19. Bf4 g6 20. Bxg6 { Obvious, but still nice.} Bg7 21. Bxe5 {Heitner now chases down black's K with a series of accurate moves.} fxe5 22. Be4 Be6 23. Nxe6 Kxe6 24. Qg4+ Kf6 25. Qf3+ (25. Re3 Kf7 26. Rf3+ Bf6 27. Bd5+ Ke7 28. Qe6+ Kd8 29. Qxf6+ Qe7 30. Qxh8+ Qe8 31. Qxe8+ Kxe8 32. Bxa8 a5 33. Ra3 a4 34. Rc1 c4 35. Bc6+ Kf8 36. Bxb5 Ke7 37. Rxa4 Kd6 38. Rcxc4 e4 39. Ra6+ Kd5 40. b4 e3 41. fxe3 h6 42. Rc5+ Ke4 43. Re6#) 25... Ke7 26. Bxa8 Rb8 27. Bd5 Rf8 28. Qg4 Ke8 29. Qe6+ Qe7 30. Bc6+ Kd8 31. Rad1+ (31. Red1+ Kc7 32. Qxe7+ Kb6 33. a4 c4 34. a5+ Kxc6 35. Qd7+ Kc5 36. Qd6#) 31... Kc7 32. Qxe7+ {Black resigned.} (32. Qxe7+ Kb6 33. b4 cxb4 34. Qb7+ Ka5 35. Rd5 b3 36. Rxb5+ axb5 37. Qxb5#) 1-0