Who was F. R. Chevalier?

    He was a Harvard, class of 1929, graduate who won the precedent, setting Harvard, Yale, Princeton and West Point College Chess League’s first organized individual championship tournament in the history of college chess in the United States. The game were played in the Manhattan Chess Club on April 8, 9 and 10, 1929. 

    Chevalier of Harvard demonstrated a clear superiority over all of his rivals by defeating them in five consecutive rounds and emerging with a perfect 5-0 score., thereby earning him the earned the distinction of being the first American college champion. His efforts earned him a silver cup donated by W. M. Vance of Princeton and a gold medal, the gift of L. Walter Stephens, also of a Princeton graduate and director of the tournament. 

    Competition for second place was exceedingly close and in the end resulted in a triple tie between Sherman and Vance of Yale and Kimm of West Point. Both of the Princeton players were off form and fifth and sixth places were their portion.

 

    But, who was F. R. Chevalier? What happened to him and where are his games? Who knows?! In fact, the same could be said of all the participants who seemed to have disappeared from the chess world. 

    In 1925, Chevalier drew a game in a simultaneous exhibition in Boston by the then rising Mexican star Carlos Torre. The only other mention I discovered on Chevalier was that he played for Boston in a 1934 team match they lost to Philadelphia. Chevalier’s name was mentioned with Boston stalwarts John F. Barry, Harold Morton and Weaver Adams. 

    The only game I could find from this historic event is the one below which also happens to be the only game of Chevalier that I could find and it was full of complications and a lucky escape for him! The only thing known about T.H. Vance is that at the time he played second board on Yale’s chess team behind another unknown, J.M. Miller, Jr. who had been expected to play in this event, but was unable to make it.

[Event "Intercollegiat Champ, New York"] [Site "?"] [Date "1929.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "T.H. Vance"] [Black "F.R. Chevalier"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D66"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "74"] [EventDate "1929.??.??"] {D66: Queen's Gambit Declined: Classical: Main Line} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. Bg5 Nbd7 6. e3 Be7 7. Rc1 O-O 8. Bd3 a6 9. O-O dxc4 10. Bxc4 b5 11. Bd3 Bb7 12. Bb1 c5 13. dxc5 Nxc5 {Both players are well booked, but white's next move is not the expected 14.Qc2 aiming at h7.} 14. Qe2 (14. Qc2 Nce4 15. Rfd1 Qb6 {White keeps things equal with 16.Bxe4. Instead he makes a losing blunder.} 16. Rd7 Nxd7 17. Bxe7 Rfc8 18. Rd1 Ndf6 19. Rd4 g6 20. Qd3 Nxc3 21. bxc3 Nd5 22. Ba3 Rxc3 {White resigned. Kovalenko,V (2198)-Rjanzin,M (1877) Saratov 2008}) (14. Qxd8 {doesn't offer much.} Rfxd8 15. Rfd1 h6 16. Bf4 Rxd1+ 17. Rxd1 Rd8 18. Rxd8+ Bxd8 {Boring. Burgess,E-Sandagsuren,G Dos Hermanas 2004}) 14... Rc8 (14... b4 {was a good possibility.} 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Nb5 Qe7 (16... axb5 17. Rxc5 {is equal.}) 17. Nbd4 Rac8) 15. Rfd1 Qb6 16. b4 ( 16. e4 {Things quickly fizzle out after this.} h6 17. Be3 Ng4 18. Bd4 b4 19. Na4 Qa5 20. Nxc5 Bxc5 21. Rxc5 Rxc5 22. Bxc5 Qxc5) 16... Na4 17. Nxa4 bxa4 18. e4 {Probably played to} Rfd8 {Black has a wide choice of moves here, but 18... h6 to be followed by ...Qxb4 looks to be the best.} 19. e5 {Strongly threatening Rxc8.} Rxd1+ 20. Rxd1 Nd5 {White must now prevent ...Nc3.} 21. Bxe7 Nxe7 (21... Nc3 22. Qd3 Nxb1 (22... Nxd1 23. Qxh7#) 23. Bc5 Qc7 24. Rxb1 { and white has won a piece.}) 22. Ng5 {White's attack on the K-side doesn't amount to anything if black defends stoutly...which he doesn't.} h6 23. Ne4 ( 23. Bh7+ {would lose!} Kf8 24. Ne4 Qc6 25. Qe3 Qc2 26. Rf1 Bxe4 27. Bxe4 Qxa2 { with an excellent ending.}) 23... Qc6 {The hidden mate threat on g2 is easily defended against. Removing the annoying N with 23...Bxe4 was correct.} 24. Qg4 {Nd6 is the strong threat.} Nf5 25. Nf6+ {This fails to accomplish anything.} ( 25. h4 {Black has to defend carefully, but he can keep things pretty much equal as follows...} Qc7 26. Nc5 Bc6 27. Bxf5 exf5 28. Qxf5 Re8 29. Rd6 Bb5 30. Ne4 Bc4) 25... Kh8 26. Nh5 g6 {Safer was 26...Rg8} 27. Nf4 Kg7 {Only an engine would choose the slightly better 27...g5} 28. h4 {[%mdl 32]} Qb6 {[%mdl 8192] This should lose!} (28... Kh8 {holds without much trouble.} 29. h5 (29. Bxf5 gxf5 30. Qh5 Kg7 {White cannot break through.}) 29... g5 30. Nd5 Qb5 31. Nf6 Qxe5 32. Nd7 Qf4 {A complicated position with equal chances.}) 29. h5 g5 { Now ...Ne3 is a threat.} 30. Bxf5 (30. a3 {A pass to demonstrate the consequences of allowing ...Ne3} Ne3 31. fxe3 Qxe3+ 32. Kh2 Qxe5 33. g3 Qe3 34. Ng2 Qf2 35. Qd4+ Qxd4 36. Rxd4 Rc1 {White is in trouble.} 37. Bg6 Bc6 38. Bd3 Rd1) 30... exf5 31. Qxf5 {The threat is to play the killer Rd7} gxf4 32. Rd6 { Prevents Qc6.} (32. Rd7 {is now weaker, but still winning...} Bd5 33. Rxd5 Qe6 34. Qxe6 fxe6 35. Ra5 Rc1+ 36. Kh2 Re1 37. f3 Re2 38. a3 Re3 39. Rxa6 Rxa3 40. Rxe6 Rb3 41. Rg6+ Kf7 42. Rb6 a3 43. Rxh6 Rxb4 44. Ra6 Rb3 {White wins the ending.}) 32... Qb5 {White is winning, but his next move throws it away and allows black to equalize.} 33. Qf6+ (33. Qxf4 Re8 (33... Rh8 34. Qf6+ Kg8 35. Rd8+ {mates}) 34. Qxh6+ Kg8 35. Qg5+ Kf8 36. h6 Qxe5 37. Qxe5 Rxe5 38. Rd8+ Ke7 39. h7 Re1+ 40. Kh2 Kxd8 41. h8=Q+ {wins for white.}) 33... Kg8 34. e6 { [%mdl 8192] This looks crushing, but it has a tactical flaw.} (34. Qxf4 { This is still the correct move, but unlike in the previous note black is able to wiggle out.} Re8 {The difference here is that his K is on g8 and not g7 so white cannot gain time with a check on h6.} 35. Qg3+ (35. Qxh6 Rxe5 36. Rd8+ Re8 37. Rxe8+ Qxe8 {Theoretically this position favors black, but in practice who knows?}) 35... Kf8 36. f4 Re6 37. Rd8+ Re8 {and a draw would be a reasonable outcome.}) (34. f3 {blocking the Bs diagonal would also have resulted in a likely draw.} Re8 35. e6 {The only move as is black's next.} (35. Qxf4 {Unlike in previous variations this loses.} Qxe5 36. Qxe5 (36. Qxh6 Qe1+ 37. Kh2 Qh4+ 38. Kg1 Re1#) 36... Rxe5 37. Rxh6 Rb5 38. a3 Kg7 39. Rd6 Rxh5 { is winning for black.}) 35... Rxe6 36. Rxe6 fxe6 37. Qxe6+ Kg7 38. Qg6+ { and white can draw.}) 34... Rc1+ 35. Kh2 Rh1+ {Here is the difference between this and the previous variations. Black's P is still on f4 cutting off the K's escape and, also, the B is attacking the vulnerable g2 square.} 36. Kxh1 Qf1+ 37. Kh2 Qxg2# {A lucky escape for Chevalier!} 0-1