One goal was to provide young US masters strong competition at home with the long-term aim of improving US performance in international events. The initial plan was to have the Rosenwald Trophy rotate each year until a player had won it three times.
The fourth Rosenwald tournament doubled as the US championship and ot was Bobby Fischer’s first entry into a US championship and also his first of his eight US championships.
In the 1954-55 event Reuben Fine was originally invited, but declined. Robert Byrne was also invited, but decided against playing because of his graduate studies. James Sherwin was selected as Byrne's replacement.
Samuel Reshevsky had dominated US championship tournaments from its inception in 1936 until Fischer took over in 1957. Reshevsky won every championship he entered with the exception of the 1951 event, which was won by Larry Evans.
Evans won the Marshall Chess Club championship at age 15, played in his first US championship at age 16 and his first Olympiad at 18.
Arthur Bisguier won the US Championship in 1954. Donald Byrne won the 1953 US Open and would lose to Fischer in the Game of the Century in the third Rosenwald tournament in 1956.
James T. Sherwin was the New York State Champion in 1951 and won the US Speed Championship several times. He would go on to play in a number of US Championships.
George Kramer played in a number of US Championships and was a reserve for the US team at the 1950 Olympiad, winning an individual bronze medal.
In this event Reshevsky jumped out to a comfortable lead in the first half of the tournament with with a point and a half lead over Evans and Sherwin who were tied for second. Despite losing to Bisguier in round 8, Reshevsky was able to hold his lead and win the tournament as Evans was only able to gain a half point on him. Sherwin lost every game in the second half! Bisguier was able to finish third on the strength of an impressive +4 -0 =1 in the second half.
One of the more interesting games was Sherwin’s defeat of Kramer in the second round when Kramer played a variation with which he had scored many successes even though he knew that by the time this game was played it had been refuted.
The wild game followed Kramer’s analysis up until move 14 when Sherwin punched a hole in the analysis and followed it up with a series of hard hitting blows. Time pressure resulted in some inaccurate play, but that only added to the excitement.
James T Sherwin–George Kramer1–0D291954/55 Rosenwald, New YorkNew York, NY USA20.12.1954Stockfish 16
D28: Queen's Gambit Accepted 1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.f3 f6 4.e3 e6 5.xc4 c5 6.0-0 a6 7.e2 b5 8.b3 b7 9.c3 c7 The main line is 9...Nbd7 10.d1 c6 Kramer is playing a variation which he had successfully used for many
years, but which had been refuted when this game was played. Kramer was well
aware of that and in this game he was attempting to rehabilitate the line.
Kramer is playing a variation which he had successfully used for many years,
but which had been refuted when this game was played. Kramer was well aware of
that and in this gane he was attempting to rehabilitate the line. 11.d5
This sharp move leaves white with an advantage. Note that after 19....Nbd7 it
would not have been possible. exd5 12.e4 Another sharp move. This one is
the real key that refutes black's setup...his K is exposed. d4 Black is
pretty much committed to playing this as 12...dxe4 is bad news. 12...dxe4 13.xe4 xe4 14.xe4+ e7 15.f4 White's advantage is decisive. 12...0-0-0 is also dangerous because after is also dangerous vecause after 13.xd5 xd5 14.xd5 b4 15.f4 white stands well. 13.d5 Another
excellent move. 13.e5 us inferior. It was played in Xiong,J (2672)-Zierk,S
(2510) chess.com INT 2019 and black is now equal and in the game scored a
quicj win. 0-0-0 14.exf6 dxc3 15.g5 c4 16.c2 cxb2 17.xd8+ xd8 18.d1 White's advantage is decisive. 13...d8 14.f4 The obvious threat is Nc7+
c8 So far this was Kramer's analysis and he thought the position was
favorable for black. It's actually favors white as Sherwin demonstrates with
several deft blows. 15.a4 Another fine move that weakens black's position
on the Q-side and center. bxa4 This is black's best move. It's surprising
that this position was to be reached many years later. 15...c4 was played
in Drozdovskij,Y (2624)-Ivanov,J (2422) Balaguer ESP 2010 which continued... 16.axb5 d3 17.bxc6 dxe2 18.xf6+ xf6 19.cxb7 exd1+ 20.xd1 c6 21.a4 Black resigned. He is facing mate in 9 moves: e7 22.xc6 b8 23.xb8 f6 24.e5+ g6 25.b8 h5 26.h4+ h7 27.e8 c5 28.xf7 xf2+ 29.f1 xh4 30.xg7# 16.xa4 e7 17.g5 White is coming at his opponent
from every which way! 0-0 With his next move Sherwin demonstrates the whole
point of his tactics. With his next move Sherwin demonstrates the whole point
of his tactics. 17...xd5 was no better than the text. 18.exd5 b4 19.d6 and white is clearly winning. 18.xf6+ After this white has a decisive
advantage, but time presssure results in some inaccurate play by both sides. xf6 19.xh7 Threatens to win with Qh5. 19.h5 allows black to save
himself. xg5 20.xg5 b4 and it's actually black who now stands a bit
better. 19...g6 Prevents Qh5. 19...xh7 20.h5+ g8 21.d3 This
R-luft gives white a winning attack. 20.xf8 xf8 21.g4 e7 22.d6 c6 23.e5 c8 24.g3 White is still winning after this, but he missed the
knockout punch. 24.xc8+ xc8 25.exf6 f5 26.f4 White is a R up with an
easy win; without Qs on black has no play. 24...c4 25.exf6 f5 26.h3
After his excellent play to this point SHerwin makes a slip that should have
allowed Kramer to equalize. 26.f4 had to be played. Then after cxb3 26...xd6 27.xc4 xc4 28.b3 White has a decisive advantage. 27.e5 c2 28.axd4 28.xd4 c6 29.f3 xa4 30.b8+ c8 31.xb7 Black wins 28...xd4 29.xd4 c6 30.f3 White's advantage should prove decisive. 26...cxb3 Missing the opportunity to equalize. 26...xd6 27.xc8+ xc8 28.c1 e6
with complete equality. 27.f4 c2 28.a5 Not the strongest, but not the
worst either! 28.xb3 loses to c6 29.f3 xg2+ 30.xg2 e3+ 31.xe3 xf3+ 32.g1 g2# 28.b4 keeps the win in hand. xb2 29.e1 e6
a nifty trap. 30.f1 30.xe6 b1+ 31.c1 xc1+ 32.e1 xe1# 30...e3+ 31.xe3 xh3 32.gxh3 dxe3 33.xb7 In spite of the P situation white's
extra R should win. 28...e6 28...e2 was much better.
Then after 29.xb3 c6 30.h3 30.f3 xg2+ 31.xg2 e3+ 32.g1 xf3 33.g5 h1+ 34.f2 f3+ draws. 30...xf6 White's advantage is not nearly so
great as before. 29.e5 c8 30.de1 c6 Inhibits Re8+. 31.xb3 b5 32.h3 d3 33.d5 Again missing the strongest move, but in time pressure the
winning line would be impossible to calculate. 33.g4 drives the defending
N away and after d6 34.h6 f8 35.xf8+ xf8 36.xb5 This is a hard move
to see abd calculate. xb5 37.h6+ g8 38.e8+ h7 39.g7 black cannot
prevent Rh8# 33...xb2 33...e2 offered much stouter resistance. 34.f1 34.d1 e8 and the chances are equal. 34...c4 35.e5 xe5 36.xe5 d2
and white has but ine move that keeps the advantage and at the same time
avoids defeat! 37.c3 h4 38.xd2 38.d1 g4 wins 38...xf1 39.xf1 c4+ 40.e2 c1+ 41.e1 c4+ 42.g1 and at least black can olay in. 34.g4 Now things are back on track for white. c4 35.de5 b5
Prevents Re8+. 36.gxf5 d2 37.xd2 White has a mate in 7 at the most. xd2 38.h6 f8 39.xd2 Black resigned. A wild game! 1–0
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