The club's vice-president Sidney F. Kenton raised $5800 (0ver $78,000 in today's dollars) in prize money. Each player received $250 (nearly $3,100 today) for playing.
In those days $250 went a long ways. A dozen eggs cost $0.72, white bread was $0.14 a loaf, sliced bacon $0.77 a pound, steak was $0.91 a pound and half gallon of milk was $0.44.
If you live in the United States, here's a fact you are probably not aware of: almost all chickens that we eat today come from the winner of the 1948 Chicken of Tomorrow Contest.
In 1948, the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (aka the A&P) sponsored a national contest to give the world a better chicken.
At the time A&P was the largest supermarket chain in America and it was a pioneer in the high-volume, low-cost food.
In 1945 the Justice Department had convicted the chain of criminal restraint of trade, but that verdict came too late for all the small stores that A&P had put out of business.
Chicken had been one of the few unrationed meats during WWII and the company wanted to continue to grow the poultry market, a goal shared by the Department of Agriculture who was A&P’s official partner in the contest.
Cutting to the chase, 40 finalists submitted 720 eggs to a hatching facility where the chicks were raised in controlled conditions and fed a standard diet.
At the appropriate time the surviving chickens were slaughtered, cooked and eaten.
So who won? The winning breeds from two categories were eventually crossed and they now dominate poultry farms worldwide.
Chessmetrics' July 1948 rating list estimates Stahlberg's rating to have been 2757 which placed him behind only Botvinnik (number 1 at 2852) and Najdorf (Number 2 at 2788), but unfortunately he was not staying in New York long enough to participate, so he declined. His invitation went to Samuel Reshevsky, who was number 4 at 2756 on Chessmetrics' list, but he also declined.
Herman Pilnik (number 24 at 2642) found out about the tournament from Najdorf and offered to play if they invited him; they did.
The remaining openings went to Israel A. Horowitz (number 44 at 2600), Isaac Kashdan (number 56 at 2583), Arnold Denker (number 62 at 2572), Herman Steiner (number 83 at 2542), George Kramer (number 94 at 2533) and Arthur Bisguier (number 127 at 2504).
At the end, Reuben Fine (number 12 in the world at 2690 on the Chessmetric list) won $1,000 ($12,293.61 today). Fine had declined to participate in the world championship tournament earlier in the year and would retire from chess in a few more years.
Arthur Bisguier was the most brilliant of the younger American
masters and his game against Euwe was an interesting one in which both players produced imaginative chess. Despite its errors, Fred Reinfeld called it the finest game of the tournament.
Bisguier opened the g-file in the hope of getting an attack. Euwe countered energetically, getting a lead in development and sacrificing a piece to smoke out Bisguier's uncastled King.
The play got more and more complicated with sacrifice answered by sacrifice. Bisguier missed a difficult win and then went completely off the track, missing several equalizing opportunities. Finally, Euwe triumphed by some masterly and well-calculated endgame play.
[Event "New York 1948/49"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1948.12.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Max Euwe"]
[Black "Arthur Bisguier"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D43"]
[Annotator "Stockfish 15"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "1948.??.??"]
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 e6 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Bg5 {Offering what at the time was a
fashionable gambit if black plays 5....dxc4} h6 {Surprise! Bisguier chooses
the most prudent continuation...but only for a few moves!} 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 {
In surrendering the B pair white hopes to get space as compensation. For his
part, black looks forward to breaking out of his cramped position with the
advantage.} 7. Qb3 Nd7 8. e4 dxe4 9. Nxe4 Qf4 10. Bd3 Nf6 11. Nxf6+ gxf6 {
Typical Bisguier...he does not mind the weakening of his P-structure and the
insecure position of his K as long as he opens the g-file for attacking
purposes. The whole idea is basically unsound, but dangerous to white. It
should be noted that in this line retaking with the Q in this position would
not be better because black would not even have the semi-open g-file as
compensation.} 12. O-O Rg8 13. Be2 b6 {This is not a very good idea because
his B does not have much of a future on b7.} 14. Rfe1 Bb7 15. c5 Qc7 16. Bc4 {
The danger to black's K has become very real and the threat of 17.Bxe6 is
already threatened and 16...O-O-O is not a satisfactory way out.} Be7 17. cxb6
{This discourages Q-side castling because it opens up lines on the Q-side, but
at the same time black's light squared B may come to life. The chances are
back to equal after this move and later Euwe suggested the correct 17.Qe3} axb6
18. Rac1 {Threatens to win with d5!} Qd8 {Preventing 19.d5, but there was a
highly unusual defense that was better.} 19. Qe3 Rh8 20. Bxe6 {Enterprising,
but black is not without resources. Solid was 20.Rad1} fxe6 21. Qxe6 Kf8 {
He has to do something about the menace of Nh4-g6+} 22. Nh4 Rg8 23. Nf5 {
This looks logical, but it gives black the chance he has been waiting for.} (
23. d5 {is white's best chance.} c5 24. Rcd1 Bc8 25. Qe3 Bd6 26. Qxh6+ Rg7 27.
Qh8+ {draws.}) (23. d5 Bb4 {This results in unclear complications.} 24. dxc6
Bc8 25. c7 Qe7 26. Qc6 Bxe1 27. Qxa8 Qe6 28. Rc6 Qg4 29. Rxf6+ Ke7 30. Rf3 Qxh4
31. Re3+ Kd6 32. Rxe1 {In Shootouts black was able to secure a draw. OTB...who
knows what the outcome would be?}) 23... Bb4 24. Nxh6 Rg7 25. Re3 {From this
point on, the course of the game is particularly tense.} Bd2 (25... Qxd4 {
would lose to} 26. Nf5 Rxg2+ 27. Kxg2 Qd5+ 28. Qxd5 cxd5) (25... Bc8 {keeps a
much greater advantage than the move actually played.} 26. Qxc6 Bd7 27. Qd5 Ra5
28. Rc5 Bxc5 (28... bxc5 29. Qd6+ {mates in 4}) 29. dxc5 Qc7 {and
theoretically at least black is winning.}) 26. Rf3 Bg5 {This is a critical
position. The logical looking 27.Re1 would now be a serious mistake,} 27. Nf5 (
27. Re1 Bc8 28. Qc4 Ra5 29. Qb4+ c5 30. dxc5 Rxc5 31. Nf5 Qd2 32. Qxd2 Bxd2 33.
Rd1 Bxf5 34. Rxd2 Rc1+ {mates next move.}) 27... Bxc1 {Good enough, but there
is a much simpler defense in 27...Rh7 which would leave him with a slim
advantage.} 28. Rh3 {[%mdl 160] This move, threatening mate in 2, looks
conclusive.} Rxg2+ {With a R and B to the good black can afford to return
material and thereby save himself.} 29. Kxg2 {Forced.} (29. Kf1 Rg8 30. Rg3
Rxg3 31. hxg3 Bc8 32. Qd6+ Qxd6 33. Nxd6 Bh3+ {is clearly winning}) (29. Kh1 c5
30. f3 Rg8 31. Rg3 Rxg3 32. hxg3 Bd5 {here, too, black is winning}) 29... Qd5+
30. Qxd5 cxd5 31. Rh7 {Black must now return the extra piece.} Rxa2 {[%mdl
8192] After this white is winning.} (31... Bc8 {is correct.} 32. Rh8+ Kf7 33.
Nd6+ Ke6 34. Rxc8 Rxc8 35. Nxc8 Bxb2 36. Nxb6 Bxd4 {with a likely draw.}) 32.
Rxb7 Rxb2 {[%mdl 4096] Owing to his more active pieces white has a winning
ending.} 33. h4 {[%mdl 32]} Bd2 34. Kf1 {Tis prevents ...Be1. Black must now
deal with the advance of the h-Pawn.} Rb1+ 35. Ke2 Bc3 (35... Ba5 {was
marginally better.} 36. h5 Re1+ 37. Kf3 Rh1 38. h6 Kg8 39. Ne7+ Kh7 40. Kg4
Rg1+ 41. Kf5 Kxh6 42. Kxf6 Kh5 (42... Rf1 43. Nf5+ Kh5 44. f3 Rxf3 45. Rh7+ Kg4
46. Rh4#) 43. Nxd5 {wins}) 36. h5 b5 37. h6 {Deflecting the black K} Kg8 38.
Ne7+ Kh7 39. Nxd5+ Kxh6 40. Nxc3 {Black resigned. An engrossing game.} 1-0
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