Utah became a state in 1896 and in the summer of 1940 the US was finally beginning to pull itself out of the Great Depression. Only four years earlier the Farm Security Administration had sent photographers across the country to take pictures that had become representative of the ravages of poverty and economic depression.
When one of them returned in 1940, he found the economy in Utah much improved.
The isn't much history available about Utah chess in those days. Visiting the state's chess site shows a history of their state champions dating back only to 1991.
The 1940 state championship was held in Salt Lake City, but you won't find much on it. It was just the fourth annual Congress of the Utah Chess Federation and it was unusual in that it was won by Reuben Fine who toted a gun way too big for the Utah players to handle.
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| Family dinner - Utah 1940 |
According to a report in Chess Review, Fine added the title of Utah champion to his long string of laurels, but that report was incorrect. An article in the September 5th edition of the Salt Lake City Tribune stated that Fine, who was on tour and had given several exhibitions in town, had been invited to play in the tournament as a guest.
The outstanding Utah players who participated were Richard Durham, champion in 1938 and 1939, L. N. Page, the 1937 titleholder, and Dale L Morgan, champion of Salt Lake City.
Besides Fine, other non-residents who participated were Douglas Graham of Bozeman, Montana and George F. Girard of Pocatello, Idaho. 
As the top Utah finishers, Dale Morgan and Richard Durham, also from Salt Lake City, decided the championship in a playoff that was won by Morgan.
The Major tournament was won by 14 year old Philip Neff of Salt Lake City who was playing in his first important tournament. He went on to become a well known figure in western chess circles.
In the following game, Morgan indulges in positional maneuvering and when he finds his pieces offside on the Q-side, Fine unleashes a deadly attack against Morgan's King.
[Event "Utah State Champ, Salt Lake City"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1940.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Dale L. Morgan"]
[Black "Reuben Fine"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A30"]
[Annotator "Massie,Jasmes"]
[PlyCount "68"]
[EventDate "1940.??.??"]
{English Opening} 1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. g3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Bg2 Nc6 6. O-O
e5 7. d3 {Once upon a time when I was under the influence of Botvinnik this
was ny favorite setup with white. Unlike Botvinnik, I was never very
successful with it and like Morgan here, became victim of a K-side attack more
than once. I eventually gave it up as too passive.} Be7 8. Nbd2 O-O (8... Be6
9. Re1 O-O 10. a3 Qd7 11. b3 f6 12. Bb2 Rfd8 13. Rc1 Rac8 {Karlsson,L (2405)
-Tal,M (2705) Skara 1980. While black's advantage is not huge, white
eventually got crushed.}) 9. Nc4 f6 10. b3 {GM Alex Yermolinsky (I think it
was) wrote unfavorably of the double fianchetto.} (10. Be3 Be6 11. a4 Qd7 12.
Qd2 b6 13. Rfc1 Rac8 14. Qd1 Kh8 15. Bd2 Rfd8 16. Qb3 {Black is better.
Lisitsin,G-Botvinnik,M Leningrad 1932}) (10. Qb3 Kh8 11. Bd2 Rb8 12. Rfc1 Be6
13. Qd1 Qd7 14. a3 Rfc8 15. Rab1 Nd4 16. Ra1 Nc6 {Black is a little better,
but the players agreed to a draw. Coenen,M (2433)-Niedermeier,T (2262)
Deizisau 2015}) (10. a3 Be6 11. Ncd2 f5 12. Bh3 Nc7 13. Qc2 {Black's position
is the more promising. Salas Rasillas,C-Saez Gabikagogeaskoa,O Fuengirola 2005}
) 10... Be6 11. Bb2 Qd7 12. Qd2 Rac8 13. Rac1 Nd4 14. Ne3 (14. e3 {driving the
N back seems plausible, but white ultimately ends up with a backward d-Pawn
which is bound to be a problem in the long run.} Nc6 15. Rfd1 Bg4 16. e4 Ndb4
17. a3 Na6 18. Ne3 Bh5 19. Nd5 Nc7 20. Nxe7+ Qxe7 {Black is better.}) (14. Nxd4
{Eliminates one well placed N, but the remaining N is also well placed and
black ahs a spatial advantage after} cxd4 15. a3 b5 16. Na5 b4) 14... Nb4 15.
Bc3 Nbc6 16. Nc4 Rfd8 17. Qb2 Bd5 18. Nxd4 exd4 {White's best hope for
prolonging the game is now to play 19.Bxd4+ although in that case also his K
is dangerously denuded of defenders.} 19. Bd2 {After this move engines are
already informing us that white's position has deteriorated to the point of no
return against a GM} Re8 20. Rc2 {It was still worth a try to play 20.Bxd5+}
Bxg2 21. Kxg2 b5 22. Na3 a6 23. Bf4 Bf8 24. Re1 Nb4 25. Rcc1 Nd5 {Fine wants
to drive the B back so he can use the e5 square.} 26. Bd2 {Not 26.Qd2 g4
trapping the B} Re5 27. Rc2 {White is quite helpless.} (27. Nc2 $142 Rh5 28.
Rh1 Qh3+ 29. Kg1 f5 {results in a slaughter...white cannot allow ...f4, so} 30.
f4 Re8 31. Re1 Rh6 32. e3 dxe3 33. Bxe3 Rhe6 34. Qc1 c4 35. bxc4 Nxe3 36. Rxe3
Bc5) 27... Rce8 28. Bc1 Rh5 {White is about to go down in flames, but there is
nothing he can do.} 29. h4 Rxh4 {[%mdl 512] Morgan realized he was dead lost
here, but decided to let Fine have some fun.} 30. gxh4 (30. Rh1 {results in
mate.} Rxh1 31. Kxh1 Qh3+ 32. Kg1 Re5 33. Qxd4 cxd4 34. g4 Qxg4+ 35. Kf1 Rh5
36. f4 Qg3 37. e4 Rh1+ 38. Ke2 Qg2#) 30... Qg4+ {Black mates here, too.} 31.
Kf1 Qh3+ 32. Kg1 Re3 {[%mdl 512] Sacrificing another R. It wasn't the only way
to win, but it was actually the quickest.} 33. Bxe3 (33. fxe3 Qg3+ 34. Kf1 dxe3
{mates on f2}) 33... Nxe3 34. fxe3 Qg3+ {White resigned.} (34... Qg3+ 35. Kf1
dxe3 {mates on f2.}) 0-1
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