Walking up to it elicited no response other than it looking up at me. I thought it was injured, but then I heard loud squawking behind me and sitting on the porch railing was momma robin. Daddy robin was nearby also, sitting in the grass.
After I backed off momma swooped down and chased her baby up the driveway...it only flew a few inches off the ground and maybe 30 feet before landing in the grass.
I had witnessed a baby robin that was just learning to fly!
Robins are one of the earliest birds to nest and their breeding season usually begins in March. They start laying their eggs between mid-April and mid-August.
Juvenile robins leave the nest between 14 and 16 days after hatching. AT that time they “fledge.” At that time it’s wings and tail may be short and it may not be a great flyer, but it can walk, hop, or flutter.
It has left the nest, though its parents may be nearby, taking good care of it. After leaving the nest, they will stay nearby with their parents for up to three weeks.
I can’t remember 1950 because I was only five, but it was the year the Korean War began when North Korean Communist forces invade South Korea. The war lasted three years and I have vague recollections of my sister’s boyfriend sitting in our living room after having been discharged from the Army due to wounds he received in Korea.
In the chess world two chessplayers were lost in 1950. Former Manhattan Chess Club president and chess patro Maurice Wertheim died at the age of 64. He was former president of n.And, former USSR Champion Boris Velinsky died in Moscow at the age of 62.
It was the year that the International Correspondence Chess Federation (ICCF) was formed. In July, FIDE awarded its first Grandmaster title to 27 players: Bernstein, Boleslavsky, Bondarevsky, Botvinnik, Bronstein, Duras, Euwe, Fine, Flohr, Gruenfeld, Keres, Kostic, Kotov, Levenfish, Lilienthal, Maroczy, Mieses, Najdorf, Ragozin, Reshevsky, Saemisch, Smyslov, Stahlberg, Szabo, Tartakower, and Vidmar.
They also awarded theInternational Master title to 94 players and International Women Master to 17 players.
In January, Liudmila Rudenko won the 2nd Women's World Championship, held in Moscow.
On the international tournament scene Laszlo Szabo of Hungary won the annula Hastings 1949/50 Christmas tournament. The U.S. etry, 17-year old Larry Evans finished 4th with a +3 -2 =4. Not bad! Second place was taken by Nicolas Rossolimo and third by Max Euwe. Evans to losses were to Szabo and Rossolimo and he drew with Euwe.
Samuel Reshevsky was invited to the Candidates’ tournament in Budapest, but the State Department wouldn’t let Americans travel to Hungary. David Bronstein and Isaac Boleslavsky tied for first and Bronstein won playoff.
The following year Bronstein tied Botvinnik in the World Championship match and so Botvinnik retained his title. Bronstein needed only one point from the last two games to become world champion. Bronstein lost both of those games.
Was he forced to lose? In 1950, he told Bobby Fischer that he was. In the book of his best games he wrote that he “was subjected to strong psychological pressure from various origins and it was entirely up to me to yield to that pressure or not.” For his sake it was probably a good idea that he did.
In 1950, the Yugoslav team (Gligoric, Pirc, Trifunovic, Rabar, Vidmar junior, Puc) won the Dubrovnik Olympiad. The U.S. team (Samuel Reshevsky, Herman Steiner, I.A, Horowitz, George Shainswit, George Kramer and Larry Evans) finished fourth.
In December Miguel Najdorf won the Amsterdam international. Ahead of Samuel Reshevsky.
On the home front, Arthur Bisguier won the U.S. Open, held in Detroit. The U.S. Champions was Herman Steiner who won the title in 1948 and held it until 1951 when Larry Evans beat out Samuel Reshevsky. There were no tournaments in ‘49 and ‘50.
James B. Cross won the 1950 US Junior championship.
It was also the year the first USCF rating list appeared. There were 2306 rated players, Fine was #1 at 2817 and Reshevsky was #2 at 2770.
St. Louis, Missouri stands out in my memory because my mother and her sister grew up in an orphanage there in the 19-teens and she often spoke of those days.
The city has a rich chess history. Did you know the first ever World Championship match between Wilhelm Steinitz and Johannes Zukertort was hosted in three cities: New York City, St. Louis and New Orleans?
One of the most prominent names in St. Louis chess was Robert Steinmeyer (1922-1988) who dominated St. Louis Chess from the 1940s through the 1970s. He competed in the U.S. Championship from 1962-1964. He eventually abandoned chess for bridge in the late ‘70s.
The following game was played in one of those long forgotten tournaments by unknowns. Well, not entirely unknown because I remember the name of William H. C. Newberry from my early days of playing postal chess with the Correspondence Chess League of America.
Both Newberry and his opponent, St. Louis veteran, Harry A. Lew, were Class A rated players. In those days Class A players were rated between 1900 and 2099. Newberry was rated 1903 and Lew was rated 1999.
The game was played in the 1950 St. Louis District Championship which was won for the seventh time by Steinmeyer who wen undefeated with five wins and four draws.
Tied for second, a half point behind, were veterans C. M. Burton and Lewis W. Haller. A half point behind them were B. J. Roesch and Newberry while Lew
finished sixth with 5.5-3.5.
Missouri Champion John Ragan and James Cook were both entered, but they were forced to withdraw when the U.S. Army snagged them in the draft. There’s an interesting history of the draft HERE.
In 1964 my father forwadred a letter to me from the local draft board informing me that I had beem drafted. I wrote them back telling them I was not going to report...I was with the 2nd Battalin, 2nd Marines and taking part in Operation Steel Pike.
[Event "St. Louis District Championship"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1950.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "William H. C. Newberry"]
[Black "Harry A. Lew"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E21"]
[Annotator "ShashChess 32"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[EventDate "1950.??.??"]
{Nimzo-Indian} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 {This was a favorite of Lew
because he believed it was really "an offense" and it gives black attacking
chances.} 4. a3 {At the time this the Saemisch Variation, was thought to be
one of the best ways to get rid of the pin because it was believed that it
might become troublesome to white. Nowadays the preference is for 4.Qc2 or 4.e3
} Bxc3+ 5. bxc3 Ne4 {Far more popular is 5...c5, but statistically the results
are almost the same as for the move played.} 6. Qc2 f5 7. Nf3 c5 {Usual is 7...
b6, but the text seems to be prefectly satisfactory.} 8. d5 (8. e3 Qa5 9. Bb2
b6 10. Bd3 Bb7 11. O-O {is equal. Korolev,A-Fedorov,N Gagarin 2009}) 8... O-O (
8... Qf6 9. Bb2 e5 10. Nd2 Nxd2 11. Qxd2 d6 12. a4 Nd7 {Black is better.
Abramov,V (2337)-Bogdanov,A (2079) St Petersburg 2007}) 9. g3 Qa5 10. Bd2 d6 {
Black has emerged from the opening quite well as he has stymied white's
ambitions in the center and on the Q-side while maintaining the possibility of
attacking on the K-side for himself.} 11. Bg2 (11. dxe6 {is not advisable
because after} Bxe6 12. Ng5 (12. e3 Nc6 13. Bd3 Qa6 {white must avoid} 14. Bxe4
fxe4 15. Qxe4 Qxc4 16. Qxc4 Bxc4 17. Ng1 Ne5 {and white is in serious trouble.}
) 12... Bxc4 13. Nxe4 fxe4 14. Qxe4 d5 {with the better position.}) 11... Bd7 (
11... e5 {was better because white would remained tied up. Now white can play
12.dxe6 with the possibility of getting some play in the center.}) 12. a4 (12.
dxe6 {Now that the B is on b2 this is now playable.} Bxe6 13. Ng5 Bxc4 14. Bxe4
Nd7 (14... h6 15. Bxb7) 15. Bxf5 {White is actually winning.} h6 16. Be6+ Rf7 (
16... Bxe6 17. Qh7#) 17. Qh7+ Kf8 18. Bxc4 hxg5 19. Qh8+ Ke7 20. Qxa8) 12... e5
{Back on track.} 13. O-O Nxd2 14. Nxd2 Be8 15. Rfb1 Qc7 {The Q has done its
job on a5 and now seeks opportunities elsewhere.} 16. Rb2 Nd7 {[%mdl 32] The
beginning of a very profitable trip!} 17. Qb1 Rb8 18. a5 Bg6 {Better was 18...
e4 which would have split white's position.} 19. f4 (19. e4 {was the correct
counter in the center because than after} f4 (19... fxe4 {akso results in
equality after} 20. Bxe4 Bxe4 21. Nxe4 h6 {Prevents Ng5-e6. This position is
also equal.}) 20. Bh3 {the position is equal.}) 19... e4 {Equally good was 19..
.exf4} 20. Nf1 {[%mdl 32]} Nf6 21. Ne3 Rf7 {[%mdl 32]} 22. Bh3 Nh5 {Usually Ns
on the a- or h-file are not well placed, but we will see that the N has some
possibilities from here.} 23. Nc2 Qe7 24. e3 Qf6 25. Qe1 Re7 26. Na3 a6 {
This preventing Nb5, but at the same time it allows white to create some
Q-side play. The immediate 26...Be8 was more precise.} 27. Rab1 Be8 {Black has
a plan...he is going to open up the g-file and so moves the B out of the way.}
28. Rb6 {With the obvious threat of Rxa6. Lew was well aware of the
possibility.} g5 {By offering the b-Pawn Lew initiates a K-side attack. The
idea isn't quite sound IF white replies correctly.} 29. Rxa6 {White has a
slight advantage after this, but that's noit to say that black's attack is
without venom.} gxf4 30. exf4 Rg7 31. Kh1 {[%mdl 8192] Suspecting lurking
danger with the R opposite his K, Newberry decided to play it safe and so
makes the losing move!} (31. Bg2 {Shields the K and there is no longer a way
for black to make a successful K-side attack.} Qg6 {defends against every
possibility and leaves white with a solid position.} 32. Qe3) 31... Qh6 {
Powerful!} 32. Qf1 Rxg3 (32... Nxg3+ {would also win.} 33. hxg3 Rxg3 34. Kh2
Rf3 35. Qg2+ Kh8 36. Ra7 Qxf4+ {leaves white beaten.}) 33. Bxf5 (33. Rab6 {
is better, but not ny much!} Kh8 34. a6 Rf3 35. Qg1 Rxh3 36. Rxb7 Ng3+ 37. Kg2
Qxf4 38. Rxb8 Qf3+ 39. Kxh3 Ne2+ 40. Qg3 Nf4+ 41. Kh4 Qh5#) 33... Rf3 {Black
wraps up the game with an energetic finish.} 34. Be6+ Kh8 35. Qg2 Ng3+ 36. Kg1
Qxf4 37. Nc2 {Preventing Qe3+.} bxa6 38. Rxb8 Rf1+ 39. Qxf1 Qxf1# {A fine
performance by a couple of class players!} 0-1
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