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.
[Event "1954/55 Rosenwald, New York"]
[Site "New York, NY USA"]
[Date "1954.12.20"]
[Round "?"]
[White "James T Sherwin"]
[Black "George Kramer"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D29"]
[Annotator "Stockfish 16"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "1954.12.19"]
{D28: Queen's Gambit Accepted} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Bxc4
c5 6. O-O a6 7. Qe2 b5 8. Bb3 Bb7 9. Nc3 Qc7 {The main line is 9...Nbd7} 10.
Rd1 Nc6 {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. Nxe4 Nxe4 14. Qxe4+ Qe7 15. Qf4 {White's advantage is decisive.}) (12...
O-O-O {is also dangerous because after is also dangerous vecause after} 13.
Nxd5 Nxd5 14. Bxd5 Nb4 15. Bf4 {white stands well.}) 13. Nd5 {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.} O-O-O 14. exf6 dxc3 15. Bg5 c4 16. Bc2 cxb2 17. Rxd8+ Nxd8 18. Rd1
{White's advantage is decisive.}) 13... Qd8 14. Bf4 {The obvious threat is Nc7+
} Rc8 {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. Nxf6+ Qxf6 19. cxb7 exd1=Q+ 20. Rxd1 Qc6 21. Ba4
{Black resigned. He is facing mate in 9 moves:} Ke7 22. Bxc6 Rb8 23. Bxb8 Kf6
24. Be5+ Kg6 25. b8=Q h5 26. Nh4+ Kh7 27. Qe8 Bc5 28. Qxf7 Bxf2+ 29. Kf1 Bxh4
30. Qxg7#) 16. Rxa4 Be7 17. Ng5 {[%mdl 2048] White is coming at his opponent
from every which way!} O-O {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... Nxd5 {was no better than the text.} 18. exd5 Nb4 19. d6
{and white is clearly winning.}) 18. Nxf6+ {After this white has a decisive
advantage, but time presssure results in some inaccurate play by both sides.}
Bxf6 19. Nxh7 {Threatens to win with Qh5.} (19. Qh5 {allows black to save
himself.} Bxg5 20. Qxg5 Nb4 {and it's actually black who now stands a bit
better.}) 19... g6 {Prevents Qh5.} (19... Kxh7 20. Qh5+ Kg8 21. Rd3 {This
R-luft gives white a winning attack.}) 20. Nxf8 Qxf8 21. Qg4 Ne7 22. Bd6 Rc6
23. e5 Qc8 24. Qg3 {White is still winning after this, but he missed the
knockout punch.} (24. Qxc8+ Rxc8 25. exf6 Nf5 26. Bf4 {White is a R up with an
easy win; without Qs on black has no play.}) 24... c4 25. exf6 Nf5 26. Qh3 {
After his excellent play to this point SHerwin makes a slip that should have
allowed Kramer to equalize.} (26. Qf4 {had to be played. Then after} cxb3 (
26... Nxd6 27. Bxc4 Nxc4 28. b3 {White has a decisive advantage.}) 27. Be5 Rc2
28. Raxd4 (28. Bxd4 Qc6 29. f3 Qxa4 30. Qb8+ Rc8 31. Qxb7 {Black wins}) 28...
Nxd4 29. Bxd4 Qc6 30. f3 {White's advantage should prove decisive.}) 26... cxb3
{Missing the opportunity to equalize.} (26... Nxd6 27. Qxc8+ Bxc8 28. Rc1 Be6 {
with complete equality.}) 27. Bf4 Rc2 28. Ra5 {Not the strongest, but not the
worst either!} (28. Qxb3 {loses to} Qc6 29. f3 Rxg2+ 30. Kxg2 Ne3+ 31. Bxe3
Qxf3+ 32. Kg1 Qg2#) (28. Rb4 {keeps the win in hand.} Rxb2 29. Re1 Qe6 {
a nifty trap.} 30. Kf1 (30. Rxe6 Rb1+ 31. Bc1 Rxc1+ 32. Re1 Rxe1#) 30... Ne3+
31. Bxe3 Qxh3 32. gxh3 dxe3 33. Rxb7 {In spite of the P situation white's
extra R should win.}) 28... Qe6 {[%mdl 8192]} (28... Re2 {was much better.
Then after} 29. Qxb3 Qc6 30. Qh3 (30. f3 Rxg2+ 31. Kxg2 Ne3+ 32. Kg1 Qxf3 33.
Rg5 Qh1+ 34. Kf2 Qf3+ {draws.}) 30... Qxf6 {White's advantage is not nearly so
great as before.}) 29. Re5 Qc8 30. Rde1 Bc6 {Inhibits Re8+.} 31. Qxb3 Bb5 32.
Qh3 d3 33. Rd5 {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} Nd6 34. Qh6 Qf8 35. Qxf8+ Kxf8 36. Rxb5 {This is a hard move
to see abd calculate.} Nxb5 37. Bh6+ Kg8 38. Re8+ Kh7 39. Bg7 {black cannot
prevent Rh8#}) 33... Rxb2 (33... Re2 {offered much stouter resistance.} 34. Rf1
(34. Rd1 Qe8 {and the chances are equal.}) 34... Bc4 35. Re5 Rxe5 36. Bxe5 d2 {
and white has but ine move that keeps the advantage and at the same time
avoids defeat!} 37. Qc3 Nh4 38. Qxd2 (38. Rd1 Qg4 {wins}) 38... Bxf1 39. Kxf1
Qc4+ 40. Qe2 Qc1+ 41. Qe1 Qc4+ 42. Kg1 {and at least black can olay in.}) 34.
g4 {[%mdl 32] Now things are back on track for white.} Bc4 35. Rde5 Bb5 {
Prevents Re8+.} 36. gxf5 d2 37. Bxd2 {White has a mate in 7 at the most.} Rxd2
38. Qh6 Qf8 39. Qxd2 {Black resigned. A wild game!} 1-0
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