November 04 1981
Manitowoc Herald-Times, Manitowoc, Wisconsin, Wednesday, November 04, 1981
International Chess Master Whips 22 Players During Single Lesson
By DENNIS HERNET
Two Rivers Bureau Manager
TWO RIVERS - Arthur Bisguier thought he would probably never lose a chess match while playing 22 boards at one time against select players at Washington High School.
Or, at worst, he might win only 999 out of 1,000 games against the group gathered there. And, by his own estimations, he would probably never lose a match playing one-on-one with anyone in the room.
And Bisguier was in no way trying to downgrade the Washington High School chess program, an extra curricular activity under the direction of Bob Kleckner, who succeeded Warren Otto. The teams at Washington High School have a continuous string of Northeastern Wisconsin Chess Association titles as long as your arm, have always been a contender for the Wisconsin High School Chess Association championship, and back in 1976, under the direction of Otto, won the United States High School Chess Championship.
But Bisguier is an international chess master, one of perhaps 15 persons in the United States with such a rating, and one of just a dozen who is active.
The 55-year old expert carries a rating of about 2,500. The current world champion carries a rating of about 2,700.
The average player on the Washington High School carries a rating between 1,000 and 1,600.
Rick Kaner, one of the highest rated players ever to participate with Washington High School, had a rating of around, or just over, 1,800, according to Kleckner.
Putting it simply, it's the highest title you can achieve in the International Chess Federation.
The five-time United States Open Champion from New Windsor, N.Y., came to Two Rivers Monday as part of a tour of the state. He was making stops at Green Bay, Oshkosh, Fond du Lac, Whitewater and Janesville, winding up his tour by playing in a major tournament Saturday in Janesville.
The previous day he had compiled a record of 120 wins, 3 losses and 3 draws while in Madison and was about to go through the same routine Monday night at the Port Plaza Mall in Green Bay. On a similar tour last year he had a record of 295-10-20 and while in Green Bay, won 53 games in a span of three hours.
Monday in Two Rivers, battling the members of the Two Rivers chess team; he won all 30 of his games on 22 boards in a matter of 90 minutes.
“I guess this is a hot bed of chess,” Bisguier concluded, after playing the games. “My purpose here is to give them a glimpse of what can be done.”
While moving around the room, spending just a few seconds at each board, Bisguier almost automatically, with computer actions, moved pieces and defeated players.
“I am a professional,” he said, trying to describe what he was doing in the most simple terms for the chess novices and others who were there merely to rub elbows with a person of international acclaim. “The work is for the legs only,” he said, guessing that he lapped the room more than 50 times during the afternoon.
“Ninety-five percent of the moves are made with the fingers, not the mind,” he analyzed. He said about the only time he would lose a game would be in a competition such as this, 25 boards being played simultaneously, and then only if he made a blunder.
“I'm not a machine'” he said. “And there is a fatigue factor.”
Bisguier was traveling the state with Wray McCalester of Janesville, president of the Janesville Chess Association and vice 'president of the Wisconsin Chess Association, along with several other state chess officials.
McCalester said that Bisguier, in addition to being an expert in chess, has also accumulated master bridge point and is a former New York state checkers champion.
Bisguier, a part-time employee of the United States Chess Federation, leaves no doubt about his job…“I'm here to stir up enthusiasm for the game,” he said.
And how did he rate the players in Two Rivers… “Some are better than some I've played, some are worse than others, some showed talent,” he said, but then added what could probably have been a lesson to all. “Some could use some direction, they could use a club,” he said, pointing out that there was a strong possibility there were potentially some very good players in the group, with the word “potential” being the key.
With Bisguier's experience and talent, it was obvious he saw things invisible to the novice.
When one young player came up, boasting that he had lasted 48 moves, Bisguier pointed out that the game was over long before that. “You would have been wise to quit after nine moves and start a new game.” he said, taking the wind out of the young man's sails.
Bisguier knew this. That's why he carries the title of “international grandmaster.”
