AAugust 20 1950
The Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, California, Sunday, August 20, 1950
CHESS CHAMP—Glendale's Jim Cross, 20, is back home after capturing U.S. junior title in Milwaukee. A player six years, he thanks Herman Steiner's tutoring. Times photo
Glendale Youth Returns With U.S. Chess Title
A new national champion arrived back at his home in Glendale the other day. He is Jim Cross, 6 feet 4 inches of 20-year-old youth, who last month won the United States Junior Chess Championship at Milwaukee, Wis.
Jim will be a junior this fall at UCLA “if not drafted,” he explains. He lives at 332 Brent Place, Glendale, and has been a resident of California for five years since his parents come here from his native Evanston, Ill.
Jim started playing chess six years ago by reading Hoyle. He must have studied the old master of games pretty thoroughly because two months later he won the school championship at New Trier High School in Winnetka, Ill.
Tutored by Editor
When he came to Glendale, he was a confirmed chessomaniac and started studying under Herman Steiner (editor of The Times chess column). With Steiner's Hollywood Chess Group, Jim says he got some of the best competition in the Los Angeles area.
He started tournament play in it, and in the following four years placed among the first four in the national junior meets. He won it this year—the last that he will be eligible for competition. In Milwaukee, he had eight straight wins, losing only the final round after he had already mathematically won the title.
“Any one can play chess.” Jim says. “It is much easier than is commonly believed if properly taught. Like anything else it requires study and practice if you are going to be any good. But chess can be fun without going too deeply into the fine points of the game.”
Jim thinks that children should be taught the game by recreation departments in schools. “Milwaukee's chess program for children is wonderful,” he says enthusiastically. “Their annual tournament has 500 or more youngsters from 7 years old up in competition.”
