AJanuary 24, 1959
Vidette-Messenger of Porter County, Valparaiso, Indiana, Saturday, January 24, 1959
Caption: Makes Success Of Hobby—Planning next move on board is United States chess champion Donald Byrne, Valparaiso university English professor. Byrne is currently holder of National speed title; was US Open champ in 1953, and winner of Western Open trophy in 1957. (V-M Staff Photo)
VU English Teacher Is Excelling On Chess Board
Teaching English on the Valparaiso university campus is his profession, but Donald Byrne has achieved superior fame in another field—he is a United States chess champion.
Currently holder of the National Speed championship which allows 10 seconds per game move, Byrne was U.S. Open champion in 1953—he placed fourth in the same tournament while in high school in 1946—and Western Open champion in 1957. He has held the National Speed title several times.
He tied for fourth in the national invitational tournament during the Christmas holidays. Only America's 12 top chess players were invited to compete in this New York City meet.
And all of this started, Byrne claims, simply because his brother, Robert, now a resident of Indianapolis, needed an opponent when he learned to play chess at Children's Museum, Brooklyn.
Robert, by the way, tied for ninth in the Christmas tournament.
Both men have been rated among the top six or seven players in the U.S. Chess Federation listings for many years. This rating will include more than 6,000 people in its next issue.
The Byrnes also played on two American teams which faced the Russian world champions in 1954 and 1955. Both years—one meet was played in New York and the other in Moscow—the Valparaiso Byrne played the current Russian champion. And both years he won four and lost four games against these two top players.
Best Recent Record
This is the best record made by a U.S. players since the end of World War II when the Russians took the championship from the Americans.
In such team play, each side has eight players and each person plays eight games, but he plays the same opponent in all matches. The strongest player on one team plays the top opposing player and so on down the line of eight, each man playing the opponent judging his equal.
The Americans are improving despite their recent losses, Byrne says, because there are some excellent young players coming into the ranks. Two fellows—one 16 and one 21—have already beaten some of the world's best chess players.
A match against the Russians is being considered for this summer and Byrne thinks the U.S. will be able to offer its best team since the war. If the team play is set up, Byrne will be invited to participate.
“I don't practice and I don't keep up my game,” Byrne commented when asked about ‘keeping in shape.’
Style Is Aggressive
“And this is beginning to tell on me,” he grinned, “because in the invitational tournament I spent lots of time trying to find a way through the prepared plays and latest openings used by my opponents.”
He noted that until this tournament he had rarely had to adjourn a game—a game is halted after five hours of play and continued the next day—but that this happened to him several times in New York.
“I usually play short games because I have an aggressive style and I either beat someone quickly or lose quickly,” he commented.
Each player is allowed 40 moves in five hours and some of the invitational adjourned games lasted for 60 or 70 moves. The average time for each move is 3½ minutes.
Invitational tournament play is round-robin style with each participant drawing a number and all numbers being scheduled so that every player takes on all entrants. A win counts one point; a draw, ½.
Having played for 20 years, Byrne smiles at the fact that it was no until they reached high school that he and Robert encountered players they couldn't beat. So it was not until then that they bought a book and really began studying the game.
In grade school they found their best competition in playing one another. Robert learned how to play at Children's Museum and taught Donald the game. On his second day of chess, Donald defeated the Museum instructor two games out of three.
And even in high school the Byrnes eventually became the best players and the city champions. It was also during this time that they first began entering national tournaments. “Most meets are open to any player who pays his fee—that's how you get in,” Byrne explained.
The chess champion English teacher has been on the Valparaiso campus since September. He previously taught at Olivet college, Olivet, Mich.
