AMarch 10 1962
The News, Paterson, New Jersey, Saturday, March 10, 1962
CHESSically Yours By HENRY OVEREEM.
New Jersey chess players continually read and hear about outstanding young players from Europe, from other states, even from Australia and Brooklyn. This is all fine, the outstanding young players deserve the plaudits they receive.
Yet in so doing, in searching the far horizons for chess talent, we too often overlook the fine crop in our own back yard. New Jersey has many young players of whom it can be proud. But distance lends enchantment and adds glamour to a name; the beauty of home is overlooked because it is commonplace. The other land is always the exotic land: that odd sounding name from far across the waters conjures images far out of proportion to the reality.
Of all the young New Jersey chess players, and there are very many, one name in particular stands out strongly. Only 19, but three times a national champion; a Jerseyite who has carried the banner of his state, but who, outside of chess circles, is a comparative unknown. The lad is Robin Ault.
Modest Youth
I decided to do something about it and wrote for some background material. This came through after some prodding, for Robin is reluctant to place himself in the limelight. He is modest about his exploits, he gives himself very little of the actual credit. Yet, in chess, there is no teammate to lean on. The following are his own words.
“My father taught Les and me chess when I was about five. After playing at home for a few years, we began going to the Elizabeth Chess Club, where we aroused interest because of our youth and our ability to knock off some of the weaker players there. In the sixth grade (I had skipped the third and caught up to Les) we played in the first interstate grammar school chess match, New Jersey against Boston, arranged by Forry Laucks. I played first board, as a result of winning the qualifying tournament, and scored 2-1.
Leslie and Robin playing chess at Cranford High School, Cranford, Union County, New Jersey Yearbook 1956
Won High School Title
In high school we played on the school team, winning three successive county championships and a state co-championship. My first big year in chess was in 1956. In late Winter I amazingly won the State Rapids, and beat Arthur Bisguier in a simultaneous. In the Spring I started out playing tournament chess, placing third in the state high school tournament. Next I played in the U. S. Amateur tournament, but scored only three draws in six games. During the next few years I gradually improved to expert strength, but none of my results were as satisfying as these early victories, except a tournament victory over Walter Shipman.
My next big year was 1959. After playing third and fourth boards in my first year at Columbia, I became involved with a couple of friends in a plan to translate and publish Tarrasch's “300 Chess Games”. The friends soon dropped out and left me to carry the ball, which I did with some effects in another respect. Previous to this endeavor my play had been getting very stodgy, and I had not improved noticeably in quite some time. Many of Tarrasch's games are also stodgy, but many are just the opposite, and even in the most closed positions he plays with a spirit of aggressiveness. This spirit apparently infused itself in me, for after just a couple of weeks translating the book I won the New Jersey Junior. I played so venturesome and aggressive that some of the games I played shocked even me. A month later I shocked myself even more by winning the U. S. Junior at Omaha, not having seriously considered victory until the last round began. Immediately following I tied for sixth in the U. S. Open with 8½-3½, continuing the same aggressive but not speculative style of play.
Style Wears Off
Unfortunately this style had worn off by December, when I played in the Rosenwald tournament, in which I had the distinction of losing all 11 games. Half of these were caused mainly by my lack of knowledge of opening variations; the other half by a combination of stage-fright, a cold, and disrespect for my opponents' strength. I had excellent games against Fischer and Bernstein, and drawish positions against Sherwin and Bisguier, all of which I destroyed with moves which can only be called insane. My clear win against Benko went down the drain because of my failure to understand the whole position and time pressure.
By the Summer of 1960 my play had returned to the previous sharp style, and was even better, as I romped through the U. S. Junior for the second consecutive year. In St. Louis I tied for seventh in the U. S. Open. Since then my play has been on the decline, returning to a slow, stodgy style, although I still managed to do well for Columbia in matches and in the U. S. Intercollegiate. In 1961 I squeaked through the U. S. Junior at Dayton, Ohio, once more.”
Robin started off 1962 winning the Ivy League chess title. This year age eliminates him from the U. S. Junior, but he is the only player on record who has taken the championship three times. Actually, the minor tournaments he has won are almost too numerous to mention. When he says his games are stodgy most players would give their right arm to play that stodgily. Next week we will bring you some of his games, including the “stodgy” ones.
