The Gift of Chess

Notice to commercial publishers seeking use of images from this collection of chess-related archive blogs. For use of the many large color restorations, two conditions must be met: 1) It is YOUR responsibility to obtain written permissions for use from the current holders of rights over the original b/w photo. Then, 2) make a tax-deductible donation to The Gift of Chess in honor of Robert J. Fischer-Newspaper Archives. A donation in the amount of $250 USD or greater is requested for images above 2000 pixels and other special request items. For small images, such as for fair use on personal blogs, all credits must remain intact and a donation is still requested but negotiable. Please direct any photographs for restoration and special request (for best results, scanned and submitted at their highest possible resolution), including any additional questions to S. Mooney, at bobbynewspaperblogs•gmail. As highlighted in the ABC News feature, chess has numerous benefits for individuals, including enhancing critical thinking and problem-solving skills, improving concentration and memory, and promoting social interaction and community building. Initiatives like The Gift of Chess have the potential to bring these benefits to a wider audience, particularly in areas where access to educational and recreational resources is limited.

Best of Chess Fischer Newspaper Archives
• Robert J. Fischer, 1955 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1956 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1957 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1958 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1959 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1960 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1961 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1962 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1963 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1964 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1965 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1966 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1967 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1968 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1969 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1970 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1971 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1972 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1973 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1974 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1975 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1976 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1977 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1978 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1979 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1980 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1981 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1982 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1983 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1984 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1985 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1986 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1987 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1988 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1989 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1990 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1991 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1992 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1993 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1994 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1995 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1996 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1997 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1998 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 1999 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 2000 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 2001 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 2002 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 2003 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 2004 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 2005 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 2006 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 2007 ➦
• Robert J. Fischer, 2008 ➦
Chess Columns Additional Archives/Social Media

Herbert Samuel Dasteel, 1960

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November 1960

Tibor Weinberger, Zoltan Kovacs, Sven Almgren, Herbert Dasteel Jr., Frank Hufnagel, Carl Diesen, William G. Addison, Irving Rivise, Julius Loftsson, Jack Blackstone

Vol. 10, No. 4-5, California Chess Reporter, November-December 1960, (Seated) Tibor Weinberger, Zoltan Kovacs, Sven Almgren, Herbert Dasteel Jr., Frank Hufnagel (Standing) Carl Diesen, William G. Addison, Irving Rivise, Julius Loftsson, Jack Blackstone.


Herbert Dasteel, Tibor Weinberger, Julius Loftsson, Zoltan Kovacs, Sven Elias Almgren

Vol. 10, No. 4-5, California Chess Reporter, November-December 1960, Herbert Dasteel - Tibor Weinberger, Julius Loftsson - Zoltan Kovacs, Sven Elias Almgren.


Herbert Samuel Dasteel, 1965

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December 09 1965

1965, Herbert Dasteel Chess Champion, Obituary

The San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco, California, Saturday, December 11, 1965

DASTEEL, Herbert Samuel—Dec. 9, 1965 Herbert Samuel Dasteel, dearly beloved son of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert L. Dasteel, loving brother of Mrs. Richard (Isabel) Moore, also survived by many uncles, nephews and nieces, a native of San Francisco, aged 34 years.
Private family services were held Friday afternoon at HALSTED & CO., 1123 SUTTER ST.


Eliot Sanford Hearst, 1971

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June 20 1971

The Star Press, Muncie, Indiana, Sunday, June 20, 1971

1917, Eliot Hearst, Simultaneous Chess Exhibition at Ball State

White Attacks
Eliot Hearst, 17th-rated chess expert in the nation, makes a move as he plays 24 simultaneous matches in an exhibition Saturday at Ball State. Only Bob Hale of New Castle was able to beat him. (Star Photo by Ed Hayden)

1971, Eliot Hearst Simultaneous Chess Exhibition; Chess Expert Loses Just Once

Chess Expert Loses Just One
Bob Hale, R.R. 2, New Castle, was the only one of 24 challengers to gain a clear, victory against the nation's 17th-rated chess player in simultaneous matches Saturday at the Ball State University Student Center.
Two other challengers agreed to accept a draw in their games with Eliot Hearst, a psychology professor at Indiana University. They were Dr. Robert Evans of Ball State and Kalamazoo College sophomore and Muncie resident Blaine Newcomb.
Hale is a life member of the American Chess Federation and the Ball State Chess Club, which sponsored the mass match.
HEARST SAID Hale played a good game. He said his own attack failed and Hale didn't fall into any of the traps he set for him. Hearst took the white pieces in all the games, which gave him the opening move and the offensive.
Each challenger was charged a one dollar entry fee which will be used in two area tournaments this fall. Earlham College Chess Club, which often works with the BSU group will sponsor a Bob Hale Chess tournament in the fall. The tournament was named for the New Castle devotee before Saturday's surprise victory.
After Saturday's match the club elected new officers. They are Bob Hale, president, Mary Marvel, vice president, Bill Loser, treasurer, and Murray Newcomb, secretary. John Campbell is the club's sponsor.


October 11 1971

Muncie Evening Press, Muncie, Indiana, Monday, October 11, 1971

Eliot Hearst, 17th-ranked chess player in the United States, makes a move against one of the 32 persons he played simultaneously Sunday at Ball State University.

CHECKMATE
Eliot Hearst, 17th-ranked chess player in the United States, makes a move against one of the 32 persons he played simultaneously Sunday at Ball State University. This was Hearst's second take-all-comers match here. In his first match in June he was beaten by only one person, but Sunday he lost to two and drew with two others. The winners were David Allen Lee and Mike Burns, both members of the Ball State University Chess Club which sponsored Hearst's appearance. The club will have a new membership tournament at 2 p.m. Sunday in the Student Center. Only new members may win trophies. Evening Press Photo by Jerry Joschko.


Eliot Sanford Hearst, 1972

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July 29 1972

The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Kentucky, Saturday, July 29, 1972

Dr. Eliot Hearst, professor of psychology at Indiana University, Bloomington, and a U.S. senior master in chess, has praise for Bobby Fischer's efforts to improve chess tournament conditions.

Dr. Eliot Hearst, professor of psychology at Indiana University, Bloomington, and a U.S. senior master in chess, has praise for Bobby Fischer's efforts to improve chess tournament conditions.

1972, Dr. Eliot Hearst says, 'Bobby Fischer Good for Chess'

Good for Chess
IU psychologist credits Fischer with improving the lot of players.
Associated Press-Bloomington, Ind.—The captain of an Olympic chess team that included Bobby Fischer says while some chess masters would disagree with Fischer's tactics, he has improved the lot of chess players considerably. “To understand Bobby's sometimes roughshod tactics, you have to understand him,” said Dr. Eliot Hearst, captain of the 1962 U.S. Olympic chess team. Hearst, a U.S. senior master, is a psychology professor at Indiana University.
“He's a very private, retiring individual. He's lived alone since he was about 15. He's been without the influence of any other person. He's self-made. All his abilities at chess he owes to his own hard work and study,” Hearst said.
“He's not a humorless, sullen person as some observers described him. He is deadly serious about chess, however, and is very stubborn.”
While Fisher's late arrivals for games have drawn attention, Hearst said he is certain they are not “due to a desire to show any disrespect for world champion Boris Spassky. Bobby is so shy that he'll sneak in late just to avoid the usual pregame amenities and small talk.
“Fisher must be given credit for doing more for chess than anyone else in the world,” Hearst said.
“Bobby single-handedly has made things better for all chess masters. He has fought for and obtained better playing conditions, such as improved lighting and less audience interference,” Hearst said.
“I've played in tournaments where the spectators were literally breathing down our necks, so that it was nearly impossible to concentrate.
“Bobby feels that players of high caliber should make as much money as great golfers or baseball players, and he fought to increase the available prize money, with the result that the awards in the current match with Spassky will be more than 10 times those of any previous world championship match.
“And Bobby has brought much publicity to the game, and helped raise interest in it, so that now more of the better players can make a living teaching and writing about chess.”
Hearst said he was certain “all the other U.S. chess masters would agree with me that Bobby's goals have been desirable, but most of us would have tried different tactics.”

Says Spassky always a gentleman
“Spassky, who is always the perfect gentleman, complained about the meager prize money when he won the championship, but he wasn't able to improve things—Bobby was.”
Hearst thinks that Spassky is beginning to show signs of the strain that Fischer's brilliant play seems to have caused in all his opponents in the preliminary bouts en route to the championship match. Hearst noted that all of these victims—the Danish player Larsen and the two Russians, Taimanov and Petrosian became ill and were advised by their doctors to take a rest (Fischer beat both Taimanov and Larsen 6 to 0 and won the last four games from Petrosian, the former world champion, to beat him 6½ to 2½).
Asked if he thought Fischer's complaints and demands were designed to “psyche out” Spassky in their match, Hearst said he didn't “really think so.”
“Fischer has made similar complaints in past tournaments, simply because he thinks conditions should be ideal for top-flight chess to be played,” Hearst said.
“I think that Fischer, if anything, doesn't pay enough attention to chess psychology. The Russian players are particularly aware of this facet of the game. Their analyses of one another's strengths and weaknesses often read like the reports of a psychiatrist.”


Eliot Sanford Hearst, 1962

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1962

Informal game between Robert J. Fischer and Eliot Hearst, 1962.

Informal game between Bobby [Robert James] Fischer and Eliot Hearst, 1962.


1962, United States Chess Team

September 13 1962

The Boston Globe, Boston, Massachusetts, September 13, 1962

Brooklynite Makes U.S. Chess Team
NEW YORK (AP)—Bobby Fisher of Brooklyn has been named to the United States team which will compete in the World Chess Olympics at Sofia, Bulgaria, the American Chess Federation said yesterday.
Others on the team are Robert Byrne, Larry Evans, Edmar Mednis and Eliot Hearst. Hearst is team captain. All are from New York.


Eliot Sanford Hearst, 1952

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1952

Eliot Sanford Hearst, estimated 1952.

Eliot Sanford Hearst, estimated 1952.


Eliot Sanford Hearst, 1951

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February 01 1951

1951, Eliot Hearst, Chess Club Guest, Simultaneous Exhibition

The Durham Sun, Durham, North Carolina, February 01, 1951

Hearst Guest Of Chess Club
Eliot Hearst New York State Chess Champion will be guest-exhibitor of the Durham Chess Club Friday night at 7:30. Young Mr Hearst who is a student at Columbia University will be visiting Kit Crittenden this week end and has consented to play simultaneously against all comers to the club meeting at the Lions' Club Hut on Guess Road.
Hearst's chess prowess has been well demonstrated in Durham on two other occasions: In 1949 he won the North Carolina Chess Association Championship tournament without losing a game and in 1950, he placed 2nd in the Southern Chess Association Open Tournament. Chess players and visitors are welcome to attend the meeting Friday and meet Mr. Hearst.
Current standings of the Durham Chess Club's Championship tourney now entering its final phase show Dr. A. G. Ashbrook and William Chapman tied at 6 wins and 2 losses for first place. Other scores in Class A are: W. J. Peters, 5½-3½; Dr. J. U. Gunter 5-4; G. C. Harwell 4½-4½; Kit Crittenden 4-3; David Rogers 3½-5½; S. A. Agnello 3-4; Joe Weininger 3-6; M. H. Upchurch 1½-7½. In Class B, H. Raymond Weeks and Bill Sarles are tied for first place with 3 wins each. Ed Graff and Gillis Brown are tied for 2nd spot with a win and loss each. Mathies and O’Neal are seeking to break their tie by playing one another for the cellar position.


Eliot Sanford Hearst, 1950

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July 04 1950

The Durham Sun, Durham, North Carolina, Tuesday, July 04, 1950

1950, Eliot Hearst and Ken Smith, Southern Chess Championship Tournament
1950, Southern Chess Association Championship Tournament

LEADERS IN CHESS TOURNEY—Shown above are Eliot Hearst (left) of New York City and Ken Smith of Dallas Texas who are virtually tied for the lead in the Southern Chess Tournament which closes in Durham today.—Sun Staff Photo.

Chess Meet To End Today
Scores at the end of the sixth round of play in the Southern Chess Association tourney here show Ken Smith of Dallas, Texas, tied with Norman Whitaker of Shadyside, MD and Eliot Hearst of New York City in games won and lost at 5-1. However, Smith is ahead in the tie-breaking system used in this tournament. That is, points are given-for each win, taking into consideration the standing of a player's opponent at the time of the games.
Tied for second place are: Hans Berliner, D. H. Mugridge, James Sherwin, all having won 4½ and lost l½ games. Karl Burger, W. Long, Harold Mouzon, E. Nash and Martin Southern are all tied at four games won to two lost.
Two local players who are holding their own at three games won and three games lost are W. J. Peters and Kit Crittenden.
The tourney closes today.


Eliot Sanford Hearst, 1949

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1949

1949–1952 Columbia College chess team following a radio chess tournament with Yale. (R-L) James Sherwin, Eliot Hearst, Carl Burger, Francis Mechner.

Columbia University Chess Team: (left to right) Team Captain Eliot Hearst, James T. Sherwin, Edward Scher, Philip Schwartz and Karl Burger.
Columbia University Chess Team: (left to right) Team Captain Eliot Hearst, James T. Sherwin, Edward Scher, Philip Schwartz and Karl Burger.

Recommended Books

Understanding Chess by William Lombardy Chess Duels, My Games with the World Champions, by Yasser Seirawan No Regrets: Fischer-Spassky 1992, by Yasser Seirawan Chess Fundamentals, by Jose Capablanca Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess, by Bobby Fischer My 60 Memorable Games, by Bobby Fischer Bobby Fischer Games of Chess, by Bobby Fischer The Modern Chess Self Tutor, by David Bronstein Russians versus Fischer, by Mikhail Tal, Plisetsky, Taimanov, et al

'til the world understands why Robert J. Fischer criticised the U.S./British and Russian military industry imperial alliance and their own Israeli Apartheid. Sarah Wilkinson explains:

Bobby Fischer, First Amendment, Freedom of Speech
What a sad story Fischer was,” typed a racist, pro-imperialist colonial troll who supports mega-corporation entities over human rights, police state policies & white supremacy.
To which I replied: “Really? I think he [Bob Fischer] stood up to the broken system of corruption and raised awareness! Whether on the Palestinian/Israel-British-U.S. Imperial Apartheid scam, the Bush wars of ‘7 countries in 5 years,’ illegally, unconstitutionally which constituted mass xenocide or his run in with police brutality in Pasadena, California-- right here in the U.S., police run rampant over the Constitution of the U.S., on oath they swore to uphold, but when Americans don't know the law, and the cops either don't know or worse, “don't care” -- then I think that's pretty darn “sad”. I think Mr. Fischer held out and fought the good fight, steadfast til the day he died, and may he Rest In Peace.
Educate yourself about U.S./State Laws --
https://www.youtube.com/@AuditTheAudit/videos
After which the troll posted a string of profanities, confirming there was never any genuine sentiment of “compassion” for Mr. Fischer, rather an intent to inflict further defamatory remarks.

This ongoing work is a tribute to the life and accomplishments of Robert “Bobby” Fischer who passionately loved and studied chess history. May his life continue to inspire many other future generations of chess enthusiasts and kibitzers, alike.

Robert J. Fischer, Kid Chess Wizard 1956March 9, 1943 - January 17, 2008

The photograph of Bobby Fischer (above) from the March 02, 1956 The Tampa Times was discovered by Sharon Mooney (Bobby Fischer Newspaper Archive editor) on February 01, 2018 while gathering research materials for this ongoing newspaper archive project. Along with lost games now being translated into Algebraic notation and extractions from over two centuries of newspapers, it is but one of the many lost treasures to be found in the pages of old newspapers since our social media presence was first established November 11, 2017.

Special Thanks