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January 16 1952
The Daily Tar Heel, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Wednesday, January 16, 1952
The arrangements are now being made for an all campus Chess Tournament. It will be under the direction of Charles C. Crittenden, who placed 13th in the Philadelphia Intercollegiate Chess Tournament held during the Christmas Holidays. Crittenden was the only representative from a Southern school to be acknowledged at the tournament. The campus tournament will be open to faculty and students alike.
The News and Observer, Raleigh, North Carolina, Wednesday, January 16, 1952
Chess Master Here Tonight
Local chess players and enthusiasts will converge on the Manteo Room of the Sir Walter Hotel tonight with the hope of upsetting Samuel Reshevsky, international chess grandmaster. He will compete simultaneously with all wishing to challenge him.
Heading the group of local challengers, and conceded best chance to win, is Kit Crittenden, City of Raleigh and North Carolina Stat State champion. Other strong players given excellent chances are Ephraim Solkoff, Julius Dobkin, Dr. Valentin Pikner, C. J. Curry and Gordon W. Patterson of Raleigh, as well as Dr. V. A. Davidian and Lawrence H. Wallace of Smithfield.
Grandmaster Reshevsky, tops in American chess and tabbed as possible winner of the world championship next year, has been a big name in chess since he first entered the scene as a boy prodigy at the age of six.
Latercomers who desire to compete may still do simply showing up at the affair scheduled to start around 7:30 p. m. All players are urged to bring along their chessmen and boards. Spectators are welcome.
January 17 1952
The News and Observer, Raleigh, North Carolina, Thursday, January 17, 1952
Beats 'Em All
The elite of Raleigh chessdom found itself little match last night for roving New Yorker who rates as a grand master of the game.
Squat, bald Samuel Reshevsky, tuning up for a crack at chess' world championship, stopped over in Raleigh last night to play any opponent who offered himself.
Twenty-two did, and in relatively brief session at the Sir Walter's Raleigh Room, the little expert disposed of them one by one in simultaneous play.
The last to go was David S. Evans, a Raleigh boy now a student at Chapel Hill. He lasted 51 moves. Not so lucky was young Kit Crittenden, the local boy who rates as city and State champion. He guessed he lasted 38 or 40 moves “before I resigned.”
Reshevsky took them all on at once, moving from one board to another, surveying the scene briefly and making his moves.
It was, said one enthusiast from Smithfield, “a sorry showing by the local contingent.”
January 24 1952
The Daily Tar Heel, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Thursday, January 24, 1952
Carolina-Duke Chess Match Set Today
A chess match between Carolina and Duke is slated for today in Room 301 of Woollen gym.
The Duke team, which tied for first place in the Southern Intercollegiate Team Tournament in Richmond last year, had one player to win 10th prize in the U.S. Junior Tournament in Philadelphia.
Kit Crittenden, N. C. State Champion, Tommy Makens, Douglas Kahn, all freshmen, and David Evans, fencing instructor, make up the UNC team.
Teams are composed of four men, each of whom play one game. Spectators are welcome.
Players are invited to attend the weekly meetings of the Carolina Chess Club every Thursday night in room 301-B of Woollen gym. An all-campus tournament is to be sponsored by the club, the details of which will be announced later.
January 26 1952
The Daily Tar Heel, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Saturday, January 26, 1952
CHESS TOURNEY
All persons interested in entering a chess tournament should see Kit Crittenden in 104 Alexander Dorm or register in 315 Woollen gym by next Tuesday.
The first game of the tournament will be played Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at the weekly meeting of the UNC Chess Club in room 301-B Woollen gym.
The Daily Tar Heel, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Saturday, January 26, 1952
Chess Club Ties Duke, 2-2.
The first match of the season for the UNC Chess Club was played Thursday against a strong Duke team. The result was a tie, each team scoring two points in the four-man match.
On board one, Duke's Chapman drew with Kit Crittenden of UNC after a tussle which saw the Carolina player three Pawns ahead at one stage.
Since Crittenden had used too much time on the opening stages, and under the time control had only one minute for seven moves, he agreed to a draw by repetition in a position which would normally be a winning one.
The game on board two was one of many vicissitudes. Makens of UNC first had the advantage, then lost it. This happened several times, when finally Duke's Crowder made the next to the last blunder and won the sole victory his team scored.
Huntly, of Duke, faced Kahn in the third board match. This game had an early finish when Huntly had to leave for Duke in order to take an examination that night. The position, which was about even, was agreed a draw.
Evans, UNC fencing instructor, defeated Sarles on board four. Evans managed to isolate all his opponent's Pawns when the Duke player blundered away one of them and Evans was able to score.
Thus the match was tied at 2-2, each team scoring one win and two draws apiece.
February 24 1952
The Daily Tar Heel, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Sunday, February 24, 1952
UNC Chess Team Defeats Duke, 3-1
The Carolina chess club defeated the Duke Club, 3-1, in Durham Friday.
Kit Crittenden of Carolina defeated Duke's Bill Chapman on board one. Molina-Y-Vedia of Duke defeated Tar Heel Makens on board two and Evans of Carolina topped Bill Crowder of Duke on board three.
Douglas Kahn of Carolina defeated Bill Huntley of Duke in the decisive match.
Crittenden, Carolina captain announced that matches with Davidson and State are being planned and that the team will compete in the forthcoming Southern Intercollegiate Tournament.
March 31 1952
The Durham Sun, Durham, North Carolina, Monday, March 31, 1952
State Chess Meet Opens Here Friday
The North Carolina Chess Association State championship tourney will he held in Durham this coming week end April 4-5-6.
The Durham Chess Club will sponsor the six-round, Swiss-system event and it will be held at the local club's meeting place, the Lion's Club hut on Guess Road. Entry to this tournament will be limited to residents of North Carolina.
Kit Crittenden, 1951 winner at Smithfield in a field of 32 players will defend his title at Durham. Local players who have declared they will try to unseat the champ are W. J. Peters, a former state champion, G. C. Harwell, David Rogers and William Chapman. S. A. Agnello, president of the Durham Chess Club and a director in the United States Chess Federation will act as tournament director.
At present, 20 chess players from Durham, Raleigh, Smithfield, Charlotte, Asheville and Greensboro have declared their intentions to participate in the tournament. The first round of the tourney will start at 7:30 pm.
April 06 1952
The News and Observer, Raleigh, North Carolina, Sunday, April 06, 1952
Tar Heel of the Week
Chris Crittenden
By Herbert O'Keef.
The summer of 1920, it turned out, wasn't too good a year for a college boy to head for the wheat fields of the mid-west in search of work. There was a little depression on that year, and the wheat fields full of men seeking work.
That's what two college boys from North Carolina found out. They had left Wake Forest originally for Norfolk, with the plan of getting summer jobs aboard ship. No jobs there, so they climbed into day coaches and headed west for the wheat fields.
They arrived all right—but broke. And, found no work available.
So, they rode the freight trains back to Kansas City, where they managed to find work in a 10-cent store for a little while.
Then, another freight into Flint, Mich., where work in the Buick factory gave them enough money to come a home by day coach.
Lot of Hoboes.
“That really was a bad year for the wheat fields,” Dr. Christopher Crittenden remembers now with a grin. “There's a lot of hoboes riding on those freights.”
Summer work was a habit with young Chris Crittenden, then a Wake Forest College undergraduate, and now a man with a Ph.D. degree and head of the State Department of Archives and History.
The man who is now in effect State historian was born December 1, 1902, in Wake Forest. His father was Charles Christopher Crittenden, professor of what then was called pedagogy and is now called education. His mother was Ethel Taylor of Wake Forest, daughter of Dr. Charles Elisha Taylor, who was president of Wake Forest College from 1884 to 1905.
The elder Crittenden died before young Chris was a year old, and Mrs. Crittenden and her young son moved to the home of Dr. Taylor.
Young Chris grew up in an atmosphere of education. His mother, who is still living, was Wake Forest College librarian for 31 years. She retired from that post a few years ago, but still is connected with the library and plans complete retirement this year.
In addition to his college-president grandfather, two of the youngster's uncles were on the Wake Forest faculty: Dr. J. H. Gorrell, professor of modern languages, and E. B. Earnshaw, the bursar, who died last January.
One-Room School.
Despite the fact that Wake Forest was a college town, its public school in those days was a one-room affair. The one room and the one teacher took care of the first seven grades.
When young Crittenden had finished the eighth grade, he dropped out of the public schools and spent the next two years studying with tutors who were members of the Wake Forest College faculty. “I had some very fine teachers,” he remembers.
As a result of the tutoring, Crittenden was ready to enter Wake Forest College when he was 14—“nearly 15,” as he puts it.
In those days, boys didn't go into long pants as casually and as early as they do now. That transition was a real event in a boy's life, and usually was postponed until the boy was nearly ready for college. Since Chris entered college much sooner than most boys, he entered in knee pants, and, in fact, was a college student in knee pants for a couple of years, he remembers.
His youth kept him out of major college sports such as football, but did not keep him from earning his varsity letter.
For years before he entered college, he had been interested in tennis, and had played with two very fine players, Earnshaw and Dr. Hubert Potect. Two of them
were South Atlantic tennis champions at one time, and did their playing on Earnshaw's backyard court. Chris' backyard adjoined, and he played with the two champions a lot. The result was that he made the college's varsity tennis team.
Although he is a historian today, Crittenden didn't major in that subject as an undergraduate. His major was economics, though he did take considerable history. His decision to major in economics came from his admiration for Dr. C. C. Pearson, a college member and a “very fine teacher.” Dr. Pearson taught history, sociology and economics, and Crittenden majored in the latter because of his admiration for Dr. Pearson.
During his college years, he had a job every summer, as was the custom with college students during those days.
He received his AB degree from Wake Forest in 1921, before he turned 19. The following year found him back for graduate study, majoring in history, and he received his master's degree in 1922.
Roxobel Principal.
The fall of 1922 found Crittenden in Roxobel, principal of a five-teacher school which handled the first through eleventh grades. In addition to being principal, he also taught the three top grades. All his students in those grades were girls, and some of them were older than he was. His salary school at Roxobel, was $1,500 for the school year. He had his sights trained on further study at Yale, and determined to save as much money for that as possible. The result, coupled with the fact that he didn't have an automobile and there wasn't too much in Roxobel to spend money on, was that he saved a thousand dollars.
The thousand was enough to get him started in Yale in the fall of 1923, for graduate work in history. He worked under Professor Charles M. Andrews, an authority on American colonial history.
After the year of graduate work, he became an instructor at Yale in 1924-1925. He managed to get to England during the summer of 1925, and spent that year touring abroad.
He returned to Yale for further graduate study in the school of year 1925-1926.
The end of that school year brought him offers of three teaching jobs: At Duke, NYU, and the University of North Carolina. He chose Chapel Hill, and was an instructor there from 1926 to 1929.
He took time out during the 1929-1930 school year for his last year of graduate study, returning to Yale to spend the year writing his doctorate dissertation. It was a year of hard work in an attic room, he recalls, a year during which he worked day and night, taking off only Sunday night of each week. His dissertation was on “The Commerce of North Carolina 1763-1789.”
In September of 1930, he was married to Janet Quinlan of Waynesville. They had met at Chapel Hill while he was an instructor and she was a graduate student. The Crittendens have three children: Christopher (Kit), a Chapel Hill sophomore and State chess champion; and Robert Hinton (Robin) and Ann, both students at Needham Broughton High here.
In 1930, Dr. Crittenden returned to Chapel Hill, this time as an assistant professor. The depression years followed, and he remembers that salary cuts carried his salary down to the level it held while he was a principal at Roxobel. He supplemented his income by reading correspondence course papers and by teaching in summer school.
In 1935, Dr. A. R. Newsome went to Chapel Hill as head of the History Department there, and his old post as secretary of the Carolina Historical Commission was offered to Dr. Crittenden, who accepted it. He has been here since, and the title now is director of the State Department of Archives and History.
His work now is keyed to one main idea: “Trying to bring alive our history to the people of North Carolina.”
Dr. Crittenden wants to sell history and interest in history to the public generally, and get out of the public mind the idea that history is strictly an ivory-tower business.
His plans to interest the public in history have several sides. The first job of the department, of course, is to preserve the records. Then comes the problem of making such records available to the public generally. In doing that, he wants to publish more of a popular type. Scholarly publications he realizes, are necessary, but he does want to have more of a popular nature.
The historical marker program, which was begun in 1935, is another good means of stirring up history interest. So is the Hall of History here, which is one of the drawing cards for visitors to Raleigh. The Hall of History attempts to tell the story of North Carolina down through the years to the present.
Another means by which he has attempted to stir up more public interest is his part in formation of the N. C. Society for the Preservation of Antiquities. He also is secretary of the State Literary and Historical Association, and has taken an active part in its work.
At one time, Dr. Crittenden was chairman of the National Conference of Historical Associations, a not-too-lively organization. He led a movement to change it to the American Association for State and Local History was the first president of the new and extremely active group.
One of Dr. Crittenden's major jobs has been that of looking after official state and local records, a hard never-ending job. He has introduced the use of micro-filming to aid in the job.
During the WPA days he was state-director by virtue of his State position - of the historical record survey. North Carolina was the only State to complete and publish its county records. That was done in three volumes. He also was regional director of the survey of Federal archives in this State.
Dr. Crittenden has taken an active part in securing a number of very valuable documents or other historical items for the State. The most valuable he says is the Carolina Charter of 1663.
He first saw notice of it in a printed catalogue. He wrote the dealer who offered it for sale and arranged to have all possible tests made for authenticity. All the tests showed it was authentic.
The next question was: Where to get the money. No State funds were available but Dr. Crittenden shook some private financial trees and came up with enough money a to buy it.
Then he called his board together to authorize its purchase. The board did so and told Dr. Crittenden to write and close the deal. As it happened Dr. Crittenden had to leave immediately after the meeting for a convention in Quebec. He had to leave so hurriedly he didn't have time to write the letter.
The delay was fortunate. The price of the charter was $8000. During those few days the English pound was devalued and the result saved $2000 in the purchase price.
April 07 1952
The Durham Sun, Durham, North Carolina, Monday, April 07, 1952
Raleigh Man Repeats As Chess Champ
Kit Crittenden of Raleigh, repeated as Chess Champion of the State with a win in his final round game with A. G. Ashbrook of Charlotte. Ashbrook had a score of four wins at the time and could have clinched first place with either a win or a draw with Crittenden.
However, Kit, who needed a win for a whole prize or nothing came through in championship style. This is the third win of the State title for the young student at U.N.C. He also won the N.C.C.A. Open Championship last year making it four State titles in all.
Final scores for the tournament in the order of standing are:
Kit Crittenden, 4½-½ (Raleigh);
Dr. J. U. Gunter, 4-1 (Durham);
A. G. Ashbrook, 4-1 (Charlotte);
Paul L. Cromelin, 4-1 (Charlotte);
W. J. Peters, 3-2 (Durham);
G. C. Harwell, 3-2 (Durham);
T. E. Makens, 3-2 (Pineville);
Marceloy Vedia, 3-2 (Durham);
A. Henry Gaede, 3-2 (Charlotte);
R. L. Hubbard 3-2 (Chapel Hill);
Wm. Crowder, 2½-2½ (Greensboro);
Lawrence Wallace, 2-3 (Smithfield);
D. A. Kahn, 2-3 (Charlotte);
Billy Benners, 2-3 (New Bern);
J. M. Scales, 1½-3½ (Durham);
W. S. Stewart, 1½-3½ (Chapel Hill);
H. Raymond Weeks, 1-4 (Durham);
T. J. Baxter, 1-4 (New Bern);
Dr. V. A. Davidian, 1-4 (Smithfield);
Wm. Chapman, 1-4 (Durham).
Officials elected to lead the North Carolina Chess Association for the next year are: G. C. Harwell, of Durham, president;
A. H. Gaede, of Charlotte, vice-president; and W. J. Peters, of Durham, secretary-treasurer.
Other members of the board of directors are: R. C. Harris of Wilmington and A. G. Ashbrook, of Charlotte, for one year; E. Solkoff, of Raleigh and T. J. Baxter, of New Bern, for two years; and Wm. C. Adickes, of Asheville, and Dr. V. A. Davidian, of Smithfield, for three years.
April 10 1952
The Daily Tar Heel, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Thursday, April 10, 1952
UNC Chessmen Lose
The Carolina chess team, playing a match with Columbia University, lost the first of a series of three matches here Tuesday.
Columbia, the National Intercollegiate Champions, defeated the Tar Heels, 1½-½, with Carolina's Kit Crittenden getting a draw with Eliot Hearst for the only Carolina point.
Jimmy Sherwin, the intercollegiate champion, defeated Tommy Makens of Carolina, making 28 moves in the last three minutes to take a piece that Makens had left unprotected.
April 16 1952
The Daily Tar Heel,Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Wednesday, April 16, 1952
Everett Wins Chess Matches
Both teams from Everett dorm won matches Monday night in the dormitory chess tournament.
Everett 2 won from Graham on a forfeit while Doug Kahn of Everett 1 defeated Bill Little of Stacy and Tom Makens drew with Robert Hubbard of Stacy for the other Everett victory.
In another match David Median beat David Moose, Jr., of Lewis while David Moose, Sr., was winning from Carl Howard, also of Lewis, to give Old West a 2-0 win.
In the final match Alexander and Winston tied when David Evans of Winston defeated Ralph Pugh and Kit Crittenden of Alexander defeated Lewis Alread.
April 22 1952
The Daily Tar Heel, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Tuesday, April 22, 1952
Your Move
Carolina's chess team defeated Davidson 3-1 in a match played Saturday.
Winners for the Tar Heels were Kit Crittenden, Tommy Makens, Doug Kahn, and Bob Hubbard.
The UNC team is planning to enter the Southern Intercollegiate tournament on Friday and Saturday, May 2-3, at Charlottesville, Va.
April 28 1952
The News and Observer, Raleigh, North Carolina, Monday, April 28, 1952
Kit Crittenden of Raleigh successfully defended his North Carolina chess championship in the recent match held in Durham. Crittenden is shown above, right, in the final match game with A. G. Ashbrook of Charlotte. Ashbrook needed only a draw to win the title, but his loss to Crittenden put him in third place. Second place went to Dr. J. U. Gunter of Durham.
May 08 1952
The Daily Tar Heel, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Thursday, May 08, 1952
Chess Team Wins Southern Match
Carolina's chess team won the Southern Intercollegiate Chess tournament this past weekend at Charlottesville, Va., by defeating the University of Virginia and the University of Richmond.
The Tar Heels finished with a total of six points to Virginia's five and Richmond's one.
Kit Crittenden, captain of the Carolina team and its number-one man, won the individual championship and was awarded a trophy for his play.
In individual matches with the two teams Carolina defeated Virginia 2½-l½ and Richmond, 3½-½.
The defeat of Virginia, last year's champion, marked the first loss for the Cavaliers.
Playing for Carolina were Crittenden, Doug Kahn, David Evans, and Bob Hubbard.
June 17 1952
News and Record, Greensboro, North Carolina, Tuesday, June 17, 1952
Student Leads Chess Tourney At Wilmington
Wilmington, June 16.—A Columbia University student was named the North Carolina open chess champion here last night at the completion of a three-day tournament.
Karl Burger, member Columbia University chess team, won the championship on a point system over James Sherwood of New York City, Columbia University champion.
Kit Crittenden of Raleigh, former North Carolina open chess champion and present state chess champion placed sixth in the tourney.
Won Three Times
The 18-year-old player has won the N. C. open and state title three times during the past two years.
Players from seven states competed in the North Carolina open, six rounds, Swiss round-robin tournament. Some 250 players and spectators attended the event.
Other leading players and their standings were: James Sherwood, second; Allen Kaufman, Brooklyn, N. Y.; third, Marvin Rogan, Rochester, N. Y.; fourth Ben Ruddick, Charleston, S. C., fifth; and Kit Crittenden, former champion, sixth.
July 14 1952
Edmar Mednis vs Charles C Crittenden
53rd US Open (1952), Tampa, FL USA, rd 1, Jul-14
Italian Game: Classical. De la Bourdonnais Variation (C53)1-0
July 15 1952
Charles C Crittenden vs Carl Weberg
53rd US Open (1952), Tampa, FL USA, rd 2, Jul-15
Queen's Gambit Declined: Modern. Knight Defense (D51) 1-0
July 16 1952
Reuben Klugman vs Charles C Crittenden
53rd US Open (1952), Tampa, FL USA, rd 3, Jul-16
Spanish Game: Closed Variations. Center Attack (C84) 1-0
July 20 1952
Philip G Haley vs Charles C Crittenden
53rd US Open (1952), Tampa, FL USA, rd 7, Jul-20
Bird Opening: General (A02) 0-1
July 21 1952
Charles C Crittenden vs Giles Koelsche
53rd US Open (1952), Tampa, FL USA, rd 8, Jul-21
English Opening: King's English. Four Knights Variation General (A28) 1-0
July 23 1952
Charles C Crittenden vs Charles Sharp
53rd US Open (1952), Tampa, FL USA, rd 10, Jul-23
English Opening: Symmetrical. Four Knights Variation (A35) 1-0
October 14 1952
The Daily Tar Heel, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Tuesday, October 14, 1952
CHESS CLUB
Kit Crittenden, North Carolina and Southern Intercollegiate chess champion, will give a simultaneous chess exhibition at 7:45 tonight in room 301-B of Woollen Gym. All those who are interested are cordially invited. Chess sets will be provided, but if you have a set, bring it along.
November 23 1952
The Daily Tar Heel, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Sunday, November 23, 1952
Chess Club
Mike Rauhut and Joe Levin tied for first place, in the “B” division of the chess club's fall tourney. The playoff game will be held at the weekly meeting of the chess club Monday night at 7:30 in room 301-B, Woollen Gym. Anyone interested in watching, learning or playing the game is invited.
Kit Crittenden, state champion, repeated his last year's victory with a clean sweep of five games.
