A1951
February 01 1951
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.
February 17 1951
The Durham Sun, Durham, North Carolina, Saturday, February 17, 1951
Crittenden Wins At Chess
Kit Crittenden, commuting member of the Durham Chess Club won the Rapid Transit Tournament held last night at Harvey's Cafeteria as the feature of the annual business meeting of the local club. He won eight games drew one and lost only to David Rogers.
William Chapman was second with eight wins and two losses.
Other scores were:
W. J. Peters, 7-3;
Joe Weininger, 6½-3½;
Rogers 6-4;
A. G. Ashbrook, 5-5;
G. C. Harwell, 5-5;
J. U. Gunter, 4-6;
S. A. Agnello, 4-6;
H. R. Weeks, 1-9;
F. W. Sarles, Jr., 0-10.
Officers elected to serve during the coming year are Samuel A. Agnello, president; W. J. Peters, vice-president; G. C. Harwell, secretary-treasurer.
A tentative program for the coming year was announced during the business session. Plans are being made for inter-club matches with Washington, D. C., Richmond and Raleigh.
The local club will send a team to the North Carolina Chess Association-sponsored match tournament in April. In order to sharpen play for these matches the club will divide the club into teams of approximately equal strength and play intra-club matches. More 10-second move tournaments are also planned for the future.
March 15 1951
The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn, New York, Thursday, March 15, 1951
The Brooklyn Chess Club is looking forward to a similar exhibition to be given on March 23 by State Champion Eliot Hearst in combination with C. C. Crittenden of Raleigh, N.C. The latter made a plus score at the open meeting in Detroit. Hearst is currently channeling chess lessons for teen-agers on television.
March 23 1951
The Charlotte News, Charlotte, North Carolina, Friday, March 23, 1951
Boy To Defend Chess Crown
Entries for the North Carolina Chess Association's open championship tournament here on April 7 and 8 are coming in from several states. Secretary George E. Goodwin of the Charlotte Chess Club said today.
The tournament will be held at the Selwyn Hotel.
Among those who have entered is Kitt Crittenden of Raleigh, a school boy who won the state championship in 1948 at the age of thirteen.
Others who will compete for the state title are Mark Eucher, a young college student from Detroit, Mich., and L. Russell Chauvenet of West Hyattsville, Md.
Among local club members who will try for the championship are L. F. Little of 3214 Forest Road and Henry Jones Jr., who recently moved here from Macon, Ga., to work in the textiles division of U. S. Rubber Co.
The Charlotte Observer, Charlotte, North Carolina, Friday, March 23, 1951
Entries Mounting Daily In Open Chess Tourney
New entries are being received daily for the North Carolina Chess association open tournament which will be held at Hotel Selwyn Saturday and Sunday, April 7 and 8.
Much local interest is being shown through the Charlotte Chess and a number of new members have joined in order to prepare themselves for the tournament. Among the new members are L. F. Little of 3214 Forest road and Henry H. Jones, Jr., a new resident who has just moved to Charlotte from Macon, Ga.
Important entries from outside the city include Kitt Crittenden of Raleigh and Mark Eucher of Detroit Mich. Mr Crittenden enjoys the distinction of having been the nation's youngest state champion having won the North Carolina State championship in 1948 when he was only 13 years old.
Mr. Eucher is a young college student and is expected to give the older players some good competition. A number of cities in the state have contestants entered in the tournament and South Carolina will be well represented also.
March 26 1951
The Charlotte Observer, Charlotte, North Carolina, Monday, March 26, 1951
DR. PIERRE MACY, president of the Charlotte Chess Club, is shown here looking over the prizes which will be awarded during the North Carolina Chess association open championship tournament to be held in the Hotel Selwyn April 7 and 8.—(Observer Staff photo—Dumbell.)
The Charlotte Observer, Charlotte, North Carolina, Monday, March 26, 1951
CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNEY SET FOR APRIL
North Carolina Chess Aces Will Converge On Charlotte
BY WINK LOCKLAIR
Observer Staff Writer
Chess, apparently one of the few games in the world which has not so far been the subject of a probe or a scandal will attract a large number of visitors to the city during the first week end in April when the open championship tournament of the North Carolina Chess association gets under way in the Hotel Selwyn.
Host for the two-day event will be the Charlotte Chess club, a fairly new organization whose members gather every Tuesday evening at 7:30 in room 111 of the Y.M.C.A. The clubs roster is made up of businessmen, lawyers, and salesmen as well as some of the younger crowd, all in all a pretty staid, gentle group of men.
The game itself is considered the most cosmopolitan of all games having been invented in the East, introduced into the West, and now played all over the world. “It has often been said that life is just a game of chess and those who have made a study of the game and its history can well agree: it represents the battle of life of here and hereafter.” says George Goodwin one of the game's local enthusiasts, treasurer, and acting secretary of the Charlotte Chess club.
NOAH'S ARK TRAP
“There is an ancient story that goes back to the days of the great flood when Noah built his ark. The story goes that, to while away the dreary hours on the ark and to steel themselves against the raging waters, Noah and his sons got into the habit of playing chess. One of the games which was recorded and used as a warning for the future has since become known as the Noah's Ark Trap. This is a warning that could be well used today.
“As many folks know the Russians are the world champion chess players, Uncle Joe Stalin and his men are trying every way they know to lead the United States into the Noah's Ark Trap. If they could have their way we would all be slaves and subjects of Russian dictatorship. But we are now awake and if the Russians don't watch out they'll walk into another kind of trap more severe than Noah's Ark.” warns Mr. Goodwin.
The trap Mr. Goodwin was referring to is known as the Legal's Trap in which greed overcomes judgment and a complete checkmate comes about with strokes from the bishop and the knight.
Because of its relation to the movements of armies chess has been highly regarded by military men since the reign of Emperor Charlemagne and even rulers before him. A complete set, including pawns, can represent the Crusaders and the Saracens, with the white pieces symbolic of the Christians and the black ones symbolizing the Turks. Tables for the local tournament will be set up with various kinds of sets some very valuable with hand carved pieces, others carved from rare wood representative of ancient wars when knights in armor went out with their armies to fight for the protection of their king and country.
Strategy in chess has been handed down for generations. There are many planes of attack and maneuver both as to openings middle game and end play. In some of the tournaments many hours are necessary for the completion of one move. However the local contest will require 50 moves in two hours.
“Chess players resemble two generals fighting it out. It is a form of battle for life between those who would dominate and those who refuse to submit,” Mr. Goodwin points out.
YOUNGSTER TO PLAY
If this is the case, one of the generals is going to be considerably younger than most commanders. He is 15-year-o1d Kit Crittenden, a high school student from Raleigh, who, in 1948, became the nation's youngest state chess champion. He has been a member of the Raleigh club for some time and is expected to give most of the old-timers stiff competition.
The local tournament was arranged by Henry A. Gaede, vice president of the club and Ephraim Solkoff, president of the North Carolina Chess association. Entries have been coming in from Raleigh, Durham, Wilmington, High Point, Greensboro and Winston-Salem, as well as from Charleston, Greenville, Spartanburg, and Rock Hill in South Carolina. Entries from Michigan and Maryland have also been received. All in all it will be an interesting two days of battle for the prizes which include a handsome chess set, a set of clocks, and a copy of the book “Royal Masters in Battle Royal”.
April 05 1951
The Durham Sun, Durham, North Carolina, Thursday, April 05, 1951
Chess Meet In Charlotte
The North Carolina Chess Association's annual “Open” Championship tournament will be held in Charlotte this weekend with the first round of play beginning at 9:00 A. M. Saturday morning.
The tourney will comprise five rounds of play and take place at the Selwyn Hotel. No previous registration is necessary and all chess players will be admitted prior to the first round of play.
Chess enthusiasts from Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee are expected with the majority of players coming from North Carolina. In June the N.C.C.A. will sponsor a “closed” tournament for North Carolina players only at Smithfield.
Leading the contingent from the Durham Chess Club will be W. J. Peters, 1950 “Open” Champion. Last year at Raleigh, Mr. Peters won with a score of 4½-½ after an exciting last round draw with Kit Crittenden who has been hot after the title after winning the State title in 1948. Other local players who hope to make Durham prominent in the Charlotte meet are: S. A. Agnello, president of the local club, A. G. Ashbrook, 1951 Durham Chess Club Champion, George C. Harwell, William Chapman, and Joe Weininger.
April 07 1951
The Charlotte News, Charlotte, North Carolina, Saturday, April 07, 1951
Kit Crittenden, seventeen-year-old chess champion from Raleigh, carried the Confederate flag into battle here today. Notice he has it secure in his shirt pocket. This picture was taken by Jeep Hunter of Tom Franklin Studio while Kit and Benny Rudich of Charleston, S. C., settled down to some playing in the North Carolina Open at the Selwyn Hotel.
April 08 1951
The Charlotte Observer, Charlotte, North Carolina, Sunday, April 08, 1951
CHESS TOURNEY TO END TODAY
Final Two Rounds Scheduled to Get Under Way at Hotel Selwyn at 9 p.m.
The final two rounds in the open tournament of the North Carolina Chess association will get under way at 9 o'clock this morning in Hotel Selwyn. Trophies and other prizes are to be awarded by Miss Charlotte following the last round this afternoon.
Late last night six of the 32 participants had won two games each without defeat. They were Prof. L. L. Foster from the University of South Carolina, Kit Crittenden, a high school senior from Raleigh who won the state closed title three years ago; W. J. Peters, Durham, North Carolina State champion; Joseph E. Orzano, Jr., Duke university student; William C. Adickes, Asheville, who holds North Carolina's Western open title; and Karl Burger, a student from Columbia university Now York City.
This is the first annual state-wide open tournament. Closed contests for North Carolinians have been held for several years. There are players here for the local tournament from Florida, Atlanta, Ga., New York, and the Carolinas.
Host for the tournament is the Charlotte Chess club which was organized several months ago. The North Carolina Chess association was founded in Raleigh in 1926, and since that time numerous cities have organized their own chess clubs and contests.
April 09 1951
The Charlotte Observer, Charlotte, North Carolina, Monday, April 09, 1951
KIT CRITTENDEN IS CHESS KING
Raleigh Student, 17 Years Old, Wins Championship In NC Open Tournament.
Kit Crittenden, 17, student at Needham Broughton High school, Raleigh, won the championship in the North Carolina open chess tournament at Hotel Selwyn yesterday.
Second place winner was William C. Adickes, Jr. of Asheville.
Karl Burger of New York City finished in third place; William Chapman student at Duke university, Durham, fourth; Charles E. Sponagle of Atlanta, fifth; R. C. Beeman of Wilmington, sixth, and Dr. George Harwell, an instructor at Duke university, seventh.
Very spirited competition was noted throughout the tournament.
Mrs. W. B. Compton, Sr., of Columbia, S.C., was declared winner of the women's championship.
The tournament, which began Saturday morning, was under sponsorship of the North Carolina Chess association.
George E. Goodwin, treasurer and acting secretary of the Charlotte Chess club, was a key figure in arranging for the tournament and in helping to assure its complete success. Keen interest was observed throughout the period of contest, and much adroit work on the part of participants was noted.
The Charlotte News, Charlotte, North Carolina, Monday, April 09, 1951
Schoolboy Takes N. C. Chess Title
A seventeen-year-old Raleigh schoolboy is North Carolina's open chess champion.
He is Kit Crittenden, who went through the first annual state open tournament here this week-end with a Confederate flag in his shirt pocket.
Kit outlasted 32 other chess players some of whom came from New York, Florida, and Georgia to try for the title.
Runner-up was William C Adickes Jr. of Asheville. Karl Burger of New York took third place. William Chapman, a Duke student, was fourth, Charles E. Sponagle of Atlanta fifth, R. C. Beeman of Wilmington sixth, and Dr. George Harwell of Duke's faculty seventh.
The tournament held under the sponsorship of the North Carolina Chess Association was held at the Selwyn Hotel Saturday and yesterday.
The Durham Sun, Durham, North Carolina, Monday, April 09, 1951
Kit Crittenden Wins Charlotte Chess Meet
Kit Crittenden member of the Durham Chess Club won first place honors in a chess tournament in Charlotte Saturday in which 32 players .
Other Durham players making plus scores in the tournament were: William Chapman, 4th place; G. C. Harwell, 7th place; A. G. Ashbrook, 10th place; S. A. Agnello, 11th place; W. J. Peters, 12th place; and Joe Orzano 15th place.
May 06 1951
News and Record, Greensboro, North Carolina, Sunday, May 06, 1951
Wake Chess Team Leads In Tourney
Raleigh players led three other teams with three points at the end of the first round in the North Carolina Chess Tournament of team play at Central Y.M.C.A. yesterday.
Charlotte originally scheduled to compete with Raleigh, Durham and Greensboro teams, canceled its appearance and Greensboro provided a second team to fill the vacancy.
First round scores were: Raleigh, 3; Durham, 2; Greensboro A, 2; Greensboro, B, 1.
The second round, which began at 7:30 p.m. yesterday, matched Durham with Raleigh and the two Greensboro teams against each other. At 1 p.m. today final play will begin with Greensboro A against Raleigh, and Greensboro B against Durham. Point totals for the three rounds will determine the state team champion.
Among the competitors is a father-son pair on the Raleigh team. Kit Crittenden, l7-year-old boy who recently won the state chess championship, won a first-round victory yesterday while his father, C. C. Crittenden, lost to a Greensboro opponent.
June 09 1951
The Durham Sun, Durham, North Carolina, Saturday, June 09, 1951
Chess Meet At Smithfield June 22-24
SMITHFIELD—The North Carolina Chess Association will conduct its 1951 Closed Championship Tournament, June 22-24 at Dr. V. A. Davidian's lodge on Holt Lake near Smithfield.
Davidian and former State Senator Lawrence H. Wallace, members of the Smithfield Chess Club, are in charge of arrangements.
Davidian is secretary of the State organization. Ephraim Solkoff of Raleigh is president.
The Smithfield Chess Club will entertain the tournament participants with a barbecue supper at 6:30 P.M. Friday, June 22. Following the supper the annual business meeting of North Carolina Chess Association, featuring the election of officers, will be held.
The first round of the tournament will get under way at the close of the business session. Play will continue the next day. The closing round is scheduled for Sunday, June 24.
The tournament, Secretary Davidian, announced is open to any chess player who is a resident of North Carolina.
A trophy will go to the champion to be retained by him for a year and the winner will also receive a replica of the trophy for permanent possession.
William J. Peters of Durham is expected to defend the State's closed championship title he won in 1950. Another outstanding participant will be 18-year-old Kit Crittenden of Raleigh, who captured the championship of the open tournament sponsored by the North Carolina Chess Association at Charlotte in April.
Chess players of Raleigh, Durham, Wilmington, Charlotte, Asheville, Winston-Salem, Greensboro and Leaksville have already indicated they will compete for the closed championship.
June 28 1951
The News and Observer, Raleigh, North Carolina, Thursday, June 28, 1951
New Office to Open For Rockingham Area
Smithfield, June 27.-Members of the North Carolina Chess Association elected Dr. D. A. Davidian as president during the weekend when the tournament was conducted at the Davidian lodge on Holt Lake. Other officers chosen were Dr. George Harwell of Durham, vice-president; and R. C. Beemon of Wilmington, secretary treasurer.
Kit Crittenden, son of State Historian C. C. Crittenden of Raleigh, one of 32 competitors, emerged from five rounds of play with an all-winning record to become the champion of the tournament. Crittenden, a recent high school graduate, also won the state's open tournament held in Charlotte in April. He captured the North Carolina chess championship the first time when he was only 14.
In the final competition at Holt Lake, the 18-year-old competitor won over 67-year-old H. M. Woods of Black Mountain, who had survived the first four rounds with a perfect slate of triumphs. Woods was a frequent winner of the state title up until a few years ago.
June 29 1951
The Daily Tar Heel, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Friday, June 29, 1951
Named Chess Champ
Charles C. (Kit) Crittenden, first quarter freshman from Raleigh, won the North Carolina chess championship at a tournament held recently in Smithfield.
September 04 1951
Daily Press, Newport News, Virginia, Tuesday, September 04, 1951
Washington Man Wins Chess Play
Lynchburg, Sept. 3—(AP)—Oscar Shapiro of Washington today won first prize of $100 in the Virginia Chess Association's Open Tournament here. The tournament got under way Saturday.
The 42-year-old automatic tournament technician with Western Union won 6½ points out of a possible 7.
Other winners were Martin C. Stark of Bethseda, Md., who took second prize of $40, with 5½ points out of 7; Russell Chauvenet of Silver Springs, Md., third prize of $20, with 5 points out of 7; and Kit Crittenden, Raleigh, N. C, fourth prize of $15 with 5 points out of 7. Chauvenet was awarded third prize because he beat stronger players than Crittenden.
Professor Rodney Baine of the University of Richmond was highest Virginian in the tournament, and as such he was awarded the Wilbur Moorman Memorial trophy and a cash prize of $25.
October 14 1951
The Charlotte Observer, Charlotte, North Carolina, Sunday, October 14, 1951
Know Your Carolina Officials
By Wade Lucas
Raleigh.—Dr. Charles Christopher Crittenden, the State of North Carolina's chief historian, has been director of the State Department of Archives and History since 1935.
A tall studious-looking man, Dr. Crittenden presides over a department that was created by legislative act in 1903 in an effort to reclaim and retain the past and present history of the State, its 100 counties and its outstanding citizens.
Hundreds upon hundreds of irreplaceable documents of an historical nature are kept on file in the storerooms of the department which is located on the first floor of the State Education building in Raleigh. The department has issued more than 250 publications in its time has copies of newspapers published in this state as far back as 1751 and has maintained since 1914 the State Hall of History which contains more than 20,000 historical relics and is visited annually by some 100,000 persons, mostly school children of the State.
RESEARCH BASE
The department makes its records available to State and county officials, historians, and researchers, genealogists, and the general public. Hundreds of books and articles published during this century have been based on records of the department.
A son of Charles Christopher and Ethel (Taylor) Crittenden, Dr. Crittenden was born in Wake Forest, December 1, 1902. He attended Wake Forest grammar and high schools and was graduated from Wake Forest college with an A.B. degree in 1921 and an A.M. degree in 1922. He won his PhD degree from Yale University in 1930.
Dr. Crittenden is a member of the American and Southern Historical associations, was secretary in 1935 of the State Literary and Historical association, president of the Society of American Archivists, president in 1940-42 of the American Association and Local History, and a member of the History Club and the Watauga club of Raleigh.
He was principal of the Roxobel public school, 1922-23, instructor in history at Yale university, 1924-25, instructor in history, University of North Carolina, 1926-29, and assistant professor of history at U.N.C., 1930-35.
He is author of ”North Carolina Newspapers Before 1770,” “The Commerce of North Carolina 1763-1789,” and various historical articles and book reviews. Now edits the North Carolina Historical Review.
A Baptist, he married the former Miss Jane Quinlan of Waynesville in 1930. They have three children, two sons, and a daughter. Chris, Jr. is a champion chess player and Daddy Chris justifiably brags on Junior's ability in this respect. Home address: Raleigh; office: State Education Building, Raleigh.
December 27 1951
The News and Observer, Raleigh, North Carolina, Thursday, December 27, 1951
C. C. Crittenden, director of the State Department of Archives and History, is attending a meeting of the American Historical Association in New York City. Kit Crittenden is representing the University of North Carolina at the Intercollegiate Chess Tournament in Philadelphia, Pa.
