AFebruary 04 1940
White To Play and Win 04 Feb 1940, Sun Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Fort Worth, Texas) Newspapers.com
“White to Play and Win” is the challenging title of a recently published chess book by Weaver W. Adams. Whatever protest the Massachusetts player may evoke by his thesis that “in the first move White conceivably enjoys an advantage sufficient to ultimately win the game” he certainly has made a definite contribution to chess analysis. Countless generations of chess players have held to the theory that any game free of errors would end in a draw that if the best move was made by each side at each turn an equal position would be retained to the last move. Now Adams seeks to prove this old theory a misconception and offers a new way to play chess.
Adams has evolved a formula for analyzing each move The four major points he considers before moving a piece or a pawn are: Power mobility optional moves with this piece or pawn and weaknesses created by the move. These guides to move evaluation are not new but Adams use of them is.
The book is fully illustrated with about 50 diagrams. It also contains 44 pages of general and special analysis showing the best possible moves White can make in the king's pawn openings. Adams does not overlook the fact that the player of White does make inferior moves. He has included a section entitled “Best lines for Black against inferior opening play by White”.
““White to Play and Win” is further evidence that chess is far from exhausted. This book will appeal both to the average player who is the salt of the chess world and to the master player. The publisher is David McKay Company Philadelphia the price is 75 cents.
Here is one of the 27 illustrative games selected by Adams.
Bjorn Nielsen vs Henri Grob
non-FIDE Munich Olympiad (1936), Munich GER, rd 18, Aug-29
Sicilian Defense: Classical Variation (B58) 1-0
June 06 1940
Weaver Adams' Presence Felt in U.S. Chess Play 06 Jun 1940, Thu The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York) Newspapers.com
Weaver Adams' Presence Felt in U S Chess Play By Herman Helms
Seeded in order that New England might be represented Weaver W. Adams of Boston outstanding figure in chess circles Down East now that John F Barry is no more, was not among the prize winners in the U S championship tournament recently concluded at the Hotel Astor in Manhattan. He made his presence felt nevertheless. It was he who a year ago in the American Federation tournament had Champion Reshevsky at his mercy but allowed him to escape. Similarly in the recent competition he let off A.C. Simonson when he had a forced checkmate in sight.
Adams did both Reshevsky and Fine a good turn when in the fourteenth round he won from Isaac Kashdan of Brooklyn the day after the latter was defeated for the first time by Reshevsky. The New Englander finished with a record of five victories four drawn games and seven losses against the stiffest opposition New York City could supply. He also won from Sidney J. Bernstein and Matthew Green. Like the world famous Pillsbury, also from Boston, Adams has the urge or will to win. Such a policy however is attended by not a little risk. At any rate the Boston player contributed his full share to the entertainment of the gallery.
One of the best efforts credited to Adams in this tournament was his game with Green whom he defeated classically in an ending with two minor pieces on each side. It was included among those entered in competition for the Wimsatt-Turover prizes.
June 27 1940
Adams Captures Two Chess Prizes 27 Jun 1940, Thu The Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn, New York) Newspapers.com
Adams Captures Two Chess Prizes
Honored for Brilliancy Best Game in Recent U S Tourney By Hermann Helms
Chess players of New England are prone to be a bit chesty these days and they have good reason to be. One of their number, Weaver W. Adams of Boston and the only one from Down East in the recent U.S. championship tournament here carried off both the special prizes offered for games of outstanding merit The Boston expert who rather than play to the score in every game went in for gilt-edged chess, made a clean sweep in this class.
According to the report made in behalf of the board of Judges by Harold M. Phillips president of the Manhattan Chess Club the brilliancy prise was awarded to Adams for his game with I. Kashdan of Brooklyn who ranked third in the tournament. The other award for the best game beginning with P-K4 was for his victory over Matthew Green.
W. K. Winsatt and I. S. Turover of Washington D C desiring to encourage the sort of tactics of which the New Englander appear to be a past master provided the funds for the two prizes. Appended is the score of the game Adams won from Kashdan
Weaver Adams vs Isaac Kashdan
United States Championship (1940), New York, NY USA, rd 14, May-15
French Defense: Classical. Tarrasch Variation (C14) 1-0
Another opportunity will be Afforded Adams to show what he can do in the invitation tournament at Ventnor City N.J. July 6 to 14, where he will be one of 12 contenders.
