AJune 04 1951
The Tribune, San Luis Obispo, California, Monday, June 04, 1951
Haven't Missed A Match…These two chess players, Fred N. Christensen of Oakland, left and William P. Barlow of Piedmont, right, have played in every north-south chess tournament held in California since the first one at the Andrews hotel in San Luis Obispo in 1926. Christensen, originator of the north-south tournament idea, was captain of the northern California chess team for the first 10 years of the sectional competition. Both men played on the northern team which won yesterday's match.
Chess Experts Hold State Matches Here
Northern California experts captured the 18th annual north-south chess tournament held in San Luis Obispo yesterday, taking the honors from players from southern California by the wide margin of 38 and one-half points against 19 and one-half points for the south.
There were 116 players engaged in the tournament, recognized by chess authorities as one of the nation's keenest competitive series.
“We were really hot this year,” was the comment of Guthrie McClain, captain of the northern team. “We brought the largest team ever to a north-south match and the south brought about its usual strength.”
McClain said that the San Luis Obispo match ranks with any chess playing event in the nation. California now has the second largest number of chess players, trailing New York slightly.
The California state club championship was won by the Castle Chess club, Oakland, defeating the Santa Monica Chess club by a score of 6-0.
Winners of the rapid transit competition, 10 seconds allowed for each play, were Harry Borochow, Los Angeles, top honors; James Schmitt, San Francisco, second and R. N. Travers, Los Angeles, third.
The losing southern California continent of 58 players was headed by LeRoy Johnson, team captain.
This year's matches held at the city recreation club brought the largest number of participants ever to compete in the chess tournament.
Of the 18 meets held in the annual north-south match, 14 have been held in San Luis Obispo and four in Atascadero.
The first match was held at the Andrews hotel here in 1926, when 12 boards formed the competition, as against the 58 this year.
Arthur Higgins, representing the chamber of commerce of this city, gave a welcoming talk to the players before start of play at 10:30 a.m., and Roy C. Teel, San Luis Obispo Chess club representative presented ten-year participation pins to Johnson and Irving Spero of Los Angeles.
Higgins asserted that the chamber of commerce would present five year participation pins next year.
Among the outstanding chess authorities in attendance yesterday were Isaac Kashdan, former unofficial United States champion; E. P. Elliott, former western champion; Nancy Roos, former Belgian woman title-holder; A. J. Fink, San Francisco, internationally known chess problem composer, and William P. Barlow, Piedmont, and Fred N. Christensen, Oakland, who have not missed a north-south chess match in the past 18 years.
