Tigran Petrosian, 1952

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January 03 1952

The Guardian, London, Greater London, England, Thursday, January 03, 1952

Geller vs. Keres
Included in the scores of the recent U.S.S.R. championships were: Keres 12 points; 2. Geller and Petrosian 11½-4; 4. Smyslov 11½; 5. Botvinnik 10; 6. Averbach, Bronstein and Tajmanov 9; 9. Aronin and Flohr.
The result strongly supports the doubts which were expressed recently in this column, whether tournaments and their vagaries really provide the best method of producing a candidate for a world championship match. Had this contest been the “candidates tournament.” normally an even stronger contest both the actual world champion, Botvinnik, and Bronstein, the runner-up, still in our opinion the strongest players, would have been out of the running.

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June 08 1952

The Press Democrat, Santa Rosa, California, Sunday, June 08, 1952

And here a game from the recent Russian Championship

Tigran V Petrosian vs Nikolai Kopilov
USSR Championship (1951), Moscow URS, rd 1, Nov-11
Nimzo-Indian Defense: St. Petersburg Variation (E43) 0-1

(a) H. Golombek in the British Chess Magazine says, “If ever a position merited the description ‘critical’ this one does. The text allows Black to instil fresh vigor into his attack. With the simple, if restrained, 17. PxP! he destroys all chances of any attack by Black. For if then (a) 17. … BxQP; 18. BxPch KxB; 19. QxB N-B3; 20. RxB R-KB1; 21. Q-K4ch and wins. Or (b) 17. … B-Q3; 18. R-K4, winning the N; or (c) 17. … NxBP; 18. KxN B-R5ch; 19. K-N2 Q-N5ch; 20. K-R1 BxR; 21. Q-K2, followed by RxB.

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August 07 1952

Meie Kodu = Our Home, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, Thursday, August 7, 1952

CHESS
From “The News”, London Express Service
Hungary has honoured the memory of her great chess master Geza Maroczy by organising one of the strongest tournaments of recent times.
The Soviet Union sent five players who finished in the first five places in the recent Soviet championship and as expected they proved a little too strong for the rest of the field.
The scores tell some of the story: Keres (USSR) 12½; Geller (USSR) 12; Botwinnik (USSR), Smyslov (USSR) and Stahlberg (Sweden), each 11; Szabo (Hungary) 10½; Petrosian (USSR) and Pilnik (Argentina), each 9½; O'Kelly (Belgium) 9; Benko (Hungary) 8½; Barcza (Hungary) and Szily (Hungary), each 8; Golombek (GB) and Kottnauer (Czechoslovakia), each 7; Gereben (Hungary), 6; Trojanescu (Rumania) 5½; Sliwa (Poland) 5; Platz (E. Germany) 2.
Noteworthy are the great successes of Keres and Geller the comparative failure of the champion Botwinnik and the high place of Stahlberg who was unlucky not to have done even better.

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Geza Maróczy Memorial Tournament, Budapest 1952. Mikhail Botvinnik, Vasily Smyslov, Aleksandr Tolush, Vladimir Alatortsev, Paul Keres, Efim Geller, Tigran Petrosian. Source of original b/w photo unknown. For fair use, all credits must be kept intact. Color photo version created by the developer (me, yours truly) of https://best-in-chess.blogspot.com/p/tigran-vartanovich-petrosian.html

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September 25 1952

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn, New York, Thursday, September 25, 1952

Russians Set Pace in Zonal Chess
By Hermann Helms
Of the 21 players striving for places' in next year's world championship tournament five, including three Russians are setting the pace in the current zonal competition in Sweden, where six rounds were completed last night.
Seemingly head and shoulders above the rest is Alexander Kotov at Moscow who led the Russian team to victory at Helsinki last month. He has defeated all five of his opponents. He had a bye in the third round. Gideon Stahlberg of Sweden has won three games and drawn three for a score of 4½-1½. Next in the standing are Laszlo Szabo, Hungary, with 4-1, T. Petrosian, Russia, with 4-2 and Geller youngest of the Russian grandmasters, fifth with 3½-1½.

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September 28 1952

The Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, California, Sunday, September 28, 1952

Russians Lead in Sweden
New York Times
New York, Sept. 27—Four of the five Russians competing in the world chess championship tournament at Saltsjöbaden in Sweden give promise of qualifying for places in the challengers competition to be held next year. According to a report from Stockholm today, when six adjourned games were played off, two of these Soviet representatives were among the winners.
T. Petrosian advanced to third place after defeating R. G. Wade of New Zealand in their eighth-round game lasting 57 moves. M. Taimanov scored at the expanse of L. Prins. The Netherlands, in 48 and tied for fourth place with E. Geller, Russia, and L. Szabo of Hungary. Alexander Kotov, Russia, with 7-0, and Gideon Stahlberg of Sweden, 6-2, continued at the top of the standing.
Prins lost a second point when he miscalculated in the ending with Herman Steiner of Los Angeles, who had gained a pawn during the earlier session. The Californian won in 56 moves.
Steiner had a bye in the fifth round, had drawn with Paul Vaitonis of Hamilton, Ont., in the sixth and lost an adjourned game to Svetozar Gligoric of Yugoslavia in the seventh round.
Standing of the players:

Kotov, 7-0;
Stahlberg, 6-2;
Petrosian, 5½-2½;
Geller, 5-2;
Szabo, 5-3;
Taimanov, 5-2;
Barcza, 4½-2½;
Pachman, 4½-3½;
Averbach, 4-4;
Gligoric, 4-4;
Matanovic, 4-4;
Pilnik 4-4;
Sanchez, 3½-4½;
Stoltz, 3-4;
Unzicker, 3-5;
Wade, 3-5;
Eliskases, 2½-4½;
Steiner, 2½-4½;
Golombek, 2-6;
Prins, 1-7, and Vaitonis, 1-7.

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October 02 1952

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn, New York, Thursday, October 02, 1952

Russians Fare Well in Zonal Chess Tourney
By Hermann Helms
After two weeks of play in 10 rounds of the world chess zonal tournament in Sweden, four of the 21 contenders remain undefeated. Three of this quartet are Russians, of whom Alexander Kotov, who captained the champion Soviet team at Helsinki, is well in the lead, 8½-½. The other two are T. Petrosian, tied at 7-2 with G. Stahlberg of Sweden and S. Taimanov, whose score of 6½-2½ is level with that of E. Geller of Russia. Geller, however, lost a game in the third round.
With the halfway mark reached, it seems that four of the Russians will qualify for places in next year's challengers tournament. Herman Steiner of Los Angeles has found hard sledding. He has won three games and drawn one to date.

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The Guardian, London, Greater London, England, Thursday, October 02, 1952

World's Championship
The final zonal tournament in the world's chess championship is being played at Stockholm. The scores so far are: Kotov 5 (out of 5), Szabo 4½ (5), Stahlberg 4½ (6), Petrosian 4 (6), Geller 3½ (5), Barcza, Pachman, and Pilnik 3½ (6), Taimanov 3 (5), Averbach, Wade, Matanovic, Sanchez, and Unzicker 3 (6), Gligoric 2½ (6), Stoltz 2 (6), H. Steiner 1½ (5). Golombek l½ (6), Eliskases 1 (5). Vaitonis and Prins 1 (6)

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October 04 1952

The Gazette, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Saturday, October 04, 1952

World Championship Interzonal
Current scores of all the competitors at Saltsjobaden, Sweden, are: Kotov (USSR) 7-0; Stahlberg (Sweden) 6-2; Petrosian (USSR) 5½-2½; Geller (USSR), Szabo (Hungary) and Taimanov (USSR) 5-2 each; Barcza (Hungary) and Pachman (Czech.) 4½-2½ each; Gligoric (Yugoslavia), Matanovic (Yugoslavia), Pilnik (Argentina) and Auerbach (USSR), 4-4 each; Sanchez (Venezuela) 3½-4½; Stoltz (Sweden) 3-4; Wade (New Zealand) and Unzicker (W. Germany) 3-5 each; Eliskases (Argentina) and H. Steiner (USA) each; Golombek (England) 2-6; Vaitonis (Canada) and Prins (Holland) 1-7 each, Julio Bolbochan, Argentina retired after the second round, due to illness.

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October 11 1952

The Gazette, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Saturday, October 11, 1952

World Championship Interzonal
Alexander Kotov, USSR grandmaster, continues to hold the lead at Saltsjobaden with a score of 10-1. Other top scores are: Stahlberg, 8½-3½; Petrosian, 8-4; Taimanov, 7½-3½; Szabo, 7-4; Gligoric, 6½-4½; Pachman, 6-6; Auerbach, Unzicker and Barcza, 5½-5½ each.
Canada's Paul Vaitonis broke into the scoring column with a win over Luis Sanchez, of Colombia, in 58 moves, and draws against Taimanov, Leningrad champion, in 52 moves, and H. Steiner, former USA champion, in 56 moves. He lost to Stoltz, after an adjournment, to Gligoric in 39, to Eliskases in 33, and to Prins in 62, after a close N and P ending.

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October 23 1952

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn, New York, Thursday, October 23, 1952

Reshevsky to Meet At Least 10 Russians In Challengers' Play
By Hermann Helms
In consequence of the latest triumph in the clean sweep in the zonal tournament at Saltsjobaden, where Russians occupied all five of the top places, Samuel Reshevsky of Brooklyn will be called upon to face at least 10 Soviet opponents in next year's challengers contest, into which he was seeded by the International Chess Federation. Kotov, Petrosian and Taimanov, all undefeated in 20 games, and Geller and Auerbach qualified at Stockholm for promotion to the 1953 test.
Other Soviet representatives are expected to be Keres, Smyslov, Bronstein, Boleslavsky and Bondarevsky, who qualified two years ago. In the same boat with Reshevsky are Dr. Max Euwe of Amsterdam and Miguel Najdorf of Argentina. It was reported that Dr. Euwe would refrain from taking part, but this was contradicted in later reports from Saltsjobaden.
The Russians were most formidable at Saltsjobaden. They lost only three games, two by Geller and one by Auerbach. Among themselves they contested 20 games, all of which were drawn. Auerbach barely pulled through, thanks to his figures rated by the Sonneborn-Berger system. He finished in a tie for fifth place with Gligoric, Stahlberg and Szabo.
Herman Steiner, who moved from Astoria to Los Angeles several years ago, made a score of 10-10. The former United States champion drew with Kotov, Petrosian and Geller, but lost to Taimanov and Auerbach.
The women's world championship challengers tournament is now under way in Moscow. Ten countries are represented by 16 players, including Mrs. Mary Bain and Miss Mona May Karff. Mrs. Bain won her first game from Mrs. Belska of Czechoslovakia.

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The Gazette, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Saturday, October 25, 1952

World Championship Interzonal
Alexander Kotov, USSR, won the Interzonal at Saltsjobaden, Sweden, by a wide margin, going through undefeated. Four of his seven draws went to his fellow-countrymen who qualified with him for entry into next year's Candidates tourney. Auerbach's tie was broken by the Sonneborn-Berger system.
Canada's Paul Vaitonis added draws with R. G. Wade, H. Pilnik and H. Golombek in the closing rounds.

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Harry Tabor Conover, 1943

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September 10 1943

The Daily Record, Long Branch, New Jersey, Friday, September 10, 1943

HARRY T. CONOVER
Pfc. Harry T. Conover, son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph M. Conover, 220 Roosevelt Avenue, Elberon, is stationed somewhere in England. He entered the Army Oct. 6, 1941 and was sent overseas the following May.
After being in Northern Ireland for 13 months, he was sent to his present post. Harry is a graduate of the Asbury Park High School and was a member of the student council and honor society. His hobby chess.

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Harry Tabor Conover, 1956

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May 28 1956

Asbury Park Press, Asbury Park, New Jersey, Monday, May 28, 1956

Two Shore area chess players who were defeated in the National Amateur Chess Championships, Chester Van Brunt, Rumson (left), and Harry Conover, Long Branch, enjoy sociable game at Monterey Hotel yesterday. (Press Photo)

Lt. Hudson Wins Amateur Chess Tourney
By Hal Waters
Asbury Park—A gum-chewing Air Force lieutenant with a bold attack swept five straight matches and drew in a sixth this weekend to win the National Amateur Chess Championship at the Monterey Hotel here.
Twenty-five-year-old John A. Hudson, of Philadelphia, Pa., on leave from Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Del., won the title with a tie-breaking score of 1,672. Two other players also scored 5½ in match play, but were far behind Hudson in points, compiled on past tournament performances.
The championship came to a climatic conclusion with Hudson battling defending champion Clinton Parmelee of Newark to the time limit. The board was adjudicated and after a lengthy conference among the tournament committee the match was declared a draw.
Hudson started strongly against Parmelee, using an irregular opening to put the former champion on the defensive. But Parmelee righted himself by mid-point in the game and went down to the wire holding a slight advantage.

Playing Against Time
Near the end, Hudson had to revert to lightening-like moves to get his 50 moves in within the allotted two hours for his play. Parmelee had minutes to spare, but couldn't force Hudson into an error.
Bobby Fischer, a 13-year-old protege who already holds the Greater New York Class B Open title, won the Amateur B crown yesterday.
Edgar T. McCormick of East Orange won the Class A title and Mrs. Kathryn Slater repeated as women's amateur champion.
Eighty-eight players competed in the championship, representing 14 states. Five men competed from the Shore Area. They were: Chester Van Brunt, Rumson; Les and Richard Jahn, Jr., of Belmar, Harry Derring of West Point Pleasant and Harry Conover of Long Branch.

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Alfred William Bowen, 1934

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November 06 1934

Evening Chronicle, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England, Tuesday, November 06, 1934

Alfred William Bowen

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Max Swinton Burkett, 1978

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January 01 1978

The Sacramento Bee, Sacramento, California, Sunday, January 01, 1978

Chess by R. E. Fauber with Frank Garosi
Chess Players: Biker Doesn't Fit The Stereotype
THE STEREOTYPE of chess as an effete game for the anemic and underweight is slow dying. In fact chess provides pleasure and a creative outlet for all types and sizes of people. There is a sense of completeness about the micro-world of chess.
One of the leading players and organizers in the Bay Area illustrates this perfectly. A stocky, muscular character, Max Burkett travels to tournaments on his bike and swaggers to the registration table swinging his crash helmet. In Oakland they call him Motorcycle Max.
Burkett is not a person to be treated flippantly. He likes his beer and his Scotch in generous quantities and while some people treat chess tournaments as though they had just taken the Crusader's vow, Burkett refuses to stop living at night just because he has another game in the morning. He might be a higher-rated player today were he not vulnerable in morning rounds. By evening he is a tiger, but in the morning he sometimes succumbs as the result of living not wisely but too well.
Burkett's lifestyle, for all its colorful aspects, centers around chess. He publishes bulletins of the games of Bay Area tournaments, directs tournaments, and cooperates with anyone who is trying to give chess a boost. If you want to do a macho number, do not perform the rendition around Burkett — he'll floor you; but if you want to play chess or help promote it, Burkett is a perfect gentleman.
His current project is to organize the master and nearmaster players into an association to encourage quality tournaments and chess in Northern California. To have more time for this, for tournaments and his bulletins, he recently relinquished his job with the post office and now derives his non-chess income from a newspaper delivery route. One pictures him zooming crash-helmet on his bike through the streets of Oakland, hurling papers at high speed and bellowing: “Check, check, and double check!”
Over the board, Burkett is known for his deep opening knowledge and a preference for getting a wrestler's bind on the opponent and crushing him. He is most vulnerable when he sacrifices material, but here he coaxes a risky variation to victory.

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Max Swinton Burkett, 1966

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June 26 1966

The Odessa American, Odessa, Texas, Sunday, June 26, 1966

Man vs. Clock—Max Burkett, Las Cruces, ponders his move while his clock ticks away seconds that may become vital later in the game. But Burkett, an expert player, knows that haste makes waste.

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July 15 1966

Max Burkett (Aug. 11, 2023) notes: “I finished 3 places ahead of Bobby in the 1955 US Junior, only on tie-breakers and only because he took draws in good positions. I spent one morning with him and won every game - of table tennis 🙂. I have Robin Adair of Albuquerque to thank for the photographs of me in the Abq. Journal, Abq. Tribune, Chess Life, and Chess Review. George Koltanowski gave me some print in a 1955 Chess Life in one of the twice-monthly tabloid CL of the 50s (probably a November 1955 issue). I'll indulge myself a bit here with the end of my first (and only) win over my archrival in the Southwest, Ken (Smith-Morra Gambit) Smith in the 1966 Oran Perry Memorial in 1966 Odessa, Texas. Black to move and win:”

Kenneth Smith vs Max Burkett
Oran Perry Open (1966), Odessa, TX USA, Jul-15
Zukertort Opening: Dutch Variation (A04) 0-1

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Max Swinton Burkett, 1964

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May 31 1964

The Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, California, Sunday, May 31, 1964

Phoenix Open Tournament
Richard Moran of Denver scored 5½-½ to take first prize in the open tournament at Phoenix. He won five games outright and drew one with Frederick Stahl of Phoenix.
Daniel Gollub of Phoenix and Dennis Naylin of Denver tied for second place with 5-1 scores. Stahl finished in a tie at 4½-1½ with Max Burkett of University Park, New Mexico. Burkett had been tied for first up to the final round, when a loss to Moran knocked him down.

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July 26 1964

The Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, California, Sunday, July 26, 1964

The Las Vegas Open Tournament had a record-breaking entry list of 164 players, who struggled through seven rounds of a Swiss system in four days.
The result was a six-way tie for the top prizes, all winding up with scores of 6-1. The trophy was awarded on tie-breaking points to William A. Bills of Houston, Tex., who won four games and drew with Duncan Suttles of Reno and Peter S. Cleghorn of San Francisco.
Suttles and Cleghorn were in the top-ranking group. The others were Irving Rivise of Los Angeles and Arthur Spiller and Tibor Weinberger of Santa Monica.
Ties are inevitable when a large number of players contest a relatively few rounds. Seven of the participants reached the next position, with final tallies of 5½-1½.
They were: Max Burkett, Kenneth R. Smith, Roy H. Hoppe, Stewart Reuben, Michael N. Robinson, Robert S. Brieger and James E. Berry.

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August 31 1964

The Odessa American, Odessa, Texas, Monday, August 31, 1964

California Man Wins Chess Meet
Max Burkett of San Francisco copped top prize in the first Pan Handle - Permian Basin Open Chess Tournament held this weekend at the Lincoln Hotel.
Burkett was tied with R. R. McCready of Dallas with 4½ points after regular tournament play, but won the tie-breaker. They split the combined first and second prize money which totaled $106.
In a three-way tie for third place were Hector Fabela, El Paso, Robert Parmelee, Las Cruces, N. M., and local attorney Charles Winston. Fabela won the tie-breaker.
Best junior prize went to John Hall, Dallas, who finished tenth and the best unrated prize went to 13-year-old John Jacobs of Dallas who finished eighth. There was a total of 40 players entered.
Other local finishers were Harry Halsell, 13th, Jay Terk, 21st, Jimmy Geers, 27th, Jim Cubellier, 28th, J. R. Lackey, 29th and Billy Perry, 38th.

Max Burkett (Aug. 12, 2023) notes: “I hitch-hiked from San Francisco to retire the Panhandle Open Trophy, winning it for the third time. I travelled with roomie Bob Henry. Bob Parmalee had earlier been my travelling buddy while we were both at NMSU. Hector Fabella, the promoter of the El Paso Open, was a good friend. Check out the El Paso Times for my two victories in the El Paso Open; 1961, 1962, and 1963 are possibilities. I returned briefly to the area in 1972 and won the Las Cruces Open. Check the Las Cruces Sun-News.”

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October 18 1964

The Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, California, Sunday, October 18, 1964

Rocky Mountain Open
Californians practically dominated the Rocky Mountain Open Tournament in Phoenix, taking seven of the first nine places in the event.
The winner was Sidney Rubin of Los Angeles, who scored five wins and a draw to head the field of 71. He defeated Don Benge of Burbank in the final round to clinch the prize.
Sam Priebe of Flagstaff, Ariz., was awarded second prize on tie-breaking points. He finished with 5-1, a score equalled by Paul Quillen of Santa Monica, Karl Stani of Los Angeles and Max Burkett of San Francisco.
Benge dropped to a tie at 4½-1½ with Saul Wanetick of Los Angeles, Stephen Skrypzak of Redlands and A. M. Gardner of Phoenix.

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Max Swinton Burkett, 1963

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February 17, 1963

El Paso Times, El Paso, Texas, Sunday, February 17, 1963

Times Chess Columnist To Direct Meet
International master George Koltanowski from San Francisco will direct the Fourth El Paso Open Chess Tournament next weekend.
The tournament will consist of six rounds, with pairings made according to the Swiss pairing system. The time limit for individual games will be 45 moves in two hours.
The local tournament committee reports that pre-registration has been brisk, and a record participation of players from El Paso, Juarez and the entire Southwest is expected. Registration closes at 6 p.m. Friday at the downtown Hilton Hotel, the tournament site.
Last year's overall championship resulted in a three-way tie for first place between Max Burkett of Las Cruces, Jack Shaw of Albuquerque, and Mike Brame of San Antonio. All three are expected to defend their title and should run into heavy competition from such players as El Pasoans Hector Fabela and William Bragg. Both have lately been successful in national competitions.
Numerous cash prizes and trophies await the winners in all classes of playing strength, which include ladies, juniors and beginners.

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July 01 1963

El Paso Herald-Post, El Paso, Texas, Monday, July 01, 1963

Champ Name In Chess Meet
Park Bishop president of the Chess Club of El Paso has announced the winners of the Fourth Annual Yucca IV Regional held at the YWCA here over the weekend.
Walter Dome Albuquerque was winner with 4.5 points Peter Cook and Hector Favela, El Paso, Max Burkett, University Park N.M., Yolando Lobato, Juarez, and Oran Perry, Midland, tied for second and third places with 3.5 points.
Donald Obiter, El Paso, was highest unrated player. Francisco Contreras, Juarez, made the highest improvement over his previous tournament scores.
Ed Hutchens directed the tournament.

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August 26 1963

Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Lubbock, Texas, Monday, August 26, 1963

Burkett Repeats As Chess Champ
Max Burkett took the Panhandle Open Championship Chess Tourney trophy back home with him to University Park, N. M. as he earned his second straight championship Saturday.
In so doing, Burkett became the first player in the more than 10-year history of event to capture the title two years in succession. He earned the crown with a perfect score of five to top a field of 27 entries.
John Robert Wheelock, 2407 24th St., earned the Panhandle championship and the crown for Lubbock.
State high school chess champion Jimmy Stallings, Dallas, captured the junior division championship.
Sponsoring the event, which drew from throughout the Southwest, was the YMCA. Host club for the two-day tournament was the Lubbock Chess Club.

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December 28 1963

Corpus Christi Times, Corpus Christi, Texas, Saturday, December 28, 1963

Top-Rated Chess Player Held to Draw in Contest
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP)—Michael Valvo of Columbia top-rated player in the Intercollegiate chess association was held to a draw by James Horvath of Toledo last night in the third round of the national intercollegiate chess championships.
Horvath is ranked No 19.
Players with 3-0 records included Walter Cunningham, Los Angeles State, ranked No. 2; John Meyer, Yale; Henry Dove and Henry Davis, Texas; Max Burkett, New Mexico; Norris Weaver, California; George Berry, Dartmouth, and Charles Hoey, Marietta.
Texas and California were tied for the team lead with 10½ points each.
The tournament will continue through Monday. There are 103 players from 31 colleges and universities competing.

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December 29 1963

Albuquerque Journal, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Sunday, December 29, 1963

University Student Leads Chess Tourney
South Bend, Indiana (AP)—Max Burkett of the University of New Mexico took a fourth round Saturday in the seven-round national intercollegiate chess tournament at the University of Notre Dame.
Burkett led with a perfect record of four victories, no losses and no draws. He had four points.
Burkett, No. 11 in pre-tournament rankings, defeated second-ranked Walter Cunningham of Los Angeles State College in Saturday's fourth round. The 103 contestants from 31 colleges and universities will play in two rounds today and a final one Monday.
Top-rated Michael Valvo of Columbia was one of the eight contestants in second place with 3½ points. One-half point was awarded for a draw. Others at 3½ points were Norris Weaver, University of California, Berkeley; George Berry, Dartmouth; John Meyer, Yale; Don Sutherland, University of California, Berkeley; Chuck Hoey, Marietta (Ohio) College; Henry Davis, University of Texas; and James Horvath, University of Toledo.
Team standings were not complete, with point tallies expected by today.

Max Burkett (Aug. 14, 2023) notes: “A loss to Michael Valvo kept me from winning that tournament. I played 1st board for NMSU, not UNM. Bob Parmalee played 2nd board. It was a combined team and individual event.”

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The South Bend Tribune, South Bend, Indiana, Sunday, December 29, 1963

College Students In Chess Tournament at Notre Dame—These six college men are among 101 entrants from 31 colleges participating in the National Intercollegiate Chess Tournament at the University of Notre Dame. The players are, left to right, Douglas Ray, Pennsylvania State College; Joseph McCarty, Notre Dame, the tournament's general chairman; Max Burkett, New Mexico State College; W. Cunningham, Los Angeles State College, the tourney's second seeded player; George Tessaro, University of Illinois, and Steve Shutt, also of Penn. State. Burkett, with four victories, no losses and no draws, took a fourth round lead Saturday in the seven-round contest. — Photo by Tribune Staff Photographer.

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December 31 1963

The Albuquerque Tribune, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Tuesday, December 31, 1963

Chess Player In Top Group
South Bend, Ind., Dec. 31 (AP)—Henry Davis of the University of Texas won his seventh round game from George Berry of Dartmouth last night and claimed the National Intercollegiate Chess Championship.
Both Davis and top-ranked Michael Valvo of Columbia had six points, each winning five games and drawing two and it took the second order of tie-breaking points to give Davis the title.
Trailing them with 5½ points each were Norris Weaver, California; Walter Cunningham, Los Angeles State; Max Burkett, University of New Mexico, and Peter Irwin, unattached. At ninth and tenth with 5 points each were Berry and Donald Sutherland, California.
The four-day meet at the University of Notre Dame drew 103 contestants from 31 colleges and universities.
The universities of California and Texas tied for first place in team standings, and Columbia was third.

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Max Swinton Burkett, 1962

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February 25 1962

El Paso Times, El Paso, Texas, Sunday, February 25, 1962

Juarez Boy Cops Chess Honors Here
Chess experts, masters, and aspirants in fourth-round play at the Hilton Hotel fought several close games until a late hour Saturday, with Joachim Lobato, 11, of Juarez winning against a powerful opponent.
Henry Davis of San Antonio and Max Burkett of Albuquerque played a draw contest, while Jack Shaw of Albuquerque and Henry Morgan of Phoenix, Ariz., repeated.
The results found Hector Fabela of El Paso, Davis of San Antonio, Shaw and Burkett of Albuquerque, and Morgan in the lead with 3½ points scored. Fifth round play begins at 8 a.m. Sunday. Sixth, and final, round will come after the lunch break.
Tournament director George Koltanowski, of San Francisco, El Paso Times chess editor, said that young Lobato had displayed skill, daring and endurance to mark him for possible international honors.
“I have the feeling that he has the making of a chess master, and I hope the City of Juarez may recognize its opportunity and give the young man a chance for more tournament play. For this he needs backing.”
“A few years ago,” Koltanowski said, “Mexico had a famous chess master, Torre. Now, once again they have a possibility of a second Bobby Fischer and that is saying a great deal.”
Fischer, now 18, is one of the top players of the game in the world, and started only some five years ago. He lives in Brooklyn, N.Y.

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February 26 1962

El Paso Times, El Paso, Texas, Monday, February 26, 1962

Three Tie For Top Spot In El Paso Chess Tourney
Max Burkett and Jack F. Shaw of Albuquerque, N. M., and Mike Brame of San Antonio each scored five points for a three-way win of the third annual El Paso Open Chess Tournament which ended Sunday.
George Koltanowski, international chess master who directed the tournament, said it was one of the best held in El Paso.
Players came from as far away as Seattle. Three of the 40 players were chess masters and a number of them were rated as experts.
Players who scored 4.5 points were Henry Davis, San Antonio; Charles T. Morgan, Phoenix; Kenneth R. Smith, Dallas, and William L. Kirk, Los Alamos, N.M.
Players with 4 points were Dan W. Denney, Dallas; Vernon Zeigner, Los Alamos; John Freeman, El Paso; Peter K. Cook, El Paso, and Clifford J. Roberson, Las Cruces, N.M.
Players with 3.5 points were Carter Ward, Roswell, N.M.; Hector M. Fabela, El Paso; Murray Projector, El Paso and Alfredo Berroteran, El Paso.
Players with 3 points were Joaquin Lobato, Juarez; Alfonso R. Almeida, Minneapolis; Armand Bosco, Scottsdale, Ariz.; M. Sgt. Lyle F. Oje, White Sands Missile Range, N.M.; Del Celani, San Antonio; Park E. Bishop, El Paso; Jack Galicia, El Paso; James R. Gallivan, University Park, N.M.; Robert Parmelee, Las Cruces, and J. R. Dodson, Gallup, N.M.
Players with 2.5 points were Phillip J. Dodderridge, Albuquerque, and Sostenes Pacheco, El Paso.
Players with 2 points were Robert Oppenheimer, El Paso; Yolando Lobato, Juarez; M. Sgt. Eddie Hadden, El Paso; Dan R. Carter, Midland, Tex.; Donald D. Brattin, El Paso; Francisco Contreras, Juarez, and Saul Gonzales, El Paso.
Players with 1.5 point were Thomas H. Massengale, White Sands and Howard Rosenbaum, Phoenix.
Players with 1 point were Baker Bonnell, Sayre, Okla., and Richard Aliaga, El Paso.

Max Burkett (Aug. 14, 2023) notes: “On Joaquim Lobato: His father was a Juarez barber, and his sister was a much better player than he was. His father's machismo kept her from becoming a contender.”

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March 03 1962

The Albuquerque Tribune, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Saturday, March 03, 1962

The Pony Express By Dan Burrows
Perhaps when El Paso grows to be bigger it will get itself some chess players. There was an open chess tournament down there last week with 39 participants from Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and Juarez. Max Burkett of Albuquerque won first place, and Jack F. Shaw of Albuquerque won second. There is lots of brawn in El Paso but sometimes a tiny shortage of brains.

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March 06 1962

El Paso Herald-Post, El Paso, Texas, Tuesday, March 06, 1962

Be Careful
SNIPING FROM THE SAFETY of that distant region in which he exists, Editor Dan Burrows of the Albuquerque Tribune makes this crack about El Paso in his column:

“Perhaps when El Paso grows to be bigger it will get itself some chess players. There was an open chess tournament down there last week with 39 participants from Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and Juarez. Max Burkett of Albuquerque won first place and Jack Shaw of Albuquerque won second. There is lots of brawn in El Paso but sometimes a tiny shortage of brains.”

Our advice to this brash fellow is that he should tread lightly and speak softly should he ever come to El Paso again. There is a possibility that one of the brawny boys at whom he sneers might shove him about in a rough chess lesson.

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March 13 1962

The Albuquerque Tribune, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Tuesday, March 13, 1962

Chess Team Holds Trophy
The Albuquerque Chess Team retained the traveling trophy this year after the annual match with Los Alamos Sunday. The match was played in Santa Fe.
The final score was 14-14, but since Albuquerque was the defending champion the tro phy remained in possession of local team.
Fourteen players from each team participated in the match. The Albuquerque team was headed by Max Burkett, Jack Shaw, and Tom Heldt. Heading the Los Alamos team were Mark Wells, Tom Swihart, and Sid Brower.

Max Burkett (Aug. 15, 2023) notes: “I had a lifetime score of 12 wins, 1 loss, and 1 draw against Mark Wells. The draw came in the 1971 US Open and the loss came in the 1960 New Mexico Open (which I won with a 4.5-1.5 score), so I must have won both the games in the 1962 team match.”

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March 28 1962

Tucson Citizen, Tucson, Arizona, Wednesday, March 28, 1962

Varis Tucson's Chess Champion
Tucson's first annual nationally recognized U.S. Chess Federation tournament produced an unusual winner who took three trophies, a rarity in chess circles.
John Varis of Tucson won three trophies winning a total of six games (from points tabulated from winning 4½ and 1½ games), and is officially recognized nationally as Tucson chess champ.
Varis placed third in the weekend tournament but was the highest scoring Tucson player.
Max Burkett, of Albuquerque, N.M., won the first place trophy winning six games with no losses. He is recognized by the Chess Federation as a master player.
Charles Morgan, of Phoenix, also a master player, took second place with five games. Edward Stacy of Tucson was first in the class, and Sgt. George Rybarczyk of Ft. Huachuca won the C class trophy.
E. J. McGuire of Yuma took first place in unrated classifications, and Frank Leffman, a former Tucsonian on leave from the Navy to play in the tournament won the special trophy.
Earl R. (Dick) Phillips, president of the Tucson Chess Club said 22 players took part in 2½ days of tournament play at the Central YMCA.
Phillips said there are at least 1000 chess players in Tucson, “and we should have had a much larger turnout for the tournament, but perhaps some were scared away.”

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March 29 1962

Arizona Daily Star, Tucson, Arizona, Thursday, March 29, 1962

Varis Is Top Chess Winner
Tucsonan John Varis won three of the eight trophies awarded at the recent Tucson Open Chess Tournament.
Varis was named city champion, took first place in the class A competition and was third place winner in the open competition.
Max Burkett of Albuquerque, N. M., was the tournament winner. Arizona Champion Charles Morgan of Phoenix took second place. Burkett won all six of the games he played; Morgan won five and Varis 4½.
Tucsonan Ed Stacey was the Class B winner. Sgt. George Rybarczyk of Ft. Huachuca won the Class C trophy and E. J. McGuire was the first place unrated player.
Twenty-two players competed in the tournament which was directed by George Koltanowski, international master and leading director of tournaments in the United States.

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June 24 1962

Albuquerque Journal, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Sunday, June 24, 1962

Six Players Tie In Chess Open
After two rounds of play, six men remained atop the field in the Albuquerque Open Chess tournament, under way this weekend at the East Central Branch of Albuquerque National Bank.
Don Wilson, Albuquerque Chess Club president, listed the top six as Max Burkett, Jack Shaw, and Waltern Dorne of Albuquerque; William Bragg and Hector Fabela of El Paso; and Jack Gibson of Ft. Defiance, Ariz.
The six were tied for first place at the close of play Saturday night, Wilson said. Each had two points.
Tied for runner-up with one-and-one-half points each were Tom Heldt and Phillip Dodridge, both of Albuquerque.
The third round of the five-round tourney will begin today at 8 a.m., Wilson said.

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June 25 1962

Albuquerque Journal, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Monday, June 25, 1962

Shaw Recaptures Open Chess Tourney Championship Title
Jack Shaw Sunday night recaptured his title of Albuquerque Open Chess Champion, winning out over 27 other contenders to regain the crown he lost last year to Max Burkett.
The city's open chess tourney was held over the weekend at the East Central branch of Albuquerque National Bank.
Runners up were William Bragg of El Paso, second, and Tom Heldt of Albuquerque, third.
Bragg took the meet's upset trophy for his unexpected win over Max Burkett, the defending champion. Gary Anderson of Albuquerque took the junior trophy.
The next major event on the chess club agenda is the state tournament, to be in Los Alamos sometime this fall.

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Albuquerque Journal, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Monday, June 25, 1962

WINNER AND NEW CHAMPION: Jack Shaw of Albuquerque puffs on a cigar and ponders during the city's open chess tournament Saturday and Sunday at the East Central Branch of Albuquerque National Bank. Shaw won out over 27 other contenders to recapture the title he lost a year ago to Max Burkett.

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Max Swinton Burkett, 1960

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February 21 1960

El Paso Times, El Paso, Texas, Sunday, February 21, 1960

Nine Players Take Lead In EP Chess Tournament
The first round of the first nationally rated chess tournament in El Paso closed Saturday evening with nine of the 49 participants in leading positions.
The nine won both of their games in the day's round in the Hilton Hotel to pick up two points each — one for each win.
Outstanding player of the day was Sostenes Pacheco, of 611 N. St. Vrain St., dark horse competitor who beat tournament favorite Max Burkett, of Memphis, Texas, for one of his two wins.

Played in the recent El Paso Open.

F. Sosthenes Pacheco (white) vs Max Burkett (black)
Sicilian Defense: Old Sicilian

Descriptive 1. P-K4 P-QB4 2. N-KB3 N-QB3 3. P-KN3 P-Q3 4. B-N2 P-KN3 5. P-B3 B-N2 6. O-O P-B5 7. P-Q4 PxPe.p. 8. QxP N-B3 9. QN-Q2 O-O 10. R-K N-Q2 11. N-B N-K4 12. NxN NxN 13. Q-B2 B-Q2 14. P-KB4 N-N5 15. P-KR3 Q-N3ch 16. K-R N-R3 17. B-K3 Q-B2 18. QR-Q P-B4 19. N-Q2 Q-B 20. K-R2 K-R 21. N-N3 PxP 22. QxP B-B3 23. QxKP N-B4 24. Q-N5 B-Q2 25. B-Q4 BxB 26. NxB Q-B2 27. NxN PxN 28. R-K7 Resigns

Algebraic 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. g3 d6 4. Bg2 g6 5. c3 Bg7 6. 0-0 c4 7. d4 cxd3e.p. 8. Qxd3 Nf6 9. Nd2 0-0 10. Re1 Nd7 11. Nf1 Ne5 12. Nxe5 Nxe5 13. Qc2 Bd7 14. f4 Ng4 15. h3 Qb6+ 16. Kh1 Nh6 17. Be3 Qc7 18. Rd1 f5 19. Nd2 Qc8 20. Kh2 Kh8 21. Nb3 fxe4 22. Qxe4 Bc6 23. Qxe7 Nf5 24. Qg5 Bd7 25. Bd4 Bxd4 26. Nxd4 Qc7 27. Nxf5 gxf5 28. Re7 1-0

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May 31 1960

Albuquerque Journal, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Tuesday, May 31, 1960

Jack Shaw Keeps City Chess Crown
Jack Shaw, 3430 Monte Vista NE, retained his title Monday as city chess champion after three days of competition at the YMCA.
Winning second place was Warren Miller, 316 Spruce SE. Max Burkett, address unknown, won third and Roger Hains, 8041 Bellamah NE, won fourth.
Kent Pullen, 4812 Aztec NE, was awarded the junior trophy. More than 20 persons competed for the title.

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August 31 1960

The Albuquerque Tribune, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Wednesday, August 31, 1960

80 Players Expected For Chess Tourney
More than 80 players are expected for the Southwest Chess Tournament opening Saturday at the Hilton Hotel. The three-day tourney will be in the ballroom.
From three to five master players are expected to attend the local event. Top players expected include Max Burkett formerly of Memphis, Tex., and Jack Shaw, both of Albuquerque.
Mr. Shaw, Warren Miller, Kent Pullen and Don Wilson, all members of th Albuquerque Chess Club went to the Panhandle Chess Tournament at Lubbock last weekend. Mr. Miller and Mr. Shaw placed seventh and eighth and Mr. Pullen placed 11th among 28 entered.
The Southwest open tournament is sponsored each Labor Day weekend by the Texas Chess Assn.
Registration for the local event starts at 9 a.m. Saturday. The first round begins at 1 p.m.
Prize and trophy winners will receive their awards at 5:30 p.m. Monday.

Max Burkett (Aug. 14, 2023) notes: “RE 1960 SW Open in Abq: I lost to Ron Gross, now living in Las Vegas, and drew Jerry Milburn in that event. Jack Shaw and Kent Pullen are dead. I'm uncertain about Warren and Jerry. Chess was a small world in those days and all the above were good friends of mine.”

“Jerry was a friend going all the way back to high school, this even though we lived 180 miles apart. We had a bet of a case of beer on who would become a master first. I beat him by a few months and we shared that case of beer at his Ft. Worth home during the 1984 US Open. I inherited $100k (now all gone) but he did a great job managing it while it lasted [no brokerage fees🙂].”

“My excuse is that I had just spent two months being a beatnik, hitchhiking from Albuquerque to Detroit to South Florida to my mother's apartment in Memphis, TX, to El Paso. As it happened, three Abq. best buddies, Pepe Cortez, Warren Miller, and Max Wilkerson, finished 1-2-3. Max W gave me (and them) a ride back to Abq., to finish my 3000+ mile adventure. Max W preceded me in my move to the Bay Area and was a major part of my life the entire 20 years I lived there.”

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September 05 1960

Albuquerque Journal, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Monday, September 05, 1960

California, Colorado Retain Chess Lead
After five rounds New Mexico players have failed to reach a contending position in the Southwest Open Chess Tournament now in progress at the Hilton Hotel.
“There is too much outside strength,” Don Wilson, president of the hosting Albuquerque Chess Club, said.
Highest ranking New Mexico players are Max Burkett of Albuquerque with three wins and Ken Pullen of Albuquerque with two wins and a draw. Play will continue today with the two final rounds at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m.

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November 16 1960

Albuquerque Journal, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Wednesday, November 16, 1960

BURKETT CHESS CHAMP
University of New Mexico student Max Burkett of Albuquerque won the state chess tournament at Los Alamos over the past weekend. Burkett hopes to organize a four-man university team to compete in the national collegiate chess championships in December.

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November 19 1960

Albuquerque Journal, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Saturday, November 19, 1960

Albuquerquean Captures Chess Championship
Journal Special
Los Alamos—Max Burkett, Albuquerque, captured the state chess championship in the recent 1960 New Mexico Open Tournament here.
Loyd Kile, Grants, took second with Mark Wells, Los Alamos, third, Sid Brower, Los Alamos, fourth and Michael Wertheim, Los Alamos, fifth.

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