AAdditional Games
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- Game, Vladlen vs. Arthur Feuerstein, Student Team Championship, 1958-1959
Arthur Feuerstein
December 20, 1935-February 02, 2022
August 20 1957
January 26 1959
The Columbia Record, Columbia, South Carolina, Monday, January 26, 1959
SENIOR MASTER
Holder of Six Chess Titles Stationed at Fort Jackson
Chess has become the rage of Company D, 18th Battalion, 1st Training Regiment, since Pvt. Arthur W. Feuerstein, 12th ranked nationally as a senior master, started basic training here.
Feuerstein, 23, of Miami, Fla., holds six chess titles and participated in the World Universities Championship meets in Iceland and in Bulgaria while a student at City College of New York.
His record against Bobby Fischer, the present US champion, is four wins, three draw games and one loss. Feuerstein concedes however that his victories over Fischer came while the 15-year-old phenomena still was developing his game. His loss to Fischer was in the 1958 US Championship matches at the Manhattan Chess Club, in which Feuerstein placed sixth.
Recently Feuerstein represented the Columbia Chess Club in a match against the Charlotte Chess Club in the North Carolina city. He won his games handily. It was nine years ago after observing the game being played on outdoor boards in a park near his Bronx, N. Y., home, that Feuerstein first became interested in chess. His older brother taught him the fundamentals and young Arthur took over from there.
Feuerstein joined the Marshall Chess Cub in New York in 1952 and soon moved up through four classes to his present rating as a senior master. The ratings are made yearly by the US Chess Federation based on tournament results and the caliber of opponents.
In 1957, Feuerstein was selected as a member of the five-man US team for the World Universities championships in Reykjavik, Iceland. The team placed fifth. Last year Feuerstein went with the same team to Varna, Bulgaria.
“That time” says Feuerstein, “Yugoslavia which had not entered a team in 1957 was represented and so we ended up sixth.” Russia captured first place both years.
While in Varna, Feuerstein met Alys Rapprich, a pretty 18-year-old Chech medical and language student in Prague. The two now correspond regularly and Feuerstein is hopeful of getting to Europe to see her, either while in the Army or after his three-year tour of duty is over.
Feuerstein says that the Russians are “far and away” the best chess players. “The game is to them what baseball is to us,” he says.
He considers an 18-year-old Russian named Tahl the best opponent he has ever played. They faced one another in both World Universities meets. As far as American chess champions go Feuerstein say that he believes 21-year-old William Lombardy ranks closely behind Fischer.
“Chess is essentially a young man's game because it is so exhausting mentally,” declares Feuerstein. Feuerstein's specialty is speed matches in which there is a ten second limit between moves. He has won the New York state speed championship for three of the last four years.
The young chess master is now coaching some of the men in his platoon as well as Company D First Sergeant (E-8) Roy Martin, on the finer points of the game.
He will take advanced training in Machine Accounting after his initial eight weeks of basic training is finished.
Feuerstein is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Herman Weintraub of Miami.
