AAdditional Games
William H. Donnelly
Unknown - Unknown
Vidette-Messenger of Porter County, Valparaiso, Indiana, Saturday, May 10, 1958
Study Before Check Mate—Deep in concentration for chess move which might mean trapping of King and check mate, is William H. Donnelly, 612 Roosevelt, regarded as one of the nation's top ranking chess players. Photo was taken in Milwaukee during North Central Chess Open.
Donnelly Learns Game of Chess By Accident By Rollie Bernhart
Anyone for chess?
This query may not attract a host of residents locally, but you can bet that William H. Donnelly, 612 Roosevelt, will be on hand for a game involving pawns, bishops, knights and the inevitably checkmated king.
From the time that Donnelly learned the game by accident at the age of 15, until the present, the Valparaiso man has assumed stature as an expert in the ancient game which is said to have been imported into Europe in Medieval times from the Orient.
Donnelly's most recent achievement was on May 4, at Logansport, where he competed in the 46 entry Indiana state chess tournament and finished second to M. L. Brooks, South Bend.
Since the day when he came from Columbus, Kansas, in his 15th year to visit an uncle in New Orleans and saw a handsome chess set gracing the mantle piece, Donnelly has been an avid enthusiast of the game.
This enthusiasm was crowned by an accidental visit to the freight depot at New Orleans on this same visit to his uncle's home, where he watched a game of chess between a couple of railroad employees. While standing there virtually hypnotized by the chessboard, he managed to acquire a working knowledge of the game, he said.
Rigs Own Set
Back to his home town went Donnelly and rigged up his own home-made chess set … not with expensive ivory castles, queens, ranks and files, but only an old checker-board and a host of sewing spools, buttons and dominoes.
From this humble beginning, Donnelly has responded to participation in open chess tournaments throughout the nation, competing against some of the game's best.
Donnelly, a former Wanatah resident, has competed in tourneys at Milwaukee, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Detroit, Ann Arbor, Fort Wayne and Gary. Two years ago he won the Iowa open championship at Davenport.
Currently Donnelly is a member of Gary Chess club and the Valparaiso Park Chess club. As a member of the latter organization, which boasts 25 members and meets Tuesday evenings in the park district office, Donnelly has suffered defeat only twice in 30 games since last fall.
Gives Formula
Donnelly said that specific attributes in a chess player of above average ability must consist of tremendous memory, visualization and analytical ability, tactical and strategic overall abilities.
In his eagerness to acquire knowledge of the game, Donnelly has traveled extensively to watch the world's finest players in action. At one time he watched a Belgium champ play 37 games simultaneously blindfolded for a world's title.
He also recalled watching a champ play 150 opponents at one time in a 9-10 hour period, defeating all of them.
Donnelly has also competed against the present United States champion, 15-year-old Bobby Fischer, of Brooklyn. He met Fischer in Milwaukee in an open tournament and was defeated by the young chess master.
According to Donnelly, “the game of chess is today enjoying a tremendous rise in popularity throughout the nation as exemplified by new clubs in hundreds of cities, colleges and high schools since the last World War.”
He noted that whereas in Europe chess might be said to be the national sport of many of its countries, most Americans have considered it a slow, tedious game, somewhat unfit for the American tournament tempo.
And well it might appear to be.
Tournaments today, Donnelly noted, have been “speeded up” (such as the recent Logansport contests) and utilize double time clocks, allowing one hour and 45 minutes for each player to make 35 to 40 moves per game. Thus the full run of the game lasts about three and one-half hours.
Speed Up Process
However, there has been a speeding up process more in keeping with the bubbling enthusiasm of the average American chess player.
Leading chess clubs in New York, Washington, Cleveland, Chicago and San Francisco hold “rapid transit” round robin contests weekly, confining each move by a player to “10 seconds.”
Like other people with hobbies they love, Donnelly takes a “busman's holiday” now and then during the summer and travels to North avenue beach in Chicago, where many chess games can be found in progress.
There he talks with his cronies and new found friends about innovations, and other pertinent data.
Then he sits back and enjoys playing the game by the hour; games of “skittles,” chess for fun, unsanctioned by tournament rules and regulations.
