CHESS LIFE

August 5, 1957

U. S. JUNIOR TO FISCHER!

Bobby Fischer Adds Junior to Trophies

Ramirez Second and Sholomson Third

The Brooklyn master junior (or junior master) Robert Fischer gathered in the U.S. Junior title in stride at San Francisco with an 8.5-.5 score, drawing one game with California State Champion Gilbert Ramirez. Ramirez of San Francisco placed second with 7.5-1.5, losing no games but drawing with Richard Owen of Salt Lake City and Ronald Thacker of Richmond in addition to Fischer. Stephen Sholomson of Los Angeles, who has recently shot into prominence on the Pacific Coast was third with 6.5-2.5, losing to Fischer and Ramirez, and drawing with Leonard Hill of Mt. View. Thacker was fourth with 6-3, losing to Fischer and Hill while drawing with Ramirez and Ralph Clark of Long Beach.

Fifth to tenth on Median points with 5.5-3.5 each were Mike Bredoff of Redwood City, Leonard Hill, Arthur Wang of Berkeley, Ralph Clark, Robert Walker of Portland, and Warren Miller of Albuquerque. Eleventh to fourteenth with 5-4 each were Rex Wilcox of Salinas, Andrew Schoene of Malaga, Thomas Heldt, Jr. of Albuquerque, and David Krause of Palo Alto.

Fred Wreden, aged 10, of San Francisco won custody of the Independent-Press Telegraph Trophy for ranking player under 13 years; the Milwaukee Journal, Independent Press Telegraph Trophy for ranking player under 15 and Hermann Dittman Trophy all went to 14-year old Bobby Fischer.

In all, 33 juniors contested in the 9-round Swiss event directed by International Master George Koltanowski, held at the Spreckels Russell Dairy Co. auditorium in San Francisco. While most of the field were Californians, there was one from Brooklyn, N.Y. (Fischer), one from Texas (James Bennett), one from Kansas (Howard Killough, Jr.), one from New Jersey (Andrew Schoene), one from Oregon (Robert Walker), one from Utah (Richard Owen), and two from New Mexico (Warren Miller and Thomas Heldt, Jr.). California was ably represented by Ramirez and Sholomson although unfortunately Larry Remlinger could not participate.

With George and Leah Koltanowski arranging matters, there was considerable outside activity for the players when they could be pried from the chessboards, including an evening as guests of the Fox Theater seeing the newest Pat Boone picture. Their hosts, the Speckels Russell Dairy Co., served them chocolate milk and ice cream daily.