CHESS LIFE

(Volume 8, Number 1, September 5, 1953)

Valley of the Moon Chess Festival

The Valley of the Moon Chess Festival at Sonoma Plaza in Northern California drew a record crowd of 240 participants in the various events. The Leah Koltanowski Trophy went to Louise Horne of San Francisco; the H. A. Whitehead Trophy to Nancy McLeon, San Bruno; the two Don McNay Trophies (for juniors) to Gilbert Ramirez and Bob Davis of San Francisco; the Sonoma Kiwanis Trophy (for greatest number from one club entered) went to the Capablanca Chess Club of Richmond and the H. A. Whitehead Trophy (for highest percentage of one club entered) to the Paul Morphy Chess Club of San Francisco with 100% representation; the two Homer Bross Trophies (for entrants from farthest away) to Stanley Behrends, Wilmington, and Loyd J. Lund, Shandon; the C. E. MacDonald Trophy to Robert Currie, San Francisco, in A Section; and the two Lee Clereci Trophies to R. J. Allen, San Carlos, in B Section and Jack Frazier, San Francisco, in C Section. The festival was directed by George Koltanowski, assisted by Leah Koltanowski. Other features included a blindfold exhibition, a simultaneous exhibition, both by Koltanowski, and a problem solving contest.