(A blank page is not shown here.) Interesting notes appear on baseball, on next year's strong players, and books that Henry is studying.
We'll continue next time with #174, the game with Thompson.
Monday, August 16, 2010
The Decisive Struggle
After another hiatus, I'm back at scanning. Tonight games 170-173.
(A blank page is not shown here.) Interesting notes appear on baseball, on next year's strong players, and books that Henry is studying.
We'll continue next time with #174, the game with Thompson.
(A blank page is not shown here.) Interesting notes appear on baseball, on next year's strong players, and books that Henry is studying.
We'll continue next time with #174, the game with Thompson.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Back to the Chess Archives
Spent the morning with the folks. Henry and I were analyzing a variant on the Ruy Lopez that the chess program on my Droid kept trying. Afterwards, he brought out his Kansas City 1937 Tournament chess set.
Its 73 years old and still in mint condition. I've got a plethora of new family photos to scan and while I'm at it, I'll add more pages from the '37 tournament journal.
Stay tuned. . .
Its 73 years old and still in mint condition. I've got a plethora of new family photos to scan and while I'm at it, I'll add more pages from the '37 tournament journal.
Stay tuned. . .
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
April 1937 -- Games 168 and 169
After a long layoff, I'm back at scanning Henry's chess journal tonight. We're up to April 24, 1937. Lots of commentary on the quality of the games and their status. We end this installment with Mr. Hanson's wife having suffered a stroke.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Latshaw vs Horak, 1937
Its been awhile since my last post to this blog. My vernerable old XP computer finally got replaced. After losing its CD drive last November, its clearly been on its last legs. I managed to get an extra year or two out of it by replacing a power supply, the hard drive controller, and other bits, but it was definitely getting dangerous to use that fellow.
The problem with the replacement is... Vista. My day-job at Sandia will soon involve Vista; teaching at the CSF requires Office 2007 and any day now they'll be using Vista. And Vista didn't like my old Visioneer scanner. Now, a couple week's later, I've got an HP Deskjet F4280 printer/scanner and I'm set to go.
Here's Henry's game with a gentleman named Latchaw. On the last page of this series, an original Grin and Bear It from 1937. Ya gotta love chess humor. :-)
The problem with the replacement is... Vista. My day-job at Sandia will soon involve Vista; teaching at the CSF requires Office 2007 and any day now they'll be using Vista. And Vista didn't like my old Visioneer scanner. Now, a couple week's later, I've got an HP Deskjet F4280 printer/scanner and I'm set to go.
Here's Henry's game with a gentleman named Latchaw. On the last page of this series, an original Grin and Bear It from 1937. Ya gotta love chess humor. :-)
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Interview with Henry Horak
I'm taking a break from scanning and just having a chat with Henry this morning while waiting to get an online boarding pass for my nephew.
Henry first went down to the YMCA by taking the Brooklyn streetcar (for 10 cents). Possibly in 1933 or 1934. He would have been 14 or 15 at the time. There he met ___, who was the senior player at the time. He still sends a Christmas card to his daughter living on Catalina Island, CA, so its only a matter of time until we discover his name.
In those days Masters and Grandmasters came through with some regularity. Henry recalls:
Rubin Fine--a very strong player; played 60 simultaneous games; didn't start out aggressively, but played steadily towards an end game where he would finally conclude the matter in his favor; got irritated with Henry because he wasn't playing fast enough during a simultaneous match.
Horowitz--We have records of the game in January 1940. Horowitz was traveling with the New England Champion, Harold Morton, when he played in KC. Afterwards there was an automobile accident in which Morton was killed but Israel survived. (Henry recalls it was "near Topeka," but Chessopedia shows it to have been February 17, 1940 in Iowa). This would have been a month to the day after Henry's game.
Bobby Fisher--probably in 1962 or 1963 while Henry was in Lawrence.
Henry also fondly recalls a gentleman by the name of Latshaw. He may have been more of a chess spectator. He remembers the two of them following the Euwe vs Alekine match game by game. They would go down to the Kansas City Star offices on Saturday and read the chess listings.
Played some chess with a Master in LA while at Wx school. I'll have to work on getting the details.
KC Chess Club in England. Met Latshaw on a double-decker bus in London during the war. He had been taking a war orphan home after buying him dinner. This act of kindness made a great impression on Henry.
Through the Catholic Chaplin, Henry learned about a chess player in Kettering (near the base at Grafton-Underwood). He was not a particularly good player, but chess players of any caliper were hard to find during the war. Henry's mother Leota kept up a correspondence until her death with several of the women that Henry met through this gentleman. I believe they were older children sent to the countryside to avoid the bombings in the cities like the Pevensies in the Chronicles of Narnia.
In England Henry came across a beautiful red and white ivory chess set (the King about 4" high). Some estate under financial stress was having to sell it. He picked it up for the equivalent of $200. Back in the mid-60s Lou crafted a walnut and beech board for the set. I'll post photos of the entire kit sometime soon.
Henry first went down to the YMCA by taking the Brooklyn streetcar (for 10 cents). Possibly in 1933 or 1934. He would have been 14 or 15 at the time. There he met ___, who was the senior player at the time. He still sends a Christmas card to his daughter living on Catalina Island, CA, so its only a matter of time until we discover his name.
In those days Masters and Grandmasters came through with some regularity. Henry recalls:
Rubin Fine--a very strong player; played 60 simultaneous games; didn't start out aggressively, but played steadily towards an end game where he would finally conclude the matter in his favor; got irritated with Henry because he wasn't playing fast enough during a simultaneous match.
Horowitz--We have records of the game in January 1940. Horowitz was traveling with the New England Champion, Harold Morton, when he played in KC. Afterwards there was an automobile accident in which Morton was killed but Israel survived. (Henry recalls it was "near Topeka," but Chessopedia shows it to have been February 17, 1940 in Iowa). This would have been a month to the day after Henry's game.
Bobby Fisher--probably in 1962 or 1963 while Henry was in Lawrence.
Henry also fondly recalls a gentleman by the name of Latshaw. He may have been more of a chess spectator. He remembers the two of them following the Euwe vs Alekine match game by game. They would go down to the Kansas City Star offices on Saturday and read the chess listings.
Played some chess with a Master in LA while at Wx school. I'll have to work on getting the details.
KC Chess Club in England. Met Latshaw on a double-decker bus in London during the war. He had been taking a war orphan home after buying him dinner. This act of kindness made a great impression on Henry.
Through the Catholic Chaplin, Henry learned about a chess player in Kettering (near the base at Grafton-Underwood). He was not a particularly good player, but chess players of any caliper were hard to find during the war. Henry's mother Leota kept up a correspondence until her death with several of the women that Henry met through this gentleman. I believe they were older children sent to the countryside to avoid the bombings in the cities like the Pevensies in the Chronicles of Narnia.
In England Henry came across a beautiful red and white ivory chess set (the King about 4" high). Some estate under financial stress was having to sell it. He picked it up for the equivalent of $200. Back in the mid-60s Lou crafted a walnut and beech board for the set. I'll post photos of the entire kit sometime soon.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
April 20, 1937
A blank page precedes the next game from April 15th against a Mr. Harris.
There follows the next game, also against Harris on the same day.
Yet another game on April 17th against Harris.
This series is summarized by critical notes written on April 20 and 23.
There follows the next game, also against Harris on the same day.
Yet another game on April 17th against Harris.
This series is summarized by critical notes written on April 20 and 23.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
The 1937 Kansas City Open Championship Tournament
I continue to scan Henry Horak's chess log. Today's installment is the beginning of the 1937 Kansas City Open Chess Tournament. We begin with a substantial chapter title page followed by a results matrix, an interesting statistical note, an introduction, and then the first game with W. E. Campbell. What with 12 players, there's much more to come.
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