Samuel Reshevsky was born on November 26th, 1911, in Ozorkow, Poland. He learned the game at age four, and was a chess prodigy of the highest standard, giving simuls at the age of eight around the world.
In November 1920, his parents moved to the U.S. to make a living by publicly exhibiting their child's talent. Reshevsky played thousands of games in exhibitions all over the U.S. In fact, for a while, Reshevsky did not even attend school, for which his parents appeared in District Court in Manhattan facing a charge of improper guardianship. However, Julius Rosenwald, wealthy co-owner of Sears, Roebuck and Company in Chicago, soon afterwards became Reshevsky's benefactor, and he guaranteed Reshevsky's future on the condition that he complete his education.
Reshevsky in 1920 (at age eight), giving a simultaneous chess exhibition in France | Photo: Kadel and Herbert
Reshevsky made good on this agreement and not only completed his secondary education, but attended the University of Chicago where he obtained a degree in accounting. During this period from 1924 to 1931, Reshevsky’s competitive chess was scarce, and though his ability was never in doubt, he was to support his wife and children throughout his life as a professional accountant.
In 1931, Reshevsky also made his first steps toward proper recognition for his chess genius and won the US Open Championship, then known as the Western Open. In 1934 he shared the US Open title with none other than Reuben Fine, himself one of the best players of the time. Reshevsky made an indelible mark on the US chess scene, notably winning the US Championship seven times outright, the first in 1936, and his last in 1969, 33 years later. Overall he played in 21 US Championships, with 15 top-three finishes, and a positive score in 20 of them.
In his first international foray in 1935, he won first place at the Margate International tournament where he beat among others Capablanca, A year later, in 1936, he placed third in the famous Nottingham Chess tournament, which included five past, present, and future world champions.
Although he played successfully in tournaments throughout his lifetime, he was the quintessential match player, and it was there that his skills stood out above all others. In 1941, he defeated I. A. Horowitz in a U.S. Championship playoff match by (+3 −0 =13). In 1942, he defeated Isaac Kashdan by (+6 −2 =3). In 1952, he defeated Svetozar Gligorić by (+2 −1 =7). In 1956, he defeated William Lombardy by (+1 −0 =5). In 1957, he defeated Arthur Bisguier by (+4 −2 =4). In 1957, he defeated Donald Byrne by (+7 −3 =0). In 1960, he defeated Pal Benko by (+3 −2 =5). In fact, in the USSR vs the USA match held in Moscow in 1955, Reshevsky played top board for the USA and defeated reigning world champion Mikhail Botvinnik over four games, winning one and drawing three.
In 1948, Samuel Reshevsky was invited to play in the World Championship tournament, organized to determine the new champion after Alexander Alekhine, the previous titleholder, had died in 1946. This tournament was a five-player round-robin with each player playing each other five times, for a total of twenty games. Mikhail Botvinnik had arrived as the favourite by virtue of his pre-war results and his success at the 1946 Groningen tournament.
The five participants of the 1948 World Championship from left to right: Max Euwe, Vassily Smyslov, Paul Keres, Mikhail Botvinnik and Samuel Reshevsky. | Photo: J.D. Noske
While there is no question that all five participants, Botvinnik, Keres, Smyslov, Reshevsky and Euwe were worthy contenders, other names, even non-Soviets, certainly merited a chance of their own by virtue of their strength, such as Najdorf, Stahlberg, and Eliskases.
Smyslov barely overcame Reshevsky in their individual encounters | Photo: J.D. Noske
Nevertheless, the situation of the vacated title was unprecedented then, and the winner, Mikhail Botvinnik. truly was the best player of the day. None of the players went through the event unscathed, not even Botvinnik, who lost two games, one of which was to Samuel Reshevsky.
Samuel Reshevsky was equal 3rd-4th with 10½/20, though it is worth noting that this was but half a point less than second place finisher Vasily Smyslov, who ended with 11.0/20.
Reshevsky was a serious contender for the World Championship from the mid-1930s until the mid-1960s, and it was in the near-legendary Candidates tournament in Zurich 1953 that Reshevsky probably had his best chance to qualify for a match for the absolute title. Although he finished in joint second with Bronstein and Keres, two points behind Smyslov, the truth is that he was the victim of a massive conspiracy to impede his victory.
Bronstein, in his last book, Secret Notes, published in 2007 just after his death the previous year, confirmed long-standing rumours by writing that the nine Soviet grandmasters (out of a field of 15 players) at Zurich were under orders from both their chess leadership and the KGB to not let Reshevsky win the tournament under any circumstances, and that the Soviets prearranged several results in games amongst themselves to successfully prevent Reshevsky's overall victory. GM Alexei Suetin (who was the second of Tigran Petrosian at Zurich 1953), also confirmed the Soviet collusion in Zurich.
Reshevsky qualified for one more Candidates' in 1967 but lost the subsequent quarterfinal match to Viktor Korchnoi the following year in 1968.
Reshevsky finally succumbed in match play against a young Viktor Korchnoi, 20 years his junior | photo: Ron Kroon
During his long chess career, Reshevsky played eleven of the first twelve World Champions, from Emanuel Lasker to Anatoly Karpov, the only player to do so. He defeated seven of them. His last great tournament victory was in 1984 when he won the Reykjavik Open at the ripe age of 72. He passed away in New York on April 4, 1992, at age 80.
Editor's Note: Readers who objected to the missing mention of Steinitz will be happy to know this oversight will be rectified in the next edition of this series
