The California Chess Reporter

(Volume VI, #6: February 1957)

AL HOROWITZ EXHIBITIONS

The genial editor of Chess Review made a quick swing across the nation in January and gave performances at Los Angeles and San Francisco. It was Al's fourteenth transcontinental tour and it seems that he has lost none of his skill.

In Los Angeles Horowitz played simultaneously against 51 at the Clarion Club (formerly the Hollywood Athletic Club) on January 25. The master won 36, drew 13, and lost 2, to Norman Goldberg of Los Angeles and Charles Walker of Riverside.

In San Francisco there were two appearances, plus an unscheduled visit to the San Quentin Prison Chess Club. On Tuesday, January 29, Horowitz entertained a small crowd at the Precita Valley club, San Francisco's newest, with a lecture and simultaneous, and on Wednesday he performed the same type of exhibition at the Mechanics' Institute, San Francisco's oldest. Horowitz allowed only a draw or two at Precita Valley and at the Institute he won 15 and drew 4.

After the Tuesday night performance and before the Wednesday performance, the international master went with Jim Reynolds of the Precita Valley club to San Quentin for an informal visit. The chess club members gave up their lunch hour in order to meet Horowitz. This did not give Al much time but he did make a hit and chatted with the members of the club as personally as possible. Upon leaving the institution, Al remarked: "I'll never regret having made this visit. It was new and most interesting. And say, they have quite a chess club in there."