CHESS LIFE

(Volume 1, Number 17, May 5, 1947)

Who's Who In American Chess



Herman Steiner

Born in Hungary, Herman Steiner is an American by choice, rather than by accident of birth and since his long sojourn in California has become more of a "native son" of California than most native sons of that sunny state. Skilled as a performer at simultaneous exhibitions, Steiner is even more adept at the organizing of chess as the roll of California clubs on the USCF membership list must prove, and his chess column in the Los Angeles Times has long been one of the potent factors in the popularity of chess on the West Coast.

Herman's skill and persuasive gifts as an organizer were never better demonstrated than by the success of the Pan-American Tournament at Hollywood, which as so well-staged with contributions of talent from the leading movie studios that it became the most colorful pageant of chess the United States has seen in addition to being one of its finer tournaments.

Dividing his time between the fatherly directions of several California chess groups, numerous simultaneous exhibitions and his editorial work on the Los Angeles Times, Steiner yet finds time and energy to play frequently in national and international competition. Among his victories are first in the 1946 Open Tournament at Pittsburgh, tie for first with Yanofsky in the 1942 Open Tournament at Dallas, tie for third with Horowitz in the 1944 U.S. Championship, and first in the 1946 London (England) Tournament. In the 1945 Radio Chess Match with Russia, Steiner was the distinguished player who scored 1.5 points out of a possible 2 against Bondarevsky for the only plus score compiled by an American player in the match.

Active in national chess affairs, Herman Steiner is Vice-President of the USCF after server for many years as Director for California.



J. B. Gee

Born in Benton, Arkansas, in 1916, J. B. Gee moved to the West Coast when a year old and has lived in California since 1925. Gee has two sons (ages 6 and 3) who like to play chess, but according to their own rules on moving the pieces.

As a hobby Gee indulges in the promotion of chess and the hobby keeps him busy in his spare time. Between his duties as Secretary of the Sacramento Capital City Chess Club and also his Sunday chess column in the Sacramento Morning Union he still finds time for exhibitions and competitive play and ranks as one of the two top players in Sacramento. He has twice been City Champion and twice runner-up in the last four years. Between these chess games Gee acts as Accountant and Sec'y-Treasurer for the Surcease Mining Co., while he continues his CPA studies. In addition he serves as USCF Director for California.

Other hobbies are skating, swimming and fishing, but chess, Gee confesses, gets the edge because it is handiest for spare moments.

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