RUNNING OUT OF PLACES TO ROVE AT THIS TIME of the year, I decided to peek in on the U.S. Junior Championship Tourney going on at the auditorium down at the Spreckels-Russell Dairy Co. It was a very quiet place. One did not dare drop a pin, much less a watch, for fear of someone calling a forfeit. Bobby Fischer, of course, was the featured player so he and his opponent (Stephen Sholomson of L.A. at the time) were roped off, literally speaking. It was about the only way you could tell where Bobby Fischer was playing. Since Bobby has so suddenly become such a spotlight in the world of chess one is inclined to look for someone unusual. There is nothing unusual about Bobby. He looks like any other kid his age. He even appears to be a little nervous playing a chess game, biting his fingernails continuously. The only difference between him and others his age is that he plays exceptionally good chess. We hope that he will continue to do so even though there is not much in the way of monies to attract any kid to the game today. Nevertheless, if the U.S.A. is again to gain some distinction among other nations in the old Royal Game, then we need more Bobby Fischers (and Gil Ramirezs, Fred Wredens, Ivan Vegvarys, et al).

There were quite a few local lads I was familiar with. Naturally, I was interested in how they were doing. To find that Gil Ramirez got a draw with Bobby Fischer pleased me. But then the talk was that he should have won the game. My answer to this is, then why didn't he??!! The final result is always so telling no matter who was supposed to do what. Dave Nieder often remarks, "Chess is an illegal game--: the guy who loses always should have won or at least draw, and the guy who draws always should have won, but the guy who wins or draws never should have!" Tell me--, what do we keep score for??!!

George Koltanowski was directing the tournament ably enough, but I didn't like to see a couple of my friends bearing down on each other across the 64 squares. But there it was, i.e., a game going on between Ivan Vegvary and Fred Wreden. At first I hoped it was a "skittles" game, but alas, the faces were serious, the issue at hand, critical! It was a pretty even game, too, until Ivan "goofed" and gave away a Knight.

During the final round and last day, the Spreckels-Russell Dairy Co. auditorium became a little crowded. Everybody wanted to be in on the final results. First prize, of course, went to Bobby Fischer. He got a typewriter--, and, he doesn't know how to type. Maybe he can trade it in for a "Kingboard"! Guthrie McClain, editor of THE CALIFORNIA CHESS REPORTER, deserves a word of praise for his up-to-the-minute bulletins during the tourney, which appeared at the auditorium where the tourney was taking place and at a few chess clubs.

Your reporter stepped into 57 Post Street, Mechanics' Institute, long enough to find out that William Addison won the M.I. Invitational Tourney, losing only one game, to Charles Bagby, who came in second. Now my memory is a little hazy but I believe Gil Ramirez and Jim Schmitt tied for 3rd and 4th, with Henry Gross taking 5th. Now I could be wrong; it may have been Gross 3rd, and a tie for 4th & 5th, or it may have been--, well shucks, it's stale news by now anyhow.

In a local TV column there was mention of a best scene being left out on a play about Ben Franklin. It seems Ben, at the age of 70, fell for a certain Mme. Brillon. Mme. Brillon was crazy about taking baths while Ben Franklin was crazy about chess. Ben Franklin wrote in his memoirs how he and Mme. Brillon used to play chess while she took a bath. In a TV story about this part of Franklin's life, the bath-chess scene was left out. Reason, according to Zsa Zsa Gabor (playing the part of Mme. Brillon), was because "Chess is not so popular these days". Guess Miss Gabor hasn't been around much these 'days', there is a chess scene in the picture, "The Green Man" (now playing at the Larkin), that has people of all sorts rolling in the aisles with laughter. The left out TV scene probably would be more interesting, especially with Zsa Zsa taking a bath…, while playing chess!