California Chess in the early 1970's

by Bill Wall

William Addison (2492) of San Francisco took 2nd place in the 1969 U.S. Championship and won the 1969/1970 Northern California Championship.

At the end of 1969, Walter Browne (2477), youngest and newest grandmaster, gave a 15-board simultaneous exhibition in Hayward, California. He won 14 games and lost one game, to Eric Salo.

The U.C. Berkeley team took 10th place in the 1969-70 North American Intercollegiate Championship, held in Montreal. McGill University won the event.

In the late 1960s, the major chess publication in Central California was the bimonthly SCACCHIS VOICE, edited by Martin Morrison. It was later renamed CHESS VOICE in 1970. The main chess publication in Southern California was TERRACHESS, edited by Gordon Barrett. The official publication of the California State Chess Federation was THE CALIFORNIA CHESS REPORTER, edited by Guthrie McClain.

The 1969/1970 California Chess Championship was won by Charles Henin of Sherman Oaks. David Blohm, winner of the 1968/69 California Chess Championship, took 2nd.

In 1970, the 4th annual San Francisco Bay Amateur Chess Championship was won by Charles Maddigan of Oakland.

The 22nd annual San Gabriel Valley Open, in Pasadena, was won by Marlie Thomason. The event is the oldest annual tournament in Southern California.

The 2nd annual Cherry Tree Open, held at the Casa Alvarado Chess Center, was won by Bernard Lainson.

In 1970, The Central California Chess Association (CCCA) Class Tournament at Berkeley (The Washingtonian) was won by International Master William Addison.

In 1970, The John Gilbreth Memorial Tournament in Southern California was won by Dr. Anthony Saidy (2443).

In February, 1970, Grandmaster Larry Evans (2561) gave a 16-board simul in Oakland. He won 15 games and lost one game, to David Forthoffer.

On March 19, 1970, Herbert Abel, former President of the Santa Monica Chess Club, died. He was 72. He founded the American Open Tournament in 1965.

By the end of March, 1970, the number of California members of the U.S. Chess Federation (USCF) was 2,356. A year earlier, there were a little over 1,000 USCF members in California.

In April, 1970, Robert Newbold of Riverside, won the 1970 National High School Championship, held in New York.

On April 15, 1970, Marion Arthur Sanders died. He was born in 1902 and was one of the organizers of the Stockton Chess Club and the Central California Chess League.

In 1970, the 6th annual El Segundo Open was won by Julio Kaplan, who scored 6-0. John Grefe took 2nd place. Kaplan was World Junior Champion from 1967 to 1969.

The 1970 Sacramento Championship was won by Jude Acers.

In 1970, the Richard Reti Memorial, held in Monterey, was won by Mike Ewell and Steve Sawyer.

The 1970 California Gold Rush Tournament, held in Orange, was won by Robert Snyder.

In May, 1970, players from the Southern California area defeated players from the Northern California area with 15 wins, 11 losses, and two draws in the annual North-South match. The event was held in Santa Maria.

In May, 1970, Kenneth Morrisey won the California Junior Championship, held in Los Angeles.

In June, 1970, the 6th Annual Monterey International Open was won by Julio Kaplan (1967 World Junior Champion) on tiebreak over Grandmaster Larry Evans, and Frank Thornally, each with 5-0. Larry Christiansen was top junior.

In 1970, the 22nd Davis Championship was won by Serge von Oettingen.

In August, 1970, Julio Kaplan (2408) won the 2nd annual Central California Championship, held in Hayward. The Junior Championship was won by Craig Barnes.

The 1970 Whittier Chess Club Championship was won by John Barnard.

The 1970 CCCA Summer USCF Class Chess tournament, held in Concord, was won by Borel Menas.

The 1970 California Open, held at Ventura, was won by Tibor Weinberger. There were 165 players.

The 1970 Monterey Peninsula Chess Club Championship was won by Bernie Lainson.

In October, 1970, Robert Byrne and Larry Evans tied for 1st in the Continental Open in Los Angeles.

In 1970, the 4th annual Fight of the Bumbler Bee, held in Monterey, was won by Charles Pardini.

The 1970 San Diego Open was won by Jesus Mondragon.

In 1970, the Central California Championship, held in Sacramento, was won by Frank Thornally.

In November, 1970, Robert Byrne won the 6th American Open, held in Santa Monica.

The 1970 Monterey County Championship was won by Alex Suhobeck.

In December, 1970, California School Festival, held in Van Nuys, drew a record 873 players. The mayor of Los Angles, Sam Yorty, declared the period from December 19, 1970 as Chess Week.

The most active player in 1970 may have been Jude Acers. He played hundreds of simultaneous exhibitions and won numerous tournaments in California.

The 1970/71 California State Championship, held at Mechanics' Institute Chess Club in San Francisco, was won by Charles Henin of Sherman Oaks and Dennis Fritzinger of San Francisco.

On January 15, 1971, Carroll Mather Capps, long-time benefactor of San Francisco chess, died. He was also a science fiction writer who wrote under the pseudonym of C.C. MaCapp. He was born in 1913. He was a former president of the San Francisco Bay Area Chess League. He won the Northern California and San Francisco championship several times.

The 1971 San Bernadino Chess Club Championship was won by Stephan Skrypzak.

In February, 1971, Grandmaster Svetozar Gligoric gave a 31-board simul in Oakland, winning 26, losing 4, and drawing 1 game. He then gave a 32-board simul in Monterey, winning 27, losing 4, and drawing 1 game. He then played 52 players at the West Covina and Downey Chess Clubs, winning 43 and drawing 9. He then gave a 36-board simul in North Hollywood, winning 22, losing 7, and drawing 7 games.

In February, 1971, Larry Christiansen (2085) won the Western High School Championship.

In February, 1971, Al Larsen won the Pasadena Club Championship, held at Cal Tech.

In February, 1971, Russ Stoutenborough won the Downey Open.

In March, 1971, Bill Wall won the Beale AFB Open, near Yuba City.

From March 14-20, 1971, the first Louis Statham Masters and Experts Tournament was held in Lone Pine. It was won by Larry Evans.

In April, 1971, Edward McCaskey won the 7th Visalia Amateur Open.

In April, 1971, Larry Christiansen won the 3rd Annual High School Championship, held in New York.

In 1971, Thomas Lajcik won the Simi Valley Open.

In May, 1971, the annual North-South match, held in Fresno, was won by the North, 57 to 38.

In May, 1971, the California Class Championship, held in Fresno, was won by James Tarjan.

In May, 1971, Lt Col Henry Giertych won the Beale AFB Championship. 2nd place went to Bill Wall

In May, 1971, Steven D. Cross won the Berkeley Chess Club Open Championship.

In June, 1971, James McCormick won the 7th Monterey International Open Chess Tournament. 2nd-3rd went to Dennis Fritzinger and David Blohm.

In July, 1971, Dr. Anthony Saidy won the Pacific Southwest Open in Santa Monica.

In July, 1971, Don Eilmes won the Simi Valley Chess Club Championship.

In August, 1971, Lawrence Hughes won the Central California Chess Championship, held in Hayward.

In August, 1971, the 72nd Annual US Open was held in Ventura and won by Walter Browne and Larry Evans. There were 402 players in the event.

In August, 1971, Grandmaster Florin Gheorghiu gave a 24-board simul in San Francisco, winning 20 and drawing 4 games.

In September, 1971, the 22nd Annual California Open, held in Fresno, was won by International Master Julio Kaplan. 2nd place went to Julius Loftsson. There were 118 players.

In September, 1971, Max Wilkerson won the 1st Annual San Francisco Class Tournament. There were 116 players.

The 1971 San Diego Open was won by Jesus Mondragon. Jeremy Silman took 2nd place.

In October, 1971, Julio Kaplan won the Carrol M. Capps Memorial, held at the Mechanics' Institute Chess Club. There were 81 players.

In October, 1971, Kim Commons won the Los Angeles Open. Tibor Weinberger took 2nd place.

In October, 1971, Marina High School of Huntington Beach won the first California Stated High School Team Championship.

In October, 1971, Robert Newbold won the Central Valley Open, held in Sacramento.

In November, 1971, International Master George Koltanowski gave a 30-board simul in Santa Rosa, winning 25, drawing 4, and losing 1 game (lost to Tom Henry).

In November, 1971, Carl Pilnick won the 7th Annual American Open on tiebreaks over Larry Evans, Walter Browne, Ross Stoutenborough, and David Strauss. The event, held in Santa Monica, drew 306 players.

In November, 1971, John Dedinksy won the 2nd Annual Redwood City Open.

The 1971 California State Championship, held in Sun Valley, was won by Kim S. Commons. 2nd place went to James Tarjan, followed by Dennis Fritzinger.

In December, 1971, the 6th Annual San Francisco Bay Area Amateur Open, held in Oakland, was won by Roger Gabrielson and Lester Schonbrun.

In 1971, Andy Sacks won the San Fernando Valley Open.

In 1971, the 24th San Gabriel Valley Open was won by Ahmad Koopal.

In 1971, David Argall won the West Covina club championship.

In 1971, Gene Olsen won the Orange Chess Club Championship.

At the end of 1971, Jude Acers gave 124 simultaneous exhibitions in 82 different cities and towns. He visited 30 states in 6 months.

In 1972, Martin Morrison received the title of FIDE International Arbiter. He was the National Secretary of the USCF.

In 1972, Craig Barnes (2192) of Berkeley won the 4th Annual U.S. High School Championship, held in New York.

In 1972, Larry Christiansen won the Western High School Championship with a 6-0 score. Craig Barnes took 2nd.

In February, 1972, Greg Francis won the Pasadena Chess Club Championship.

In 1972, Jeff Kent won the Simi Valley Open.

In 1972, Don Steers won the Los Angeles County Championship.

In March, 1972, John Barnard won the 8th Visalia Amateur Open.

In March, 1972, James Tarjan won the Berkeley Grand Prix.

In March, 1972, Grandmaster Svetozar Gligoric gave a 13-board simul at U.C. Davis. He won 11 and drew 2 games (drew with Tom Dorsch and Sergius von Oettingen).

In March, 1972, Svetozar Gligoric won the Louis D. Statham Masters and Experts Chess Tournament at Lone Pine.

In April, 1972, Vitaley Radaikin won the Marin Chess Club Championship, held in Mill Valley.

In May, 1972, Jose Mondragon won the Aztec Open in San Diego.

In May, 1972, the annual North-South match, held in Fresno, was won by the South by a score of 124-118.

In June, 1972, R. Carl Shiflett won the Berkeley Chess Club Open.

In June, 1972, Rex Wilcox won the 8th Monterey International Open.

In July, 1972, John Grefe won the Championship of Central California.

In July, 1972, Ross Stoutenborough won the California Chess Classic, held in Los Angeles. There were 155 players.

In July, 1972, John Manson won the Beale AFB Open near Yuba City. 2nd place went to Bill Wall.

In August, 1972, Robert Zuk won the San Diego Open.

The 1972 California Junior Championship was won by Mark Saylor.

In September, 1972, John Grefe and Ziad Baroudi tied for 1st at the Pacific Open, held in San Francisco.

In October, 1972, David Reynolds won the Los Angeles Open.

In 1972, Robert Hurdle won the California High School Championship, followed by Chris Strong.

In 1972, the 25th San Gabriel Valley Open was won by Gabor Istanyi.

In November, 1972, John Grefe won the West Coast Open, held in Berkeley. There were 206 players. 2nd-3rd place went to Dennis Fritzinger and Borel Menas.

In November, 1972, Larry Remlinger of Long Beach won the 8th American Open, held in Santa Monica. There were 428 players in the event. Bobby Fischer showed up in the last round and signed autographs.

In November, 1972, the Beale AFB Open was won by Henry Giertych, John Manson, and John Bales.

In 1972, Roy Ervin won the Hayward Regional tournament. There were 201 players.

In 1972, Steve Sawyer began editing the CALIFORNIA CHESS TOURNAMENT BULLETIN.

By the end of 1972, the Berkeley Chess Club had over 400 USCF members.

In February, 1973, Craig Barnes won the Central California Grand Prix, held in Berkeley. 2nd place went to James McCormick. The tournament had 267 players.

In March, 1973, Arthur Bisguier won at Lone Pine. 2nd place went to Walter Browne and Laszlo Szabo.

In March, 1973, Philip Smith won the Northern California Open, held in Sacramento.

In March, 1973, Henry Giertych won on tiebreak over William Archbold in the Beale AFB Spring Open.

In April, 1973, James McCormick, Gene Lee, Dennis Waterman, and Robert Newbold won the Western Open, held in San Jose.

In April, 1973, Kenneth Fitzgerald won the Santa Cruz Open. In April, 1973, Russell Vorpagel won the Visalia Amateur Open.

In May, 1973, Diane Savereid won the Southern California Women's Championship, held in Hollywood, with a 6-0 score. Lima Grumette took 2nd.

In June, 1973, Larry Christiansen (2390) of Riverside won the 1973 U.S. Junior Championship, held in San Francisco. Mark Diesen took 2nd.

In June, 1973, Romeo Rodriquez, James McCormick, and Max Burkett won the San Anselmo Open.

In June, 1973, Lt Col Henry Giertych won the Beale AFB Ch. Bill Wall and John Manson took 2nd-3rd place.

In June, 1973, Takashi Kurosaki won the California Junior Championship, held in San Francisco.

In July, 1973, Craig Barnes won the 10th Annual Stamer Memorial in San Francisco.

In July, 1973, Kim Commons won the Paul Masson American Class Championship, held in Saratoga. 2nd-3rd went to John Dedinsky and Roy Ervin. The tournament had 537 players.

In July, 1973, David Strauss won on tiebreak over Walter Browne in the California Chess Classic, held in Los Angeles.

In July, 1973, John Williams won the Simi Valley Chess Club Championship.

In 1973, Walter Browne won the Golden West Open, held in Los Angeles. There were 347 players. 2nd place went to Kim Commons.

In 1973, Tibor Weinberger won on tiebreak over Boris Siff and James McCormick in the California Open, held in Monterey.

In August, 1973, Jeff Kent won the San Diego Open. There were 158 players.

In August, 1973, Paul Stang won the Fort Ord Championship.

In September, 1973, John Grefe of Berkeley won the 22nd U.S. Chess Championship, held in El Paso. He tied with grandmaster Lubomir Kavalek.

In 1973, the California State Championship was won by David Strauss.

In September, 1973, Ruben Rodriguez won the Pacific Coast Open, held in Los Angeles. There were 144 players.

In 1973, the 4th Redwood City Open was won by Boral Menas.

In November, 1973, James Tarjan won the 9th American Open. Kim Commons took 2nd, followed by Ruben Rodriguez. There were 403 players.

In 1973, Walter Brown won the 3rd Los Angeles Open. Anthony Saidy took 2nd place. There were 116 players.

In 1973, the 3rd California High School Championship was won by Scott Stewart.

In 1973, the Monterey Park Chess Club Championship was won by Ming-Farn Chen.

In December, 1973, Alex Suhobeck won the Monterey Coast Classic.

In March, 1974, Walter Brown won the 4th annual Louis D. Statham Tournament in Lone Pine.

In April, 1974, Svetozar Gligoric won the Los Angeles International. Florin Gheorghiu and Julio Kaplan took 2nd-3rd.

In 1974, Larry Christiansen won the San Bernadino Open.

In 1974, Nick DeFirmian won the 1st Cal Poly Open.

In July, 1974, Larry Christiansen (2350) tied with Peter Winston in the U.S. Junior Championship, held in Philadelpha.

In 1974, the 10th Monterey International Open was won by Alex Suhobeck.

In 1974, Jeremy Silman won the San Francisco Championship.

In 1974, Randall Hough won the Riverside Chess Club Championship.

In 1974, the LERA Peninsula Class Championship, held in Sunnyvale, was won by Dennis Waterman.

In 1974, John Milton won the San Rafael Open.

In 1974, E4 Van R. Vandiver won the Fort Ord Championship.

In September, 1974, Lewis Castle won the Beale AFB Open.

In November, 1974, Kim Commons and Peter Biyiasas won the 10th American Open.

In March, 1975, Vladimir Liberzon won at Lone Pine.

On September 30, 1975, Charles Bagby died in San Francisco. He had been a member of the Mechanics' Institute Chess Club since 1938. He was born in 1903.

In November, 1975, Kim Commons and David Strauss won the 11th American Open

In March, 1976, Tigran Petrosian won at Lone Pine.

In 1976, CHESS 4.5 won the Paul Masson "B" Class Championship in Saratoga with a 5-0 score.

In November, 1976, Walter Browne, Yasser Sierawan, and John Pike won the 12th American Open.