AThe Montreal Star, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Saturday, August 25, 1956
13-year-old To Play Top Chess Men
CAPTION: Junior chess champion of the United States, Bobby Fischer, 13, of Brooklyn, ponders a move. He is the youngest of the participants. His other main interest is baseball.
A 13-year-old boy will pit his knowledge of chess against top-ranking players from as far south as Guatemala and as far west as Vancouver, in Canada's first open chess championships, starting today in Redpath Hall, McGill University.
He is Bobby Fischer of Brooklyn, N. Y., who won the United States junior chess championship in Philadelphia, and finished fourth in the U.S. open championship.
The youngest contestant in the championships, Bobby is expected to give the experts some tough opposition. But the odds-on favorite to take first prize money of $500 is 24-year-old international master Larry Evans of New York City. Evans has held the U.S. championship twice, and has won nearly every major chess even in the United States.
Upset Likely
With such a strong field, however, some believe an upset is a strong possibility. High in the list of possible winners are three Canadian entrants. Lionel Joyner of Montreal, Abe Yanofsky of Winnipeg, and Frank Anderson of Toronto.
Other Canadian entrants include Maurice Fox, Montreal, eight times winner of the Canadian championship; Paul Vaitonis, Hamilton, former Canadian champion, and Heinz Matthai, Montreal, former Quebec Provincial champion.
Other experts taking part include Guillermo Vassaux, national chess champion of Guatemala, and his fellow countryman, Antonio Gillot; Edmar Mednis, present New York State champion; William Lombardy, former New York State champion; E. S. Jackson, New York, former U.S. amateur champion, and Anthony Saidy, who played on the U.S. team at the international students' tournament in Sweden.
The tournament will start at 6:30 p.m. in Redpath Hall, moving to the Davis Building of the Young Men's Hebrew Association tomorrow for two rounds, beginning at 10 a.m., and returning to Redpath Hall Monday, where it will remain until Sept. 1. All play at Redpath Hall will start at 6:30 p.m. Final rounds are scheduled for the YMHA building.
Officers Elected
J. G. Prentice of Vancouver yesterday was re-elected president of the Chess Federation of Canada at the group's annual meeting.
Other officers re-elected were: vice-president, P. G. Heley, Sarnia, Ontario; secretary J. B. Bergewin, Ottawa; and treasurer A. E. Russell, Vancouver.
Wilbur Jonssan, Winnipeg was named membership secretary, a new post.
