Great Chess Upsets - Hardcover

Reshevsky, Samuel

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0571110312 ISBN 13: 9780571110315

Publisher: Faber & Faber, 1976

Synopsis

This is a collection of 69 annotated games played by 17 of the greatest chess players in history. The games are nicely laid out in descriptive notation. Included with each of the games is a biography of the players. This book is a good read. Even without playing over the games, readers will find it enjoyable. Although the games are labeled “upsets”, not all are considered upsets in the prospective of history. For example, Morphy's defeat of Anderssen in 1858 might have been considered an upset at the time it was played when Morphy had just arrived in Europe, but we now recognize that Morphy was a stronger player than Anderssen. This collection includes four games lost by Bobby Fischer at near his peak plus games lost by each of the World Champions from Steinitz, Lasker, Capablanca and Alekhine to Botvinnik, Tal, Petrosian and Spassky. Samuel Reshevsky is the ideal person to write this book because he played all of them except for Steinitz.

About this title

About the Author

Samuel Reshevsky was born in Ozorkow, Poland on November 26, 1911. Most chess players reach their peak at age 30. It was Reshevsky's misfortune that he reached his peak during the World War II years, when he was probably the strongest player in the world. He played in the World Championship tournament in 1948 and in the Candidates Tournament in Zurich 1953. In both events, there were rumors and reports of collusion by the Soviets to prevent Reshevsky from winning the world championship, which he probably would have won in a fair contest. Fischer is quoted as saying that Reshevsky was the strongest player in the world and would have easily defeated World Champion Botvinnik in a match. However, Reshevsky never got the chance. There is no doubt at all that Reshevsky was the strongest USA player in his time. He won the US championship seven times, in 1936, 1938, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1946 and 1969. He started his career as the greatest child prodigy in chess history, playing nearly master strength chess when he was eight years old. He went on a tour first of Europe and then America, giving simultaneous chess exhibitions against adults and winning almost every game. As a 9-year old, his first American simultaneous exhibition was with 20 officers and cadets at the Military Academy at West Point. The photo of him playing in this exhibition is one of the most famous in chess history. He won 19 games and drew one. He toured the country and played over 1,500 games as a 9-year old in simultaneous exhibitions and only lost 8 games. He started playing again as an adult and was quickly established as one of the strongest players in the world. Having started as the world's youngest master, Reshevsky went on to become the world's oldest. After winning a game against a strong player in the US Open and when somebody remarked that he was able to win at such an advanced age. He never had a birth certificate due to war-time conditions in his native Poland. Reshevsky remained a world class player even after he had passed 60 years old. He even won a game in Moscow against Smyslov in 1991 when Reshevsky was 80 years old. He defeated Grandmaster and US Chess Champion Larry Christiansen just a few months before he died. He died on April 4, 1992 in New York City at age 81.

Edition details

• Publisher: Faber & Faber
• Publication date: 1976
• ISBN 10: 0571110312
• ISBN 13: 9780571110315
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 311