New York Times, New York, New York, Sunday, December 22, 1957
Chess
Russia maintained supremacy on nearly all fronts in the struggle for chess supremacy. Only the junior championship escaped the Russians. It was held in Toronto and won by William Lombardy of New York, a City College student, with a clean score of eleven victories.
Two Soviet grandmasters played for the individual championship of the world. The title changed hands as Vassily Smyslov defeated Mikhail Botvinnik, champion since 1948, by 12½—9½.
Mme. Olga Rubtsova won the women's world championship and a Russian pair finished as winners of the first women's team tournament in the Netherlands. Russia was also successful in the international students' tournament in Iceland.
Two zonal tournaments in the three-year series for the world's championship were held in Europe. Ludek Pachman of Czechoslovakia, Pal Benko of Hungary and Svetozar Gligoric of Yugoslavia qualified at Dublin. At Sofia, Dr. Miroslav Filip of Czechoslovakia was first and B. Sliwa of Poland, A. Matanovic of Yugoslavia and O. Neikrich of Bulgaria were in a triple tie for second place, requiring a play-off.
In this country Samuel Reshevsky, international grandmaster, again was the outstanding performer. He won the annual tournament for the Lessing J. Rosenwald trophy, sponsored by the American Chess Foundation. He was the victor also in two matches of ten games each. He beat Arthur B. Bisguier, the United States champion, 6—4, and Ronald Byrne of Ann Arbor, Mich., 7—3.
The year's sensation was Bobby Fischer, a 14-year-old Brooklyn schoolboy. He successfully defended his title for the national junior championship in San Francisco and, shortly afterward, entered the annual open championship of the United States Chess Federation in Cleveland.
In view of earlier accomplishments, much was expected of him, even though the field, 175, was unusually large. To the amazement of all concerned, the boy, after a tie with the United States champion, Bisguier, was declared to be the winner of the open title.
