Isaac Kashdan

[Peter McKillop]

This is from Wikipedia's article on Kashdan: "Kashdan would have been U.S. champion in 1942, but lost out to Reshevsky when the Tournament Director, L. Walter Stephens, scored Reshevsky's time-forfeit loss to Denker as a win instead." Sounds like there's an interesting story here. Anyone know the details?

[Stephen Wright]

Re: Isaac Kashdan

From Wikipedia:

In an objectively drawn endgame against Arnold Denker, the flag on Reshevsky's clock fell, which should have resulted in his losing on time. The tournament director Walter Stephens, who was standing behind the clock, flipped it around and, looking at Reshevsky's side of the clock (which he mistakenly thought was Denker's), announced "Denker forfeits!" He refused to correct his error, explaining, "Does Kenesaw Mountain Landis reverse himself?" William Lombardy and David Daniels, U.S. Championship Chess, David McKay, 1975, p. 22.

[Jack Maguire]

Re: Isaac Kashdan

The game itself at chessgames.com carries a fair bit of commentary in the 'Kibitzer's Corner', Peter.

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1415894

[Wayne Komer]

Re: Isaac Kashdan

Isaac Kashdan

The U.S. Chess Championship in 1942 took place in April in New York City.

Chess Review describes the critical game on page 86 of the April, 1942 issue:

When Tournament Director Stephens forfeited Denker for overstepping the time limit in the following game from the sixth round, the crowd demonstrated its disapproval with boos and jeers.

Denker filed a protest as Reshevsky was not keeping his own score and the players were using a battered old mechanical clock with no flag indicators. His protest was disallowed. As the final position was an easy draw, the champion thus gained half a point on a technicality. This proved important later when Reshevsky entered the 14th round just half a point ahead of Kashdan.

US Championship
New York, April 17, 1942
Reshevsky, Samuel – Denker, Arnold
E26 Nimzo-Indian, Samisch Variation

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.a3 Bxc3+ 5.bxc3 c5 6.e3 O-O 7.Bd3 d5 8.cxd5 Qxd5 9.Nf3 cxd4 10.exd4 b6 11.c4 Qd6 12.O-O Bb7 13.Ne5 Nc6 14.Bb2 Rfd8 15.Nxc6 Qxc6 16.f3 Rac8 17.Qe2 Qd6 18.f4 g6 19.Rae1 Re8 20.Rf2 Nh5 21.Qg4 Ba6 22.Rc1 Re7 23.c5 bxc5 24.Bxa6 Qxa6 25.dxc5 Rec7 26.Qg5 f6 27.Bxf6 Nxf6 28.Qxf6 Rxc5 29.Rxc5 Rxc5 30.Qd8+ Kf7 31.Qd7+ Kf8 32.h3 Qb6 33.Kh2 Rc1 34.Re2 Qg1+ 35.Kg3 Rc3+ 36.Kh4 Qc5 37.Qxh7 Qe7+ 38.Qxe7+ Kxe7 39.a4 Kf6 40.Re4 Ra3 41.g4 a5 42.Rc4 Rf3 43.Rc5 Rxf4 44.Rxa5 g5+ 45.Kg3 Rb4 { In a clearly drawn position, Reshevsky's time expired. Due to an apparent error of the arbiter L. Walter Stephens, Reshevsky was awarded the full point, appeals notwithstanding. } 1-0

The above from chessgames.com

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chess...415894&kpage=1

which has these additional comments:

karik: Sammy's time expired? And yet he won! Is this the game someone told the following story: Denker went to tell the arbiter that his opponents time has expired. Meanwhile, however, Sammy switched the clock to the other side of the board. The arbiter then came to the table and saw that Denker's time had expired. He then declared Sammy as the winner.

RookFile: Well, I heard that story too, but the way I heard it, Reshevsky didn't do anything, the arbiter was just an idiot and got the clock position confused, and Reshevsky didn't say anything.

Phony Benoni: The story, as I understand it, is that the director approached the table facing the back of the clock. To check on the time forfeit, he picked up the clock and turned it around so that the front was facing him. This turned the side with the fallen flag toward Denker, who was consequently forfeited.

Upon being informed of his mistake, the director said, "Does Kenesaw Mountain Landis <the tyrannical baseball Commissioner of the day> ever reverse himself?"
Apparently Reshevsky did nothing, which is one of the reasons to censure his behavior. One would have hoped that he would have protested, but evidently he was one of those people who put winning above everything, including good sportsmanship.

By the way, Denker recounts that this game was from round 8, at which time he had a score of 7-0. A win or draw would have left him in excellent shape to win the Championship.

Pawn and Two: There is an amazing story connected to this game. Perhaps it is best to let Denker himself tell us about it. Here it is from his book, "The Bobby Fischer I Knew".

<At the 1942 U.S. Championship, my relations with Sammy hit a snag because of the funniest and most devastating game that we ever played. We met in round six, when my score stood at 4 1/2 - 1/2. Our game was crucial. In the position below, I played 45...Rb4.

(diagram given after 45.Kg3)

Not only can I draw easily with lateral checks, Sammy's flag had fallen. At least 40 to 50 spectators saw it drop. Whereupon, tournament director, L. Walter Stephens rushed to our table, picked up the clock from behind, and turned it around so that Sammy's clock was now on my side. He instantly declared me forfeited. I appealed to Sammy, who would only say that he was not the tournament director. Then, along with several spectators, I appealed to Stephens. But to no avail. He announced archly, "Does Kenesaw Mountain Landis ever reverse himself?" The reference was to Judge Mountain Landis, the commissioner of baseball installed after the White/Black Sox scandal of 1919, who was renowned for ruling with an iron fist.>

Denker also included the following regarding this game, in a chapter about Stephens. < "A near riot," as Isaac Kashdan described it, broke out. When several witnesses tried to reason with L. Walter, he retorted with his now famous query, "Does Kenesaw Mountain Landis ever reverse himself?" And that supremely stupid statement ended all possible discussion. I played the remainder of the tournament, to use Bernard Shaw's memorable image, like a squashed cabbage leaf.>

Reshevsky eventually won the 1942 U.S. Championship, but only after some further adventures, including a tie-breaking match with Kashdan. As for poor Denker, he finshed tied with Pinkus in 3-4th place, 2 points behind Reshevsky and Kashdan.

Phony Benoni: <Rookfile> This was such a memorable anecdote that I did a little surfing to find confirmation. Instead, some questions arose.

For instance, what was the time control? If it came at move 45, Reshevsky was not in danger of being forfeited, since his fallen flag would have been observed on his 46th move. Denker could have been forfeited had his flag fallen, since he had been unable to complete move 45 beforehand.

A few people have wondered why Denker didn't take the case to court. Well, this was 1942. The U.S. was at war. You didn't make a big fuss about such trivial matters as a chess game.

Hopefully somebody with a contemporary source can offer some information.

______

The only thing I would add here is that the game was played on Friday, April 17, 1942. Reshevsky was not keeping his own score. Is it the Jewish sabbath after sundown?