Tweet
Soviet Grandmasters in Canada 1954
There is lots of interesting material in old Canadian chess magazines, which should be reprinted.
This article from Canadian Chess Chat, December 1954
FROM THE DIARY OF GRANDMASTER ALEXANDER KOTOV
Translation by George Berner of an Article in the November 1954 issue of CHESS IN THE U.S.S.R.
On the eve of the departure of our chess delegation from New York, Grandmaster Bondarevsky and I flew to Canada where we were invited to carry out a friendly chess tour. It does not take long to fly from New York City to Montreal – only 2 or 3 hours – and we were already on Canadian soil. A polite employee of the airport requested our passports and after having learned we were the chessplayers, immediately invited us to his room, asked us to sit down and without any delay carried out the formalities pertaining to our entry into the country.
From somewhere he secured a newspaper with the information about our arrival and gave it to us. Other employees came and they all inquired what we were going to do in Canada, in which city we were going to play and who would be our opponents.
“And what is this?” asked the Canadian airport official when he saw a white slip of paper inserted into my passport. This strip prohibited me to travel beyond a 25-mile radius of New York City. “Such ‘calling cards’ we all received at the airport in New York”, we answered. “How disgusting”, the official exclaimed and he ripped out the white slip. It was difficult for me to persuade him not to destroy this ‘memento’.
Another half-hour of flight and we were in Ottawa, the Capital of Canada. Ottawa is a small, cosy city. There is much green there. All the most important administrative government departments are there.
Upon arrival at the Capital, we received the plan of our 10-day tour. The program was a very strenuous one. It contained both the simultaneous performances and the matches against the Canadian champions.
Grandmaster Bondarevsky gave a simultaneous performance against 25 Ottawa chess players and won all the games.
My exhibition with clocks against the 3 strongest chess players of the city lasted only an hour and ended with the defeat of all my opponents.
The Ottawa newspaper subsequently wrote “The Soviet experts gained another victory over the Canadians”, referred to the recent defeat of the Canadian hockey team during the world championships.
On the following day, we undertook a long train trip to the City of Winnipeg located more than 2000 kilometers from Ottawa.
At the railroad station, we were met by the Champion of Canada, the International master A. Yanofsky, whom we have met previously at various chess tournaments in Europe. We were introduced to Mr. Divinsky, President of the Canadian Chess Federation. He informed us of the country’s chess life.
In Canada there are 2 International Masters, 4 players have the title of National Master and 22 players are in the first category.
In the Canadian Championship in 1953 the Masters Anderson and Yanofsky were given the title of Champion of Canada. According to the President, about 100,000 people play chess in Canada. However, there are 5000 organized players in Canada. Matches between players of various cities are relatively rare. The distances between the Canadian cities are great, travelling expenses are high, and the Federation, which receives no financial help from the State, does not have the funds to organize such matches.
We arrived at Winnipeg at 1 p.m. and already at 6 p.m. the exhibitions began. Bondarevsky played against 35 opponents. Only 2 Canadians succeeded in drawing. All other games were won by Bondarevsky.
My game against Master Yanofsky was interesting and I managed to win it. After having taken leave of the chess friends of this distance Canadian City, we flew to the second largest Canadian City, Toronto.
There we were warmly received by Dr. Freedman, the FIDE Vice-President. After having arrived at Toronto late at night, early in the morning we set off on a new voyage, this time a tourist trip, - to the famous Niagara waterfalls.
We viewed the waterfall from different spots on the bank and travelled across the Niagara River in the cable car. Finally, after having descended in an elevator to the depths and having put on special waterproof attire, we approached through a tunnel the foot of the Falls. There, water falling from a tremendous height sprays against the stones.
The day passed quickly. Our Canadian friends entertained us in all possible ways. In this respect, particular efforts were made by the energetic and lively Mr. Freedman. To finish off the tour, the hosts sang Russian songs and along the banks of the Niagara River, the words sounded: “Volga, Volga, our own Mother.”
The exhibitions in Toronto lasted 2 days. On the first day, we played 2 exhibition games: Bondarevsky against Anderson and I against Master Vaitonis.
F. Anderson is a young talented chessplayer. Until recently, he was forced to stay in bed by a serious illness. After having begun, despite his illness, to study chess, he acquired a thorough knowledge of theory, gradually improved his skill and attained a considerable practical strength. Along with Yanofsky, Anderson is, undoubtedly, the strongest player of the country. At present, he is studying at the University.
Anderson’s game with his “old” adversary, the Grandmaster Bondarevsky, to whom in the spring of this year he lost a cable game, took a very interesting course. The Canadian Champion, in a precise and consistent manner, made use of his opponent’s mistake in the opening. The second game finished with the defeat of Vaitonis.
On the following day, we played the simultaneous exhibition. Bondarevsky won 23 games and drew 5; I won 25 games, drew 1 and lost 2. The winners were the Junior Champion of Canada, the Japanese J. Kagetsu and the Ukrainian, V. Chizhik.
Another night in a railway compartment and we were in Montreal, the largest Canadian city. There in a simultaneous exhibition, Bondarevsky won 24 and drew 4.
On the following day, we took a cordial leave from the Canadian chess players.
The visit of the Soviet Grandmasters to Canada laid the basis for the creative communication between the Canadian and Soviet representatives of Chess Art. In Canada we gained many chess friends and our matches with the best Canadian chessplayers will contribute to the cause of further development of Chess. Expressing our mutual feeling, one of the Montreal players stated before our departure, “I have the impression that we have been acquainted with you for many years.”
_______
I have an idea that Kotov’s book Zapiski Shakhmatista (Moscow, 1957) “Notes (or Jottings) of a Chessplayer, recounts some of his travels in North America, Argentina and Sweden.
______
I would like to do a series of articles on chess in Canada up to 1965. However, I lack Canadian Chess Chat for 1947-1951 (incl) and 1955-6. If there is any reader that can help me with photocopies, especially of 1955, I would be grateful. One can get them from Cleveland but that takes a great deal of time.
There is lots of interesting material in old Canadian chess magazines, which should be reprinted.
This article from Canadian Chess Chat, December 1954
FROM THE DIARY OF GRANDMASTER ALEXANDER KOTOV
Translation by George Berner of an Article in the November 1954 issue of CHESS IN THE U.S.S.R.
On the eve of the departure of our chess delegation from New York, Grandmaster Bondarevsky and I flew to Canada where we were invited to carry out a friendly chess tour. It does not take long to fly from New York City to Montreal – only 2 or 3 hours – and we were already on Canadian soil. A polite employee of the airport requested our passports and after having learned we were the chessplayers, immediately invited us to his room, asked us to sit down and without any delay carried out the formalities pertaining to our entry into the country.
From somewhere he secured a newspaper with the information about our arrival and gave it to us. Other employees came and they all inquired what we were going to do in Canada, in which city we were going to play and who would be our opponents.
“And what is this?” asked the Canadian airport official when he saw a white slip of paper inserted into my passport. This strip prohibited me to travel beyond a 25-mile radius of New York City. “Such ‘calling cards’ we all received at the airport in New York”, we answered. “How disgusting”, the official exclaimed and he ripped out the white slip. It was difficult for me to persuade him not to destroy this ‘memento’.
Another half-hour of flight and we were in Ottawa, the Capital of Canada. Ottawa is a small, cosy city. There is much green there. All the most important administrative government departments are there.
Upon arrival at the Capital, we received the plan of our 10-day tour. The program was a very strenuous one. It contained both the simultaneous performances and the matches against the Canadian champions.
Grandmaster Bondarevsky gave a simultaneous performance against 25 Ottawa chess players and won all the games.
My exhibition with clocks against the 3 strongest chess players of the city lasted only an hour and ended with the defeat of all my opponents.
The Ottawa newspaper subsequently wrote “The Soviet experts gained another victory over the Canadians”, referred to the recent defeat of the Canadian hockey team during the world championships.
On the following day, we undertook a long train trip to the City of Winnipeg located more than 2000 kilometers from Ottawa.
At the railroad station, we were met by the Champion of Canada, the International master A. Yanofsky, whom we have met previously at various chess tournaments in Europe. We were introduced to Mr. Divinsky, President of the Canadian Chess Federation. He informed us of the country’s chess life.
In Canada there are 2 International Masters, 4 players have the title of National Master and 22 players are in the first category.
In the Canadian Championship in 1953 the Masters Anderson and Yanofsky were given the title of Champion of Canada. According to the President, about 100,000 people play chess in Canada. However, there are 5000 organized players in Canada. Matches between players of various cities are relatively rare. The distances between the Canadian cities are great, travelling expenses are high, and the Federation, which receives no financial help from the State, does not have the funds to organize such matches.
We arrived at Winnipeg at 1 p.m. and already at 6 p.m. the exhibitions began. Bondarevsky played against 35 opponents. Only 2 Canadians succeeded in drawing. All other games were won by Bondarevsky.
My game against Master Yanofsky was interesting and I managed to win it. After having taken leave of the chess friends of this distance Canadian City, we flew to the second largest Canadian City, Toronto.
There we were warmly received by Dr. Freedman, the FIDE Vice-President. After having arrived at Toronto late at night, early in the morning we set off on a new voyage, this time a tourist trip, - to the famous Niagara waterfalls.
We viewed the waterfall from different spots on the bank and travelled across the Niagara River in the cable car. Finally, after having descended in an elevator to the depths and having put on special waterproof attire, we approached through a tunnel the foot of the Falls. There, water falling from a tremendous height sprays against the stones.
The day passed quickly. Our Canadian friends entertained us in all possible ways. In this respect, particular efforts were made by the energetic and lively Mr. Freedman. To finish off the tour, the hosts sang Russian songs and along the banks of the Niagara River, the words sounded: “Volga, Volga, our own Mother.”
The exhibitions in Toronto lasted 2 days. On the first day, we played 2 exhibition games: Bondarevsky against Anderson and I against Master Vaitonis.
F. Anderson is a young talented chessplayer. Until recently, he was forced to stay in bed by a serious illness. After having begun, despite his illness, to study chess, he acquired a thorough knowledge of theory, gradually improved his skill and attained a considerable practical strength. Along with Yanofsky, Anderson is, undoubtedly, the strongest player of the country. At present, he is studying at the University.
Anderson’s game with his “old” adversary, the Grandmaster Bondarevsky, to whom in the spring of this year he lost a cable game, took a very interesting course. The Canadian Champion, in a precise and consistent manner, made use of his opponent’s mistake in the opening. The second game finished with the defeat of Vaitonis.
On the following day, we played the simultaneous exhibition. Bondarevsky won 23 games and drew 5; I won 25 games, drew 1 and lost 2. The winners were the Junior Champion of Canada, the Japanese J. Kagetsu and the Ukrainian, V. Chizhik.
Another night in a railway compartment and we were in Montreal, the largest Canadian city. There in a simultaneous exhibition, Bondarevsky won 24 and drew 4.
On the following day, we took a cordial leave from the Canadian chess players.
The visit of the Soviet Grandmasters to Canada laid the basis for the creative communication between the Canadian and Soviet representatives of Chess Art. In Canada we gained many chess friends and our matches with the best Canadian chessplayers will contribute to the cause of further development of Chess. Expressing our mutual feeling, one of the Montreal players stated before our departure, “I have the impression that we have been acquainted with you for many years.”
_______
I have an idea that Kotov’s book Zapiski Shakhmatista (Moscow, 1957) “Notes (or Jottings) of a Chessplayer, recounts some of his travels in North America, Argentina and Sweden.
______
I would like to do a series of articles on chess in Canada up to 1965. However, I lack Canadian Chess Chat for 1947-1951 (incl) and 1955-6. If there is any reader that can help me with photocopies, especially of 1955, I would be grateful. One can get them from Cleveland but that takes a great deal of time.
Comment