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Two of the strongest tournaments of the time were held in the LA area in 1963 and 1966 - the Piatigorsky Cups. The first was an 8-player double RR event with Keres and Petrosian tying for first. The other players were (by finishing score order): Najdord, Olafsson, Reshevsky, Gligoric, Benko, and Panno. Fischer was invited - but demanded a $2000 appearance fee. Players had all expenses paid - travel, accommodations, etc. The winners received about $3000 each - which they used to buy new cars in the US (they didn't want to convert back to rubles). Keres' car is on display at an Estonian museum.
The second was a 10-player double RR - lasting a month (would 10 of the world's best dedicate a month to one event today?). Spassky won $5000. Others were Fischer, Larsen, Portisch, Unzicker, Petrosian, Reshevsky, Najdorf, Ivkov, and Donner.
The sponsor - Jacqueline Piatigorsky (1911-2012) was born a Rothschild, and married the cellist Gregor Piatigorsky (1903-1976) in 1937. Escaping Europe in the early 1940's, they settled in the US. As a chess player - she won a bronze medal in the 1957 Women's Olympiad. She had also sponsored the aborted Fischer-Reshevsky match in 1961. She gave up organizing any more Cups due to the hassle of getting foreign (e.g. Soviet) players. Her Foundation for chess which she had established was dissolved in 1985 (see the third link).
https://www.si.com/vault/1966/09/05/...gorsky-is-tops
http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/e...atigorsky.html
https://worldchesshof.org/exhibit/ja...player-pioneer
The second was a 10-player double RR - lasting a month (would 10 of the world's best dedicate a month to one event today?). Spassky won $5000. Others were Fischer, Larsen, Portisch, Unzicker, Petrosian, Reshevsky, Najdorf, Ivkov, and Donner.
The sponsor - Jacqueline Piatigorsky (1911-2012) was born a Rothschild, and married the cellist Gregor Piatigorsky (1903-1976) in 1937. Escaping Europe in the early 1940's, they settled in the US. As a chess player - she won a bronze medal in the 1957 Women's Olympiad. She had also sponsored the aborted Fischer-Reshevsky match in 1961. She gave up organizing any more Cups due to the hassle of getting foreign (e.g. Soviet) players. Her Foundation for chess which she had established was dissolved in 1985 (see the third link).
https://www.si.com/vault/1966/09/05/...gorsky-is-tops
http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/e...atigorsky.html
https://worldchesshof.org/exhibit/ja...player-pioneer
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