Tweet
The American NM Arthur Feuerstein passed away on Feb. 2, 2022, at age 86. I am in the process of improving and adding to his wikipedia.org article.
His peak years were 1955-60, and he was one of the many promising American Masters of that era who were left in the dust by the extraordinary rise of Bobby Fischer. How about this: In May 1956, Fischer, then age 13 years and two months, had a USCF rating of 1726 [source: Batsford's Fischer's games collection, 1981 edition], and Feuerstein, already an established NM, seven years and two months older, was the favorite for the US Junior Championship, to be held two months later. Yet Fischer won, with Feuerstein tied for second!! Their head-to-head game was drawn. Feuerstein did defeat Fischer a few months later at the 1956 Greater New York Open. But by early 1958, Fischer was US champion, and had earned his IM title; he would qualify as a Candidate later in 1958!!!
The website chessmetrics.com puts Feuerstein's CM rating around 2550 in the 1956-57 era, ranking between #80 and 90 in the world. FIDE ratings did not yet exist. As I wrote, that was well within current IM standard, although he never received an international title.
Feuerstein played in two Student Olympiads for the USA, in 1957 and 1958, finishing with (+10, =3, -7) [per olimpbase.org]; his teammates both years were future GMs William Lombardy and Edmar Mednis, future IM Dr. Anthony Saidy, and NM Robert Sobel. The USSR had Boris Spassky (already a GM) and Mikhail Tal (GM in summer 1957 as USSR champion) on their top boards, and won both events easily.
Feuerstein entered the US Army in 1958, after college graduation from Baruch College in New York, in business, and he tied for the first USA Armed Forces title in 1960. He had a FIDE rating over 2350 in the early 1970s, when FIDE formalized its system.
He was involved in a very serious car accident in 1973, but eventually recovered, and played tournament chess up until a few years ago.
Both chessgames.com and 365chess.com have a good selection of Feuerstein's games.
His peak years were 1955-60, and he was one of the many promising American Masters of that era who were left in the dust by the extraordinary rise of Bobby Fischer. How about this: In May 1956, Fischer, then age 13 years and two months, had a USCF rating of 1726 [source: Batsford's Fischer's games collection, 1981 edition], and Feuerstein, already an established NM, seven years and two months older, was the favorite for the US Junior Championship, to be held two months later. Yet Fischer won, with Feuerstein tied for second!! Their head-to-head game was drawn. Feuerstein did defeat Fischer a few months later at the 1956 Greater New York Open. But by early 1958, Fischer was US champion, and had earned his IM title; he would qualify as a Candidate later in 1958!!!
The website chessmetrics.com puts Feuerstein's CM rating around 2550 in the 1956-57 era, ranking between #80 and 90 in the world. FIDE ratings did not yet exist. As I wrote, that was well within current IM standard, although he never received an international title.
Feuerstein played in two Student Olympiads for the USA, in 1957 and 1958, finishing with (+10, =3, -7) [per olimpbase.org]; his teammates both years were future GMs William Lombardy and Edmar Mednis, future IM Dr. Anthony Saidy, and NM Robert Sobel. The USSR had Boris Spassky (already a GM) and Mikhail Tal (GM in summer 1957 as USSR champion) on their top boards, and won both events easily.
Feuerstein entered the US Army in 1958, after college graduation from Baruch College in New York, in business, and he tied for the first USA Armed Forces title in 1960. He had a FIDE rating over 2350 in the early 1970s, when FIDE formalized its system.
He was involved in a very serious car accident in 1973, but eventually recovered, and played tournament chess up until a few years ago.
Both chessgames.com and 365chess.com have a good selection of Feuerstein's games.