AThe Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, California, Sunday, December 28, 1958
Evans and Fischer Lead in Title Play
Larry Evans, former U.S. chess champion, is leading the field with three wins and one loss in the current tournament for the national title, according to a report from the New York Times.
In the first round of play at the Manhattan Chess Club in New York, Evans defeated Paul Benko, who recently became a grandmaster as a result of finishing third in the Interzonal Tournament in Portoroz, Yugoslavia.
After adjourning his second-round game against Donald Byrne of Valparaiso, Indiana, Evans scored against Edmar Mednis of New York University and Robert Byrne of Indianapolis, Indiana. However, Evans succumbed to Donald Byrne in 56 moves after missing a drawing chance in a difficult end game.
Defending Champion Bobby Fischer, 15-year-old Brooklyn schoolboy, adjourned all of his first four games in one day, with victories over James T. Sherwin and Charles Kalme and a draw against World Junior Champion William Lombardy.
The most exciting finish was against Kalme, a game in which Fischer had sacrificed a piece to obtain two passed pawns far up in his opponent's territory. Supported by Fischer's king, the pawns proved a winning force. As a result Fischer acquired a score of 2½-½, the best percentage of the tournament to date.
Lombardy is tied at 2-1 with two former U.S. champions, Arthur B. Bisguier and Samuel Reshevsky. Each has one win and two draws, with no defeats. Reshevsky's game with Mednis was postponed, while Bisguier and Lombardy have adjourned games against Mednis and Donald Byrne, respectively.
The biggest surprise of the tournament is the lowly standing of Benko, who drew with Bisguier and lost to Evans, Lombardy and Sherwin. Time pressure played a part, particularly against Lombardy, when Benko lost a piece after having gained a pawn.
Following are details of the first four rounds and games from the tournament.
