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Samuel Reshevsky

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Chess Champ

The Resume

    (November 26, 1911-April 4, 1992)
    Born in Ozorkow, Poland
    Birth name was Szmul Rzeszewski
    Seven-time winner of the US Chess Championship (1936,1938,1940-42,1946,1969)
    Member of the World Chess Federation's inaugural list of International Grandmasters (1950)
    Wrote 'Reshevsky on Chess' (1948), 'How Chess Games Are Won' (1962), 'Great Chess Upsets' (1976) and 'The Art of Positional Play' (1978)

Why he might be annoying:

    He was a child prodigy.
    Despite high expectations, he never won the world championship.
    He exchanged punches with fellow grandmaster Miguel Najdorf in at least two tournaments.
    He refused to play for the US team in three Chess Olympiads when Bobby Fischer was chosen ahead of him for the top board (1960,1962,1966).
    Before one tournament he said, 'I would settle for 19th place -- if Fischer placed 20th.'

Why he might not be annoying:

    At eight, he was regularly beating chess masters, often more than a dozen at the same time in simultaneous play.
    His parents made their living exhibiting him until school authorities intervened.
    Sears co-owner Julius Rosenwald guaranteed his financial future on the condition that he complete his education.
    During the Candidates in Zurich tournament to determine who would face reigning world champ Mikhail Botvinnik in a title match, the Soviet players threw games to each other to keep Reshevsky from winning the event (1953).
    Despite their rivalry, Bobby Fischer respected him, saying he was the strongest player in the world during the 1950s.
    He was married to Norma Mindick for 51 years until his death.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 5 Votes: 80.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 6 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 10 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 19 Votes: 52.63% Annoying