Friday, September 4, 2015

April 19 & 26, 1940: Peculiar Offense


Article about Opa in Chess Tournament

Transcription:

Chess Tourney Proceeds Slowly
  Reed, Doeppner Reach Semi-Finals; Ikenberry   
  Wins First Round Match

In the collegiate chess tournament only three matches were played during the week. Of these one was an upset, another a "rough" one, and the third proceeded as expected. 

Highly-touted Don Newark lost in straight games to Tom Doeppner. In retrospect Newark stated that Tom had a "peculiar offense."

The tourney favorite, Ernest Reed, encountered unexpected competition in the form of Don McCoy. McCoy took the first game of the match, then lost the next two. At the conclusion of the match Reed stated, "That was the toughest match I have ever played in my life."

Esthel Ikenberry polished off Milan Blough to to proceed to into the second of the tournament. The upper bracket remains ahead of the lower bracket.

(the lower article)

Bracket for the Collegiate Chess Tourney

Ernest Reed
Harold Young     Ernest Reed
Don McCoy                       Ernest Reed
Kenneth Johnson  Don McCoy
Leland Akers                           ______
Bob McKenzie     Bob McKenzie
Merrill Blackman                Jack Bowker
Jack Bowker      Jack Bowker
Donald Newkirk                         ______
Wesley DeCoursey Donald Newkirk
Tom Doeppner                    Tom Doeppner
Sam Elrod        Tom Doeppner
Esthel Ikenberry
Milan Blough     Esthel Ikenberry
Eugene Lichty                   ____________
Dave McGill      Eugene Lichty

Preliminary round match: Eugene Lichty vs. Fayne Oberst, won by Lichty (forfeit).

So let me go ahead and warn you, we didn't find the article that told us who won this tournament. Which is unfortunate! However, I love how the article treats this tournament as a genuine sport. It's riveting! It sounds like Opa's win over Donald Newkirk was an upset- and that he had a "weird" method. (Maybe German?) 

Let's just say that Opa won, haha. Oh and I never learned to play chess. Opa missed the boat on that one- I may have been able to learn some "peculiar offense" from him! 

Seriously though, how did Opa find the time to do all this?

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