COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO

MID-WINTER NEWSLETTER

The Colorado Springs Chess Club is celebrating its tenth year of operation this year. The club started as an informal chess group in 1948 meeting weekly at the home of Harold Wilcox, 1101 North Wood Avenue. Later the club held their weekly sessions at the various homes of the members, and then moved to the YMCA Youth Center. Three years ago Colorado College made the "C" Room at Cossitt Hall available to the club where they now meet every Monday evening.

The club, in addition to staging tournaments and matches among its members, has handled the arrangements for the personal appearances in recent years of Sammy Reshevsky, America's leading grandmaster. This year the club is negotiating with Al Horowitz, Editor of Chess Review, for a lecture followed by a simultaneous match against all comers.

The Colorado Springs Chess Club has been unusually successful in inter-city club competition against teams representing Denver, Pueblo, and Canon City, and it has lost only one match since its organization. Last month the club defeated the Pueblo Chess Club 15.5 to 2.5 in the first inter-city match of the year. A return match with Pueblo is scheduled for January 8th and the club is negotiating for matches with Denver, the Air Academy and the Colorado State Penitentiary. In addition, individual members of the club have finished high in the state tournaments held in recent years. The 1958 state tournament will be held at Colorado Springs over the Labor Day week-end under the auspices of the Colorado Springs Chess Club.

Membership in the club is open to anyone interested in chess, and visitors are welcome to attend any session. A modest annual membership fee is charged to provide tournament prizes, chess equipment, and other expenses. The club has just finished a "get acquainted" tournament. Jack Farrington won the first prize for the most games (36) played and the most wins (31.5) while Robert Hall, a Fort Carson soldier, finished second. Juan Reid gained a prize for the highest percentage of wins with twenty-four wins in twenty-six games for a percentage of .923. After a rapid move Swiss type tournament to be held on one evening, the club has plans for class tournaments based on relative strength of the members.

The Colorado Springs Chess Club officers for the current year are Herman Stein, president, and Al Petrenas, secretary-treasurer.

January 4, 1958