The Day the Stars Came Out

    
     Already in December of 1944 plans have been put in place for a Pan Amercian Chess Congress to be held in Hollywood, California:


     However, as late a May, 1945, there was some media confusion over the venue:

     The United States' involvement in the war in Europe was technically over in May of 1945.  It would be September before it would end in the Pacific. Still-in-place gasoline rationing as well as military priorities made civilian traveling not impossible but certainly far more complicated.  Both Hollywood and chess organizations had contributed to the war efforts, particularly to alleviating the soldiers' plight.  While not promoted as a celebratory congress, there must have been an air of excitement and relief accompanying the tournament as the hostilities abated.  The prize money may look paltry, but it was considered extremely generous for that time. Seven years earlier, AVRO, possibly the strongest tournament to that date, awarded 1000 guilders first prize, considerably less than the Pan-Am tournament even factoring in inflation and the exchange rate.  In order to raise that amount of prize money as well as all the overhead costs involved, Herman Steiner, the organizer, must have done a yeoman's job and made effective use of his many well-heeled contacts.  Spectators were charged $1.00/day or $12.00 for the entire event. The play, scheduled from 10 a.m. to midnight daily (games initiated in the evenings with adjournments played in the mornings), started July 29, after a reception and pairing selection the previous day, and lasted until August 11. August 12 was reserved for festivities, prize allocations and a live chess show.  Seventy-six year old Herman Helms, the "Dean of American Chess," served as TD and stayed with the Steiners.

     Of the many entrants only 12 actually showed (Mariano Castillo of Chile, Dr. Joao de Souza Mendes of Brazil, Carlos Guimard and Jacobo Bolbochan of Argentina, Julio Salas and Mariano Catillo of Chile, Alfredo Olivera of Uraguay, Abe Yanofsky of Canada, Edward Lasker and Albert Pinkus of the USA all didn't show) and one was replaced, leaving a total of 13 participants
     Weaver Adams, the last minute replacement, arrived 3 days late with Dr. Cruz of Brazil in tow. Herman Pilnik of Argentina, who missed his flight and was injured in an auto accident in Yuma, Arizona, also arrived three days late.  Starting inauspiciously with only 9 entrants, the schedule was thrown into havoc and when the late-comers did arrive, playing catch-up further complicated things.  Herbert Seidman, who was on leave from the military, was recalled to duty early, forcing him to forfeit his last two games while Steiner learned that serving in a dual roles as organizer and player seriously hurt his game.



     With all the above problems, somehow this first Pan-Am Congress was a complete success.

The Lucky Thirteen

     The tournament was largely sponsored by the L.A. "Times," making it the first time an American newspaper, perhaps any newspaper, sponsored a chess event. "Chess Review" also credited the California Chess Association, the Los Angeles chess association and the Hollywood movie industry as co-sponsors and/or organizers.  As shown in the banner at the top, the venue was the Hollywood Athletic Club. This building was at that time also the home base of Herman Steiner's famous, celebrity-studded Hollywood Chess Group.


     The event was envisioned as multifaceted affair comprised of 5 separate tournaments:

     Here is the busy interior:    


             Brazilian Singer/Dancer and Hollywood film actress Carmen Miranda
             draws the pairing before the tournament begins.


    
     N. May Karff shared first place with Mary Bain (Nancy Roos coming in third ) in the Ladies' tournament. Nancy Roos, a professional photographer, contributed many tournament photos to both "Chess Review" and "The American Chess Bulletin."


     The Masters Reserves Open was won by Harry Borochow. The Scholastic Tournament was won by Eugene Levin.  The advertised "Military Tournament" seems not to have taken place but was replaced with two separate tournaments: Class A and Class B. Harry Carlson won the Class A and Walter Fieg won the Class B.

     Sammy Reshevsky won the Master's Tournament quite handily. The next four winners, Fine, Pilnik, Horowitz and Kashdan, were fairly close.






     Reuben Fine won the 1st Brilliancy Prize for his win against Steiner:




     The following game, played on Frank Marshall's birthday, was awarded
the Marshall Memorial Brilliancy Prize:

     Pilnik made a sweet Queen sacrifice to end his game against Boston's Weaver Adams, winning the 2nd Brilliancy Prize in the process:



     But Weaver Adams had his own day in the sun:



                                                   Business  and  Pleasure

   Reshevsy studies his move while Horowitz hobnobs with film director Fritz Lang 

     Hollywood-spice flavored the congress by adding another layer of appeal.  Finance aside, the movie industry participated and helped promote the tournament. The familiar June 1945 "Chess Review" cover featuring Herman Steiner, Charles Boyer, Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall was meant to draw attention to the Pan-Am Congress:

The caption reads:

Lauren Bacall gives chessmaster Herman Steiner "the look" while Charles Boyer and Humphrey Bogart (both keen chessplayers) finish a game between takes on "The Confidential Agent" in which Boyer (left) is starring. The scene is Boyer's dressing room at the Warner Bros. Studio. These and other movie stars will take an active part in promoting and sponsoring the forthcoming Pan American Chess Congress at Los Angeles (see Chess Briefs).

     Mitzi Mayfair, who had only been playing for a little over a year, played in the Ladies' tournament under her married name, Mrs. Charles Henderson.  She came in 8th out of 9 contestants, winning 1 and losing 7. He husband played in the Masters Reserve, tying for 9th/10th place (out of 17) scoring 7 wins, 5 losses and 5 draws.  Other actresses such Linda Darnell and Roseanne Murray could be found playing offhand games. Many actors and actresses took part in the entertainment side of the event and members of the movie industry were frequent spectators.






     The final day of the congress was pure Hollywood.