Shelby Lyman on Chess: A Calculating Machine
Sunday, June 7, 2015
(Published in print: Sunday, June 7, 2015)
For Sammy Reshevsky, a former child prodigy like his nemesis Bobby Fischer, the loss of the American title to Fischer in 1958 was a painful moment. Caissa, the fickle goddess of chess, had deserted him.
But Reshevsky never wavered, continuing with admirable persistence to enter the grandmaster lists, lured by the sirens of struggle and victory.
Even, when in 1971, at the age of 59, his unfailing persistence gave him the title once more, the chess community and public hardly noticed. Although he no longer played, Fischer occupied center stage.
Undaunted, Reshevsky continued to compete.
Thirteen years later, at the age 72, he tied for first in a field of 20 grandmasters at the Reykjavik Open — a senior display unique in the annals of the game. A staple of his genius and longevity was, according to Fischer himself, the ability “to see more variations in a shorter period of time than most players who ever lived.” This writer shared several occasions with Reshevsky in his later years. He always was in good humor, cheerful and upbeat, giving his best in all things.
Samuel Reshevsky, born Szmul Rzeszewski in the town of Ozorkow in central Poland in November 1911, died in Spring Valley, N.Y., in April 1992.
Full article here.