Author: Kashdan, Isaac (1905-1985) signed by Jacqueline Piatigorsky
Year: 1965-68
Publisher: Ward Ritchie Press
Place: Los Angeles
Description:
2 volumes: xix+240 pages with frontispiece, illustrations (including portraits) table, diagrams and index; xxxiii+288 pages with illustrations, table, diagrams and index. Royal octavo (9 1/4" x 6 1/4") volume one issued in red with silver lettering to spine and black and silver decorative cover; volume two issued in sea green with silver lettering to spine. Inscribed by Jacqueline Piatigorsky Laid in Jacqueline Piatigorsky: Patron, Player, Pioneer by John Donaldson. (Betts: 25-340; 25-388) First editions.
Volume one annotated by Samuel Reshevsky and other participants. All 56 games, annotated, with an index of openings. Each competitor annotated the game he considered his best and Reshevsky the remainder. Volume two annotated by Jan H Donner, Tigran Petrosian, Robert Fischer, Lajos Portisch, Boris Ivkov, Samuel Reshevesky, Bent Larsen Minguel Najdorf, Wolfgang Unzicker. Introduction by Gregor Piatigorsky. All 90 games annotated with an index of openings.
Program for the First Piatigorsky Cup: International Grandmaster Chess Tournament July 2 to 27 1963 48 pages with photographs and diagrams. Octavo (8 1/2" z 4 1/2") bound in original publisher's spiral binding in blue felt wrappers with lack and silver Piatigorsky Cup stamped to cover. Included ten first day tickets for the cup. Signed or inscribed by all the contestants. Program for the Second Piatigorsky Cup: International Grandmaster Chess Tournament July 17 to August 15, 1966 16 unpaginated pages with facsimiles and photographs. Octavo (8 1/2" x 5 3/4") bound in original publisher's spiral spine with red wrappers and cup in silver and black to cover. Signed by all participants next to their photograph in the program along with a short biography of each contestant. (Not listed in Betts) First and only printing.
The Piatigorsky Cup was a triennial series of double round-robin grandsmaster chess tournaments held in the United States in the 1960's. Sponsored by the Piatigorsky foundation, only two events were held, in 1963 and 1966. the Piatigorsky Cups were the strongest U S Chess tournaments since New York 1927. Jacqueline Piatigorsky was married to cellist Gregor Piatigorsky. One of the strongest woman chess players in the U S and a regular competitor in the U S Women's Chess Championship, she designed the cup and was the primary organizer of the tournaments. The prize funds were among the largest of any chess tournament up to that time. Every player was guaranteed a prize and all traveling and living expenses were paid. The First Piatigorsky Cup was held in the Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles in July 1963. The tournament field of eight included players from five countries. the soviet representatives Paul Keres and World Champion Tigran Petrosian finished equal first to share the cup with a score of 8 1/2/14, receiving more than half of the $10,000 prize fund ($3,000) for first. Keres won most of the games in the tournament (six), but lost twice to Samuel Reshevsky. The Cup was Petrosian's first tournament since winning the 1963 World Championship match with Mikhail Botvinnik and was one of two first prizes he shared in his six-year reign as champion. He was the first reigning champion to play in an American tournament since Alexander Alekhine at Pasadena 1932. After losing the second round to Svetozar Gligoric, Petrosian was never in danger the rest of the tournament. The remainder of the tournament field included to Americans, Reshevsky and Pal Benko, two Argentinians, Oscar Panno and Miguel Najdorf and two Europeans, Gligoric (Yugoslavia) and Frank Olafsson (Iceland). U S Champion Bobby Fischer decline an invitation after his demand for $2000 appearance fee was refused by the tournament organizers. Gligoric led halfway through the tournament with 4 1/2/7, but scored only three draws in the last seven games and finished fifth behind Najdorf and Olafsson. Petrosian finished the strongest, with 5/7 in the second half. Before the last round, Petrosian led with 8 points, followed by Keres with 7 1/2 and Najdorf and and Olafsson with 7. Both Petrosian and Keres had black in the final round. Petrosian drew his game against Reshevsky, but Keres beat Gligoric to result in a tie for first place with 8 1/2 points each.
After the success of the First Piatigorsky Cup (1963), the second was organized by Gregor and Jacqueline Piatigorsky in Santa Monica, California at the Miramar Hotel from July 17-August 15, 1966, with Isaac Kashdan directing. The stellar field included the current and next two World Champions plus a slew of Candidates-level grandmasters in a double-round robin event: Jan Hein Donner, Robert James Fischer, Boris Ivkov, Bent Larsen, Miguel Najdorf, Tigran Petrosian, Lajos Portisch, Samuel Reshevsky, Boris Spassky and Wolfgang Unzicker. The Piatigorskys invited both Reshevsky and Fischer in spite of the Fischer-Reshevsky (1961) match fiasco. The 1966 Piatigorsky Cup tournament ranks as one of the strongest chess competitions ever held at that point on American soil. It is on the short list that includes New York 1924, New York 1927 and the Sinquefield Cups. Held during the Cold War, when tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union were high, the Piatigorsky Cup represented a triumph of diplomacy. The produced an elegant trophy for the event that featured a "love cup" designed by Tiffany & Company as it centerpiece. With Bobby Fischer participating in the event, ensured that the top American talent of the period was represented in the competition. It also meant that the field of ten players contained on World Champion (Petrosian) as well as two future ones (Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky). After a strong start followed by a disastrous performance mid-tournament Fischer mounted an amazing comeback to tie with the tournament leader Spassky. in the standings. Their game in the penultimate round attracted a record 900 spectators and served as a preview of the excitement the two would generate six years later in their epic 1972 World Chess Championship match in Reykjavik, Iceland. The two played a hard-fought draw. Spassky then won his last game against Jan Hein Donner, who was at the bottom of the standings, while Fischer's game against Petrosian ended in a draw. Spassky achieved a narrow victory of Fischer, winning $5000.
Condition:
Both copies inscribed to Michael Jeffreys by Piatigorsky on front end papers. First Piatigorsky Cup with group picture of Jacqueline, child students and Jeffreys tipped to half title. Jefferys business card laid in. Along with the pamphlet by John Donaldson on the presentation of Jacqueline Piatigorsky at the World Chess Hall of Fame October 25, 2013 - April 18, 2014 else better than very good copies in near fine jackets. Programs: Spiral spine small split at center else a better than very good copy. Some combs in the spiral binder chipped of else a near fine copy.
SOLD 2024