Tournaments

Gregor & Jacqueline Piatigorsky watching Larsen and Fischer

1966 – 2nd Piatigorsky Cup

The 1966 Piatigorsky Cup brought together a formidable field consisting of ten of the top grandmasters in the world. The participants included Boris Spassky and Tigran Petrosian from the Soviet Union; Bobby Fischer and Samuel Reshevsky from the United States; Bent Larsen, Lajos Portisch, Wolfgang Unzicker, Miguel Najdorf, Borislav Ivkov, and Jan Hein Donner. The lineup reflected a more balanced international presence that the 1963 event and was held during the era of Cold War […]

1890 - Manchester

1890 – Manchester

The Manchester (England) Chess Club had been a prominent foundation throughout the 1800’s and was the meeting place in 1890 for the formation of a larger chess organization that consisted of 24 Cheshire and Lancashire chess clubs. In the early part of 1890, the recently reformed British Chess Association was reportedly speculating on having their Sixth Chess Congress in conjunction with the Manchester Chess Club. Debates ensued over each entity putting up half of whatever […]

1882 - Vienna

1882 – Vienna

Wilhelm Steinitz and Szymon Winawer shared first and second place at the Second International Chess Tournament in Vienna, Austria from May 10th to June 24th, 1882. The tournament was held to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Vienna Chess Society. Vienna was previously the site of one of the very first international tournaments in 1873, which was also won by Steinitz in a two-game playoff over Joseph Henry Blackburne. Coming into the tournament, Steinitz was […]

Keres & Petrosian

1963 – 1st Piatigorsky Cup

Paul Keres and Tigran Petrosian shared first-place honors at the inaugural Piatigorsky Cup Chess Tournament. Touted as the most significant tournament on American soil since Dallas 1957, the event took place at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California, from July 2 to July 30, 1963. It was organized by Jacqueline Piatigorsky, the wife of famed cellist and chess enthusiast Gregor Piatigorsky. The original plan was for the tournament to be held every two years, […]