50 YEARS AGO

This month marks the 50th anniversary of the unique world championship tournament. After the death of world champion Alexander Alekhine in 1946, the World Chess Federation (FIDE), a hitherto ineffective organization mostly concerned with amateurs, proposed a six-player tournament to determine the next champion. Three stars from the Soviet Union (Mikhail Botvinnik, Paul Keres and Vassily Smyslov) would meet the top three Westerners (Max Euwe of the Netherlands and New Yorkers Reuben Fine and Sammy Reshevsky) in a tournament divided between The Hague and Moscow.

FIDE managed to stage a great tournament despite the frosty political climate and the withdrawal of Fine, who voiced fears of Soviet collusion. The tournament began in March 1948 in The Hague, with two cycles of all-play-all competition among the five contenders. Botvinnik jumped into the lead with a 6-2 start, 1 1/2 points ahead of Reshevsky. Former world champion Euwe, who defeated Alekhine in 1935 but lost a rematch in 1937, lost his first four games and managed only 1 1/2-6 1/2.

After a two-week break, the tournament resumed in Moscow. Botvinnik nearly clinched first place during the third cycle. When he suffered his first defeat (to Reshevsky), he still led the tournament with a score of 8-3, but Keres, his next opponent, was within striking distance at 6 1/2-4 1/2. Midway through their error-filled game, Keres held the advantage. However, Botvinnik survived the crisis and outlasted him in the endgame. His lead swelled to 2 1/2 points, and he coasted to victory in the fourth and fifth cycles.

Final scores: Botvinnik, 14-6; Smyslov, 11-9; Keres and Reshevsky, 10 1/2-9 1/2; and Euwe, 4-16.

LOCAL NEWS

About 600 young players are expected to compete in the National High School Championship, scheduled May 8-10 at the Wyndham Hotel, 6225 W. Century Blvd. in Los Angeles. There are three sections, so any student in grades K-12 will find comparable opposition. For details, call Randy Hough at (626) 282-7412.

The California Chess Club, 11610 W. Olympic Blvd. in Los Angeles, will run a three-round tournament on Thursday called Welcome to Town, Kids! Students in grades K-6 are eligible. Register at the site at 6:30 p.m. Call Oscar Maldonado at (310) 473-2435 for more information.

Chess Palace, 4336 Katella Ave. in Los Alamitos, will begin the four-round Wednesday Knights on May 6. The club also hosts one-day events every Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Call Charles Rostedt at (562) 598-5099 for all of the details.

Chess Academy continues to run five-round Action chess (30 minutes per player) tournaments on Sundays. For information, call Eduard Gufeld at (213) 883-0164.