Wednesday, October 2

Chess in San Francisco: Mechanics' Institute invitational tourney

An eight-man invitational tournament, the Prize Winners' Tourney, recently concluded at the Mechanics' Institute of San Francisco.  Many of the West Coast's strongest players took part, including several whose names have graced our pages during the past months, the complete roster being: A.J. Fink (current Mechanics' Institute Champion), A.B. Stamer (former Institute Champion), George Hallwegen, Elmer W. Gruer, A.W. Ryder, G. Branch, B. Smith, and E.J. Clarke.  Messrs. Fink, Hallwegen, and Clarke finished in a triple tie for first place with 4 1/2 points each; when a play-off similarly resulted in a three-way tie, it was decided to divide the first three prizes evenly among them.

The complete final standings were as follows:  Fink, Hallwegen, Clarke 4 1/2; Stamer 3 1/2; Gruer, Ryder 3; Branch 2 1/2; Smith 1/2.  Sharp-eyed readers may note that the cumulative points scored fall short of the total of 28 to be expected from an eight-player round-robin.  It is our understanding that Smith's games with Ryder and Branch were unplayed, and credited to neither party.

We have received three games from the tourney, representing one victory by each of the co-winners.

    



A masterful positional victory by the editor of the chess column in the San Francisco Call, an invaluable source of information whose cancellation, following the recent acquisition of that journal by the Chronicle, is very much to be regretted. 

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