Isaac Kashdan, American Chess Grandmaster

This work chronicles the chess career and games of Grandmaster Isaac Kashdan, one of the leading United States players of the 1930s (along with such notables as Fine and Reshevsky). The main body of the work examines Kashdan’s game play, with diagrams and analysis provided for many hundreds of his tournament games, match games, speed games, simultaneous exhibitions, training games and consultation games. Some games are accompanied by detailed contemporary analyses written by Kashdan and other prominent chess masters of his era. There are numerous photographs, as well as facsimiles of correspondence. Also included are tournament crosstables, and indexes of Kashdan’s opponents.

The late Peter P. Lahde was a former editor of Tennessee Chess News. He had written on Albert Beauregard Hodges, Alekhine, the Hastings tournaments, the modern United States Chess Championship, and chess in Tennessee. He was a retired research chemist and lived in Nashville.

Peter P. Lahde
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 360
Bibliographic Info: 11 photos, facsimiles, diagrams, tables, appendices, bibliography, indexes
Copyright Date: 2023 [2009]
pISBN: 978-1-4766-9295-1
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      vii
Introduction      1

PART ONE: The Career of Isaac Kashdan

1. The Early Years
The Years 1923–1929      7
Chicago International 1926      8
The Hague Olympiad 1928      8

2. The Early Thirties
Lajos Steiner Match 1930      10
Hamburg Olympiad 1930      10
Berlin Quadrangular 1930      11
Frankfurt International 1930      11
Gyor 1930      11
Stockholm 1930      12
New York International 1931      12
Prague Olympiad 1931      12
Bled International 1931      13
Hastings Christmas Tournament 1931-32      14
London International 1932      14
Pasadena International 1932      15
Mexico City International 1932      15
A Visit to Dallas 1932      16
Early 1933      16
Folkestone Olympiad 1933      17
A Challenge to Marshall 1933      18
Resigns as Chief Editor of Chess Review      19
Plays Against 26 Teams      19
Metropolitan League Play      19
35th Western Chess Congress, Chicago 1934      20
Syracuse International 1934      20
Manhattan Chess Club Championship 1934      20

3. The Simultaneous Exhibitions      22

4. The Late Thirties
36th Western Championship, Milwaukee 1935      29
New York State Championship 1935      29
First United States Championship, New York 1936      29
37th Western Championship, Philadelphia 1936      31
New York State Championship 1936      31
Puerto Rico International 1936      32
Manhattan Chess Club Championship 1936-37      32
Stockholm Olympiad 1937      32
Manhattan Chess Club Championship 1937      34
Metropolitan League Matches 1938      35
Simonson Match 1938      35
Helen Kashdan in the United States Women’s Championship 1938      35
Second United States Championship, New York 1938      35
39th American Chess Federation Tournament,
Boston 1938      36
Horowitz Playoff Match 1938      37
New York State Championship, Hamilton 1939      37

5. The Forties
Havana International 1940      39
Third United States Championship, New York 1940      39
Lasker Memorial      40
New York State Tournament, Hamilton 1941      40
Manhattan Chess Club Formal Opening 1941      41
Fourth United States Championship, New York 1942      41
First United States Lightning Championship 1942      44
Reshevsky Playoff for the National Title 1942      45
Second United States Speed Championship 1943      48
Metropolitan Chess League 1944      48
Third United States Speed Championship 1944      49
Manhattan Championship 1944-45      49
Fourth United States Speed Championship 1945      50
Pan-American Chess Congress, Hollywood 1945      50
United States vs. USSR Radio Match 1945      50
Manhattan Speed Tournament 1945      51
Metropolitan Championship 1946      51
Swedish Speed Tournament 1946      51
United States vs. USSR, Moscow 1946      52
Sixth United States Championship 1946      52
Metropolitan Chess League 1946-47      53
A Reception for Former Champion Euwe      53
48th United States Open, Corpus Christi 1947      53
Argentina–United States Radio Match 1947      55
Manhattan Masters Tournament 1948      55
49th United States Open, Baltimore 1948      55
Seventh United States Championship, South Fallsburg 1948      56
New York International 1948-49      56

6. The Fifties
Kashdan and Family Move to California      58
52nd United States Open, Fort Worth 1951      58
Hollywood International 1952      60
Hollywood Invitational 1953      60
North vs. South California Match 1954      60
California Open 1954      61
Pan-American Chess Congress, Hollywood 1954      61
North vs. South California Match 1955      62
USSR–United States Match 1955      62

7. The Later Years
Chess Editor of the Los Angeles Times 1956      64
North vs. South California Matches 1956–1961      65
The Olympiad, Leipzig 1960      65
Remains Active      65
First Piatigorsky Cup Tournament 1963      66
Delegate to FIDE 1964      66
Second Piatigorsky Cup Tournament 1966      67
California Chess Hall of Fame      67
Lone Pine Tournaments      68
Fischer–Spassky Match 1972      68
Final Years      69
The Kashdan Legacy (by Arnold Denker)      71

PART TWO: The Games of Isaac Kashdan
The Outstanding Games (listed)      75
Tournament and Match Games (1–661)      75
Simultaneous Exhibition Games (662–717)      280
United States Speed Tournament Games (718–734)      291
Informal, Consultation, Practice, etc. Games (735–758)      295

PART THREE: Appendices and Indexes
Isaac Kashdan’s Overall Record
The Five Olympiads, 1928–1937      305
The U.S. Championships, 1936–1948      305
The Tournament Record      306
The Match Record      308
Metropolitan League Matches      308
Tournament Crosstables      310
Bibliography      335
Index of Players      339
Index of ECO Openings      342
General Index      345

• “An American chess history buff’s rapture…Lahde’s book is important, and he deserves our thanks for filling a longstanding void”—Chess Life
• “For all-around contributions to the game Isaac Kashdan has to rank at the very top or very close to it…has filled a huge gap in America chess literature…a first-rate research job…McFarland has done its usual high-quality job with excellent paper, library binding and a clear layout. Highly recommended”—IM John Donaldson
• “A beautiful tribute to one of America’s chess giants. The work, 20 years in the making, meticulously weaves together Kashdan’s life with his chess moves”—The Washington Post
• “A fitting monument…wonderful”—Manchester Chess Federation
• “An inspiring biography…deserves to be read”—Georgia Chess News
• “This book should not be missing from the library of any lover of chess history because it is the first (and thus fundamental) biography of this great US chess player”—Quarterly for Chess History