Chess Life America's Chess Newspaper May 20, 1960

For sale is Chess Life, "America's Chess Newspaper," Vol. XIV, No. 18, dated Friday, May 20, 1960.The headline is the one chess history remembers: "TAL NEW WORLD CHAMPION." Mikhail Tal, the 23-year-old Latvian, took the title from Mikhail Botvinnik in a match that ran more than seven weeks. The paper was going to press as the news arrived, so you can see it breaking. The first report tells readers that the exact score isn't yet available, with Tal leading 10½-7½ after eighteen games. A "LATER" paragraph then reports that Tal clinched the title with a draw in 17 moves in the 21st game, leaving Botvinnik needing to win four in a row. It closes, "'Tal, The Terrible' has confounded most of the grandmaster critics, and is now the chess champion of the world!" The first ten games of the match are printed in full on pages 4 and 5.Inside is something for the rating-system nerds, too: a progress report from Prof. Arpad Elo, chairman of the USCF Rating Committee, announcing rating changes that took effect on May 31, 1960. He explains his reasoning with a baseball analogy about double-headers and the batting average. Larry Evans continues his series on pawn structure, with the line "Pawn Structure is to chess what cell structure is to life." There are annotated games from the Pennsylvania State Championship and a world correspondence championship semifinal, and an endgame column by Walter Korn.The front page also reports James Sherwin and Raymond Weinstein as co-champions of the Marshall Chess Club, and the Capital City Open in Columbus, Ohio, won by Richard Kause. A Swiss newcomer, Jacques Gosteli, wins the New England Amateur in his first American tournament, in a field that included a 76-year-old veteran.Condition is Very Good for its age, with the normal toning of 1960 newsprint. A small pencil notation appears near the title on the front page. It is shipped in a clear plastic sleeve.

Condition: Very Good.

One available.