The Los Angeles Times Los Angeles, California Sunday, September 30, 1962 - Page 77
Chess Olympics 30 Sep 1962, Sun The Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, California) Newspapers.com
Chess Olympics
The United States team was leading in its section of the preliminary rounds of the Chess Olympics in Varna, Bulgaria, and practically certain to qualify for the championship finals.
Playing in Section B, the U.S. tally was 15½-2½ after five rounds. Following were Rumania with 14½-3½ and Bulgaria with 12½-4½.
The Soviet Union was well in the lead in Section A with a score of 20½-3½. Others in the section were East Germany, 15½-8½ and West Germany, 14½-9½. Yugoslavia topped Section C with 21½-6½, and Hungary showed the way in Section D with 22-5.
New Master Ratings
Prof. Arpad Elo of Milwaukee, Wis., chairman of the rating committee of the U.S. Chess Federation, has accomplished a task of unusual interest — the development of a scientific formula to rate all international masters.
In an article in the August issue of Chess Life, Elo describes the methods used in a study which coursed over 80 years of chess history. Picking 15 players who participated in several tournaments in the 1880s, Elo established their relative ratings.
Using this group as a standard of comparison, Elo went on to rate other tournaments and bring more and more players into the rating system. Every important international tournament was rated through the 80-year period, as well as a number of lesser events which included international masters.
Because of the greater number of games played by masters of international stature, these ratings are basically more accurate than those hitherto compiled of American players of all classes.
In the final phase of this study, Elo converted the international ratings to the scale used in previous USCF rating lists. Adjustments were made for American masters, taking into account their performance in international events rated for the first time.
The ratings published in the article are only for masters who are active currently and show their relative position through the recent Candidates' tournament in Curacao. Quite predictably, the pre-eminence of Soviet chess today is clearly confirmed.
Of the 18 players rated 2,600 or better on the scale, no less than 15 represent the Soviet Union, headed by world champion, Mikhail Botvinnik. U.S. star Bobby Fischer is in fifth place, despite a loss of points in Curacao. Pal Benko of New York barely makes the select list, in 17th place.
Here are the names and ratings of the top performers in the chess world today, based on Elo's formula:
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Samuel Reshevsky, who was the American hope for the world championship before Fischer came on the scene, has a present rating of 2597. Present U.S. champion Larry Evans has 2568.
Following are current ratings of other Americans on the active list:
