Can you identify me?

Friday, June 26, 2009



Frank 'Boy'” Pestaño
Chessmoso

IN response to numerous requests to feature trivia aside from chess problems, I am pleased to present this quiz.

Every correct answer in this section is worth 25 points.

.1.) Although I became a chess professional prior to World War 1, my greatest impact on the game occurred during the 1920’s.

Although I had a good tournament record, I am better remembered for my contributions to the hypermodern movement. At one point I held the world record for the most simultaneous games played blindfold.

2.) I had a very successful junior career, including leading my country’s team to victory in the Student Teams Olympiad.

I also played in seven senior Olympiads. I twice won my country’s Open championship, and finished second in the closed championship. I was also a second in a World Championship match.

3.) I won the championship of my country 11 times. I played in 14 Chess Olympiads, and was three times a World Championship Candidate.

4.) I was acknowledged as the Champion of the Free World for a time. I also achieved a combined even score against both Botvinnik and Smyslov, but was never granted a world title match.

5.) I played international chess for 50 years, from the 1890’s to the 1940’s. Although I won a few tournaments, my dashing attacking style won me many brilliancy prizes, as well as many admirers. As well as playing, I wrote about the game, and was the organizer of the 1911 San Sebastian tournament.

6.) I was a brilliant but inconsistent player whose best results were in the 1950’s. I was also a coach to Boris Spassky.

My nickname was the “g7-specialist,” because of my tendency to sacrifice pieces or give mate on that square.

7.) I was born in Hungary and played in three successive Olympiads for the US. I won the US Open title once outright and the US Championship once. After moving from New York to Hollywood, I wrote a chess column in the Los Angeles Times for over 20 years. I died suddenly of a heart attack.

8.) I have been awarded the titles of International Grandmaster, International Arbiter and International Judge of Chess Compositions. I competed in my country’s national championship 15 times, winning the title outright. I qualified for the candidates’s tournament once.

Apart from my play, my main work was a multi-volume set on the endgame. Originally published in three volumes, the set was updated to five volumes in the early 1980’s.

In this second section, a correct answer is worth five points.

Try to figure out what chess personality or term might be found by rearranging the letters in each anagram : 1. By chef sir bob 2. Anna stepes 3. A sequenced listing 4 Snapped saw 5. A gal on spurs 6. Chain mops 7. Last team 8. Rent amount 9. Rad garments 10. Canines swapped 11. Ansler 12. Nbitunreis 13.
Potavlo 14. IPRHDLO1 I5.MNAMT1 I6. EBNOTSRN1 I7. SLPYIULRB 18.
OGPRLA 19. LGCRIGOI 20.RWEANSIA 21. HEKINCM 22. TNOSNTUA 23.AKMRKIN 24.SPEUNLA 25. RCTRAHSA 26. BGUEGRSN 27. UERLTIA 28. RLAHMLSA 29.TKZRETURO 30. LESHCRECHT 31. ONKICOHR 32. MVAOTNIA 33. APCABAALCN 34. LNBUCEKRAB 35. EVRYKSEHS.

My good friend, Eli Berciles, a Cepca pioneer and the original “James Bond,” will be donating P400 to the winner of this contest and a second place prize of P200.

You have the option to receive it either in e-load or cash.

Answers must be transmitted to me via e-mail. Deadline for submission is Tuesday, next week. I will not entertain text messages.

The correct answers and the winners will be published next Friday. If there are ties, the earliest answers received will prevail.

This will be repeated from time to time if the feedback is good.