Time for another one of my little stories.

In 1967, there is or was a bar in Berkeley California near San Pablo
and University Avenue called the Steppenwolf. Many strong chess
players went there to drink.

The bars at which chess was played organized a chess league.

At that time International Chess Master Charles Kalme was on the
faculty of the University of California at Berkeley in the Math
Department. However, nobody even knew that he was there, until I
discovered him, as I was also in the Math Department.

Kalme had not played a chess game in years. In fact, he had qualified
to play in the World Interzonal Chess Championship but had declined
the invitation and had disappeared.

Suddenly, the word came out: Charles Kalme had volunteered to play on
the Steppenwolf Bar Chess Team.

OK. We chess players knew that this was a historic moment. Kalme, who
had declined to play for the World Chess Championship, was suddenly
and strangely willing to play for a drinking bar against a team from
another bar.

Obviously, we were not going to put some possibly drunk patzer up
against an International Chess Master. So, we searched for a suitable
opponent.

The only player in the San Francisco Bay Area in the same league with
Kalme was International Chess Master William Addison who was, at that
time, Director of the Mechanics Institute Chess Club.

Addison was recruited. Addison agreed to play for the Blue Unicorn Bar
Chess Team. The Blue Unicorn was a bar in San Francisco.

I do not know if Kalme knew who Addison was. We certainly wanted to
try to keep that a secret in case Kalme found out and did not want to
play against such a serious opponent.

Anyway, the game was played. Unfortunately, I was not there for the
historic occasion, but I heard that the game was a draw. I have never
seen a score of the game and do not know if it was preserved.

Kalme never played another game of chess that we know about until
1994. He died recently in his native Latvia.

Addison also gave up chess not long after that. He got married and
went to work for a bank. I happened to be riding up an elevator with
him a few years ago in 1996. I recognized him and he told me that he
would never play chess again.

Sam Sloan

SAM! Don't leave us all hanging! Why won't he play chess ever again???
Leopold


"Sam Sloan" wrote in message
...
Time for another one of my little stories.

In 1967, there is or was a bar in Berkeley California near San Pablo
and University Avenue called the Steppenwolf. Many strong chess
players went there to drink.

The bars at which chess was played organized a chess league.

At that time International Chess Master Charles Kalme was on the
faculty of the University of California at Berkeley in the Math
Department. However, nobody even knew that he was there, until I
discovered him, as I was also in the Math Department.

Kalme had not played a chess game in years. In fact, he had qualified
to play in the World Interzonal Chess Championship but had declined
the invitation and had disappeared.

Suddenly, the word came out: Charles Kalme had volunteered to play on
the Steppenwolf Bar Chess Team.

OK. We chess players knew that this was a historic moment. Kalme, who
had declined to play for the World Chess Championship, was suddenly
and strangely willing to play for a drinking bar against a team from
another bar.

Obviously, we were not going to put some possibly drunk patzer up
against an International Chess Master. So, we searched for a suitable
opponent.

The only player in the San Francisco Bay Area in the same league with
Kalme was International Chess Master William Addison who was, at that
time, Director of the Mechanics Institute Chess Club.

Addison was recruited. Addison agreed to play for the Blue Unicorn Bar
Chess Team. The Blue Unicorn was a bar in San Francisco.

I do not know if Kalme knew who Addison was. We certainly wanted to
try to keep that a secret in case Kalme found out and did not want to
play against such a serious opponent.

Anyway, the game was played. Unfortunately, I was not there for the
historic occasion, but I heard that the game was a draw. I have never
seen a score of the game and do not know if it was preserved.

Kalme never played another game of chess that we know about until
1994. He died recently in his native Latvia.

Addison also gave up chess not long after that. He got married and
went to work for a bank. I happened to be riding up an elevator with
him a few years ago in 1996. I recognized him and he told me that he
would never play chess again.

Sam Sloan

In article ,
"King Leopold" wrote:

"Sam Sloan" wrote in message
...
Time for another one of my little stories.
SNIP
Addison also gave up chess not long after that. He got married and
went to work for a bank. I happened to be riding up an elevator with
him a few years ago in 1996. I recognized him and he told me that he
would never play chess again.

Sam Sloan


SAM! Don't leave us all hanging! Why won't he play chess ever again???
Leopold



Um, because he kept running into people like Sam Sloan?



--Harold Buck


"I used to rock and roll all night,
and party every day.
Then it was every other day. . . ."
-Homer J. Simpson