Cover Story / GM Walter Browne Browne In Chess Life
Browne was known for not being shy about his opinions. Here he writes in the October 1974 issue about the 1974 U.S. Championship:
“After the poorly-organized Olympics at Nice (construction noises at the hotel began at 6:00 a.m.), I was looking forward to the excellent conditions normally surrounding a U.S. Championship. Unfortunately, however, on first sight of the playing room, I noticed that the players would be quite cramped, while the lighting was very dim.
“It was also clear that there was no analysis room, so after the games the players had to sit on the floor outside the playing room. Near the end of the tournament, Bisguier and Evans came up with a table and chairs. Obviously, they had a lot of influence!
“Most of the players agreed with me when I voiced my disapproval of the playing conditions. The fact that the traditional closing banquet and formal award ceremony were omitted was not surprising. Things can only improve.”
Left: Competing in Pleasanton, California, in 2012. Below: The 12-year-old future grandmaster at Crystal Lake Camp in Harrison, Maine, looking forward to a gallon of root beer.
Career Highlights
UNITED STATES U.S. Champion: 1974, 1975, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1983* 11-time National Open Champion 7-time American Open Champion 3-time World Open Champion 2-time U.S. Open Champion 1-time U.S. Senior Open Champion
INTERNATIONAL 5 Olympiad bronze medals
Titles (and ties): Venice, 1971; Wijk aan Zee, 1974; Winnipeg, 1974; Lone Pine, 1974; Mannheim, 1975; Reykjavík, 1978; Wijk aan Zee, 1980; Chile, 1981; Indonesia, 1982; New York Open, 1983; Gjovik, 1983; Naestved, 1985.
*Only Bobby Fischer and Sammy Reshevsky won more U.S. championships
www.uschess.org 35
PHOTO CREDIT RIGHT: COURTESY OF RAQUEL BROWNE; TOP LEFT: RICHARD SHORMAN
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