Arthur Feuerstein
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Arthur William Feuerstein (December 20, 1935 – February 2, 2022) was an American
chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...
master, and winner of the first U.S. Armed Forces Chess Championship in 1960. He represented the United States twice in
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Student Olympiads.


Early life and education

In 1950, Feuerstein, then age 14, represented the USA in the first World Junior Invitational tournament, held in
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, England. This evolved into the first official World Junior Championship, held the next year, and ever since. At the time, Feuerstein was a student at
William Howard Taft High School (New York City) William Howard Taft High School is a former New York City high school in the southwest section of the Bronx, whose building now houses small specialized high schools. The school was operated by the New York City Department of Education. The Ta ...
in the
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, and had just begun playing chess a couple of years earlier. He represented his school in city scholastic play, both team and individual, and graduated in 1953. He began his college studies at
Baruch College Baruch College (officially the Bernard M. Baruch College) is a public college in New York City, United States. It is a constituent college of the City University of New York system. Named for financier and statesman Bernard M. Baruch, the colle ...
later that same year. In 1956, Feuerstein tied for second at the USA Junior Championship in
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, won by
Bobby Fischer Robert James Fischer (March 9, 1943January 17, 2008) was an American Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster and the eleventh World Chess Championship, World Chess Champion. A chess prodigy, he won his first of a record eight US Chess Champi ...
; their individual game was drawn.'Lawrence', uscf.org, 2012 At age 21, Feuerstein won the U.S. Junior Blitz Championship, leaving Fischer in a close second place. The game between them ended in a draw. Feuerstein had a record of (+1−1=3) against Fischer, Feuerstein getting a win against Fischer in the 1956 Greater New York City Open. That same year, Feuerstein, representing Baruch, was the top scorer on board one at the Pan American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championship, in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
.


Good finishes in important events

Feuerstein scored 6.5/11, for a tied 3-4th place, in the 3rd Rosenwald Trophy tournament of 1956, in New York, which was the 'de facto' U.S.A. Championship; the event was won by GM
Samuel Reshevsky Samuel Herman Reshevsky (born Szmul Rzeszewski; November 26, 1911 – April 4, 1992) was a Polish chess prodigy and later a leading American chess grandmaster. He was a contender for the World Chess Championship from the mid 1930s to the late 1 ...
. Then, in 1957-58, Feuerstein scored 6.5/13, for a shared 6-8th place, in the U.S.A. Championship, in New York, won by Fischer.chessmetrics.com, the Arthur Feuerstein player file


Represents USA in team play, Armed Forces champion

In 1957, Feuerstein was selected, along with IM
William Lombardy William James Joseph Lombardy (December 4, 1937 – October 13, 2017) was an American chess grandmaster, chess writer, teacher, and former Catholic priest. He was one of the leading American chess players during the 1950s and 1960s, and a conte ...
,
Edmar Mednis Edmar John Mednis (; March 22, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American chess player and writer of Latvian origin. He was awarded the title of Grandmaster by FIDE in 1980. Biography Mednis' family were refugees in 1944 during World War ...
,
Anthony Saidy Anthony Saidy (born May 16, 1937) is an International Master of chess, a retired physician and author. He competed eight times in the U.S. Chess Championship, with his highest placement being 4th. He won the 1960 Canadian Open Chess Championshi ...
, and reserve Robert Sobel, to play in the Fourth World Student Team Chess Championship in
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, where the United States team took fifth place. Feuerstein, on third board, scored (+5, =1, -5). The following year, the same team was chosen to represent the U.S. again, in
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, where they finished sixth. Feuerstein, on fourth board this time, scored (+5, =2, -2). He met his future wife Alice at this event. Feuerstein joined the
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in 1958, following college graduation from the City University of New York's
Baruch College Baruch College (officially the Bernard M. Baruch College) is a public college in New York City, United States. It is a constituent college of the City University of New York system. Named for financier and statesman Bernard M. Baruch, the colle ...
, in business. In 1960, the first
United States Armed Forces Chess Championship The United States Armed Forces Chess Championship is a chess tournament held annually since 1960. U.S. Armed Forces Chess Championship The first U.S. Armed Forces Chess Championship (USAFCC) was held in 1960, and continued uninterrupted through 19 ...
was held at the American Legion Hall of Flags in
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There were 12 invited participants. Air Force Captain John Hudson and Army SP4 Feuerstein tied for first place. Hudson was a bombardier-navigator on B-52 bombers, and a former US Amateur champion. Feuerstein was stationed in Paris at this time. Although Feuerstein was never awarded an international chess title, he did make two tournament scores at the New York title events, in 1956 and 1957–58, at or very near that level. His 1958 Varna result is also near that level. International chess ratings did not exist yet at the time he was making his best results, but the website chessmetrics.com, which rates historical events and players on a retrospective basis using formulae similar to those used for current calculations, assigns Feuerstein a rating of 2559 for June 1957, good for #86 in the world, and well within current IM standard. When FIDE ratings were introduced in 1970, Feuerstein had earned a rating in the 2350 range.


Car accident, recovery, and later life

In 1973, Feuerstein was involved in a car accident that left him in a semi-coma for six weeks, unable to speak. When he awoke, he remembered how to play chess well, including his openings. He spent the next several years in intensive physical and speech therapy, but never fully recovered. He continued to play chess after the accident, and in fact was rated as one of the top 10 players in his age group in the world when he was 65 years old. Feuerstein died in
Mahwah, New Jersey Mahwah is the northernmost and largest municipality by geographic area () in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 25,487, a decrease of 403 ...
on February 2, 2022, at the age of 86. He suffered from pancreatic and liver cancer prior to his death.


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Feuerstein, Arthur 1935 births 2022 deaths 20th-century American Jews 21st-century American Jews Jewish chess players Chess players from New York City Baruch College alumni People from Bergen County, New Jersey Deaths from liver cancer in New Jersey Deaths from pancreatic cancer in New Jersey