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The Donald Byrne-Penn State Invitational is history and IM Luis Chiong has emerged as the tournament's winner! This tournament was highlighted by the spirited play of IM Chiong (7 points) and the earning of IM norms by NM Norman Rogers (6˝), FM Stanislav Kriventsov (6˝), and FM Pascal Charbonneau (6) who earned his 3rd and final norm! Congratulations to all the players for their competitive spirit and let's hope that next year's tournament will bring as much success as this one did!!
For those readers wondering about IM Byrne… he was a strong player of the late 50s and early 60s and according to tournament arbiter Jerry Bibuld, "… may have been the strongest IM in U.S. history never to have achieved the GM title." Donald Byrne's brother is GM Robert Byrne, a popular chess columnist at the New York Times.
Byrne is also a historical footnote as he was on the losing side of the "Move of the Century" to a boy wonder named Bobby Fischer. In Byrne-Fischer (New York, 1956), Fischer beautifully sacrificed his queen with the immortal 17… Be6!! and mated Byrne. Of course, IM Byrne would dish out his share of punishment before he was stricken with a disease that prevented him from blossoming.
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