Wetzler v Hurlburt 1973
See original game score below and read W. Ressmeyer's account of the early days and the people responsible for the formation of the Springfield Park Board Chess Club. In addition to these notes, I too, recall the Heritage Book Store at the Battlefield Mall and it was my first encounter with Springfield Chess circa '73-'74. While walking through the mall, I came upon 4 or 5 chess boards set up in front of the store so I sat down at a board, all of 15 years old, and played Mark Henigan several games, all of which I lost, but I was hooked and soon found myself playing chess at Meador Park and joining the chess club at Glendale High School.
Following its inception the Springfield Chess Club soon experienced growth in a period where there was no local chess culture. Devoid of experts, masters, and seasoned tournament players, many of those involved developed and increased their skills simultaneously.
Prior to the advent of Internet/ personal computers, etc, any information as to instruction on the game came from books. Availability at that time, circa 1972, was extremely limited or altogether nonexistent.
I recall culling through the small collection at the Heritage bookstore located then at the Battlefield Mall. Titles included "Chess the Easy Way," "Opening Traps Pitfalls and Swindles," "Chess Opening Theory and Practice," by Authors I.A. Horowitz and Fred Reinfield. I started with "Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess."
Looking back on these games, I would estimate the rating strength of the leading players to be approximately class C and fledgling B class. Our club was a virtual sea of C players. As the years rolled by the caliber of play increased. Though these early years might have been more fun centered, my focus is not so much on the play, but the players themselves.
The following game featured Dr. Henry Wetzler vs. Lee Hurlburt.
H. Wetzler was a Math professor at SMS. He, along with Dean Graham, had an edge on the rest of the field. I must also mention that Wetzler along with Paul McMasters, Kieth Freeman, and Frank Elley, were instrumental in the formation and running of the Club during the early to mid seventies. The latter formed in the 80's and early 90's was organized and run by Mark Trevor Smith, Martin, Phillips, and Clarence Townsend. These "latter" years could be considered a golden age for the Club.
Henry Wetzler won the first USCF rated tournament, held in Springfield at the Colonial Hotel, now part of MSU (located at Jefferson at McDaniel).
Wetzler was also one of our first tournament directors. One cannot over emphasize his role in the development of tournament chess in Springfield. He patterned himself as a player after Botvinnik, playing the French Defense, English Opening, and Dutch versus P-Q4. I will provide more information and recollections of Wetzler in follow-up games. I hope others will also contribute. Now, more about Lee Hurlburt.
When I think of of Lee, the picture that comes to mind is one of a well dressed (always in suit and tie) cosmopolitan individual- a virtual dead ringer for Boris Spassky. And like Spassky, Hurlbert even played tennis! Lee was in that top tier of players, his peer group included Arlis Snyder, Adrian Vasiliu, Dave Clark, Dean Graham, Mark Henigan along with a few others.
Results could vary, with one player winning one week, and losing their next encounter. One game I have located was played at the Jenny Lincoln Center on August 22nd 1973. The notes and analysis are by H. Wetzler, and I have not altered them in any way.
Please enjoy this "Dutch Treat" from '73
Original score Sheet Hurlburt v Wetzler 1973
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