Divan Chess Club Special Rapid, Washington 1944

◇Rapid chess at the Divan

The January 1945 Chess Review, printed page 16, introduces Fine–R. B. Johnson as a game from a ten-second tournament at the Washington Divan, citing the club’s own newsletter. The original does not print the tournament’s complete standings or field. Its score matches all 61 native plies through 31.Be4 and explicitly records Black’s resignation.

The approved records date these four games 30 September 1944. Fine has White against Johnson, Donald Mugridge and Isador Samuel Turover, and Black against R. Cheney. Cheney–Fine ends in checkmate at 30...Qxh2#. The other native scores retain their recorded endpoints; no unlocated continuation is invented.

◇Coverage and distinct occasions

Four preserved game scores, all won by Reuben Fine. The complete field, standings and total number actually played have not been established; these four wins are not presented as the tournament’s final score.

The accessible original report does not establish a round count, pairing system, withdrawal/default census or further stage. No missing actually-played game has been independently identified, so an unknown total is not converted into a numerical missing-score claim. The four preserved results are not used to construct an official final crosstable.

The Divan’s separate December 1943 rapids and its 1945 rapid and blindfold displays retain their own identities. Fine’s August 1944 blindfold display, the Denker clock exhibition in September, and the later Alexander challenge and November simul are also distinct; a shared club and player do not make them stages of this event.

◇Source and preservation limits

The original Fine–Johnson page confirms a ten-second tournament and one complete printed endpoint; it does not independently confirm the exact playing date. Searches of nearby contemporary periodicals and local newspaper OCR did not locate the full final table. The club newsletter itself was not obtained. No claim is made to have read an unavailable original census.

The approved native names, dates, rounds, results and moves remain intact. An existing source scan reproduces all four mainlines but expands Johnson’s initials and uses zero round tags; neither difference replaces the native headers. Existing Fine archive pages and references are reused through their full game identity despite older public source numbers. No outside score supplies imported moves.