US Championship 1958/59 — New York
A year after his shock first title, Fischer came back to New York as defending champion, a Candidate for the world title, and — at fifteen — the youngest grandmaster alive. Twelve players contested the eleventh US Championship; he won it by a clear point on 8½/11 and, for the second year running, was the only undefeated player in the field.
A field full of titles
Almost every player held a title of some kind. Lombardy was World Junior Champion, Charles Kalme was US Intercollegiate Champion, Raymond Weinstein was US Junior Champion, and Fischer was the defending national champion. Pal Benko, newly arrived from Hungary, played unrated. Reshevsky was still being called champion of the Western Hemisphere on the strength of his two match wins over Miguel Najdorf earlier in the decade, a title that was quietly dropped once Fischer became a real threat to it.
Hans Kmoch was chief referee. About a hundred spectators turned up for the first round; first prize was 1,000 dollars.
The sixth round
The tournament turned on Fischer's white game against Reshevsky in round six. In a Sicilian he played a line he had picked up from a Russian chess magazine and Reshevsky did not know it; 10.Bxf7+ Kxf7 11.Ne6 left Black practically lost after eleven moves. Fischer won the game and the psychological argument with it.
He clinched the title in round ten by beating Bisguier, then drew with Robert Byrne in the last round to finish on 8½. Reshevsky took second on 7½, Sherwin third on 6½, and four players — Bisguier, Donald Byrne, Larry Evans and Lombardy — finished together on 6.
The games
A twelve-player round robin produces 66 games, and all 66 survive here. Both of Fischer's title-winning years are therefore complete in this archive, and the eleven games of his second championship can be replayed end to end.
Final standings
| # | Player | Score | Record | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fischer, Robert James | 8½/11 | +6 -0 =5 | games |
| 2 | Reshevsky, Samuel Herman | 7½/11 | +5 -1 =5 | games |
| 3 | Sherwin, James T | 6½/11 | +4 -2 =5 | games |
| =4 | Evans, Larry Melvyn | 6/11 | +5 -4 =2 | games |
| =4 | Bisguier, Arthur Bernard | 6/11 | +3 -2 =6 | games |
| =4 | Byrne, Donald | 6/11 | +3 -2 =6 | games |
| =4 | Lombardy, William James | 6/11 | +3 -2 =6 | games |
| 8 | Benko, Pal C | 5½/11 | +3 -3 =5 | games |
| =9 | Byrne, Robert Eugene | 4/11 | +1 -4 =6 | games |
| =9 | Kalme, Charles I | 4/11 | +0 -3 =8 | games |
| =11 | Mednis, Edmar John | 3/11 | +0 -5 =6 | games |
| =11 | Weinstein, Raymond Allen | 3/11 | +0 -5 =6 | games |
Cross Table
| Rank | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fischer, Robert James | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 2 | Reshevsky, Samuel Herman | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | |
| 3 | Sherwin, James T | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | |
| 4 | Evans, Larry Melvyn | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 5 | Bisguier, Arthur Bernard | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | |
| 6 | Byrne, Donald | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | |
| 7 | Lombardy, William James | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | |
| 8 | Benko, Pal C | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | |
| 9 | Byrne, Robert Eugene | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | |
| 10 | Kalme, Charles I | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | |
| 11 | Mednis, Edmar John | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | |
| 12 | Weinstein, Raymond Allen | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ |
Each cell shows the row player's recorded results against the column player. ● = same player.