Chess From 1950-1959

Mikhail Botvinnik was the World Champion of Chess for all but one year in the decade of the 1950’s. The rise of Soviet masters was a hallmark of the decade.

FIDE became an active component of the chess world in this decade. It began by FIDE giving official recognition to the first Grandmasters of Chess. Recognition of chess excellence had occurred through the years as had the use of “master” relating to chess. Titles evolved [see: Grandmaster (chess): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grandmaster_(chess). ] But in 1950, FIDE bestowed the title of "Grandmaster" on 27 players [See List of Chess Grandmasters: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_chess_grandmasters].

As the decade progressed, in addition to recognized leading players, newer names began to be prominent: Fischer, Tal, Spassky, Petrosian, Korchnoi, Geller, and Larsen. 

Resources

Sam Copeland’s fine summary of this decade and his list of “The Top 10 Games of the 1950s” is most helpful: https://www.chess.com/blog/SamCopeland/the-top-10-chess-games-of-the-1950s-and-80-honorable-mentions

A detailed listing of important happenings in 1957 is Bill Wall’s: http://billwall.phpwebhosting.com/articles/1957_chess.htm

This Crossword provides a brief overview of the 1950-1959 decade in chess. I hope you enjoy it!

Perhaps familiar names have appeared here--and some new ones!

For Answers to the Clues, click on the View Solution button below.

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