View source for Oscar Chajes

{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2024}}
[[File:OscarChajes.jpg|thumb|right|Oscar Chajes]]
'''Oscar Chajes''' (pronounced "HA-yes") (December 14, 1873 – February 28, 1928)<ref name="Gaige">*{{citation | last=Gaige | first=Jeremy | authorlink=Jeremy Gaige | title=Chess Personalia: A Biobibliography | publisher=McFarland & Company | year=2005 | isbn=978-0-7864-2353-8 | page=67}}</ref> was an American [[chess]] player.<ref name="Korn">{{citation | last=Korn | first=Walter | authorlink=Walter Korn | title= America's Chess Heritage | publisher=David McKay | location=New York | year=1978 | isbn=0-679-13200-7 | page=124}}</ref>

==Biography==
Chajes was [[Jew]]ish<ref>[http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/jews.html Chess and Jews by Edward Winter<!-- bot-generated title -->] at www.chesshistory.com</ref> and was born in [[Brody]],<ref name="Gaige" /><ref name="Korn" /> [[Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria|Galicia]], [[Austria-Hungary]], in what is now [[Ukraine]]. In 1909, he won in the [[U.S. Open Chess Championship|U.S. Open Championship]] in Excelsior, Minnesota.<ref name="Korn" /><ref>{{citation | last=USCF | author-link=United States Chess Federation | year=2007 | title=2006 Yearbook | periodical=[[Chess Life]] | volume=April 2007 | url=http://archive.uschess.org/CL_2006_Yearbook.pdf | url-status=dead | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160804072603/http://archive.uschess.org/CL_2006_Yearbook.pdf | archivedate=2016-08-04 }}</ref>  The next year he took second in the same event at Chicago 1910.<ref name="Korn" /> In January/February 1911, he tied for 3rd-4th in New York behind [[Frank Marshall (chess player)|Frank Marshall]] and [[José Raúl Capablanca]].<ref name="Korn" /> In August/September 1911, he tied for 23-26th in Karlsbad ([[Richard Teichmann]] won), but won brilliancy prizes for his victories over [[Savielly Tartakower]] and [[Julius Perlis]]. In 1913, he tied for 5-6th in New York. In 1913, he tied for 4-5th in New York. In February/March 1913, he tied for 4-5th in Havana. In 1913, he took 3rd in New York (Quadrangular).

During World War I, in 1914, he tied for 2nd-3rd in New York ([[Edward Lasker]] won). In 1915, he tied for 3rd-4th in New York. In January/February 1916, he took 3rd in New York (Rice Memorial). The event was won by [[José Raúl Capablanca]]. In 1917, he won in Rochester (New York State Championship).<ref name="Korn" /> In July 1918, he took 2nd, behind [[Abraham Kupchik]], in Rye Beach, N.Y.<ref name="Korn" /> In October/November 1918, he took 4th in New York ([[Manhattan Chess Club]] Championship).

After the war, in August 1919, he took 3rd in Troy, N.Y. In 1920, he won in New York. In 1920, he tied for 1st-2nd in New York. In 1923, he tied for 17-18th in [[Karlovy Vary]]. In 1923, he tied for 7-8th in Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey (9th American Chess Congress). In 1923/24, he won in New York (Manhattan CC-ch). In 1926, he took 11th in Chicago (Marshall won). In 1926, he took 4th in New York.

Chajes played two matches against [[Dawid Janowski]]: he lost in Havana in 1913 (+0 −2 =1), and won in 1918 in New York (+7 −5 =10).

He was the last person to defeat José Raúl Capablanca, at New York 1916, prior to Capablanca's eight-year undefeated stretch from 1916 to 1924.

Chajes died in New York City in 1928.<ref name="Gaige" />

==Notable chess games==
{{chess notation}}
{{Chess diagram small
| tright
| Carlsbad 1911
|  |  |  |  |rd|rd|kd|  
|pl|ql|  |  |  |  |pd|  
|  |rl|  |  |  |  |  |pd
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |qd|  |  |  |nl
|  |  |  |pd|pd|pl|pl|bl
|  |  |  |  |pl|  |kl|pl
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|{{center|Chajes vs. Perlis, after 33...Qd4}}}}
Chajes received two brilliancy prizes for games at [[Carlsbad 1911 chess tournament|Carlsbad 1911]], including this victory as White over [[Julius Perlis]].<ref>[http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1000725 Oscar Chajes vs Dr Julius Perlis] at chessgames.com</ref> (See diagram at right.  Notes by [[Walter Korn]].<ref name="Korn" />)
: '''34. a8(Q)!!'''
Black seems safe, with two advanced pawns threatening to promote.  The point of this decoy is revealed by White's next move.
: '''34. ... Rxa8'''
: '''35. Rxh6!!'''
White threatens 36.Be6#, and 35...gxh6 36.Be6+ Kh8 37.Ng6# is also mate, so Black covers e6.
: '''35. ... Rae8'''
: '''36. Qb3+ Rf7'''
: '''37. Re6!'''
Korn gives this an exclamation mark, but 37.Rh8+ would also win quickly.
: '''37. ... Rxe6'''
: '''38. Bxe6 dxe2'''
: '''39. Bxf7+ Resigns'''

Other notable games:
*[http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1421639 Alfred Kreymborg vs Oscar Chajes, New York 1911, Sicilian, Dragon, Classical Variation, B78, 0-1]
*[http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1000906 Oscar Chajes vs Savielly Tartakower, Karlsbad 1911, Indian Game, Wade-Tartakower Defense, A46, 1-0]
*[http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1264556Oscar Chajes vs José Raúl Capablanca, New York 1916, Rice Memorial, French, MacCutcheon, Duras Variation, C12, 1-0]
*[http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1064799 Oscar Chajes vs Dawid Janowski, New York 1918, Sicilian, Accelerated Fianchetto, B34, 1-0]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070310161853/http://www.chesslive.de/scripts/server.dll?setplayer%3Fwhite&Chajes%2COscar Oscar Chajes vs Aron Nimzowitsch, Karlsbad 1923, French, Winawer, Delayed Exchange Variation, C01, 1-0]

==See also==
* [[List of Jewish chess players]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{chessgames player|id=10242}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chajes, Oscar}}
[[Category:1873 births]]
[[Category:1928 deaths]]
[[Category:Austrian Jews]]
[[Category:Jewish chess players]]
[[Category:American chess players]]
[[Category:Ukrainian Jews]]
[[Category:Jews from Galicia (Eastern Europe)]]
[[Category:American people of Austrian-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:American people of Polish-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:People from Brody]]
[[Category:Emigrants from Austria-Hungary to the United States]]