The Club's Early History

Dedicated to the memory of Herbert T Abel and John Varis

By Tibor Weinberger 

Origins 

Chess was played in Santa Monica long before the Santa Monica Bay Chess Club (SMBCC) came into being. The area adjacent to Muscle Beach just south of the pier, today designated as Chess Park, was home to chess activity as far back as the 1930s. Rudimentary wooden tables and benches were utilized by chess lovers to ply their trade during daylight hours year-round. An informal club coalesced in 1937 and the few members found various venues, like nearby cafes in downtown Santa Monica where they could play chess after dark. 

In the summer of 1940, a 42-year-old gentleman by the name Herbert T. Abel appeared on Muscle Beach. He would later become one of the founders and the dominant figure of SMBCC. 

Herb, as everybody called him, emigrated to the US from Germany in the late 1920s and settled in Texas where he was in business with his brother. By his telling, Herb decided to go on a sightseeing tour by car. On a fine sunny day, as he was tooling down south on the coastal highway, he stopped by the Santa Monica Pier. The Muscle Beach scenery - the body builders, the attractive women and especially the volleyball activities there - captivated him. 

Right there and then he rented a one-bedroom apartment on Apian Way just steps from the beach activities. He sent a telegram to his brother informing him that he would not be returning home. (In fact, Herb remained in his new modest abode until his premature death in 1970.) Soon after his arrival he had become a regular at Muscle Beach where he fit right in with his imposing tall figure. His daily routine was trading on the stock market in the morning, properly attired, and spending his afternoons at the beach in his swimming trunks only, a habit he maintained all his life. His main interest was volleyball and soon he organized volleyball tournaments. 

At some point Herb noticed the chess players nearby and became a regular kibitzer. The game fascinated him and soon enough ran impromptu tournaments. Whatever the activity, Herb loved the organizational aspect. He and a few lovers of the game, some of them pillars of the then small town of Santa Monica, began to think about forming a regular chess club. Of course, the impediment to this ambition was the predictable lack of money that was needed to rent a suitable room for nighttime playing. 

The Formation of SMBCC

After the war the City gave permission for chess activities in barracks that had been set up at Lincoln Park. The City recreation department urged the chess players to formalize their presence there 

In 1950 a fortuitous event occurred. A Chicago industrialist, Marcellus L. Joslyn, moved to the Los Angeles area. Joslyn was an interesting man who felt very fortunate to have come into wealth and decided that he wanted to use his money for the common good. It is worth noting here Joslyn’s philosophy as he formulated it. He wrote: 

“No man amounts to anything by himself and one can only rise by the friendships and loyalties of those around him which can only be secured by thoughtfulness and courtesy and fairness.” Fine sentiments indeed. (A sheer heresy to the Ayn Rand crowd of individualism above all positivist philosophy as expressed in her famous book, The Fountainhead.) 

Joslyn built several facilities in Santa Monica which he donated to the city on condition that the city maintain them and make them available to the citizens for recreational activities, free of charge. 

Joslyn Theater at Lincoln Park, Scene of Larger Weekend Tournaments 

The SMBCC Club House at Lincoln Park Dedicated in 1950

In 1950 the Lincoln Park (today Christine Emerson Reed Park) recreation hall and theater buildings were dedicated. This is where the Santa Monica Bay Chess Club found a home for many years. 

The club later moved to the Senior Recreation Center, also built by Joslyn and dedicated in 1955, on Ocean Ave at Broadway where it functioned for many years, then finally to the Joslyn Park Recreation Center, that proved to be its last home in Santa Monica. The reason for the moves and eventual departure from its home base was the everincreasing fees demanded by the City to cover maintenance, security etc

Senior Recreation Center in Palisades Park by the sea dedicated in 1955 

Joslyn Park Recreation Center, Previous Home of SMBCC in Santa Monica 

The first president of the fledgling club was Paul Wrangell, a jovial fellow who loved to kibitz and enjoyed the company of chess players. He was followed by Carl Budd, who was always ready to help where needed and did a lot of photography at tournaments, for decades a mainstay of the club. Then there was Dr. Bruce Collins, a respected medical practitioner, loved casual games on club nights. Finally, Otto H. Wentcher, the last of the old guard presidents, always checking the books, true to form, he was the president of a local bank. They were aided by Herb Abel running tournaments and by John Keckhut, a writer, doing administrative chores. 

In December 1951 SMBCC was officially launched at a club membership meeting at which time a Constitution was adopted (see Appendix 1 and 2). The club then registered with the City as a charter organization. That meant that the club could not operate for profit and strict accounting was instituted and finances were overseen by a treasurer. 

Membership initially stood at about a dozen. The main concern was securing chess sets and tables. To that end, yearly membership dues were set at $4. 

U.S. Women's Chess Champion, Diane Savereide
Played at Santa Monica Bay Chess Club in the 70's

Club Activities

Club membership grew over the years from a handful to a peak of 166 in1986. Among the members many were of master strength. These include California Champion Arthur Spiller, Ray Martin California State Champion and winner of the 1969 American Open and FM Tibor Weinberger, multiple winner of the California State title and participant in the 1968 US Invitational Championship in New York. 

There were some notables who were regulars at the club. Among them Fritz Leiber, a popular science fiction writer and actor in several films, Norman Lessing, prominent screen writer of films and TV series such as Bonanza, Dr. Sidney Weinbaum scientist, collaborator with Nobel Prize winning Linus Pauling at California Institute of Technology in Pasadena and John Keckhut also a writer of fiction. Lessing was the 1967 US Senior champion, while Weinbaum won important local tournaments in the 1930s. In 1970 the club gained the presence IM Imre Konig who moved to Santa Monica to retire from San Francisco. Konig played on the Yugoslav Olympic team in the 1930s. He authored the critically acclaimed book, From Morphy to Botwinnik, a history of the evolution of modern chess, reprinted several times.

Among the members there were numerous players of deceptively low ratings, not well booked on opening theory, but of exceptional talent who could be quite dangerous even to top professionals. 

The following two examples illustrate the point. At the 1965 National Open in Las Vegas, club member Paul Quillen of expert rating faced off against GM Pal Benko, twice world champion candidate. In a wild, complicated position Benko misplayed and got mated. 

Paul Quillen - Pal Benko National Open, Las Vegas, 1965 

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. d3 d6 6. Bg5 Nd4 7. Nd5 h6 8. Bd2 e6 9. Ne3 Ne7 10. c3 Ndc6 11. Ne2 b6 12. Qa4 Rb8 13. f4 b5 14. Qc2 f5 15. exf5 exf5 16. O-O O-O 17. Nd5 Kh7 18. Nxe7 Nxe7 19. d4 Qc7 20. Be3 Re8 21. dxc5 dxc5 22. Bf2 Ng8 23. Rae1 Nf6 24. Nc1 Be6 25. Re3 Ne4 26. Rxe4 fxe4 27. Bxe4 Bf7 28. Nb3 Bf8 29. f5 gxf5 30. Bxf5+ Kh8 31. g4 Rbd8 32. Bh4 Be7 33. Bg3 Bd6 34. Bh4 Be7 35. Bg3 Bd6 36. Bh4 Bxb3 37. Bf6+ Kg8 38. Be6+ Rxe6 39. Qg6+ Kf8 40. Be7+ Kxe7 41. Qf7# 1-0 

The position after 40. Be7+ deserves a diagram. It is very rare for a GM of Benko’s stature to get mated especially by an amateur in a regular tournament game. 

Quillen vs Benko 

Another example from the Lone Pine tournament in 1975 between club member Roy Ervin, an up and coming young talent, against Hungarian GM Istvan Bilek. In this game Ervin outplayed the veteran GM in a difficult positional struggle. 

Roy C Ervin – Istvan Bilek Lone Pine, 1975

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 g6 3. c3 Bg7 4. d4 cxd4 5. cxd4 d5 6. exd5 Nf6 7. Nc3 O-O 8. Bc4 Nbd7 9. O-O Nb6 10. Bb3 Nbxd5 11. Re1 b6 12. Ne5 Bb7 13. Qf3 Rb8 14. Qh3 Rc8 15. Bd2 Nxc3 16. bxc3 Rc7 17. Qh4 b5 18. a4 a6 19. axb5 axb5 20. Ra5 Qe8 21. Qg3 Nh5 22. Nxf7 Nxg3 23. Nd6+ Kh8 24. Nxe8 Rxe8 25. hxg3 b4 26. cxb4 Bxd4 27. Bf4 Rc3 28. Ba4 Bc6 29. Bxc6 Rxc6 30. Rd5 Bb6 31. Re2 Kg8 32. b5 Rc4 33. Re6 Bd4 34. Kf1 Rb4 35. Bd2 Ra4 36. Re4 e5 37. f4 Ra2 38. Rdxd4 exd4 39. Rxe8+ Kf7 40. Re2 d3 41. Rf2 Ke6 42. Be1 Ra3 43. Rb2 Kd7 44. b6 Kc8 45. b7+ Kb8 46. g4 1-0 

The club met twice weekly, Monday and Friday nights. Club championships were held every year and the club fielded a team that regularly participated successfully in regional team championships. Herb Abel was the major organizational force in realizing and the actual directing most of these events. Larger tournaments (60+ players) were held at the Joslyn Theater building adjacent to the club house. 

Herb conceived of and realized large regional tournaments as well, such as the American Open, inaugurated in 1965, attracting hundreds of players. Also, the Pacific South West Open and the West Coast Open became perennial events and part of the chess calendar. Many of the tournaments attracted top GMs and IMs along with very strong masters and experts who came for the fierce competition, certainly not for the very meager prizes. The following table is a partial list of such events the writer was able to assemble. 

Past Tournament Winners

Year Tournament  Winner 

1946 Santa Monica Championship G. Stevens

1947 LA Bay Area championship Emil Bersbach 

1948 Santa Monica Beaches Tournament Carl Budd 

1948 Santa Monica Open Ray Martin 

1949 Inter Club Team Championship Team Santa Monica 

1951 State Championship Arthur Spiller 

1961 Santa Monica Open Tibor Weinberger 

1964 Pacific South West Open Tibor Weinberger 

1965 Southern California Open Larry Evans/ Pal Benko 

1965 1st American Open Pal Benko 

1967 Pacific South West Open Tibor Weinberger/Rob Kirby 

1967 1st SM International Bill Addison/Anthony Saidy 

1968 West Coast Open Tibor Weinberger 

1968 Santa Monica Masters Tibor Weinberger 

1969 Pacific South West Open Ed Kennedy 

1969 American Open Ray Martin 

1972 Herb Abel Memorial Roy Ervin/Tibor Weinberger 

This list continues to this day. In addition, every year there were club championships, rating tournaments, speed events, lectures and simultaneous exhibitions by world famous players, such as Sam Reshevsky, Larry Evans, Lev Alburt, Eduard Gufeld, Varuzhan Akobian, Tigran Petrosian, Svetozar Gligoric, Pal Benko, Victor Korchnoi, Miguel Najdorf, Bent Larsen, Laszlo Szabo, Isaac Kashdan, George Koltanowski, Mikhail Tal, Boris Spassky and others. Florencio Campomanes, for many years the head of FIDE, visited the club and spent a pleasant evening there playing skittles. 

Two events of particular significance stand out that must be mentioned here. The 1st American Open in 1965 was Herb Abel’s brainchild. He felt California should have a nationally recognized yearly event, such as the US Open, or the National Open. He met resistance from the club leadership because the club lacked the finances to guarantee the substantial prizes necessary to attract a large field. There were doubts as to whether the event would attract the attendance necessary to cover expenses. Herb secured financial backing from Al Epstein, a wealthy businessman who owned the Club Del Mar (today Hotel Casa Del Mar) on the beach. Epstein loved chess and was a member of Lina Grumette’s chess salon in Hollywood. He provided the large playing halls at Del Mar free of charge and guaranteed any shortfall. In the event, the first American Open was a great success establishing Southern California and Santa Monica within it as an important factor in US chess. To this day the American Open continues as an annual one of four events, sanctioned by the United States Chess Federation. 

Herb Abel was a key figure in lifting the SMBCC into a regional powerhouse. Herb successfully networked with important chess benefactors and other clubs. A real promoter of chess, he worked tirelessly and without any remuneration and succeeded in overcoming naysayers and personal differences. A letter he wrote to the club’s then president Otto Wentcher well illustrates how he worked, sometimes behind the scenes, overcoming obstacles. (See Appendix 3.) This letter concerns an International Masters tournament, ill- conceived behind Herb’s back by some individuals and finally rescued by him, using his skills and connections. Herb always extended a helping hand to others. For instance, he helped Jaqueline Piatigorsky in bringing the second Piatigorsky Cup Tournament to Santa Monica at the Miramar Hotel and advised her about the logistics, not accepting compensation for his work. He directed many events with professionalism and players always accepted his judgements when called to adjudicate disputes. Not an easy task in tense situations 

Photo of Herb (with Benko and Weinberger) at the 1st American Open in 1965
Benko holding the winner’s trophy

Following Herb’s death in 1970, the club continued to be led by Carl Budd, Peter Rajna as presidents and Ben Nethercutt who also acted as director of many events. 

In the 1970s John Varis of Pacific Palisades was elected to lead the club. During his over decade long tenure club membership was greatly increased and outreach programs to local schools to draw in youth were realized. Like Herb Abel, he was an energetic promoter of chess with big ideas. 

John had an interesting life story. As a 15-year-old teenager he escaped Nazi occupied Greece and managed to join the British Army by lying about his age. He served with distinction in North Africa until the end of the war and was discharged with the rank of sergeant. He subsequently emigrated to the United States and was awarded citizenship by Congressional resolution. John graduated from the Engineering School of UCLA and later became a successful businessman. He loved chess and was an active tournament player at near expert strength.

Here is a game he played against IM Jack Peters at the American Open in 1987. John obtained a positional advantage when he accepted Peter’s draw offer. 

W: John Varis B: Jack Peters 1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d6 3.c4 g6 4.Nc3 Bg7 5.e4 O-O 6.Be2 c6 7.h3 a6 8.Be3 b5 9.e5 Ne8 10.OO Nd7 11.Qd2 bxc4 12.Bxc4 Nb6 13.Bb3 a5 14.Na4 Ba6 15.Rfc1 Bb5 16.Nxb6 Qxb6 17.Bg5 Ra7 18.a4 Ba6 19.Rc3 Rc7 20.Rac1 Kh8 21.Bh6 f6 22.exf6 exf6 23.Bxg7+ Kxg7 24.Nh4 1/2-1/2 

John Varis on Chess Life cover, July 1992 

The 1987 American Open was a huge event with an unprecedented guaranteed prize fund of $100,000. This tournament was a product of Varis’ vision, abundant energy and initiative. Varis persuaded Les Crane to join SMBCC in backing the tournament. Crane was the erstwhile star of the Les Crane Show - a short lived ABC production late night talk show during the 1960s - competing with Johnny Carson. In the 1980s Crane was the chairman of Software Toolworks Co. of Encino, California, developer of the pioneering chess game The Chessmaster. The idea was to attract top notch players by guaranteeing appearance fees and covering travel expenses. Varis tasked Weinberger with securing the participation of leading GMs. In the end 14 GMs from 10 different countries attended the event with a record attendance of 707 players. Boris Spassky, a most congenial person, speaking fluent English, flew in from France to provide live, real-time commentary of ongoing games. This was a hugely successful sideshow drawing throngs of spectators listening to the former world champion’s analysis. The following year saw a repeat of the American Open with the continued sponsorship of Software Toolworks, with an increased prize fund of $130,000, setting another record attendance of 740 entries. 

Under Varis’ leadership SMBCC reinforced its decades-long position as a major force in chess activities in California. However, his dream of finding a permanent home for the club went unrealized because of his move to Colorado in 1989. 

After Varis’ departure, SMBCC faced increased rent demands by the City and was forced to move to the less desirable location at Joslyn Park in 1995. Following the move, Pete Savino, who was already active in the club was elected president, a post he has held since. Pete oversaw the move to its current location at the St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church in the Mar Vista area of West Los Angeles in 2006 and has skillfully managed the club ever since, reversing a declining membership in the face of the increased popularity of internet chess. This quarter century period deserves a separate chapter that someone with familiarity of the period will hopefully write.

Closing Comments 

On a personal note, for this history I used publicly available information as sources. Among them are US Chess Life, the Los Angeles Times chess column, Chess Dryad and some SMBCC documents in my possession. 

Most importantly I drew on my own recollections dating back to 1962 when I moved to Santa Monica and joined the club and the stories I was told by the old-timers. At that time all the protagonists involved with the early days of the club either directly or peripherally were still around. I knew them all. Some were my competitors over the chess board, some were faithful followers of my tournament games, and I found all of them friendly, congenial people. For me two of those people stand out as key figures in the club’s success story. 

Herb Abel and I early on developed a close relationship. We met frequently at the friendly Santa Monica establishment, the Broken Drum with its piano bar and fireplace with comfortable leather armchairs. At this long-gone restaurant (located directly across from Lincoln Park) nursing a beer and a cigar, Herb regaled me with stories about his life in Texas but mostly about Muscle Beach activities, the many Hollywood stars that came there. He often reminisced about the redhead Rita Hayworth, famous Hollywood star, who was seen kibitzing chess games. Herb also talked about his many fights over the years with club officials who were reluctant to support his ideas about growing membership, organizing and running tournaments. They were mostly cautious about spending money. Herb cultivated people like Al Epstein, a real estate developer, Jacqueline Piatigorsky, sponsor of the 1963 and 1966 Piatigorsky Cup tournaments, Isaac Kashdan, the editor of the long running LA Times chess column who was a friend of his, all of whom could be counted on for support in his endeavors. For the same reason, Herb had good working relations with other clubs in the area such as the Steiner Club, Lina Grumette’s Chess Salon and the Pasadena Chess Club. 

Herbert T. Abel was recognized as the most influential chess organizer of the region during his life here. All that he had done was without the promise nor the expectation of monetary rewards, indeed just for the love of chess. 

John Varis joined the club in the early 1970s. John and I became close friends, at times business partners and occasional collaborators in club activities. His arrival at the club was fortuitous, he continued where Herb left off. Chess activity boomed under his leadership. John initiated outreach to youth and succeeded in bringing big money (by chess standards) tournaments to the region. At his urging, Les Crane offered Boris Spassky a job when he came here from France for the American Open. Crane wanted Spassky as a PR man for his Software Toolworks Company. Spassky, after some hard thinking, turned down a generous offer. 

After moving to Durango, Colorado, John continued his chess related activities there. First, he found the few local chess players and formed a little club that regularly met at the Durango Fire Station. That was not enough for John. He pulled off his greatest stunt by convincing the US Chess Federation to hold the 1992 championship in Durango and organized the first Durango Open running concurrently, all this in a small town of 10,000 people famous for its winter ski resort The Purgatory and for its summer kayak and bicycle races. John then co-opted the city establishment and gained the backing of the local Chamber of Commerce. There were banners on the main thoroughfare of Durango welcoming the event. People were seen playing chess at cafes. It was a most memorable chess festival, one of the best in USCF history. 

I undertook to compile these reminiscences to commemorate these two gentlemen, whom it was my privilege to call friends. 

Tibor Weinberger 

Santa Monica, 2020