A Voice from the past Paul Whitehead reminisces

FM Paul Whitehead

Early Chess Stories, Part 5

- A rambling account of my adolescent and pre-adolescent chess experiences –

Continuing from here: https://www.milibrary.org/chess-newsletters/914#paul

Sometime in the Summer of 1976 a remarkable fellow named Peter Andrews opened up a “Chess Salon” just a few doors up from the Meat Market Coffeehouse on 24^th Street.  Coming out of nowhere, Fiddler’s Green was a unique addition to the already thriving San Francisco Bay Area chess scene.  One of the “Founding Fathers” of Cal-Chess, Andrew’s goals were ambitious.  This newly minted “Czar of San Francisco Chess” ran tournaments, organized classes and simuls, all the while selling books and coffee from “noon to midnight” out of the coziest place to push wood on the West Coast.  There was a fireplace!

I remember Peter Andrews with much fondness.  A classic intellectual bon-vivant with a twinkly smile, he always had a glass of white wine and a cigarette in one hand.  On his other arm would be a beautiful woman (or two).

During the short time of its existence – less than a year - Fiddler’s Green ended up playing an outsize role in my life.  My first job was there, as Peter hired me as the “chess-pro”. I learned how to keep the coffee-pot going while selling an occasional book or giving lessons.  Offering regular blitz tournaments and nice prizes (as well as a Women’s Invitational!), Fiddler’s Green attracted the top players in the Bay Area, giving me fabulous opportunity to improve.  Ex-Soviet Grandmasters Anatoly Lein and Leonid Shamkovitch played there on their 1^st West Coast Tour. Walter Browne and Roy Ervin, Elliott Winslow and Michael Walder, John Grefe and Jeremy Silman, Jay Whitehead and Steve Brandwein – all of these players, and many more besides, passed through its doors. One of the more outstanding events held there was a San Francisco vs Berkeley match, won by San Francisco, 38 – 26.

My day would begin waking up in the empty house on Carl Street in the Haight (my brother at school, my parents at work). After walking the family dog, I’d then take a much longer walk up over Ashbury Heights and Upper Market Street, dipping down eventually into Noe Valley.  I had friends there, many of whom I had met at the Meat Market Coffeehouse, and there was a lot of cross-pollination between there and Fiddler’s Green. The same characters showed up in both places (and the Mechanics’ Institute). There was nowhere else I’d rather have been at the time.  I had ditched school altogether, I had just turned 16, I was working and hanging out with my friends playing chess– I felt free.

The things I remember now, with a rueful laugh:

- At Fiddler’s Green a pretty woman pointed out that the “tan” on my arm was actually… dirt.

- At Fiddler’s Green I had a terrible knock-down fight with my brother Jay – a bookshelf was toppled over, chairs thrown – yes that’s right, over a chess game.

Finally, this is a bit of chess history, yes.  But this is also my story, and a story of Love in one of its many forms - and very much of its time.

I suppose my commitment to full-time employment had waned, and after a time I no longer worked at Fiddler’s Green, though still making it a regular and important destination.

Peter had hired in my place a lovely woman, 29 years old, who knew the ropes of running a business – even if she wasn’t the chess player I was. 

I will make this short but for me, very sweet.  

One evening she asked me to stay after she’d shut up the shop. 

We conversed, but only at first… 

An unlikely romance blossomed, which brought strange looks and lasted quite a while.

This was all long ago, at a place called Fiddler’s Green.

(Included here are some games played at Fiddler’s Green Chess Salon)

Jay Whitehead – James Tarjan

Fiddler’s Green Tuesday Speed 9/14/1976

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. c3 Nf6

5. e5 Ne4 6. cxd4 d5 7. Nbd2 Bg4 8. Bb5 Be7

9. Qc2 O-O 10. Bxc6 Nxd2 11. Bxb7 Bxf3 12. Bxa8 Bxg2

13. Bxd2 Bxh1 14. Bc6 Bf3 15. Qd3 Bh5 16. Qb5 Bg5

17. Bb4 Be7 18. Ba5 Bf3 19. Rc1 f6 20. Bxc7 Qc8

21. Bxd5+ Bxd5 22. Qxd5+ Kh8 23. e6 Bd8 24. Qd7 Qxd7

25. exd7 Be7 26. Bd6 Bxd6 27. Rc8 Bb4+ 28. Kf1. 1-0.

Peter Cleghorn – Paul Whitehead

Berkeley vs. San Francisco Match.

Fiddler’s Green 10/6/1976

1. e4 c5 2. c3 Nf6 3. e5 Nd5 4. d4 cxd4

5. Qxd4 e6 6. Bc4 Nc6 7. Qe4 d6 8. Nf3 dxe5

9. Nxe5 Nxe5 10. Qxe5 Qd6 11. Bb5+ Bd7 12. Bxd7+ Qxd7

13. O-O Bd6 14. Qxg7 O-O-O 15. Qd4 Rhg8 16. Qxa7 Qc6

17. g3 Bc5 18. Qa5 Rg4 19. Na3 Rdg8 20. Nb5 Rxg3+

21. hxg3 Rxg3+ 22. Kh2 Rg2+ 23. Kh3 Rg6 24. f3 e5

25. c4 Rh6+ 26. Bxh6 Qxh6+ 27. Kg4 Qg6+ 28. Kh4 Be7+

29. Kh3 Nf4+ 30. Kh2 Qg2#

Jeremy Silman – Peter Cleghorn

Berkeley vs. San Francisco Match.

Fiddler’s Green 10/6/1976

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6

5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6

9. Qe2 Be7 10. Rd1 Na5 11. Nd4 O-O 12. f3 Nc5

13. f4 Ncxb3 14. axb3 c5 15. Nxe6 fxe6 16. Qg4 Rf5

17. Nc3 h5 18. Qh3 g6 19. Ne4 Qb6 20. Ng3 c4+

21. Kh1 Rf7 22. Rxa5 Qxa5 23. Qxe6 cxb3 24. Qxg6+ Rg7

25. Qe6+ Kh8 26. Nf5 bxc2 27. Rf1 Bf8 28. Nxg7 Bxg7

29. f5 d4 30. f6 Bf8 31. Qf7. 1-0.

Pamela Ford – Ruth Herstein

Fiddler’s Green Women’s Invitational

San Francisco, 8/29/1976

                                               1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 exd5 4. Nf3 Bd6

5. c4 dxc4 6. Bxc4 Nf6 7. O-O O-O 8. Bg5 Bg4

9. Qb3 Nc6 10. Nbd2 Na5 11. Qc3 Nxc4 12. Nxc4 Ne4

13. Bxd8 Nxc3 14. bxc3 Raxd8 15. Nfe5 Be6 16. Rfb1 Bd5

17. f3 b6 18. a4 Be7 19. Ne3 Ba8 20. a5 f6

21. Nf5 Rfe8 22. axb6 axb6 23. Nd3 Bf8 24. Ra7 Rd7

25. Rxb6 Rxd4 26. Nxd4 cxb6 27. Ne6 Bd5 28. Nxf8 Kxf8

29. Rc7 b5 30. Nf4 Bc4 31. Nh5 Re1+ 32. Kf2 Re2+

33. Kg1 Bf7 34. Ng3 Rc2 35. Ne4 Bc4 36. Rb7 Bd3

37. Nc5 Bc4 38. Ne4 Rc1+ 39. Kf2 Rc2+ 40. Kg1 Rc1+

41. Kf2 Rd1 42. Nc5 Rd2+ 43. Kg1 Re2 44. Ne4 Re1+

45. Kf2 Rd1 46. Nc5 Rd6 47. Kg1 Kg8 48. Rd7 Rxd7

49. Nxd7 Kf7 50. Nc5 f5 51. Kf2 Ke7 52. Ke3 Kd6

53. Kd4 g5 54. g4 Be2 55. gxf5 Bxf3 56. Ne4+ Bxe4

57. Kxe4 h6 58. Kd4 h5 59. Ke4 Ke7 60. Ke5 g4

61. f6+ Ke8 62. Kf5 Kf7 63. Kg5 h4 64. Kxh4 Kxf6

65. Kxg4 Ke5 66. Kf3 Kd5 67. Ke3. 1-0.