A Little Effort, A Lot Of Chess, A Lasting Legacy

THE XIII UNITED STATES

JUNIOR CHESS

CHAMPIONSHIP (1978)

PRESENTED BY:

MEMPHIS CHESS CLUB, INC.

AND

OPTIMIST CLUB OF NORTHEAST MEMPHIS

UNDER THE AUSPICES OF:

THE U.S. CHESS FEDERATION

JUNE 18–24, 1978

MEMPHIS STATE UNIVERSITY CENTER

WILLIAM FAULKNER LOUNGE  6: p.m.

1978 Program Guide:

It is a great honor that Memphis has been chosen once again as the host city for the U.S. Junior Invitational Championship.  Memphis first held the U.S. Junior in 1976.  Prior to that year, a national tournament had not been held in the Mid-South since the U.S. Open Championship was played in Memphis in 1914. (Editor's note: The U.S. Open Chess Championship was also in Memphis in 1920.)

The participants in this tournament will be the top eight U.S. players, ages 19 and under.  It is one of the three championships chess tournaments held annually in the United States and is the qualifying tournament to determine the young person who will represent the U.S. at the World Youth Chess Championship in Graz, Austria in September 1978.  The top four players will represent the U.S. at the Pan-American Junior Team Championship in Sao Paulo, Brazil in December.

Mid-South Chess & Mid-South Fair-1975

The year was 1975, the month was September, and it was the 120th year for the Mid-South Fair and the Memphis Chess Club organized a continuous simultaneous exhibition, at the fairgrounds, with its members taking turns facing the public at the chessboard.  To draw the attention of the crowds were poster-sized pictures throughout the chess exhibit showing club members playing in tournaments and assisting in various community chess projects.  The USCF provided boxes full of the April 1975 edition of Chess Life & Review used as giveaways.  The Memphis Chess Club was also providing the general chess player newsletters and fliers with information about the club and the Tennessee Chess Association.  Having recently been given access to the pictures provided, I decided to present them in their original form.