Oscar Chajes (pronounced "HA-yes") (December 14, 1873 – February 28, 1928) [1] was an American chess player. [2]
Chajes was Jewish [3] and was born in Brody, [1] [2] Galicia, Austria-Hungary, in what is now Ukraine. In 1909, he won in the U.S. Open Championship in Excelsior, Minnesota. [2] [4] The next year he took second in the same event at Chicago 1910. [2] In January/February 1911, he tied for 3rd-4th in New York behind Frank Marshall and José Raúl Capablanca. [2] 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). [2] In July 1918, he took 2nd, behind Abraham Kupchik, in Rye Beach, N.Y. [2] 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. [1]
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Chajes received two brilliancy prizes for games at Carlsbad 1911, including this victory as White over Julius Perlis. [5] (See diagram at right. Notes by Walter Korn. [2])
Black seems safe, with two advanced pawns threatening to promote. The point of this decoy is revealed by White's next move.
White threatens 36.Be6#, and 35...gxh6 36.Be6+ Kh8 37.Ng6# is also mate, so Black covers e6.
Korn gives this an exclamation mark, but 37.Rh8+ would also win quickly.
Other notable games: