SNAPSHOTS
1922 A precocious talent
A chess superstar at just 10 years old, Polish-born prodigy Samuel Herman Reshevsky is seen facing three adult opponents at the same time – much to the awe of the spectators watching from behind. The three clashes were among the 1,500 games that Reshevsky played during the course of a gruelling American exhibition tour in 1921–22, of which he was victorious in all but eight. Reshevsky settled in the US permanently and went on to win numerous national championships, also earning the title of grandmaster in 1950. But despite his childhood success, Reshevsky never became a full-time adult professional, choosing instead to balance chess with his work as an author and accountant.