National Master Ronald Barry Finegold

Ron Finegold joined the Michigan Chess Association in the late 1950's. His first major success was equal 2nd in the 1958 Michigan Open with 5.5 out of 7, behind former French champion Stephan Popel's perfect score. He was a National Master for a great number of years and is a Life Master.

In 1961, he took clear first with a 5-0 score at the Glass City Open in Toledo, Ohio, where the field of well over 100 players included several masters.

Ron was the 2nd Board prize winner at the 1962 Pan-Am Intercollegiate for Wayne State University's chess team, which finished in third place among several dozen teams at the Philadelphia event.

Earlier in 1962, he took a trip with other Michigan players to the U.S. Open in San Antonio, Texas. In this tournament, which featured many grandmasters such as Benko, R. Byrne, Lombardy, and Bisguier, as well as grandmasters and IM's from Europe and South America, Ron finished 15th with 8 points out of 12. Coincidentally, he had identical 8-point performances in the other two U.S. Opens in which he participated, Ventura (Calif.) 1971 and Dearborn 1992.

Ron played his best-known tournament game at the 1963 Western Open in Bay City. Bobby Fischer, irritated by perceptions of Soviet cheating and poor treatment by international organizers, accepted an invitation to the Western Open. Ron was paired with Bobby in Round Five in what turned out to be Bobby's longest game of the tournament. Fischer finally squeezed out a win in a complex ending (see this game below).

Ron scored first place or equal first in three Motor City Opens. Equal first in the 1971 Flint Open ahead of many masters including Larry Gilden and Eugene Martinovsky. Winner of dozens of USCF-rated tournaments including at least four tournaments in 1980. First place in the Cleveland Open, scoring 5-0 over many masters from Ohio, Michigan and Illinois in the late 60s. Ron is a veteran of many Michigan and national events, including the Michigan Open, the Michigan Speed Championships, the Motor City Open, the World Open and the Chicago Open.

In the blitz side event at the 1991 National Open in Chicago, he defeated GM Walter Browne, founder of the World Blitz Chess Association. Later that year, Ron finished in clear 2nd at the Canadian Open blitz tournament in Windsor. He also holds the unique distinction of scoring an undefeated 24 wins and 4 draws in a series of Insanity tournaments that used to be held in Cincinnati, Detroit and Toledo in the 60's and early 70's, making him the Insanity Champion.

Ron is the father of Ben Finegold, highest-rated International Master in the United States and three-time U.S. Championship participant, and NM (and life master) Mark Finegold.

~ https://web.archive.org/web/20090108130852/http://www.michess.org/w...