Herman Steiner

Herman Steiner ( born April 15, 1905 in Dunajská Streda, † November 25, 1955 in Los Angeles ) was an American- Hungarian chess player. He was the cousin of the two Steiner Brothers Lajos and Endre.

Herman Steiner emigrated in 1921 with his parents to the United States, where he gradually developed his skill level in chess clubs in New York and achieved the first successes. In 1928, Steiner first participated for the U.S. team at a Chess Olympiad, he played in the Chess Olympiad 1928 in The Hague on the second board, where he also met his cousin Endre Steiner, who was for Hungary in use. The match ended in a draw, Hungary won the gold at the end, Herman Steiner with the U.S. team the silver medal. Steiner played by the year 1950, a total of three other Olympiads: 1930 in Hamburg, in 1931 in Prague and most recently in Dubrovnik. In 1931 he also won along with Isaac Kashdan, Frank James Marshall, Arthur Dake and Israel Albert Horowitz the gold medal ahead of Poland and Czechoslovakia. He was second on the reserve board.

Steiner recorded further tournament victories in several individual competitions, he won in 1929 along with Jacob Bernstein, the New York State Championships, international tournament of Hastings in 1929 and in 1931 in Berlin to the German Fritz and his cousin Sämisch Lajos Steiner.

In 1932, Steiner moved to the West Coast, settling in Los Angeles and wrote there until his death, the chess column in the Los Angeles Times. In Los Angeles, he also founded the Steiner Chess Club, later called Hollywood Chess Group, which was also attended by film stars such as Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Charles Boyer and José Ferrer.

Herman Steiner won a total of three times the California championships and in 1948 the U.S. Championships before Isaac Kashdan, who scored in the 1930's the world's strongest players. On European soil Steiner won last in London in 1946, before Savielly Tartakower and Ossip Bernstein. In historical radio competition between Moscow and New York ( with players like Fine, Reshevsky, Kashdan and thinkers ) in 1945, Herman Steiner was able to achieve only one on the American team a positive result, he defeated in two games Igor Bondarewski 1.5: 0,5.

In 1950 he was among the first players who received the title of International Master. His best historical Elo rating was 2580 in January 1946, that he was ranked 49 in the world rankings.

Herman Steiner died in 1955 during the tournament for the championship of California of a heart attack.