News Summary

• In 1965, Israel beat the Soviet Union in the XII FIDE World Student Team Championship.
• Israel achieved its highest-ever ranking in the history of the tournament to that date.
• The Soviet goal was not just to win the match, but to achieve a clean sweep that would restore the prestige of the socialist school.
• If the Soviets were cosmonauts of the mind, the Israelis were its pioneers.
• The Israeli chess scene of the mid-1960s was a study in contrasts.
• It was transitioning from the “Big Three” – Moshe Czerniak, Yosef Porat, and Itzhak Aloni – to a new generation born or raised in the heat of the young state.