HYDE PARK—One mother who is doing her very best to help her son is Mrs. Regina Fischer of Brooklyn, N.Y. Her son is Bobby Fischer, the 16-year-old United States chess champion, and his current predicament is a shortage of funds.

As our national champion, Bobby is the official U.S. entry to the coming Candidates Tournament, which will take place in Yugoslavia September 6 to October 31. Winner of this eight-man competition will become the new challenger in 1960 for the world championship title, now held by Mikhail Botvinnik of Russia. Mrs. Fischer is calling on all she can reach in her search for money to send her son to this tournament.

For some reason the United States Chess Federation does not seem to be strong enough to give our champion the money needed for participation in the various tournaments. Other countries back their representatives in these events. In the Candidates Tournament there will be four Russian players, well provided with seconds, physical trainers and every moral and financial backing.

Chess is a game that holds world interest, and though we in this country have not adopted it in the way some other countries have, still we have a considerable number of enthusiasts here. I don't know why we shouldn't be able to raise the $2,000 needed to send our representative and a second to this tournament in Yugoslavia. It would seem to me that many people who consider this game educational would be willing to send in small sums.

Bobby Fischer is young to be carrying the responsibility of representing the U.S., and I hope he will not also be asked to carry the responsibility of raising the money for travel and living expenses. I hope many of my readers will send contributions to: Bobby Fischer, care of the U.S. Chess Federation, 80 East 11th Street, New York 3, N.Y. earmarked for use in representing the U.S. in the Yugoslavia tournament.

In driving down from Maine on a Connectiout parkway last week it appeared to us that everyone was obeying the laws on the speed limits. Whereupon a driver three or four cars ahead of us must have suddenly realized he was passing his turnoff and stopped abruptly. The cars behind him quickly slowed down, but the driver of the fourth car back must have feared he might not be able to make a dead stop short of those in front of him. He started to turn to the right and then realized a truck was coming up beside him. So he turned sharp left, hit the curb beyond which there was a bank, and turned over on his side.

By this time the first two cars had driven on. The one immediately in front of him, a small car, had not yet started. And to the astonishment of all of us the fourth car righted itself after overturning, and the passengers got out unhurt but very irate with the little car in front of them, which, of course, was not in any way to blame.

We were far enough behind so that there was room for the careening car to go over and come back without touching us, though I will say I held my breath for a few seconds. In due time we saw this car pull away with no more damage than what appeared to be a dented side.

This was an extraordinary accident from our point of view, for what happened seemed to be really nobody's fault—except possibly the man who stopped so suddenly, and his action was almost a subconscious one.

I suppose there is no way of preventing all accidents.