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San Antonio '72 International Chess Tournament

The San Antonio Church's Fried Chicken Inc. First International Chess Tournament was a chess competition held in the city of San Antonio, Texas, from November 19th to December 11th, 1972. Sponsored by the fast food franchise Church's Chicken as a means of promotion gaining on the rise in popularity of the game in the US, it was regarded at the time the strongest chess tournament held in the country since 1924. The list of players invited included famous names like former world champion Tigran Petrosian, regular contenders to the world crown Svetozar Gligoric, Paul Keres and Bent Larsen, and some then promising stars, among them Brazilian Henrique Mecking and future world champion Anatoly Karpov.

Church's Chicken Inc. George W. Church, Sr., founded the first Church's Chicken restaurant in the city of San Antonio, Texas, in 1952. Using the experience gained after working for twenty years in the poultry industry, Mr. Church created his company aiming the growing demand of convenience ready-cooked food services which later would form what is called today the Fast food business industry. After Mr. Church's death in 1956, the company – now owning four stores – was managed by his family until 1962, when George W. Church, Jr., became its president, expanding the business rapidly. By the time of the tournament in San Antonio, the Church's Chicken franchise owned already 208 stores in fourteen states.