Whakaotihia te rerenga e whai ake nei: I whānau a Evans i te 22 o Poutu-te-rangi 1932 ki Manhattan, he tama a Bella (Shotl) rāua ko Harry Evans. He Hurai tōna whānau. He maha nga mea i akohia e ia mo te keemu ma te takaro mo te tekau hēneti i te haora i te 42nd Street i New York City, ka noho wawe hei whetu e piki ake ana. I te 14 o ona tau, i taurite ia mo te 4th <unk> 5th i te toa o te Marshall Chess Club. I te tau e whai ake nei ka wikitoria ia, ka riro ko ia te toa toa o Marshall i taua wa. I mutu ano ia i te tuarua i te U.S. Junior Championship, i arahi ki tetahi tuhinga i roto i te putanga Mahuru 1947 o Chess Review. I te 16, i purei ia i te 1948 U.S. Chess Championship, ko tana tuatahi, i tohaina mo te tuawaru o nga waahi i te 111⁄2 <unk> 71⁄2. I taurite a Evans me Arthur Bisguier mo te waahi tuatahi i te US Junior Chess Championship o 1949. I te 18 o ona tau, kua riro i a ia te toa o te Kāwanatanga o Niu Ioka, me te mētara koura i te
Ko Dubrovnik 1950 Chess Olympiad. I te whakamutunga, ko tana 90% kaute (e waru nga wikitoria me nga toenga e rua) i runga i te poari tuaono i tohaina ki a Rabar o Yugoslavia mo te hua pai o te Olympiad katoa.