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The 1915 triangle match in Atlantic City, New Jersey (USA) was contested between Frank J. Marshall (United States champion), Sydney T. Sharp (Pennsylvania state champion), and Wilbur L. Moorman of Lynchburg, VA (USA). The format consisted of each contestant playing the other two players twice each. The final results were as follows:
Oddly enough, Moorman’s only win was actually over Marshall (giving him his only loss). Today, we give you one of the games from that match that is not in any database of which I have ever been able to locate. Included are the limited annotations (after white’s 2nd, 23rd, and 29th moves) as originally published.
SOURCE: Washington Post – August 22nd, 1915
[Event "Triangle Match"]
[Site "Atlantic City,NJ (USA)"]
[Date "1915.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Sharp, Sydney T."]
[Black "Marshall, Frank J."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B22"]
[PlyCount "72"]
[Source "WP-08221915"]1.e4 c5 2.c3 {A line of play that was adopted successfully many years ago in correspondence play
by J.E. Narraway, of Canada. The idea is to obtain a strong center and at the same
time prevent the opening from assuming the normal lines of the Sicilian defense.} Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.cxd4 d5 5.exd5 Qxd5 6.Nf3 Bg4 7.Be2 Rd8 8.Be3 e6 9.Nc3 Qa5 10.O-O Nf6 11.Qb3 Rd7 12.Rfd1 Bd6
13.Rac1 O-O 14.h3 Bxf3 15.Bxf3 Ne7 16.Qb5 Qxb5 17.Nxb5 Bb8 18.Bg5 a6 19.Bxf6 gxf6 20.Nc3 Rfd8 21.Ne4 Rxd4 22.Nxf6+ Kg7
23.Ne8+ {Sharp states that this move allows black to bottle up the knight and is responsible
for white’s subsequent trouble. Ne4 was the proper continuation leading to an even
position.} Kg6 24.Rxd4 Rxd4 25.Bxb7 Bf4 26.Re1 Rd8 27.g3 Bb8 28.Be4+ f5 29.Bc2 {Bxf5 would have given white better drawing chances.} e5 30.Ba4 Kf7 31.Re3 Rd4 32.b3 Nd5 33.Rf3 f4 34.gxf4 e4
35.Rg3 Rd1+ 36.Kg2 Nxf4+ 0-1
