Jackson Whipps Showalter

By on August 17, 2026

I am very pleased to announce that my first book, Jackson W. Showalter: American Chess Champion, is now available for pre-order on Amazon!

After several years of research, writing, and assembling Showalter’s games and history, it’s exciting to finally see the book approaching publication.

John Hilbert was kind enough to do the foreword for this book, which was expertly published by Russell Enterprises, Inc.

Publication Date: November 10, 2026

“One of the most intriguing figures in American chess history, Jackson Whipps Showalter (1859-1935), was the United States chess champion multiple times and a mainstay in the international cable matches against Great Britain. This extensive biography of the larger-than-life Showalter chronicles his family background, education, and brief escapades as a cowboy in Texas and an amateur baseball player in Kentucky.

“During a career spanning more than 40 years, Showalter earned a reputation as a fierce match competitor and was well-known for his aggressive playing style. He competed in several international tournaments as well as many U.S. championship matches. His legendary title match against Harry Nelson Pillsbury in 1897 is examined in depth, with analyses from both combatants.

“Also included are a large number of photos and illustrations, many from the Showalter family archives. There are nearly 700 of his games, most of them featuring in-depth annotations by the chess editors and players of the period, including world champions Emanuel Lasker and Wilhelm Steinitz.

“This book fills a major gap in the history of chess in America. It is a fascinating, profound examination of one of the most colorful figures the royal game has produced, American Chess Champion Jackson Showalter.”

Shared below is Game 6 from his historic match against Pillsbury in 1897, as annotated by Emil Kemeny, but without the analyzations of the players as found in the book.

GAME & ANNOTATIONS: Literary Digest – April 10, 1897 (Emil Kemeny)

 

Posted in | Leave a response

1966 – 2nd Piatigorsky Cup

By on April 10, 2026

The 1966 Piatigorsky Cup brought together a formidable field consisting of ten of the top grandmasters in the world. The participants included Boris Spassky and Tigran Petrosian from the Soviet Union; Bobby Fischer and Samuel Reshevsky from the United States; Bent Larsen, Lajos Portisch, Wolfgang Unzicker, Miguel Najdorf, Borislav Ivkov, and Jan Hein Donner. The lineup reflected a more balanced international presence that the 1963 event and was held during the era of Cold War tensions, lending added significance to encounters between Soviet and Western players.

Gregor & Jacqueline Piatigorsky watching Larsen and Fischer

The double round-robin tournament was held from July 17 to August 15, 1966, at the Miramar Hotel in Santa Monica, producing 18 rounds and a total of 90 games. The $20,000 prize fund was double that of the previous event, reflecting the rising prestige of the Piatigorsky Cup. Of the 90 games played, 35 were decisive and 55 drawn, illustrating the high level of resistance among the participants. The event attracted large audiences—often exceeding 500 spectators per round—and was also aired on the radio.

Fischer got off to a poor start in the event, scoring only 3 ½ points out of his first nine games, including losses to Spassky, Larsen, and Portisch. In the second half, however, he surged back with a series of victories that brought him all the way back into contention. He and Spassky were tied with two rounds remaining, setting the stage for a 17th round showdown between the two future world champions. It was only their third encounter to date, the Russian having won both of their previous games dating back to 1960 Mar del Plata, when Spassky defeated a 17-year-old phenom from Brooklyn.

The American had the white pieces and a relatively uneventful Ruy Lopez was played out to a 35-move draw, leaving them tied for first place heading into the final round. Spassky was able to overcome the cellar dwelling Donner in 35 moves, while Fischer was forced to settle for a draw with the black pieces against reigning world champion Petrosian. Spassky’s final total of 11.5 out of 18 points earned him the $5,000 first prize, while Fischer finished second with 11 points, followed by Larsen in third with 10 points.

The tournament stands as one of the strongest and most significant international events of the 1960s, highlighting both the depth of global chess talent and the intensifying rivalry between East and West. Spassky annotated his 17th round game against Fischer, which is shared below.

To view ALL of the games from this event, visit our tournament-viewer page.

GAME & ANNOTATIONS: Second Piatigorsky Cup (Isaac Kashdan)

PHOTOGRAPH: Los Angeles Times Photographic Collection, UCLA Library (Mary Frampton)

Posted in , | Leave a response

Chigorin vs Tarrasch (1893)

By on March 27, 2026

Chigorin vs Tarrasch

New York Tribune 11/19/1893

The 1893 match between Mikhail Chigorin of Russia and Siegbert Tarrasch of Germany, was held in St. Petersburg (Russia) from October 8 to November 14, and was one of the most closely contested matches of the late nineteenth century. The format was the first player to secure 10 wins (draws not counting) would be awarded the match stakes of 5,000 marks per side. The time control was standard for the era at 15 moves per hour.

There was no history to date between the two masters, as they had yet to meet across the board. Tarrasch (31) was 11 years the junior of Chigorin (42) and had recently gained notoriety by winning the strong international tournaments at Manchester (1890) and Dresden (1892).

However, the young German had no significant match experience, while his opponent was a battle-tested veteran in this arena. Chigorin had won two of his three matches against Emanuel Schiffers between 1878-79, lost to Isidor Gunsberg in 1887 (+2-5=6) but later played him to a draw (+9-9=5) in 1890, and he famously lost two close contests for the world championship to Wilhelm Steinitz in 1889 (+6-10=1) and 1892 (+8-10=5).

Tarrasch dominated the contest in the early stages and was comfortably ahead after 17 games by a margin of eight wins to five (with four draws along the way). However, the Russian resiliently turned the tables on his young opponent, winning the next three games consecutively to even the contest at eight games apiece. The articles stipulated the match would be declared drawn in the event of the score reaching nine games each.

The favored German quickly recovered with a dominating 31-move victory for his ninth match win. This set the stage nicely for a dramatic game 22 in which Chigorin had the white pieces in desperate need of a win. Tarrasch defended with a French Defense for the seventh time in the match, a strategy with which he had mixed results (+2-3=1) to date.

The game was fiercely contested with Chigorin securing a dangerous passed pawn on the sixth rank of the e-file on his 29th move. Tarrasch expertly defended the difficult position and eventually managed a passed pawn of his own, but it was to no avail as he was forced to resign after White’s 58th move and the match was declared drawn. The game is shared below with notes from Tarrasch and James Mason.

To play through ALL of the games from this match, visit our match-viewer page.

GAME & ANNOTATIONS: Three Hundred Chess Games (Tarrasch); British Chess Magazine (Jan. 1894)

Posted in , | Leave a response

Marshall vs Janowski (1905)

By on December 22, 2025

Marshall vs Janowski

Marshall (left), Leo Nardus (patron of the 1908 match), and Janowski (right)

One of the longest running rivalries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was between American master Frank Marshall and the Parisian master David Janowski. The roots of their rivalry began with an abbreviated match in New York in January 1899, a short but revealing contest in which the younger Marshall surprised observers by winning the opening game. Janowski quickly asserted his superiority, reeling off three consecutive victories to clinch the match.

Years later, after finishing first (Marshall) and second (Janowski) at the strong Cambridge Springs International Tournament of 1904, negotiations for another match quickly began. It was speculated that the winner could potentially emerge as the logical challenger to Lasker’s world championship title.

Played in Paris from January 24 to March 7, 1905 under demanding conditions (first to eight wins, draws not counting), the contest proved very competitive with Marshall twice building early leads and Janowski responding accordingly.  Marshall eventually asserted control of the match, winning a critical sequence of games beginning with game eleven. He ultimately prevailed by a margin of 10 to 7 (+8 -5 =4), confirming his emergence as America’s foremost chess figure (considering Harry Nelson Pillsbury’s declining health and Jackson Whipps Showalter’s self-imposed retirement).

Janowski accepted the defeat in his usual classless manner as evidenced by the content of his letter in which he challenged Marshall to a rematch:

“I consider that the result of our match far from proving our respective abilities. On the contrary, as in the great majority of games I allowed the ‘win or draw’ to escape me, I am persuaded that normally I should have won very easily.”

However, it was not until 1908 that the two again crossed swords in match play, with Janowski gaining a measure of revenge at Suresnes (just outside of Paris) in a match to five wins. The two great masters met again in a 1912 ten-game exhibition and an eight-game formal match in 1916, with Marshall prevailing in both. The American held a slight edge in their prolonged match history with 21 wins, 16 losses, and 17 draws.

Both Marshall (1907) and Janowski (1910) eventually earned title shots against Lasker, neither of them being able to win a single game against the German world champion. While there were many interesting games from their 1905 encounter, Janowski’s game five victory (Queen’s Gambit Declined) is shared below and annotated by Marshall, Leopold Hoffer, and Clarence S. Howell.

To play through ALL of the games from this match, visit our match-viewer page.

GAME & ANNOTATIONS: Marshall v. Janowski – Games of the Paris Match (1905); The Match and Return Match (Leopold Hoffer); American Chess Bulletin (Feb. 1905)

Posted in , | Leave a response

Next »