Jackson Whipps Showalter
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 […]
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1897 – Janowski vs Winawer
The late 1800s provided us with many great chess games and novelties from several underrated players of that era. Many of these games have been forgotten or simply never seen by chess enthusiasts of today. The game below was played between David Janowski of France and Simon Winawer of Poland. The event was the Berlin Tournament of 1897 in Germany, which included many of the great players of the era, such as Joseph Henry Blackburne, […]
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1966 – 2nd Piatigorsky Cup
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 […]
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Chigorin vs Tarrasch (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 […]
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Marshall vs Janowski (1905)
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, […]
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William Norwood Potter
William Norwood Potter (Aug. 27, 1840–Mar. 13, 1895) was an important and intriguing figure in Victorian chess history. Born and raised in London, Potter studied at Oxford University before entering the legal profession as a barrister. However, he was not known for practicing law, but rather for his contributions as a chess master and one of the finest chess journalists of his generation. Potter emerged in the English chess world during the 1860s, mostly through […]
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Zukertort vs Potter (1875)
In the autumn of 1875, Johannes Zukertort and William Norwood Potter met in London for a highly anticipated chess match at the West End Chess Club in Leicester Square. Zukertort had recently arrived from Germany and was steadily gaining a reputation for himself amongst Britain’s leading players. He was also co-editor of the City of London Chess Magazine, along with his well-known opponent, Potter. The match terms were somewhat unusual. The first player to win […]
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Marshall vs Capablanca (1909)
The 1909 chess contest between José Raúl Capablanca and Frank Marshall took place from April 19 to June 23 across multiple U.S. cities including New York, Morristown (NJ), Scranton (PA), and Wilkes-Barre (PA). The match format was the first to win 8 games (draws not counting) with a time control of 30 moves in two hours, followed by 15 moves per hour thereafter. Capablanca won the marathon contest convincingly by a final score of 8 […]
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Vera Menchik
Vera Francevna Menchik (Mencikova) was born in Moscow, Russia on February 16, 1906. Her father was Czech and her mother was British. When Vera was 15, the family and she moved to England in 1921. She became affiliated with Géza Maróczy, who started coaching her in 1922. In 1923 she began participating in men’s international tournaments. FIDE established the first world championship for women in July, 1927, which Vera won at the age of 21 […]
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Manhattan CC vs Franklin CC (1904)
The last encounter between American chess legends Harry Nelson Pillsbury and Frank James Marshall took place on May 30, 1904 (Decoration Day). The two were paired on the second board of the Manhattan vs. Franklin chess match at the Manhattan Chess Club. The event occurred shortly after the Cambridge Springs International Tournament (where Marshall mated Pillsbury in 23 moves) and marked the first time Pillsbury had set foot in the Manhattan club since resigning his […]
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An Interview with Emanuel Lasker (1892)
Emanuel Lasker gave an interesting interview in the December 18, 1892 edition of the Washington Post. He discussed many chess related topics, mostly going in depth on the subject of blindfold chess play. Also included are some fascinating stories about Paul Morphy and Louis Paulsen. The interview is shared in whole below: “Someone asked me the other day how I kept in practice. My answer will probably appear quite as curious to the general reader […]
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Steinitz vs Allies (1892)
John Finan Barry was a great American chess player from Boston who once challenged Jackson W. Showalter for the U.S. Championship in 1896, losing by a score of -7 +2 =4. Barry was also an excellent chess columnist and a true ambassador for the game. Additionally, he represented the United States in all but one of the famous cable matches against Great Britain from 1896 to 1911, compiling an impressive record of 6 wins, 3 […]
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Bird Touts Morphy Over Steinitz
Henry Edward Bird gave an interview to the Rochester (NY) Post-Express which was printed in the New York Sun on August 30, 1890. The topic of conversation being his match experiences against American chess legends Paul Morphy and Wilhelm Steinitz, as well as his observations, as such: “Steinitz beat me 8 to 7, with 6 draws. That was in 1867. In 1858 Morphy beat me 8 to 1, with 1 draw. Steinitz claims that he […]
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1890 – Manchester
The Manchester (England) Chess Club had been a prominent foundation throughout the 1800’s and was the meeting place in 1890 for the formation of a larger chess organization that consisted of 24 Cheshire and Lancashire chess clubs. In the early part of 1890, the recently reformed British Chess Association was reportedly speculating on having their Sixth Chess Congress in conjunction with the Manchester Chess Club. Debates ensued over each entity putting up half of whatever […]
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