Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Aron Nimzowitsch in Chicago 1927

The April 4, 1927 issue of the Chicago Tribune carried the brief notice that:

"Aaron [sic] Niemzowitsch [sic] of Copenhagen, Denmark will play simultaneously against thirty-five chess players in the club rooms of the Chicago Chess and Checker club, 35 South Dearborn street, at 8 o'clock tonight."

This notice, is all the coverage Nimzowitsch would have during his visit to Chicago, the Tribune no longer had a chess column, and I have so far found no coverage of Nimzowitsch's visit in the pages of the Chicago Daily News.

Nimzowitsch had come the United States to compete in the international chess master's tournament that was to take place in New York City at the Jade Ballroom of the Hotel Manhattan Square.


 (New York Times: February 17, 1927)

Nimzowitsch would finish in third place in the chess master's tournament (10 1/2 points), behind Capablanca (14 points) and Alekhine (11 1/2 points), but ahead of Vidmar (10 points), Spielmann (8 points) and Marshall (6 points).

After the tournament, Nimzowitsch made a mini tour of the American mid-west, stopping besides Chicago, in St. Louis and Cincinnati. After tour the New York Times reported that Nimzowitsch had played ninety-five games, winning seventy-nine, drawing eleven, and losing but five games.


(Chicago Tribune:April 4, 1927)


It is thanks to the efforts Olimpiu G.Urcan, that we have the score of two games that Nimzowitsch played on his Chicago visit, both are consultation games against some of Chicago's finest players of the time. The ChessCafe article where these games appeared can be found here .These games were found in the April 5, 1928, edition of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, that these were published almost a year after they were played and in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle gives hope that other games may be found.




In the Brooklyn Daily Eagle Herman Helms  noted that Nimzowitsch had "encountered exceptionally strong opposition" in Chicago. In a twenty-three-board simultaneous there Nimzowitsch scored +16 –3 =4. The discrepancy between the Tribune report of 35 players taking part before the event and the Brooklyn Daily Eagle report 23 boards may be due in some part to the number consultation games played .



On April 21st, Nimzowitsch returned to Copenhagen aboard the steamship Hellig Olav of the Scandinavian- American Line, the New York Times noted that hoped to return in the fall to begin a exhibition tour, but sadly for American chess Nimzowitsch did not return.

(New York Times: April 22, 1927)


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Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Magnus Carlsen's last big title.

Much thanks; to the Quality chess blog for bringing this documentary to my attention. With the world championship just days away I thought I would share it with readers of this blog. http://www.vgtv.no/#!/video/73427/magnus-carlsen-39-s-last-big-title

To readers of this blog fear not, I plan to begin posting again on a regular basis soon.

Monday, September 9, 2013

Capablanca's first visit to Chicago; November 24, 1909


 Jose Raul Capablanca (1926)
DN-0081138, Chicago Daily News negatives collection
Chicago History Museum. 


I recently purchased a copy of  The Unknown Capablanca by David Hooper and Dale Brandreth, and noticed that Capablanca's first simultaneous exhibition in Chicago took place in 1909, and although Unknown Capablanca has over 200 games; most of which had not been published outside of their original publication, none were from his first exhibition in Chicago.

The Jose Raul Capablanca who made his first Chicago appearance on November 24, 1909 was no longer the child prodigy of earlier times, but a graduate of Columbia University, who had won,  his first major match, against Frank J. Marshall, quite convincingly with 8 wins, 1 lost game and 14 draws.

Herman Helms, editor of the American Chess Bulletin, agreed to organize the American tours for Capablanca, in the hopes promoting the sales of his magazine, lamentably the American Chess Bulletin would gain just four new subscribers for it's trouble. (Hooper and Brandreth; p.141)

By the time Capablanca reached Chicago , the young Cuban master had played hundreds of games during his tour. Both the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Daily News provided some coverage of Cubans arrival and stay in the "windy city".

   "Jose R. Capablanca, the young Cuban chess expert, who stepped into the front rank of the world's chess masters by his overwhelming defeat of Marshall, will give an exhibition of simultaneous chess tonight at the rooms of the Chicago Chess and Checker club in the Schiller building."
(Chicago Daily Tribune; November 24, 1909)

Both the Tribune and Daily News noted the quick pace of play by Capablanca during simultaneous exhibitions; the Daily News reporting;

   " He is a rapid player and frequently finishes these simultaneous affairs in half the time taken here. The unusual time taken by the Chicago exhibition is explained by the strength of field against him."

Capablanca's easy demeanor and winning personality made him a favorite of the Chicago chess world.

   "Capablanca made a good impression upon the Chicago chess world by his skill as a player and by his personality. In appearance he is youthful and slender. He looks and acts like a nice, quite college student, which, indeed he is, having recently graduated from Columbia university."
(Chicago Daily News; November 27, 1909)

 Thirty-one local experts faced Capablanca, the young Cuban expert won twenty-five games, lost four games, with two games ending in a draw. The winners against Capablanca being Oscar Chajes, Charles W. Phillips, F.H. Chase, and Einar Michelsen. Draws were secured by Louis Uedeman and Judge Smith.

The Tribune published one game from the exhibition, the win of F. H. Chase over the Cuban expert in it's December 5th chess column.



The Chicago Daily News printed four games from the exhibition, Capablanca's wins against Sullivan and Erdeky, and loses to Chajes and Michelsen.



   "Oscar Chajes was the first one to obtain a victory over the youthful chess master. On his sixteenth move Capablanca made a blunder, an unusual thing for him to do. Chajes took prompt advantage of his opportunity and forced a speedy ending."
(Chicago Daily News; November 27, 1909







Just over a to the year to the date Capablanca would return to the "windy city", to give another simultaneous display. Although these five games don't add much to Capablanca's legacy, they are part of Chicago chess history and Capablanca's debut in the "windy city".

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