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American Chess Congress

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The American Chess Congress was a series of chess tournaments held in the United States, a predecessor to the current U.S. Chess Championship. It had nine editions, the first played in October 1857 and the last in August 1923.

American Chess Congresses
# Year City Winner
1 1857 New York  Paul Morphy (United States)
2 1871 Cleveland  George Henry Mackenzie (United States)
3 1874 Chicago  George Henry Mackenzie (United States)
4 1876 Philadelphia  James Mason (Ireland)
5 1880 New York  George Henry Mackenzie (United States)
6 1889 New York  Mikhail Chigorin (Russia)
 Max Weiss (Austria)
7 1904 St. Louis  Frank James Marshall (United States)
8 1921 Atlantic City  Dawid Janowski (France)
9 1923 Lake Hopatcong  Frank James Marshall (United States)
 Abraham Kupchik (United States)

First American Chess Congress (1857)

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The first American Chess Congress, organized by Daniel Willard Fiske and held in New York, October 6 to November 10, 1857, was won by Paul Morphy.[1] It was a knockout tournament in which draws did not count. The top sixteen American players were invited (William Allison, Samuel Robert Calthrop, Daniel Willard Fiske, William James Fuller, Hiram Kennicott, Hubert Knott, Theodor Lichtenhein, Napoleon Marache, Hardman Philips Montgomery, Alexander Beaufort Meek, Paul Morphy, Louis Paulsen, Frederick Perrin, Benjamin Raphael, Charles Henry Stanley, and James Thompson).[2][3] First prize was $300. Morphy refused any money, but accepted a silver service consisting of a pitcher, four goblets, and a tray. Morphy's prize was given to him by Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.

Shown on the right is lithograph of the First American Chess Congress 1857. All members of the Congress are shown, including those who did not play in the main tournament. Top row: Colonel Charles Mead (chairman), George Hammond, Frederic Perrin, Daniel Willard Fiske, Hiram Kennicott, and Hardman Philips Montgomery. Left column: Hubert Knott, Louis Paulsen, and William Allison. Bottom row: Theodore Lichtenhein, James Thompson, Charles Henry Stanley, Alexander Beaufort Meek, Samuel Robert Calthrop, and Napoleon Marache. Right column: William James Fuller, Paul Morphy, and Benjamin Raphael.

First round Quarterfinals Semifinals Final
 Paul Morphy (USA) +3=0
 James Thompson (USA) +0=0  Paul Morphy (USA) +3=0
 William James Appleton Fuller (USA) +2=0  Alexander Beaufort Meek (USA) +0=0
 Alexander Beaufort Meek (USA) +3=0  Paul Morphy (USA) +3=1
 Hubert Knott (USA) +2=2  Theodor Lichtenhein (USA) +0=1
 Frederick Perrin (USA) +3=2  Frederick Perrin (USA) +0=0
 Theodor Lichtenhein (USA) +3=0  Theodor Lichtenhein (USA) +3=0
 Charles Henry Stanley (ENG) +2=0  Paul Morphy (USA) +5=2
 Benjamin Raphael (USA) +3=1 Louis Paulsen (GER) +1=2
 Hiram Kennicott (USA) +2=1  Benjamin Raphael (USA) +3=2
 Daniel Fiske (USA) +2=0  Napoleon Marache (USA) +2=2
 Napoleon Marache (USA) +3=0  Benjamin Raphael (USA) +0=1 Third place
 Samuel Robert Calthrop (ENG) +0=0 Louis Paulsen (GER) +3=1
Louis Paulsen (GER) +3=0 Louis Paulsen (GER) +2=0  Theodor Lichtenhein (USA) +3=0
 William Allison (USA) +1=0  Hardman Philips Montgomery (USA) +0=0  Benjamin Raphael (USA) +0=0
 Hardman Philips Montgomery (USA) +3=0

Second American Chess Congress (1871)

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The second American Chess Congress was held in Cleveland on December 4–15, 1871 and won by George Henry Mackenzie. The first prize was $100 (~$1,500 today) and the total prize fund was $290 (~$5,000 today). The entry fee was $10 ($150 today). It was a double round robin tournament with a time limit of 12 moves an hour. Draw games were replayed. There were nine players (George Henry Mackenzie, Henry Hosmer, Frederick Elder, Max Judd, Preston Ware, Harsen Darwin Smith, Henry Harding, A. Johnston, and William Houghton). With the retirement of Morphy, this tournament was generally intended to recognize the best player in the United States.

Player 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Total wins
1  George Henry Mackenzie (USA) Does not appear 1½0 ½10 11 11 11 1½1 11 11 14
2  Henry Hosmer (USA) 0½1 Does not appear 11 1½1 00 01 11 11 11 12
3  Frederick Elder (USA) ½01 00 Does not appear 01 ½½01 11 11 11 11 11
4  Max Judd (USA) 00 0½0 10 Does not appear 11 10 ½11 ½11 11 10
5  Preston Ware (USA) 00 11 ½½10 00 Does not appear 01 10 11 11 9
6  Harsen Darwin Smith (USA) 00 10 00 01 10 Does not appear 11 11 11 9
7  Henry Harding (USA) 0½0 00 00 ½00 01 00 Does not appear 01 11 4
8  A. Johnston (USA) 00 00 00 ½00 00 00 10 Does not appear 11 3
9  William Houghton (USA) 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 Does not appear 0

Third American Chess Congress (1874)

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The third American Chess Congress was held in Chicago on July 7–16, 1874 and won by Mackenzie. There were eight players (Mackenzie, Hosmer, Judd, Bock, Elder, Perrin, Congdon, and Kennicott) and they had to pay a $20 entry fee. first place prize was $225. The tournament was again round robin, but for the first time draws were not replayed. The time control was 15 moves per hour. Elder and Kennicott withdrew before completing half their games, but their scores still counted.

# Player 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Total wins
1  George Henry Mackenzie (USA) Does not appear 10 11 -- 11 11 11 10½
2  Henry Hosmer (USA) 01 Does not appear 10 11 -- 11 11 11 10
3  Max Judd (USA) 01 Does not appear -- 11 11 -- 7
4  Frederick Bock (USA) 00 00 Does not appear 11 --
5  Frederick Elder (USA) -- -- -- Does not appear 01 11 --
6  Frederick Perrin (USA) 00 00 00 00 10 Does not appear 10 -- 2
7  James Adams Congdon (USA) 00 00 00 00 01 Does not appear --
8  Hiram Kennicott (USA) 00 00 -- -- -- -- -- Does not appear 0

Fourth American Chess Congress (1876)

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The fourth American Chess Congress (called the American Centennial Championship) was held in Philadelphia on August 17–31, 1876 and won by James Mason. There were nine players (Mason, Judd, Davidson, Henry Bird, Elson, Roberts, Ware, Barbour, and Martinez). The entry fee was $20. First place was $300. Never intended to recognize the best player in America, this tournament was geared towards attracting foreign masters, and to awarding the Governor Garland Silver Cup, as well as celebrating the American Centennial.

Player 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Total
1  James Mason (IRE) Does not appear 10 ½1 11 ½1 -- 10½
2  Max Judd (USA) Does not appear 00 10 11 11 11 -- 9
3  Harry Davidson (USA) 01 11 Does not appear ½0 ½1 01 11 --
4  Henry Edward Bird (ENG) 01 ½1 Does not appear 11 ½1 ½1 --
5  Jacob Elson (USA) ½0 Does not appear ½½ 10 11 -- 8
6  Albert Roberts (USA) 00 ½0 00 ½½ Does not appear 11 --
7  Preston Ware (USA) 00 00 10 ½0 01 Does not appear ½½ -- 4
8  L.D. Barbour (USA) ½0 00 00 ½0 00 00 ½½ Does not appear -- 2
9  Dión Martinez (CUB) 00 -- ½½ -- -- -- -- -- Does not appear 1

Fifth American Chess Congress (1880)

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The fifth American Chess Congress was held in New York on January 6–26, 1880 and won by Mackenzie (he beat James Grundy on tiebreak, 2–0). There were 10 players: Cohnfeld, Congdon, Eugene Delmar, Grundy, Judd, Mackenzie, Mohle, Ryan, Sellman, and Ware.

Player 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Total
1  George Henry Mackenzie (USA) Does not appear 10 ½½ ½1 11 11 11 11 13½
2  James Grundy (USA) Does not appear ½½ 10 11 01 11 11 13½
3  Charles Moehle (USA) 01 ½½ Does not appear 10 11 11 11 11 13
4  Alexander Sellman (USA) ½½ 01 Does not appear 10 11 11 11 12½
5  Max Judd (USA) ½0 01 Does not appear ½1 11 11 01 11 11
6  Eugene Delmar (USA) 00 00 01 ½0 Does not appear 11 11 ½1 11
7  John Ryan (USA) 00 00 00 00 00 Does not appear 11 01 11
8  Preston Ware (USA) 00 10 00 00 00 00 Does not appear ½1
9  James Adams Congdon (USA) ½0 00 00 00 10 ½0 01 Does not appear 00
10  Albert Cohnfeld (USA) 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 11 Does not appear

Sixth American Chess Congress (1889)

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The sixth American Chess Congress was held in New York in 1889 (a 20-man double round-robin tournament; one of the longest tournaments in history). The event was won by Mikhail Chigorin and Max Weiss. Both finished with a score of 29 but Chigorin defeated Weiss in their individual game. The top American finisher was S. Lipschütz, who took sixth place (his supporters in the Eastern US tried to push his claim to being US Champion as a result of this tournament; however, Lipschütz's claim was not accepted by all). Under rules that reigning World Champion Wilhelm Steinitz helped to develop, the winner was to be regarded as World Champion for the time being, but must be prepared to face a challenge from the second- or third-placed competitor within a month.[4] Mikhail Chigorin and Max Weiss tied for first, and remained tied after drawing all four games of a playoff. Weiss was not interested in playing a championship match, but Isidor Gunsberg, the third-place finisher, exercised his right and challenged Chigorin to a World Championship match. In 1890, he drew a first-to-10-wins match against Chigorin (9-9 with five draws). These were the same terms (9-9 draw clause) as the first World Championship match between Steinitz and Zukertort in 1886. They were also the same match terms that Bobby Fischer would insist on for his title defense in 1975.

Player 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Total
1  Mikhail Chigorin (RUS) Does not appear ½1 00 ½1 11 10 00 11 01 ½1 11 11 ½1 11 10 11 11 11 11 11 29
2  Max Weiss (AUT) ½0 Does not appear ½1 10 ½½ ½1 11 11 11 10 ½½ ½1 10 11 11 ½1 11 11 11 29
3  Isidor Gunsberg (ENG) 11 ½0 Does not appear 01 ½0 ½0 10 11 11 ½1 11 01 11 01 11 11 11 11 11 28½
4  Joseph Henry Blackburne (ENG) ½0 01 10 Does not appear 01 10 10 01 11 10 11 11 11 11 11 10 11 ½1 11 10 27
5  Amos Burn (ENG) 00 ½½ ½1 10 Does not appear 00 11 11 10 11 11 01 00 11 01 11 11 11 11 26
6  S. Lipschütz (USA) 01 ½0 ½1 01 Does not appear ½1 00 11 ½1 10 ½0 ½1 11 11 11 10 11 11 11 25½
7  James Mason (IRE) 11 01 11 ½0 Does not appear ½0 00 11 ½0 10 01 01 ½1 ½1 ½½ 11 11 22
8  Max Judd (USA) 00 00 01 10 00 11 ½1 Does not appear 10 11 01 00 11 00 ½1 ½0 10 ½1 11 11 20
9  Eugene Delmar (USA) 10 00 00 00 00 00 11 01 Does not appear ½0 10 11 10 01 11 10 11 11 01 18
10  Jackson Showalter (USA) ½0 00 00 01 01 ½0 00 00 ½1 Does not appear ½1 10 10 10 11 ½0 01 ½1 11 11 18
11  William Pollock (ENG) 00 01 ½0 00 00 01 ½1 10 01 ½0 Does not appear 01 ½1 ½1 01 11 00 00 11 11 17½
12  Henry Bird (ENG) 00 ½½ 00 00 00 ½1 01 11 00 01 10 Does not appear ½0 11 ½1 11 00 10 ½0 11 17
13  Jean Taubenhaus (FRA) ½0 ½0 10 00 10 ½0 10 00 01 ½0 ½1 Does not appear 01 00 ½1 10 11 11 17
14  David Graham Baird (USA) 00 01 00 00 11 00 10 11 01 01 ½0 00 10 Does not appear 10 00 01 11 10 ½1 16
15  Constant Ferdinand Burille (USA) 01 00 10 00 00 00 ½0 ½0 10 00 10 ½0 11 01 Does not appear ½1 00 ½1 11 15
16  James Moore Hanham (USA) 00 00 00 01 10 00 ½1 00 ½1 00 00 11 ½0 Does not appear 10 01 11 14
17  George H. D. Gossip (ENG) 00 ½0 00 00 00 01 ½0 01 01 10 11 11 ½0 10 01 Does not appear 00 00 13½
18  Dión Martinez (CUB) 00 00 00 ½0 00 00 ½½ ½0 00 ½0 11 01 01 00 11 10 11 Does not appear 01 01 13½
19  John Washington Baird (USA) 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ½1 00 01 ½0 10 Does not appear 10 7
20  Nicholas MacLeod (CAN) 00 00 00 01 00 00 00 00 10 00 00 00 00 ½0 00 00 11 10 01 Does not appear

Seventh American Chess Congress (1904)

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Group photo from the 1904 tournament

The seventh American Chess Congress was held in St. Louis in 1904. With US Champion Harry Nelson Pillsbury ill and dying, Max Judd tried to arrange the seventh ACC, with the stipulation that the US title be awarded to the winner. Judd disputed Pillsbury's ownership of the title by challenging the legitimacy of the whole succession since the time of Mackenzie, disputing Lipschutz's claim to have acquired the title at New York 1889, and everything that had happened since then. Pillsbury, from bed objected to Judd's plans, and prevailed on his friend, the lawyer Walter Penn Shipley, to intercede. Judd's tournament was held anyway, and said to be for "The United States Tourney Championship", a title explicitly said to have no relation to the United States Championship title held by Pillsbury. The tournament was won by Frank James Marshall, ahead of Judd. There were 10 players: Louis Eisenberg, Charles Jaffe, Judd, Kemeny, Marshall, Stasch Mlotkowski, Edward F. Schrader, Eugene Wesley Schrader, Schwietzer, and Louis Uedemann. The winner was actually named U.S. Champion at the conclusion of this tournament.

Player 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 Total
1  Frank James Marshall (USA) Does not appear 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ½ 1
2  Max Judd (USA) 0 Does not appear 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 7
3  Louis Uedemann (USA) 0 1 Does not appear 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 6
4  Emil Kemény (USA) 0 0 0 Does not appear 1 1 1 0 1 1 5
5  Edward F. Schrader (USA) 0 0 0 0 Does not appear ½ 1 1 1 1
6  Louis Eisenberg (USA) 0 0 0 0 ½ Does not appear 1 1 1 1
7  Charles Jaffe (USA) 0 0 1 0 0 0 Does not appear 1 1 1 4
8  George Schwietzer (USA) 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 Does not appear 0 1 3
9  Stasch Mlotkowski (USA) ½ 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Does not appear 1
10  Eugene W. Schrader (USA) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Does not appear 0

Eighth American Chess Congress (1921)

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The eighth American Chess Congress was held in Atlantic City in 1921. The event was won by Dawid Janowski, followed by Norman Whitaker, Jaffe, etc. There were 12 players: Samuel Factor, Hago, Harvey, Jackson, Jaffe, Janowski, Marshall, Mlotkowski, Sharp, Vladimir Sournin, Isador Turover, and Whitaker.[5][6]

Player 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 Total
1  Dawid Janowski (FRA) Does not appear 0 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 1
2  Norman Tweed Whitaker (USA) 1 Does not appear 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 8
3  Charles Jaffe (USA) 0 1 Does not appear 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 7
4  Martin D. Hago (USA) ½ 0 0 Does not appear ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 1
5  Samuel Factor (USA) ½ 0 0 ½ Does not appear ½ 0 1 ½ 1 1 6
6  Frank James Marshall (USA) 0 0 1 ½ ½ Does not appear 1 0 ½ ½ 1 1 6
7  Vladimir Sournin (USA) ½ 1 1 0 1 0 Does not appear 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ 6
8  Sydney T. Sharp (USA) 0 0 0 ½ 0 1 1 Does not appear ½ ½ 1 1
9  Isador Samuel Turover (USA) 0 1 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ Does not appear 1 1 ½
10  Stasch Mlotkowski (USA) 0 0 1 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 Does not appear 1 1 5
11  J. B. Harvey (USA) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Does not appear 1 1
12  Edward Schuyler Jackson (USA) 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 0 Does not appear 1

Ninth American Chess Congress (1923)

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The ninth and last American Chess Congress was held in Hotel Alamac in Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey on August 6–21, 1923. The tournament was played between 14 players: Horace Bigelow, Roy Turnbull Black, Oscar Chajes, Albert Hodges, Dawid Janowski, Abraham Kupchik, Edward Lasker, Frank James Marshall, John Stuart Morrison, Marvin Palmer, Anthony Santasiere, Morris Schapiro, Vladimir Sournin, and Oscar Tenner. It ended with a tie between Marshall and Kupchik scoring 10½ out of 13.[7][8][9]

Player 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 Total
1  Frank James Marshall (USA) Does not appear 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 10½
2  Abraham Kupchik (USA) 0 Does not appear 1 0 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 10½
3  Dawid Janowski (FRA) ½ 0 Does not appear 1 ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 ½ 1 10
4  Edward Lasker (USA) 0 1 0 Does not appear ½ 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 ½ 1 9
5  Morris Schapiro (USA) ½ 0 ½ ½ Does not appear 1 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 1
6  Roy Turnbull Black (USA) 0 ½ ½ 0 0 Does not appear 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 7
7  Oscar Tenner (USA) 0 0 0 0 1 0 Does not appear 1 ½ 1 1 0 1 1
8  Oscar Chajes (USA) 0 0 0 0 ½ 1 0 Does not appear 1 1 0 1 1 1
9  Vladimir Sournin (USA) 0 0 0 1 0 0 ½ 0 Does not appear 1 1 1 ½ ½
10  John Stuart Morrison (CAN) ½ 0 0 0 ½ 1 0 0 0 Does not appear ½ ½ 1 1 5
11  Albert Hodges (USA) ½ 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 ½ Does not appear ½ 1 ½ 4
12  Marvin Palmer (USA) 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 ½ ½ Does not appear 1 0 3
13  Anthony Santasiere (USA) ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 Does not appear ½
14  Horace Bigelow (USA) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ Does not appear

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "American Chess Congress - Chess.com". Archived from the original on 2012-02-29. Retrieved 2008-04-13.
  2. ^ newyork1857.doc Archived 2011-07-15 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "First American Chess Congress Opponents". Archived from the original on 2008-10-06. Retrieved 2008-04-17.
  4. ^ Thulin, A. (August 2007). "Steinitz—Chigorin, Havana 1899 - A World Championship Match or Not?" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-30. Based on Landsberger, K. (2002), The Steinitz Papers: Letters and Documents of the First World Chess Champion, McFarland, ISBN 0-7864-1193-7, retrieved 2008-11-19
  5. ^ "The Frank James Marshall Electronic Archive and Museum: Tournament and Match Record". Archived from the original on 2008-07-04. Retrieved 2008-04-13.
  6. ^ "New Page 1". Archived from the original on 2012-05-21. Retrieved 2012-06-07.
  7. ^ "Captain Vladimir Sournin: A Russian Chess Player's Exploits in America" by Olimpiu G. Urcan
  8. ^ "Sport: Chess Champs". Time. September 3, 1923. Archived from the original on December 22, 2008. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
  9. ^ Lake Hopatcong, 1923

Further reading

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This book was reprinted as Daniel W. Fiske. (1985), 1st American Chess Congress New York 1857, Edition Olms, ISBN 3-283-00085-9
  • Brownson, O. A. Jr (1872), The Book of the Second American Chess Congress Held at Cleveland, Ohio, Dubuque, Iowa
  • Office of the American Chess Journal (1876) The Third American Chess Congress Held at Chicago, Ill., 1874, Hannibal, Missouri.
  • Sayen, Henry W. (1876), The Grand International Centennial Chess Congress, held in Philadelphia in August, 1876, Philadelphia
These three books were reprinted in one volume as The second, third and fourth American Chess Congress, Cleveland 1871, Chicago 1874, Philadelphia 1876., Edition Olms, 1985, ISBN 3-283-00089-1
This book was reprinted as Charles A. Gilberg. (1986), The Fifth American Chess Congress New York 1880, Edition Olms, ISBN 3-283-00090-5
This book was reprinted as: Wilhelm Steinitz ; with a foreword by Christiaan M. Bijl. (1982), The book of the Sixth American Chess Congress, Edition Olms, ISBN 3-283-00152-9{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
It was recently reprinted as: Wilhelm Steinitz ; Introduction by Sam Sloan (1982), Sixth American Chess Congress, New York 1889, Ishi Press, ISBN 978-4-87187-847-0{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)