Members · Prefs · Laboratory · Collections · Openings · Endgames · Sacrifices · History · Search Kibitzing · Kibitzer's Café · Chessforums · Tournament Index · Players · Kibitzing

Cambridge Springs (1904) In the spring of 1904, American and European chess masters gathered at Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania, to compete in a large round robin tournament. Among the competitors were seven of the top ten players of the world, including the World Champion Emanuel Lasker and various national champions of Russia, France, Austria, and the United States. The participants were Lasker, Mikhail Chigorin, David Janowski, Harry Nelson Pillsbury, Carl Schlechter, Frank Marshall, Georg Marco, Jacques Mieses, Richard Teichmann, Jackson Showalter, William Napier, Albert Hodges, Eugene Delmar, Albert Fox, John Barry and Thomas Lawrence. Marshall stunned the chess world with a phenomenal victory of 13/15 over the chess elite, including wins against Janowski, Schlechter, and Pillsbury (two of which were brilliancy prizes). His win marked the beginning of a career that would include a reign as US Champion for 27 years and challenger for the world championship in 1907. The final standings and crosstable: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 01 Marshall * 1 ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 13.0 02 Janowski 0 * 0 ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 11.0 03 Lasker ½ 1 * ½ ½ 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 ½ 1 1 11.0 04 Marco ½ ½ ½ * ½ ½ 1 0 ½ 1 0 1 ½ ½ 1 1 9.0 05 Showalter 0 ½ ½ ½ * ½ 1 1 1 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 8.5 06 Schlechter 0 0 1 ½ ½ * 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 7.5 07 Chigorin ½ 0 0 0 0 1 * 1 ½ 0 1 ½ 1 1 0 1 7.5 08 Mieses 0 0 0 1 0 ½ 0 * 1 1 1 0 1 ½ 1 0 7.0 09 Pillsbury 0 0 1 ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 * 1 ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 7.0 10 Fox 0 1 0 0 ½ 1 1 0 0 * 1 1 0 1 0 0 6.5 11 Teichmann 0 0 0 1 1 ½ 0 0 ½ 0 * ½ 1 0 1 1 6.5 12 Lawrence 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 1 0 ½ * 1 ½ 0 ½ 5.5 13 Napier ½ 0 0 ½ ½ 0 0 0 ½ 1 0 0 * 1 1 ½ 5.5 14 Barry 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 0 1 ½ 0 * 0 1 5.0 15 Hodges 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 1 0 ½ 1 0 1 0 1 * 0 5.0 16 Delmar 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 1 0 1 0 ½ ½ 0 1 * 4.5 Lasker tied for 2nd-3rd. Janowski also finished equal second, and the Janowski - Marshall, Match 2 (1905) was soon given backing. Original collection: Game Collection: Cambridge Springs 1904, by User: suenteus po 147. This collection would not have been possible without: http://home.roadrunner.com/~etzel/c...  page 1 of 5; games 1-25 of 120  Game   Result Moves Year Event/Locale Opening 1. Marshall vs Chigorin ½-½ 36 1904 Cambridge Springs D31 Queen's Gambit Declined 2. Pillsbury vs A W Fox 1-0 46 1904 Cambridge Springs D60 Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox Defense 3. J Mieses vs G Marco   1-0 25 1904 Cambridge Springs A07 King's Indian Attack 4. T F Lawrence vs Janowski 0-1 43 1904 Cambridge Springs C87 Ruy Lopez 5. Lasker vs E Delmar 1-0 40 1904 Cambridge Springs D51 Queen's Gambit Declined 6. J F Barry vs W Napier 0-1 57 1904 Cambridge Springs C42 Petrov Defense 7. Teichmann vs A Hodges 1-0 32 1904 Cambridge Springs C42 Petrov Defense 8. Showalter vs Teichmann   0-1 40 1904 Cambridge Springs D00 Queen's Pawn Game 9. E Delmar vs T F Lawrence   ½-½ 34 1904 Cambridge Springs D00 Queen's Pawn Game 10. A W Fox vs J F Barry   1-0 52 1904 Cambridge Springs C78 Ruy Lopez 11. Janowski vs Schlechter 1-0 48 1904 Cambridge Springs C49 Four Knights 12. G Marco vs Lasker ½-½ 46 1904 Cambridge Springs C77 Ruy Lopez 13. Marshall vs Pillsbury 1-0 23 1904 Cambridge Springs B09 Pirc, Austrian Attack 14. W Napier vs J Mieses   0-1 36 1904 Cambridge Springs B40 Sicilian 15. Chigorin vs A Hodges   0-1 38 1904 Cambridge Springs B01 Scandinavian 16. Schlechter vs Showalter   ½-½ 38 1904 Cambridge Springs D67 Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox Defense, Bd3 line 17. Schlechter vs E Delmar ½-½ 57 1904 Cambridge Springs C41 Philidor Defense 18. J Mieses vs A W Fox 1-0 28 1904 Cambridge Springs B25 Sicilian, Closed 19. A Hodges vs Showalter   ½-½ 42 1904 Cambridge Springs C87 Ruy Lopez 20. Lasker vs W Napier 1-0 35 1904 Cambridge Springs B25 Sicilian, Closed 21. Pillsbury vs Chigorin   ½-½ 77 1904 Cambridge Springs D31 Queen's Gambit Declined 22. T F Lawrence vs G Marco 0-1 38 1904 Cambridge Springs C49 Four Knights 23. J F Barry vs Marshall 0-1 27 1904 Cambridge Springs C63 Ruy Lopez, Schliemann Defense 24. Teichmann vs Janowski 0-1 48 1904 Cambridge Springs C78 Ruy Lopez 25. W Napier vs T F Lawrence 0-1 34 1904 Cambridge Springs C80 Ruy Lopez, Open  page 1 of 5; games 1-25 of 120    REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2)   TIP: You can make the above ads go away by registering a free account! < Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 2 OF 2 ·  Later Kibitzing> Jun-04-14    zanzibar: BCM v24 1904 June p225 (p244 pdf) has the breakdown by openings, from White's perspective: Ruy Lopez: 33 +7 -12 =14 44.4% QGD: 24 +11 -10 =3 52.0% Sicilian 19 +7 -7 =5 50.0% Petroff 11 +6 -1 =4 72.7% Queen Pawn 9 +5 -1 =3 81.3% Four Knights 6 +1 -5 =0 16.7% (It looked better when I was typing it in!) Speaking wrt the tournament managers the BCM has this curious phraseology: <Messrs. Cassel and Helms [...] are both of German origin. <Nevertheless> in the discharge of their all-important duties they have displayed a degree of enterprise and energy worthy of the country of their adoption, and the success of the tournament was very largely due to their unwearying efforts.> On July the BCM p277 (p296) there is a reference to the famous photograph of the tournament: <[...] on the steps of the Hotel Rider, by Mr. C. P. McDannell, of Cambridge Springs. [...] The portraits are very good, and the group includes Mr. Cassel and Mr. Helens [sic- Helms], the indefatigable managers [...]> So, typos and misspellings of names can be a common occurrence, even in esteemed publications. They have several games, including Barry--Napier (June/annotated by Napier) and Tchigorin--Showalter (July from Novoe Vremya, notes by Tchigorin). Many of the other games seem copied verbatim, moves and notes, from several newspaper sources. Although attributed, I wonder if permission was granted? Jul-13-14    GumboGambit: In case anyone was curious, I took a detour through Cambridge Springs on a recent trip. Although it was hailed as a resort town back in 1904, its currently just another small rust belt town. The hotel that hosted this tournament is gone, but the 1988 US championship took place at the Riverside Inn, which is still standing. <http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rive...(Cambridge_Springs,_Pennsylvania)> Jul-13-14    perfidious: Curious how it had never occurred to me to see where this town is located, though I have visited Pennsylvania numerous times, including nearby Erie at least twice. Lots of small resort towns dried up with the coming of the automobile; seems that this is just another. Jul-14-14    Granny O Doul: The New York (one state away from Pennsylvania) Daily News, in writing a snidely witless editorial in the wake of the partial birth-aborted Karpov-Kasparov match in '85, referred to Cambridge Springs as an English town, just in case anyone reading didn't realize how stupid and unlearned the editor was. The name came up just because that was the opening in one of those two Kasparov wins at the end. Jul-14-14    Nosnibor: <Zanzibar> Do you know the values of the regular prizes? It would seem that although Baron Rothschild was a banker his contribution of £20 does not add up to your list of prizes for best game winners which total £22.Is this a typo or were the last two prizes actually £2.50 each and why were they paid in sterling and not dollars? Nov-23-14    CambridgeSprings1904: Thanks to<suenteus po 147> for creating this collection and for his reference to my CS1904 web site above. As an update, I had to move the site so it now has its own "permanent" domain: http://cs1904.com/ Feb-06-16    TheFocus: Cambridge Springs Brilliancy Prizes: First Prize ($40) - Carl Schlechter, for his game against Dr. E. Lasker in the 11th round. Second Prize ($25) - William E. Napier, for his game against John Barry in the first round. Third and fourth Prize ($35) - divided equally between David Janowski, for his game against M. Tschigorin in the sixth round, and to Eugene Delmar, for his game against A.B. Hodges in the fifth round. See <American a Chess Bulletin>, November 1904, pg. 127. Nov-25-16    MissScarlett: The Leicester Chronicle and Leicestershire Mercury, February 13th, 1904, p.5: <The committee of the tournament at Cambridge Springs are arranging a “good time" for the visiting masters. The following fixtures have been made: April 15th-Mayor's reception, City Hall, New York. April 15th (evening).—Dinner at the residence of Isaac L. Rice. April 16th—Annual dinner of the Manhattan Chess Club. April 17th—Reception at the Cosmopolitan Chess Club, New York. April 18th-Reception at the Brooklyn Chess Club. April 19th—President Roosevelt’s reception at the White House. April 25th-Opening of the tournament.> Nov-25-16    MissScarlett: The (London) Daily News, Thursday, April 21st, 1904, p.11: <The Pretoria arrived at New York on Friday, and the European masters are, no doubt, enjoying the entertainments which American hospitality prepared for them. In the meanwhile some alterations have been made in the list of competitors in the interesting tournament now pending. Maroczy has withdrawn, owing to failure to obtain leave of absence from the authorities of his University, and Lipschuetz, who was so successful at the last American Congress, has been persuaded by his medical adviser to retire, in view of the severe strain of such a contest. For the vacancies thus caused, the Committee have admitted Mr. Albert W. Fox, the young player who won the Brooklyn Championship. and whose games bear unquestionable marks of genius; and Mr. Julius Finn, of the Manhattan Chess Club, who lately headed the score in a Rice-Gambit tourney. It is announced that Mr. E. Hymes, of the American cable team, would have been chosen, but for inability to spare the time from his professional duties.> Nov-25-16    JimNorCal: Mr Finn doesn't show in the scoretable. But Fox played and achieved a decent result. Apr-01-17    Fusilli: One draw in 15 games. That Fox was a take-no-prisoners kind of guy. May-27-17    zanzibar: Here's a CPL photograph of the participants - sans key - http://cplorg.cdmhost.com/cdm/singl... * * * * * <Nosnibor> - looks like I missed your question the first time round, sorry. I'll post this note as a reminder, and will hopefully get a chance to return later. . Dec-12-17    Nosnibor: <Zanzibar> In the photograph I assume that the person standing at the front on the left is Pillsbury because all of the other players sport moustaches or beards. Now what was your answer to my original question ? Dec-12-17    zanzibar: <Nosnibor> ok, I see I have to do some reviewing about the matter - I don't have any recollection about it at all at the moment... Dec-12-17    sudoplatov: < Nosnibor> The clean shaven guy seems to be Marshall. The guy with the eyepatch is clearly Teichmann. The short guy with the mustache in the middle is probably Janowski. One the other hand, this may actually be a post-retirement picture of The Wild Bunch. Dec-12-17    zanzibar: <Nosnibor> have we determined the prizes awarded? Did <TheFocus> provide the answer? . Dec-13-17    TheFocus: First: Marshall $1,000 Second and third (tie): Lasker and Janowski ($600 and $300) Fourth: Marco $200 Fifth: Showalter $165 Sixth (tie): Schlechter and Chigorin $135. The last two also shared the amount due the player finishing seventh under the regulation allotting proportionate sums of the special fund of $700 to the non-prize winners. <American Chess Bulletin, June 1904, pg. 25.> Dec-13-17    zanzibar: Well, if he didn't before, he just did now. (<TheFocus> is back - bigger and badder than ever!) Dec-13-17    Nosnibor: <sudoplatov> So where in the photograph is Pillsbury ? Dec-13-17    Magpye: Here, from American Chess Bulletin, is mugshots of the masters in Cambridge Springs. Presented in <Chess Notes>. http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/... Dec-13-17    WorstPlayerEver: Here's the group picture. Without Pillsbury. Btw it was his last tournament. (6891) http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/... Dec-13-17    WorstPlayerEver: Hmmm.. I don't think the picture names from the 6891ch article are correct. https://kevinspraggettonchess.wordp... Considered the ch pic, I figured out the guy on the left must be Lasker. He was 36 and certainly not grey at the time, like the figure in the middle. And the guy in the background in the middle may be Pillsbury (you see a part of his face). Mr. Rice, as the pic of Magpye suggests, was also grey at the time and since Pillsbury wore no moustache, the only candidate is the figure in the middle. Because the second guy from the left most certainly is Marshall. There are 16 gentlemen in the pic (except from the bobby), most likely it are the players, not? Sep-08-18    SirChrislov: Chessmen maker 'chessbazaar' based in India, has recently put out an exact reproduction of the Staunton style wooden set used at this legendary tournament. Originally made by ACC (American chess company) they are at least worth checking out at chessbazaar.com Sep-09-18    jnpope: <<WorstPlayerEver>: And the guy in the background in the middle may be Pillsbury (you see a part of his face).> Negative on that. Pillsbury was not in New York at the time. Pillsbury left San Francisco on April 14, with a scheduled stop in Denver, before arriving in Cambridge Springs on April 22. Sep-09-18    WorstPlayerEver: <jnpope> Thanks for the info! search thread:    < Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 2 OF 2 ·  Later Kibitzing> NOTE: You need to pick a username and password to post a reply. Getting your account takes less than a minute, totally anonymous, and 100% free--plus, it entitles you to features otherwise unavailable. Pick your username now and join the chessgames community! If you already have an account, you should login now. Please observe our posting guidelines: No obscene, racist, sexist, or profane language. No spamming, advertising, or duplicating posts. No personal attacks against other members. Nothing in violation of United States law. No posting personal information of members. See something that violates our rules? Blow the whistle and inform an administrator. NOTE: Keep all discussion on the topic of this page. This forum is for this specific tournament and nothing else. If you want to discuss chess in general, or this site, you might try the Kibitzer's Café. Messages posted by Chessgames members do not necessarily represent the views of Chessgames.com, its employees, or sponsors. Spot an error? Please suggest your correction and help us eliminate database mistakes! home | about | login | logout | F.A.Q. | your profile | preferences | Premium Membership | Kibitzer's Café | Biographer's Bistro | new kibitzing | chessforums | Tournament Index | Player Directory | Notable Games | World Chess Championships | Opening Explorer | Guess the Move | Game Collections | ChessBookie Game | Chessgames Challenge | Store | privacy notice | contact us Copyright 2001-2018, Chessgames Services LLC