In late 1915, Isaac Rice began planning the Rice Jubilee Tournament to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of his discovery of the Rice Gambit. His death on November 2, 1915 came as a blow to American chess. Aside from his eccentric support of the gambit, he was a generous promoter and benefactor of the game in many areas, and his passing was sincerely mourned. However, in keeping with his wishes, his widow donated the funds necessary for the operation of the tournament, which was renamed the Rice Memorial in his honor.

Rice's original idea had been to invite primarily American masters and leading European players who might be able to compete despite the war. Invitations were sent to Alekhine, Capablanca, Marshall, Showalter, Kostic, Edward Lasker, Chajes, Kupchik, and Norman T. Whitaker. No reply was received from Alekhine, which given the conditions of the time surprised nobody. Marshall refused to compete after a dispute over a retaining fee, and neither Edward Lasker nor Whitaker chose to play. However, David Janowski was able to travel over from France to add some international flavor. The rest of the field consisted of chess masters chiefly from New York and a checkers player from Detroit, as listed in the <American Chess Bulletin> of February, 1916:

Jose Raul Capablanca of Havana; David Janowski of Paris; Borislav Kostic of Budapest; Albert Fox of Washington; Newell Williams Banks of Detroit (American champion at checkers); Albert Hodges of Staten Island; Abraham Kupchik and Jacob Rosenthal of the Manhattan Chess Club; Oscar Chajes, Jacob Bernstein and Edward Tenenwurzel, of the Isaac L. Rice Progressive Chess Club; Roy Black, Frank Kendall Perkins Alfred Schroeder of the Brooklyn Chess Club.

The rounds rotated between various clubs in New York City, with one reserved for the campus of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Other conditions were also outlined in the ACB:

<"RICE MEMORIAL MASTERS' TOURNAMENT

"With a full complement of fourteen players, comprising an unusually strong field and including several foreign experts whose participation lends an international flavor to the competition, the Rice Memorial Masters' Tournament got under way on schedule at the rooms of the Brooklyn Chess Club on Monday, January 17, at 3 P.M. the fourteen who answered to the call of time were the following:

These players and the managers (the publishers of the American Chess Bulletin), together with the officials of the Congress, namely, Harold Phillips, president; George S. Freisinger, vice-president, and William DeVisser, the referee, held a preliminary meeting at the apartments of Mrs. Isaac L. Rice in the Hotel Ansonia on the afternoon of January 16, at which time the pairings for the tournament were made. It was decided to play one complete round robin tournament and that the players with the four highest scores shoucl play a supplementary tournament for four of the five prizes, the fifth going to the one finishing immediately below those leaders in the score. It was agreed to play five rounds a week, excepting Wednesdays and Saturdays, and to preserve Wednesdays and Saturdays for adjourned games, with the exception of January 29> Saturday, <which date was reserved for the tenth round, to be played at New Haven under the auspices of the Yale Chess Association. Except in the case of special provision made for the accommodation of certain clubs, the playing hours are from 3 to 7 P.M., and from 8 to 10 P.M. The time limit agreed upon was thirty moves in the first two hours and fifteen moves an hour thereafter.">

Not mentioned was that scores carried over from the preliminary to the final section.

In the round-by-round summary that follows, I have separated the top four players (plus ties) to indicate qualifiers for the supplementary tournament.

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<Prelim, Round 1 (Monday, January 17, Brooklyn Chess Club)>

1 Capablanca 1 Black
2 Janowski 1 Tennenwurzel
3 Banks 1/2 Perkins
4 Chajes 1/2 Kostic
5 Fox 0 Schroeder
6 Kupchik 1 Rosenthal
7 Bernstein 1 Hodges

1.0: Bernstein, Capablanca, Janowski, Kupchik, Schroeder

0.5: Banks, Chajes, Kostic, Perkins; <0.0>: Black, Fox, Hodges, Rosenthal, Tennenwurzel

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<Prelim, Round 2 (Tuesday, January 18, Manhattan Chess Club)>

8 Banks 0 Capablanca
9 Janowski 1 Black
10 Chajes 1 Tennenwurzel
11 Fox 0 Perkins
12 Kupchik 0 Kostic
13 Bernstein 1/2 Schroeder*
14 Hodges 0 Rosenthal*

2.0: Capablanca, Janowski; <1.5>: Bernstein, Chajes, Kostic, Perkins, Schroeder

1.0: Kupchik, Rosenthal; <0.5>: Banks; <0.0>: Black, Fox, Hodges, Tennenwurzel

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<Prelim, Round 3 (Thursday, January 20, Hotel Ansonia)>

15 Capablanca 1 Janowski
16 Rosenthal 1/2 Bernstein
17 Schroeder 0 Kupchik
18 Kostic 0 Fox
19 Perkins 0 Chajes
20 Tennenwurzel 1 Banks
21 Black 1/2 Hodges

3.0: Capablanca; <2.5>: Chajes; <2.0>: Bernstein, Janowski, Kupchik

1.5: Kostic, Perkins, Rosenthal, Schroeder; <1.0>: Fox, Tennenwurzel; <0.5>: Banks, Black, Hodges

The confrontation between Capablanca and Janowski was an exhausting affair which required two adjournments, and was finally resinged by Janowski in what was later found to be a drawn position.

But an interesting possibility exists. We know from contemporary reports in the <New York Sun> and the <Brooklyn Daily Eagle> that the game was adjourned after 82 moves, but I have been unable to find an indication of who sealed. Most available scores end with Capablanca playing <83.Kd5> and Janowski resigning. However, in the <American Chess Bulletin> for February 1916, p.34, the last move given is <83...Be7> by Black.

That could indicate that Janowski sealed <83...Be7>, discovered during adjournment analysis that he was indeed lost after that move, and resigned without resuming. That would not be surprising, as he had two other adjournments to be played off on the same day. Since the sealed move was never actually played, it didn't wind up in most game scores.

However, this is all speculation, and I know of no other evidence or testimony to support the point.

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<Prelim, Round 4 (Friday, January 21, Manhattan Chess Club)>

22 Capablanca 1 Chajes
23 Janowski 1/2 Banks
24 Schroeder 0 Hodges
25 Kostic 0 Bernstein
26 Perkins 0 Kupchik
27 Tennenwurzel 0 Fox
28 Black 0 Rosenthal

4.0: Capablanca; <3.0>: Bernstein, Kupchik; <2.5>: Chajes, Janowski, Rosenthal

2.0: Fox; <1.5>: Hodges, Kostic, Perkins, Schroeder; <1.0>: Banks, Tennenwurzel; <0.5>: Black

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<Prelim, Round 5 (Sunday, January 23, Rice Progressive Chess Club)>

29 Fox 0 Capablanca
30 Chajes 1/2 Janowski
31 Kupchik 1 Tennenwurzel
32 Bernstein 1 Perkins
33 Hodges 0 Kostic
34 Rosenthal 1 Schroeder
35 Banks 0 Black

5.0: Capablanca; <4.0>: Bernstein, Kupchik; <3.5>: Rosenthal

3.0: Chajes, Janowski; <2.5>: Kostic; <2.0>: Fox; <1.5>: Black, Hodges, Perkins, Schroeder; <1.0>: Banks, Tennenwurzel

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<Prelim, Round 6 (Monday, January 24, Manhattan Chess Club)>

36 Capablanca 1 Kupchik
37 Janowski 1/2 Fox
38 Kostic 1 Rosenthal
39 Perkins 0 Hodges
40 Tennenwurzel 0 Bernstein
41 Banks 0 Chajes
42 Black 0 Schroeder

6.0: Capablanca; <5.0>: Bernstein; <4.0>: Chajes, Kupchik

3.5: Janowski, Kostic, Rosenthal; <2.5>: Fox, Hodges, Schroeder; <1.5>: Black, Perkins; <1.0>: Banks, Tennenwurzel

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<Prelim, Round 7 (Tuesday, January 25, Empire City Chess Club)>

43 Bernstein 0 Capablanca
44 Kupchik 1 Janowski
45 Fox 1 Banks
46 Hodges 0 Tennenwurzel
47 Rosenthal 1/2 Perkins
48 Schroeder 0 Kostic
49 Chajes 1 Black

7.0: Capablanca; <5.0>: Bernstein, Chajes, Kupchik

4.5: Kostic; <4.0>: Rosenthal; <3.5>: Fox, Janowski; <2.5>: Hodges, Schroeder; <2.0>: Perkins, Tennenwurzel; <1.5>: Black; <1.0>: Banks

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Quick interlude reported in the <New York Sun>, January 30, 1916:

<"Listen, Capablanca', said manager of the Rice Memorial Tournament to the Cuban matador at the Manhattan Chess Club on Wednesday afternoon, "If you insist upon scoring game after game and it is found that at the conclusion of the thirteenth and final round of the preliminary contest you are so many points ahead as to make quite sure the winning of the first prize regardless of the results of the games you will have to play in the supplementary tourney, you will simply be fired out of the competition and the next four men will have to compete in the supplementary contest only."

"You will not do anything of the kind", answered Capablanca. "You forget that there are two brilliancy prizes, and, moreover, I want to establish a new world's record. In 1893 Champion Lasker established a world's record by winning thirteen straight games in the impromptu tourney, played in this city, and in 1913 I made an equal record. Now, however, I want to beat my own record by placing sixteen games straight to my credit. If I can possibly accomplish that feat, and you can rest assured that I have both my eyes on the two brilliancy prizes: so your little scheme would not act at all. I shall play in all the sixteen rounds and do my very best to carry out my little counter scheme.">

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<Prelim, Round 8 (Thursday, January 27, Manhattan Chess Club)>

50 Capablanca 1 Hodges
51 Janowski 1/2 Bernstein
52 Perkins 0 Schroeder
53 Tennenwurzel 1/2 Rosenthal
54 Banks 0 Kupchik
55 Chajes 1 Fox
56 Black 1/2 Kostic

8.0: Capablanca; <6.0>: Chajes, Kupchik; <5.5>: Bernstein

5.0: Kostic; <4.5>: Rosenthal; <4.0>: Janowski; <3.5>: Fox, Schroeder; <2.5>: Hodges, Tennenwurzel; <2.0>: Black, Perkins; <1.0>: Banks

Er, Capablanca was joking, wasn't he?

Meanwhile, Kostic was climbing back into contention after a slow start, while Janowski was stuck at 50% and seemingly out of it.

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<Prelim, Round 9 (Friday, January 28, Empire City Chess Club)>

57 Rosenthal 1/2 Capablanca
58 Hodges 0 Janowski
59 Kupchik 0 Chajes
60 Bernstein 1/2 Banks
61 Schroeder 1/2 Tennenwurzel
62 Kostic 1 Perkins
63 Fox 1 Black

8.5: Capablanca; <7.0>: Chajes; <6.0>: Bernstein, Kostic, Kupchik

5.0: Janowski, Rosenthal; <4.5>: Fox; <4.0>: Schroeder; <3.0>: Tennenwurzel; <2.5>: Hodges; <2.0>: Black, Perkins; <1.5>: Banks

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<Prelim, Round 10 (Saturday, January 29, New Haven, Connecticut)>

64 Capablanca 1 Schroeder
65 Janowski 1 Rosenthal
66 Tennenwurzel 0 Kostic
67 Banks 0 Hodges
68 Chajes 1/2 Bernstein
69 Black 1 Perkins
70 Fox + Kupchik

9.5: Capablanca; <7.5>: Chajes; <7.0>: Kostic; <6.5>: Bernstein

6.0: Janowski, Kupchik; <5.5>: Fox; <5.0>: Rosenthal; <4.0>: Schroeder; <3.5>: Hodges; <3.0>: Black, Tennenwurzel; <2.0>: Perkins; <1.5>: Banks

"The absentee was A. Kupchik, the New York State Champion, who missed connections. His game with Fox, therefore, was not played, and will be scheduled for tomorrow in New York instead. Play started shortly before 3 o'clock in the Varsity campus. A large crowd of students was on hand to greet the visitors and watch the novel spectacle." <Brooklyn Daily Eagle>, Sunday, January 30, 1916.

The Fox vs. Kupchik game was never played, and scored as a forfeit win for Fox. This could haven been costly for Kupchik, who dropped out of the qualifiying spots. Meanwhile, Bernstein was fading and Janowski was coming on strong.

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<Prelim, Round 11 (Monday, January 31, Manhattan Chess Club)>

71 Kostic 1/2 Capablanca
72 Schroeder 0 Janowski
73 Bernstein 0 Fox
74 Rosenthal 1 Banks
75 Perkins 1/2 Tennenwurzel
76 Kupchik 1/2 Black
77 Hodges 1 Chajes

10.0: Capablanca; <7.5>: Chajes, Kostic; <7.0>: Janowski

6.5: Bernstein, Fox, Kupchik; <6.0>: Rosenthal; <4.5>: Hodges; <4.0>: Schroeder; <3.5>: Black, Tennenwurzel; <2.5>: Perkins; <1.5>: Banks

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<Prelim, Round 12 (Tuesday, February 1, Manhattan Chess Club)>

78 Capablanca 1 Perkins
79 Janowski 1 Kostic
80 Fox 1/2 Hodges
81 Chajes 1/2 Rosenthal
82 Banks 1/2 Schroeder
83 Kupchik 1 Bernstein
84 Black 1 Tennenwurzel

11.0: Capablanca; <8.0>: Chajes, Janowski; <7.5>: Kostic, Kupchik

7.0: Fox; <6.5>: Bernstein, Rosenthal; <5.0>: Hodges; <4.5>: Black, Schroeder; <3.5>: Tennenwurzel; <2.5>: Perkins; <2.0>: Banks

Janowski's fourth win in a row left him in good position, while Kupchik clawed his way back into contention with an important win over Bernstein.

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<Prelim, Round 13 (Thursday, February 3, Cafe Boulevard)>

85 Tennenwurzel 0 Capablanca
86 Perkins 1/2 Janowski
87 Hodges 0 Kupchik
88 Rosenthal 1 Fox
89 Kostic 1 Banks
90 Bernstein 1/2 Black
91 Schroeder 1 Chajes

Crosstable (Prelim)

                1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4
1  Capablanca   * 1 = 1 1 = 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 12.0
2  Janowski     0 * 1 0 = 1 = = 1 1 1 1 = =  8.5
3  Kostic       = 0 * 1 = 1 0 0 1 1 = 1 1 1  8.5
4  Kupchik      0 1 0 * 0 1 0 1 1 1 = 1 1 1  8.5
5  Chajes       0 = = 1 * = 1 = 0 0 1 1 1 1  8.0
6  Rosenthal    = 0 0 0 = * 1 = 1 1 1 = = 1  7.5
7  Fox          0 = 1 1 0 0 * 1 0 = 1 1 0 1  7.0
8  Bernstein    0 = 1 0 = = 0 * = 1 = 1 1 =  7.0
9  Schroeder    0 0 0 0 1 0 1 = * 0 1 = 1 =  5.5
10 Hodges       0 0 0 0 1 0 = 0 1 * = 0 1 1  5.0
11 Black        0 0 = = 0 0 0 = 0 = * 1 1 1  5.0
12 Tennenwurzel 0 0 0 0 0 = 0 0 = 1 0 * = 1  3.5
13 Perkins      0 = 0 0 0 = 1 0 0 0 0 = * =  3.0 
14 Banks        0 = 0 0 0 0 0 = = 0 0 0 = *  2.0

Before the final stage began, there was a change in the program. This report, from the <Brooklyn Daily Eagle> of Sunday, February 6, 1916, describes a decision made to include a fifth player:

"Five players, instead of four, will compete in the final state of the Rice Memorial chess masters tournament as the result of action taken at a meetin of the players and managers, with W. M. de Visser, the referee, in the chair, held at the rooms of the Manhattan Chess Club yesterday afternoon. Jose R. Capablanca, with 12 points; D. Janowski, B. Kostic and A. Kupchik, each with 8 1/2, had qualified for the finals, but Oscar Chajes, the fifth prize winner, was added to the list as a result of the action. Chajes, it appears, after having a draw offered to him in his last game with Schroeder in the thirteenth round, played on in an effort to win, under the impression that only by so doing he would be considered for the finals. In this he was mistaken, but the players yesterday all agreed to let him in with eight points and to play the extra rounds necessary to give him a chance for the higher prizes."

That decision would have some effect on the results of the tournament. It would have a major effect on one of chess history's most treasured pieces of trivia.

Another possible reason for the chivalrous attitude was that it allowed a theoretical possiblity that Capablanca could be caught. With a four-player final, nobody could overtake his 3 1/2-point lead; with four games to play...

Oh, come on. That can't possibly happen.

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Final, Round 1 (Sunday, February 6, Cafe Boulevard)

92 Capablanca 1/2 Kostic
93 Janowski 1 Chajes
Kupchik - Bye

Capablanca: 12.5 (12.0 + 0.5)
Janowski: 9.5 (8.5 + 1.0)
Kostic: 9.0 (8.5 + 0.5)
Kupchik: 8.5 (8.5 + 0.0)
Chajes: 8.0 (8.0 + 0.0)

Final, Round 2 (Monday, February 7, Cafe Boulevard)

94 Chajes 1 Capablanca
95 Kostic 1/2 Kupchik
Janowski - Bye

Capablanca: 12.5 (12.0 + 0.5)
Kostic: 10.0 (8.5 + 1.5)
Janowski: 9.5 (8.5 + 1.0)
Chajes: 9.0 (8.0 + 1.0)
Kupchik: 9.0 (8.5 + 0.5)

Wait a minute--suddenly Janowski sees a glimmer of hope! He has three games left to Capablanca's two, and one is with the Cuban. If he can beat Capablanca in their game, perhaps Capa will be demoralized enough to lose to Kupchik in his last game and Janowski can still tie for first! And there was precedent for such a dream. When Capablanaca lost the famous game to Lasker at St. Petersburg, 1914, he lost his next game to Tarrasch. Can lighting strike twice?

Final, Round 3 (Tuesday, February 8, Cafe Boulevard)

96 Chajes 1/2 Kupchik
97 Janowski 0 Capablanca
Kostic - Bye

Capablanca: 13.5 (12.0 + 1.5)
Kostic: 10.0 (8.5 + 1.5)
Chajes: 9.5 (8.0 + 1.5)
Janowski: 9.5 (8.5 + 1.0)
Kupchik: 9.5 (8.5 + 1.0)

Well, that takes care of that. Capablanca didn't just beat Janowski; he wheeled out one of his greatest games to do it. Some demoralization.

Final, Round 4 (Wednesday, February 9, Cafe Boulevard)

98 Kostic 1/2 Janowski
99 Kupchik 1/2 Capablanca
Chajes - Bye

Capablanca: 14.0 (12.0 + 2.0)
Kostic: 10.5 (8.5 + 2.0)
Janowski: 10.0 (8.5 + 1.5)
Kupchik 10.0 (8.5 + 1.5)
Chajes: 9.5 (8.0 + 1.5)

Final, Round 5 (Friday, February 11, Cafe Boulevard)

100 Janowski 1 Kupchik
101 Kostic 0 Chajes
Capablanca - Bye

Results of Final Section

             1 2 3 4 5
1 Janowski   * 1 0 1 = 2.5
2 Chajes     0 * 1 = 1 2.5
3 Capablanca 1 0 * = = 2.0
4 Kupchik    0 = = * = 1.5
5 Kostic     = 0 = = * 1.5

<Total>
1 Capablanca 14.0 (12.0 + 2.0)
2 Janowski   11.0 ( 8.5 + 2.5)
3 Chajes     10.5 ( 8.0 + 2.5)
4 Kostic     10.0 ( 8.5 + 1.5)
5 Kupchik    10.0 ( 8.5 + 1.5)

Which brings us to that piece of chess trivia I mentioned earlier. Everybody knows that, after the lost to Chajes, Capablanca didn't lose a tournament or match game again for another eight years. If Chajes hadn't been admitted to the final, Capablanca's unbeaten streak would have stretched back to Capablanca vs Tarrasch, 1914, a total of ninety games over ten years.

Just doesn't pay to be a nice guy.

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<Sources:>

American Chess Bulletin, issues of February through April, 1916.

Brooklyn Daily Eagle, column edited by Hermann Helms. Various issues of January and February 1916.

The Rice Memorial Chess Tournament, New York 1916 / edited by Philip W. Sergeant.