WCC: Lasker-Marshall 1907

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WCC: Lasker-Marshall 1907
Compiled by WCC Editing Project

ORIGINAL: Lasker - Marshall World Championship Match (1907)

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MOST RECENT DRAFT by <crawfb5>

Frank James Marshall was born in New York City, but spent his youth in Montreal. He returned to New York City as a young man of 15 and was described as being "...of considerable promise, whose reputation has preceded his arrival here."1 At the age of 26, Marshall won the very strong Cambridge Springs 1904 tournament a full two points ahead of world champion Emanuel Lasker.

Marshall began his first round of negotiations with Lasker for a world championship match in 1903. Lasker deemed Marshall's conditions inadequate and did not take the proposal seriously. He wrote to Walter Penn Shipley, "The challenge was from beginning to end unacceptable."2 Marshall, who was in England at the time, proposed the match should be for a stake of $500 per side and take place in England before the end of the year. Lasker replied that the stake had to be at least $2,000 per side and he flatly stated, "Time and place of the match to be determined by the holder of the title." Lasker also mentioned that he would prefer the organizers to supply a purse because he considered it "a hardship that chess champions should be obliged to find their own stakes.".3

Lasker planned a 1904 match with Siegbert Tarrasch that was postponed because of the latter's skating accident.4 In late 1904, Marshall issued a new challenge with terms that were taken more seriously by Lasker, although negotiations eventually broke down.5 Marshall's backers were unwilling to make the required $500 deposit without assurances that Lasker would do the same and they took exception to Lasker reserving the right to name the match time and location. With his funding at serious risk, Marshall broke off negotiations.

Lasker signed terms with Geza Maroczy in 1906, but Maróczy failed to make his cash deposit by the deadline and was considered in default.6 Marshall was then finally able to successfully negotiate terms with Lasker nearly identical to those of the Maróczy match. The notable exception was a purse of $1000 raised by Shipley instead of stakes of $2000 per side.7

The time control was 15 moves per hour and no more than three games were played per week, with eight wins required to win the match.8 The match was held from January 26 to April 8, 1907 in the cities of New York (Games 1-6 and 15), Philadelphia (Games 7 and 8), Washington, DC (Game 9), Baltimore (Game 10), Chicago (Game 11), and Memphis (Games 12-14). Marshall was usually more successful in tournaments than match play, while Lasker was a strong match player. "In the worst situations he knows no panic, and his defense is strong at all times, with a drop of poison always contained in his defensive moves."9 Marshall failed to win a single game.

1 Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 1/9/1896, page 10.

2 Hilbert, J. S. Walter Penn Shipley: Philadelphia's Friend of Chess, 2003, page 255.

3 Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 7/8/1903, page 12.

4 Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 8/4/1903, page 15.

5 Wiener Schachzeitung, 1904, page 364.

6 Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 1/8/1905, page 13.

7 Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 10/28/1906, page 9.

8 American Chess Bulletin, December 1906, pages 237-238.

9 New York Daily Tribune, 10/28/1906, page 12.

10 Tarrasch, S. Der Schachwettkampf Lasker-Marshall 1907. cited in Wiener Schachzeitung, 1907, page 163.

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Karpova EDIT

I found some material on the negotiations between Lasker and Maroczy. This can be turned into a griping narrative, since Marshall seized the opportunity presented by the failed Maroczy-negotiations, and challenged Lasker himself. Here it is:

Announcement: "Brooklyn Daily Eagle" (Brooklyn, New York), 7 April 1906, p. 8. In <Brooklyn Newsstand> http://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/#...

Conditions: "Brooklyn Daily Eagle" (Brooklyn, New York), 8 April 1906, p. 74. In <Brooklyn Newsstand> http://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/#...

Defaulting forfeit: "Brooklyn Daily Eagle" (Brooklyn, New York), 26 August 1906, p. 32. In <Brooklyn Newsstand> http://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/#...

Match is off: "Brooklyn Daily Eagle" (Brooklyn, New York), 11 September 1906, p. 6. In <Brooklyn Newsstand> http://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/#...

Marshall steps in: "Brooklyn Daily Eagle" (Brooklyn, New York), 13 September 1906, p. 6. In <Brooklyn Newsstand> http://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/#...

Lasker and Marshall earnestly strive to agree: "Brooklyn Daily Eagle" (Brooklyn, New York), 16 September 1906, p. 17. In <Brooklyn Newsstand> http://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/#...

Maroczy shifts the blame: "Brooklyn Daily Eagle" (Brooklyn, New York), 7 October 1906, p. 23. In <Brooklyn Newsstand> http://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/#...

Facts against Maroczy: "Brooklyn Daily Eagle" (Brooklyn, New York), 28 October 1906, p. 19. In <Brooklyn Newsstand> http://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/#...

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Karpova EDIT

Here is a permanent link to the published match conditions, source <American Chess Bulletin, Dec 1906, pages 237-238> as given by <crawfb5> and <TheFocus>: http://hdl.handle.net/2027/njp.3210...

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Karpova EDIT (new source)

Edward Winter, Chess Note 8641. Lasker v Marshall world title match http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/...

Dwight Weaver (Southaven, MS, USA) draws our attention to his article World Chess Championship in Tennessee – 1907, which includes an account of Marshall's protest over the use of stop-watches rather than a chess clock. http://memphischessclub.blogspot.ch...

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EDIT SUGGESTION <Ohio>

<<Frank James Marshall was born in New York City, but spent his youth in Montreal. He returned to New York City as a young man of 15 and was described as being "...of considerable promise, whose reputation has preceded his arrival here."1 At the age of 26, Marshall won the very strong Cambridge Springs 1904 tournament a full two points ahead of world champion Emanuel Lasker.

new paragraph Marshall began his first round of negotiations with Lasker for a world championship match in 1903. >

I don't care for the timeline of that section. The quote is in reference to his return to NYC at 15, then jumps to a tournament success at 26, then back to WC negotiations initiated at 25. The 1904 reference seems to be a teaser as to Marshall's suitability to challenge, but the negotiations had started a year before that tournament.>

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EDIT SUGGESTION <Ohio>

Marshall was then finally able to successfully negotiate terms with Lasker nearly identical to those of the Maróczy match.

I think "then" is redundant. I hate to add words, but maybe "….Lasker that were nearly" strikes me as worth it.

The time control was 15 moves per hour and no more than three games were played per week

I think "were played" can be dele with no loss of meaning.

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EDIT SUGGESTION <Ohio>

<< Marshall was usually more successful in tournaments than match play, while Lasker was a strong match player. "In the worst situations he knows no panic, and his defense is strong at all times, with a drop of poison always contained in his defensive moves."9 Marshall failed to win a single game.>

I don't like this formulation of "The Sentence". I see no reason for the unattributed quote in the middle of it. Footnote or not, I think the author of that must be cited in the text. Regardless, I don't think the current forumation is very good.>

Logged.

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EDIT <Karpova>

<I get your point, though it again boils down to this very sentence <Marshall usually fared worse in match play than tournaments, but the Lasker match was a disaster for Marshall, who failed to win a single game.>.

We may rectify this a bit with a quote from page 163 of the May July 1907 'Wiener Schachzeitung'. Siegbert Tarrasch 's book 'Der Schachwettkampf Lasker-Marshall 1907' (Nuremberg, Germany, 1907) is presented there (54 pages overall, quoted were pages 53 to 54): <Laskers Spiel in diesem Wettkampf verdient trotz mancher Fehler, wie sie eben jedem vorkommen, größte Anerkennung.>* or <In den schlimmsten Situationen kennt er keine Panik, und seine Defensive ist immer stark, stets ist ein Tropfen Gift in seinen Verteidigungszügen enthalten.>**

If all of this is too long, we could simply quote from the same page (not the book presentation, but a news item announcing the end of the match) that it <hat mit einem großartigen Siege Laskers geendet.>***

* Lasker's play in this contest deserves maximum approval, despite of some mistakes which happen to anybody.

** In the worst situations he knows no panic, and his defense is always strong, ever a drop of poison is contained in his defensive moves.

*** ended with a great victory for Lasker.

P.S.: One of the problems with this match is that mainly Tarrasch (but also Maroczy) was considered Lasker's main rival for the title, yet they had not played a WC match. But both had decisively beaten Marshall, so they always compare each others results and play against Marshall. The match itself was pushed in the background and instead of being an end in itself in discussions, was a mean for comparing Tarrasch and Lasker.>

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<crawfb5: Lasker objected to Marshall's 1903 challenge on a couple of points. In his letter to Shipley, Lasker wrote "Marshall's condition for instance that the match must be played in England and before the end of the year virtually prescribes date and place." Marshall was in England at the time. Lasker's letter of reply reprinted in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle of 4 Aug 1903, page 15 flatly stated "Time and place of the match to be determined by the holder of the title." An even more serious issue was the money. Marshall's challenge letter was printed in the Eagle 8 Jul 1903, page 12 in which he suggests stakes of 100 pounds or $500 per side. Lasker's reply was 400 pounds per side was his minimum. <You want to pick the time and place and play for a fourth of the money I consider a minimum? Forget you.> I think the only one who took Marhsall's conditions seriously was Marshall himself. Even this early Lasker was in favor of moving to a purse system. At the end of his reply to Marshall he wrote, "I consider it a hardship that chess champions should be obliged to find their own stakes, and that in no distant time an international organization will be formed to organize championship matches on the basis of purses." In Lasker's letter to Shipley he said a purse system would be better for both players.>

<crawfb5: The 1904 Lasker-Marshall negotiations seems to have finally broken down due to Marshall's backers: <"...his backers were not pleased with Dr. Lasker's attitude in the world championship negotiations and had refused to post the $500 forfeit demanded under the champion's terms." -- Marshall quoted prior to departing for Europe to play Janowski, Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 8 Jan 1905, page 13>. The final letters to each other were printed in the <American Chess Bulletin, 1905, pages 1-2>. Earlier letters may be seen in the <American Chess Bulletin, 1904, pages 130-131.> Lasker had demanded a $500 deposit from Marshall, selection of a second not employed by a newspaper, and reserved the right to chose time and location of the match. Marshall felt strongly about the choice of a particular newspaperman and Lasker withdrew that objection. Marshall's backers were unwilling to make the $500 deposit without assurances Lasker would do the same and took exception to Lasker reserving the right to name the match location. With his funding at serious risk, Marshall broke off negotiations.>

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EDIT <Ohio> and <Boomie>

<OhioChessFan: I agree with <Boomie> per the overly long last paragraph in Lasker-Marshall 1907>

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EDIT <Karpova>

But I think there is missing content implied by the "was then able"- something changed between 1903 and 1904 that enabled Marshall to make an offer more acceptable to Lasker.

One of the possible changes may have been his tournament successes. On page 75 of the 1905 'Wiener Schachzeitung' he is quoted <Ich hoffe, in Europa Leistungen zu vollbringen, welche mich berechtigen, Sie auch ohne Kampf als geschlagen zu betrachten.>* from an open letter to Dr. Lasker prior to his departure from New York (apparently for his 1905 match against Janowski).

* I hope to achieve accomplishments in europe, which will entitle me to consider you beaten without a fight.>

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EDIT <crawfb5>

<Lasker thought Marshall's first proposal was totally inadequate and wrote as much to his friend Walter Shipley, who would eventually be in charge of raising money for the 1907 match. So that proposal was dead on arrival. We can add details about the failed matches that led up to the successful 1907 agreement, but at some point it seems too much detail in a short intro. The prize was changed from stakes of $2000 per side, which was the arrangement with Maroczy, to a purse of $1000 for the match with Marshall. (<<<source>>> Hilbert's bio of Shipley, although could be sourced to 1906 ACB as an option).>

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EDIT <Karpova>

I would suggest to always write Dr. Lasker, like Dr. Tarrasch and so on.

Page 375 of the 1906 'Wiener Schachzeitung' reports that according to news from New York. the match which has been prepared for months would begin between January 15 and 20 with 1000 $ for the winner.

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EDIT <TheFocus>, <crawfb5>

<PUBLISHED MATCH CONDITIONS:

1. The match to he eight (8) games up, draws not to count.

2. The first game to be played on January 4th, 1907..

3. The time limit to be fifteen (15) moves an hour.

4. There shall be six (6) play days per week. No more than three (3) games shall be begun in any one (1) week, and not on consecutive days.

5. There shall be six (6) play hours per day; between one (1) p. m. and eleven (11) p. m.

6. The players shall jointly be the owners of all the games.

7. During the match, each player, by written notice to his opponent served prior to twelve (12) o'clock noon of the regular play day, may postpone the game to the following day, but this privilege can be used by each player no more than six (6) times.

8. Mr. Walter P. Ship ey to be the treasurer.

9. In consideration of the difficulty of obtaining a backing amounting in all to four thousand ($4,000.00) dollars, we hereby agree to ask Mr. Walter P. Shipley, No. 404 Girard Building, Philadelphia, Pa., to declare his willingness to accept contributions for a purse. Each contributor of an amount of not less than ten ($10.00) dollars, shall have the right to witness each game of the match; he shall receive the service of the Match Journal, free of cost, and a memento.

10. In case.by December 10th, it should be found that the purse thus raised falls short of one thousand ($1,000.00) dollars, it will be understood that there is not sufficient interest for the match, which will, therefore, be declared off.

11. In case the purse will be at least one thousand ($1,000.00) dollars, each player will be bound by a forfeit (whose amount will then be fixed) to fulfill all the conditions agreed upon by mutual consent. The winner of he match shall receive one. thousand ($1,000.00) dollars as a prize and the remainder of the purse shall be equally divided between the players to help in defraying their expenses.

12. Messrs. Prof. I. L. Rice, W. P. Shipley, J. H. Watson having kindly agreed, to accept the positions as referees, all points in dispu e between the two contestants shall be submitted to them and the r decisions shall be final and not subject to appeal.

13. In order to give all chess lovers, whether they be club members or not, an opportunity to witness the contest, the games shall be played as much as possible in public, and a fee for admiss on charged, except to patrons. These incomes shall be equally divided between the players to defray their expenses and to furnish a purse for the loser.

14. In each city, where games of the match will be played, either of the players shall select from the patrons a second. And a committee shall be selected to declare the series begun, to decIde minor points of dispute, to order the series closed and to announce where and when the next game is to take place. From the decisions of this committee an appeal to the <<<referees>>> shall be possible but notice of appeal must be served and the appeal must be made in writing.

(Signed) Emanuel .lasker.

Frank J. Marshall. New York, October 26, 1906.>

<Courtesy of <TheFocus> and <crawfb5> TWO SOURCES for the agreement:

American Chess Bulletin, Dec 1906, pages 237-238

Lasker's Chess Magazine, August-September, 1906.>>

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