Harry Nelson Pillsbury vs Amos Burn (1895)

Harry Nelson Pillsbury vs Amos Burn
Hastings (1895) · Queen's Gambit Declined: Modern Variation. Normal Line (D55) · 1-0

[Event "Hastings"]
[Site "Hastings, England"]
[Date "1895.08.26"]
[EventDate "1895.08.05"]
[Round "16"]
[Result "1-0"]
[White "Harry Nelson Pillsbury"]
[Black "Amos Burn"]
[ECO "D55"]
[WhiteElo "?"]
[BlackElo "?"]
[PlyCount "56"]

1.d4 {Notes by J. Mason} d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 {As to the
entire advisability of this, opinions differ. The early
exchange or subsequent retreat is thought not to be generally
favourable by many good players. Perhaps, on principle Nf3
should have preference ; the Bishop to be disposed as later
circumstances may require.} Be7 5.e3 O-O 6.Nf3 b6 7.Rc1 Bb7
8.cxd5 Nxd5 {To keep the diagonal open; a troublesome
undertaking. 8...exd5, with a 'majority on the Queen's side'
view, and power of later Ne4(if necessary), would probably
prove stronger. There is nearly always great danger to he
apprehended from the adverse Bishop at d3 in this class of
position.} 9.Bxe7 Qxe7 10.Nxd5 Bxd5 11.Bd3 Rc8 {The check
might be fairly ventured. But ...Bxa2 would be bad; for the
Bishop could be so shut in as to have no good escape.} 12.e4
Bb7 13.O-O Nd7 14.Qe2 a6 {Mr. Burn should have played c5
now. There was nothing to be feared from, e.g. 15 Ba6 Bxa6 17
Qxa6 Nf6 18 dxc5 Rxc5 19 Rxc5 Qxc5 19 Qb7 Qc8, etc. Even a
move or two further on c5 would be the better play. The
complications, deliberately courted, as it were, hereabouts,
are not at all to the advantage of the defence.} 15.Rc3 c6
16.Rfc1 b5 17.Qe3 Rc7 18.Qf4 Rac8 19.e5 {What may be called
the self-evident intent of this is most unaccountably ignored
by his opponent. The conclusion is reached by Mr. Pillsbury in
about the most forcible manner possible.} c5 {Further support
or protection of the King is imperative, 19...Nf8 seems
best. After this unfortunate oversight, Black's is really a
hopeless case. Nevertheless the ending is very instructive.}
20.Bxh7+ Kxh7 21.Ng5+ Kg8 22.Rh3 {Meaning mate in four--23
Rh8+, 24 Qh4+, etc. Hence the reply, making way for the
King. The attack is altogether overwhelming.} Qe8 23.Qh4 Kf8
24.Nh7+ Kg8 25.Nf6+ Kf8 26.Nxe8 Kxe8 27.Qg5 cxd4 28.Rh8+ {For
28...Nf8 29 Rxf8+ Kxf8 30 Rxc7 Re8 31 Rxb7 and White has a
Queen too much.} 1-0

To move:

Last move:

Given 39 times; par: 45 [what's this?]

Annotations by James Mason. [3 more games annotated by J Mason]

explore this opening	find similar games	4 more Pillsbury/Burn games
sac: 20.Bxh7+	PGN: download \| view	Help: general \| java-troubleshooting

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Feb-01-03		refutor: a good example of the thematic bishop sac on h7 where white has a pawn on e5

Apr-18-04		Kenkaku: Beautiful finish. 28...Nf8 29. Rxc7 Rxc7 30. Rxf8+ Kxf8 (30...Kd7 31. Qd8+ Kc6 32. Qd6#) 31. Qd8#

Apr-18-04		tamar: Poor Amos Burn. I bet he didn't get his pipe lighted in this one either!

Jun-17-06		LIFE Master AJ: Wonderful play by Pillsbury ... poor Burn was smoked!

Jun-17-06		LIFE Master AJ: This game is analyzed in the most recent "Chess Express." (A monthly newsletter from the London Chess Center, # 115.)

Jun-17-06		Gypsy: 22...Nf8 23.Qh4 Ng6 24.Qh7+ Kf8 25.Qh8+! Nxh8 26.Rxh8#.

May-02-07		gauer: The game above turned out to be among the first with annotations I'd ever analysed. Do the opinions throughout the notes still hold (ie is there still really a distinguishing preference between Bg5 & Nf3)? Also, were these notes seen at all in the Art of Chess by Mason, and is the descriptive notation in that book worth another read?

May-02-07		RookFile: Just another example of Amos Burn getting slapped around.

May-02-07		Plato: <Just another example of Amos Burn getting slapped around.> Amos Burn was a very strong player. It's unfortunate that his legacy for so many people is as the loser of the "Pipe Game" against Marshall and nothing more. Despite the loss in the present game, he actually had an overall plus score against Pillsbury. He also had lifetime plus or equal scores against the likes of Steinitz, Chigorin, Maroczy, Blackburne, Gunsberg, etc... Let's show him some respect, shall we?

May-02-07		ughaibu: Burn beat Pillsbury in 1898 and 1900, I guess we can say that during this period in time, Burn was at least as strong as Pillsbury.

May-02-07		capanegra: In fact, Pillsbury vs Burn, 1898 contains a beautiful and instructive Queen ending won by Burn.

May-02-07		chancho: Burns was no chump as evidenced by this game: Burn vs Alekhine, 1911 In all fairness, this Alekhine was not the great player he would later become, but it shows that Burn was a good, good player.

Oct-31-08		sleepyirv: Burn is one of those players that was strong enough to play with the best but couldn't beat the best on a regular basis. Which leaves him the victim of some very pretty games.

Oct-31-08		whiskeyrebel: Burn's career is covered by one of the biggest dang chess books I've ever seen. It's too heavy to even lug home from the university library where I spotted it.

Dec-30-08		Emma: Awfull, awfull game by Black here.

Feb-28-09		WhiteRook48: Burn was totally Burned!

Jul-23-09		Knight13: Burn not resigning on move 22 just shows that he must've been really, really upset. 14...a6? should've been labeled with a question mark by the annotater.

Jul-23-09		RookFile: <ughaibu: Burn beat Pillsbury in 1898 and 1900, I guess we can say that during this period in time, Burn was at least as strong as Pillsbury.> I agree that Burn was at least as strong as a dying Pillsbury, who had syphillis. After Pillsbury died, it was probably the case the Burn was even stronger.

Jul-23-09		chancho: Well, Pillsbury defeated Lasker twice in 1900 and 1904, and Lasker was the World Champ, as well as Karl Schlechter, who played Lasker for the World title in 1910, and who from 1896 to 1904 had a losing record of +1 -8 =9 against the sick Pillsbury. Are we to assume Pillsbury only went into dying mode whenever he played Burn? Or is it just possible that Burn was a difficult opponent for Pillsbury?

Aug-13-09		LIFE Master AJ: http://www.chess.co.uk/chessexpress... The above link takes you to the LCC page for the analysis of this game.

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