| Sep-24-06 | | Nikita Smirnov: Well i think it was this match game Showalter lost the title with against Marshall. |
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| Sep-24-06 | | Resignation Trap: <Nikita Smirnov> No! Marshall defeated Showalter in a match for the title in November 1909 (+7-2=3 for Marshall). The present game was from the Western Chess Association's Masters Tournament, and many years later. |
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Sep-24-06
 | | Pawn and Two: As Resignation Trap points out, this game took place many years after the Marshall - Showalter title match of 1909. However, it still was a very important game. It occurred in the 13th and final round of the tournament. Going into the last round Torre led with 8 - 3 and Jaffe, Maroczy & Marshall had 7.5 - 3.5. In the last round Torre and Jaffe lost, Maroczy drew, and Marshall with his win over Showalter took 1st place. Marshall was extremely lucky in this game. Showalter had an advantage, at times a winning advantage, for most of the game. Even at move 44, Showalter could have held the draw with 44.Bd3 or 44.Ra6. On his 45th move he allows a mate. As indicated, for much of the game, Showalter had a strong advantage. Note that after 31.Bxd6+, Marshall is at a significant disadvantage. Fritz 9 gives an evaluation of (1.73 (15 ply) and recommends 31...Kg8 32.Bg3 Qf6. Marshall instead played the weaker (3.30) (15 ply) 31...Nxd6. Showalter could now have continued 32.Qb8+ Ke7 33.Qxh8 Qg5+ 34.Bg2. Showalter's 32.Qxd6+ still kept an advantage (1.09) (15 ply), but additional errors first gave away the draw and then the game. |
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| Sep-27-06 | | Nikita Smirnov: Well is Showalter a GM? |
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| Sep-27-06 | | Resignation Trap: <Nikita Smirnov> Showalter was one of the best players in the world from about 1895-1905. By 1926, he was past his prime. He died in 1935. FIDE did not award the International Grandmaster title until 1950. |
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| Oct-01-06 | | Nikita Smirnov: Ha who needs a GM title when he is dead. |
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Dec-21-06
 | | Phony Benoni: Hold on; something is confusing here. The 1926 Western Open was held in Chicago, but it was won by Leon Stolzenberg, not Marshall. Edward Lasker, in <Chess for fun and chess for blood>, describing his last round win over Torre, called the event the "United States National Tournament". Was this the same as the "Western Chess Association's Master Tournament", as mentioned by <Resignation Trap>? |
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Dec-21-06
| | Phony Benoni: Plus there are these two games, both labelled as having been played at Chicago in 1926. Carlos Torre vs Marshall, 1926 is from the "Western CA", Carlos Torre vs Marshall, 1926 from the "USA Ch". |
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Dec-21-06
| | Pawn and Two: <Phony Benoni> Edward Lasker in "Chess Secrets I Learned from the Masters", stated that in 1926, in Chicago, the Western Chess Association promoted a Masters tournament in addition to their annual Western Championship contest. The above Showalter - Marshall game was played in the 13th and final round of the masters tournament. Marshall was very fortunate to win this game. While Marshall was winning his game and the tournament, Torre lost to Edward Lasker, and as a result finished in a tie for 2nd and 3rd with Maroczy. The 2 Torre - Marshall games you note are the same game, one being incomplete. The game was played in the 11th round of the masters tournament. After 7 rounds, Torre's score was only +2 -1 =4. Then after a bye in round 8, he reeled off 4 wins in a row against Maroczy, Showalter, Marshall and Isaacs. Having a 1/2 point lead and the White pieces against Edward Lasker in the final round, most observers thought Torre would either win the tournament or at least have a share of 1st place. However, Torre lost and even more tragically, the game marked the end of Torre's short but brilliant chess career. |
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Dec-22-06
| | Phony Benoni: <Pawn and Two> Thanks. I was going to look at the two Torre--Marshall games to be sure they weren't duplicates, but just forgot. |
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Kibitzing
