George Henry Mackenzie was born in North Kessock, Scotland. He won all 13 tournaments and all 7 matches that he played in the United States.
In 1861, Mackenzie resigned his army commission in the British King's Royal Rifle Corps to become a professional chess player. In 1862, he won a handicap tournament in London, defeating Adolf Anderssen. In 1862, he defeated George MacDonnell in a match - Game Collection: MacDonnell - Mackenzie 1862/63 (1862) (+6-3=1). In 1863, he emigrated to the United States and enlisted in the Union Army. After 15 weeks as a private, he earned the rank of Captain in charge of a Black regiment. Mackenzie later deserted and was discharged from the Union Army. In 1864, he rejoined the Army and fought with distinction in three battles. However, he was arrested again on the previous desertion charges and imprisoned. He was released in May, 1865 and moved to New York, where he resumed chess competition.
In 1866, Mackenzie defeated unknown player in New York in a match (+5-0=1) (1). By April, he was reporting news about Washington Square and the NYU chess activity to the New York Albion. The year following, Mackenzie again defeated Reichhelm in Philadelphia (+7-0=2) for the title of U.S. Chess Champion. He and Charles Henry Stanley (the founding columnist of the New York Albion until 1866, when Mackenzie revived it) met for a match in 1868. In 1869 at New York he won 82 games and lost 8 in the longest master tournament ever held (48 players and double round robin), winning the event.
The New York Turf, Field & Farm approached him in 1870 to edit a chess column for 8 years. In 1871, he won the 2nd American Chess Congress (2), held in Cleveland, Ohio, scoring 14 points and earning $100 for 1st prize. In 1874, he won the 3rd American Chess Congress (3), held in Chicago (+8-1=1). In August 1876, he won the Café International Tournament in New York (+23-5=2). In 1878, he took 4th place at the Paris International Tournament.
The next decade saw him take 1st place at the 5th American Chess Congress (4) in New York (+11-2=5), defeating James Glover Grundy in the decisive match of 1880. In 1881, he defeated Max Judd in a match in St. Louis (+7-5=1). In 1882, he took 4th-5th at Vienna. At Vienna, he drew with Wilhelm Steinitz, breaking Steinitz's 25 game winning streak. In 1882, he lost a match against James Mason in London (+0-1=2), then won a match against Joseph Henry Blackburne (+2-1=0). In 1883, he took 3rd in the 5th Manhattan Chess Club Championship, won by Gustave Simonson. In 1883, he lost a match to Wilhelm Steinitz in New York (+1-3=2). In 1885, he took 4th in the 20th British Counties Chess Association Congress in Hereford, England. In 1885, he took 4th in the 7th Manhattan Chess Club Championship. In 1886, he defeated Samuel Lipschutz in a match in New York (+5-3=5) (5). In the same year, he tied for 2nd-3rd in the 9th Manhattan Chess Club Championship, and drew a match with Amos Burn (+4-4=2). In 1887, he won the Fifth German Chess Congress of the Deutschen Schachbund 5th DSB Congress, Frankfurt (1887) (+13-3=4) (6). He, thus, became the first American chess player to win an international event. In 1888 he won the 5th Scottish Chess Championship in Glasgow (+4-0=2) (7). In 1888, he took 2nd in the 4th British Chess Federation Championship, held in Bradford, England. The event was won by Isidor Gunsberg. In 1888, he defeated Celso Golmayo Zupide in a match (7.5-4.5) in Havana. In 1890, he took 3rd-4th in the 6th British Chess Federation Congress, held in Manchester England (Siegbert Tarrasch won).
Mckenzie had a high positional understanding that approached Steinitz's, but more dynamic. He died of tuberculosis in a New York hotel on April 14, 1891 at the age of 54. He was inducted into the U.S. Hall of Fame in 1992.
Wikipedia article: George Henry Mackenzie
(1) http://www.chessarch.com/archive/18...(2) http://graeme.50webs.com/chesschamp...(3) http://graeme.50webs.com/chesschamp...(4) http://graeme.50webs.com/chesschamp...(5) http://graeme.50webs.com/chesschamp...(6) http://xoomer.virgilio.it/cserica/s...(7) http://www.thechesslibrary.com/file...
Kibitzing
