The 5th American Chess Congress was held at the Manhattan Chess Club in New York City, the United States from January 6th to the 31st, 1880. Ten American chess masters and players participated in the nine double rounds of the main event. The participants included two-time US Chess Congress winner George Henry Mackenzie, 4th American Chess Congress (1876) runner-up Max Judd, the previous Congress participants James Congdon and Preston Ware, as well as Albert Cohnfeld, Eugene Delmar, James Grundy, Charles Moehle, John Ryan and Alexander Sellman. Each of the players gained entrance to the masters tournament via a $20 entry fee. Games began at 1 pm each day with a break for dinner between 5 and 7 pm, whereby the games resumed until 11 pm. Games were adjourned if the players could not reach a conclusion by midnight. The time control for the tournament was 15 moves an hour, with unspent time being carried over to the next time control. Sundays were reserved for rest days.
Manhattan Chess Club, New York, 6-31 January 1880
=1st Mackenzie ** 0½ 10 ½½ ½1 11 11 11 1½ 11 13½
=1st Grundy 1½ ** ½½ 10 1½ 11 1½ 01 11 11 13½
3rd Moehle 01 ½½ ** 0½ 1½ 10 11 11 11 11 13
4th Sellman ½½ 01 1½ ** 10 1½ 11 0½ 11 11 12½
5th Judd ½0 0½ 0½ 01 ** ½1 11 11 01 11 11
6th Delmar 00 00 01 0½ ½0 ** 11 11 ½1 11 9½
=7th Ryan 00 0½ 00 00 00 00 ** 11 01 11 5½
=7th Ware 00 10 00 1½ 00 00 00 ** ½1 1½ 5½
9th Congdon ½0 00 00 00 10 ½0 01 0½ ** 00 3½
10th Cohnfeld 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 0½ 11 ** 2½
Playoff match:1st Mackenzie 1 1 2
2nd Grundy 0 0 0
The final of the event saw a tie for first between Mackenzie and Grundy. The rules stipulated in the event of a tie that a playoff match would follow with the grand prize going to the first player to win two games. Mackenzie defeated Grundy handily and claimed the prize of $500 and a gold medal to commemorate his victory. Grundy received $300 for second place, while Moehle received $200 for third, Sellman $100 for fourth, and Judd $50 for fifth. It was Mackenzie's third and final US Congress victory and cemented his legacy as one of the strongest chess players living and playing in the United States in the 19th century.The reputation of the Congress was shattered by an allegation of cheating. It was alleged that the Grundy and Preston Ware Jr. had fixed their game. Preston provided written testimony to the tournament committee that his final round opponent, Grundy, offered him $20 if he agreed to play for a draw so guaranteeing Grundy the second place prize money. Ware agreed, but complained that Grundy had instead beaten him and so tied for first. (1)
"A meeting of the Chess Association of the United States was held last evening at No. 60 East Fourteenth-street, to receive the report of the committee appointed to investigate charges of collusion against Messrs. Grundy and Ware, two of the contestants in the late chess tournament held in this City ... Mr Grundy ... denied the allegations made by Ware, and he said there was a conspiracy against him, in which one of the prominent members of the congress committee was implicated. The committee reported that..it believed the charges to be true ..." (2)
The account of the Congress by Charles A Gilberg provides many more details. His book was reprinted as The Fifth American Chess Congress New York 1880. Edition Olms, Zurich 1986. 555 pp. ISBN 3-283-00090-5.
Notes
(1) http://web.archive.org/web/20090530... and http://web.archive.org/web/20061027...
(2) New York Times, 8th March 1880, p.3.
Original collection: Game Collection: New York 1880, by User: suenteus po 147.
Kibitzing
