Brooklyn, NY, United States (26 November 1895-10 March 1896)
1 1 1 1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 Score Place/Prize
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1 Helms • 1 1 0 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 10½ 1st $30
2 Rocamora 0 • 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 9 2nd $20
3 Delmar 0 0 • 1 1 1 0 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 8½ 3rd $10
4 Morphy 1 0 0 • 0 ½ 1 1 1 1 ½ 1 1 8
5 Souweine ½ 0 0 1 • 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 7½
6 Ruth 0 0 0 ½ 1 • 0 1 ½ ½ 1 1 1 6½
7 Tatum 0 0 1 0 1 1 • ½ 0 - 1 1 1 6½
8 Breckenridge 0 1 ½ 0 0 0 ½ • 1 0 ½ 1 0 4½
9 Elwell 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 1 0 • 0 1 1 1 4½
10 Taber 0 0 0 0 0 ½ - 1 1 • 0 1 1 4½
11 Finlay 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 ½ 0 1 • + ½ 3½
12 Turner 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - • 1 2
13 Barrett 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 ½ 0 • 1½
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14 Showalter 1 a - 0 1 - - - a 1 - + - (Withdrew)
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Unplayed games: + for a win, = for a draw, - for a loss.
Note: The letter 'a' stands for a pending adjourned game.
Time Control: 20 moves per hour.
Introduction
The championship tournament of the Brooklyn c. C. will be commenced next Tuesday, with twelve entries, as follows: J. C. Tatum, S. G. Ruth, John Morphy, H. Helms, J. Spencer Turner, R. A. Breckenridge, J. W. Showalter, Eugene Delmar, A. J. Souweine, S. Rocamora, J. D. Elwell, D. J. Finlay. (1)
President Marean has contributed $50 to the fund for prizes, and W. F. Eno, chairman of the Championship Tournament Committee, offers a prize of $10 for the best game played by a non-prize winner. There will be three prizes, $30, $20, $10. (1)
This evening will see the commencement of the Brooklyn Chess club's annual championship tournament, the most important local chess event of the season. The struggle promises to be the most interesting that has yet taken place for the championship and some good chess is in store for local devotees of the game. The days for play are Tuesdays and Thursdays, the time limit being twenty moves an hour. (2)
Schedule (2)
1st Round, Nov 26—Barrett vs Delmar; Taber vs Elwell; Turner vs Rocamora; Helms vs Ruth; Showalter vs Souweine; Morphy vs Finlay; Tatum vs Breckenridge.
2nd Round, Nov 28—Delmar vs Taber; Turner vs Elwell; Rocamora vs Ruth; Showalter vs Helms; Souweine vs Morphy; Finlay vs Breckenridge; Barrett vs Tatum.
3rd Round, Dec 3—Delmar vs Turner; Elwell vs Ruth; Showalter vs Rocamora; Helms vs Morphy; Souweine vs Breckenridge; Tatum vs Finlay; Taber vs Barrett.
4th Round, Dec 5—Ruth vs Delmar; Showalter vs Elwell; Morphy vs Rocamora; Breckenridge vs Helms; Tatum vs Souweine; Barrett vs Finlay; Turner vs Taber.
5th Round, Dec 10—Delmar vs Showalter; Elwell vs Morphy; Breckenridge vs Rocamora; Helms vs Tatum; Finlay vs Souweine; Turner vs Barrett; Ruth vs Taber.
6th Round, Dec 12—Morphy vs Delmar; Breckenridge vs Elwell; Rocamora vs Tatum; Finlay vs Helms; Barrett vs Souweine; Taber vs Showalter; Ruth vs Turner.
7th Round, Dec 17—Elwell vs Tatum; Delmar vs Breckenridge; Rocamora vs Finlay; Helms vs Souweine; Barrett vs Ruth; Morphy vs Taber; Turner vs Showalter.
8th Round, Dec 19—Tatum vs Delmar; Elwell vs Finlay; Rocamora vs Souweine; Helms vs Barrett; Breckenridge vs Taber; Morphy vs Turner; Ruth vs Showalter.
9th Round, Jan 7—Finlay vs Delmar; Elwell vs Souweine; Rocamora vs Helms; Showalter vs Barrett; Taber vs Tatum; Breckenridge vs Turner; Ruth vs Morphy.
10th Round, Jan 9—Souweine vs Delmar; Helms vs Elwell; Rocamora vs Barrett; Finlay vs Taber; Tatum vs Turner; Ruth vs Breckenridge; Morphy vs Showalter.
11th Round, Jan 14—Delmar vs Helms; Rocamora vs Elwell; Barrett vs Morphy; Souweine vs Taber; Finlay vs Turner; Tatum vs Ruth; Breckenridge vs Showalter.
12th Round, Jan 16—Delmar vs Rocamora; Elwell vs Barrett; Taber vs Helms; Souweine vs Turner; Ruth vs Finlay; Showalter vs Tatum; Morphy vs Breckenridge.
13th Round, Jan 21—Delmar vs Elwell; Taber vs Rocamora; Turner vs Helms; Souweine vs Ruth; Showalter vs Finlay; Tatum vs Morphy; Breckenridge vs Barrett.
Synopsis
Mr. Showalter defeated Dr. J. R. Taber in an interesting game Thursday and yesterday A. J. Souweine defeated John Morphy, it was hoped that the schedule would be finished by the end of January, but so many games are behind that it may be two weeks later and the committee is considering a plan to hasten it. (3)
Following is the new Schedule: (4)
Jan 16—Delmar vs Rocamora, Taber vs Helms, Ruth vs Finlay, Breckenridge vs Morphy.
Jan 21—Taber vs Rocamora, Turner vs Helms, Showalter vs Finlay, Taturm vs Morphy.
Jan 23—Barrett vs Morphy, Breckenridge vs Showalter, Finlay vs Delmar, Helms vs Elwell, Tatum vs Ruth.
Jan 28—Showalter vs Rocamora, Tatum vs Delmar, Elwell vs Finlay, Ruth vs Morphy.
Feb 4—Showalter vs Barrett, Taber vs Tatum, Delmar vs Helms, Rocamora vs Elwell, Finlay vs Turner.
Feb 6—Delmar vs Showalter, Elwell vs Morphy, Rocamora vs Barrett, Finlay vs Taber.
Feb 11—Rocamora vs Helms, Ruth vs Showalter.
Feb 13—Turner vs Showalter.
The championship tournament at the Brooklyn C. C. has been somewhat complicated during the week by the absence of Mr. Showalter, who was called away to Kentucky on account of the illness of Mrs. Showalter. Mr. Showalter failed to make some arrangement for the adjournment of his games, and two have been scored against him, one each to Finlay, and Breckenridge. (5)
Four games were scored against players for non-appearance, though they will not affect prize-winners. (6) Four players were mulcted in one game, each for non-appearance. Dr. Taber, J. C. Tatum, H. M. Barrett and J. S. Turner lost by time limit. (7) The games in question appear to be Showalter-Barnett (rendered immaterial upon Showalter's withdrawal), Finlay-Turner and Taber-Tatum (a double forfeit). These forfeits are not reflected in the cross table published in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 1896.03.12, p9, which awarded Tatum a win over Taber.
The tardiness of the committee in dealing with the retirement of Showalter, the cancellation of whose games are distinctly provided for in the rules, has caused not a little dissatisfaction among the players. As matters are at present, the score do not show the actual relative standing of the contestants and allowance must be made for Showalter's four games with Morphy, Helms, Souweine and Dr. Taber, to the first of whom he lost. (8)
The decision of the Championship Tournament Committee of the Brooklyn C. C., in the matter of Mr. Showalter's withdrawal from the tournament, is, that his total score must be cancelled. The ruling is based upon the opinion of experts to whom the matter was referred, the reference being made without the name of the player being mention. The opinions were not unanimous on all the points, but they were sufficiently so to cover the case. As the decision of the committee affects some of the prize-winners, Dr. Broughton agreed to it in deference to the opinions of the experts, but under the impression that it was based merely upon a technicality, and not upon the general meaning of the rules. The point being that a forfeited game is not a played game. (9)
Breckenridge won the brilliancy prize for R A Breckenridge vs S R Rocamora, 1896 ($10 donated by W. F. Eno). (10)
Sources
(1) Brooklyn Daily Standard Union, 1895.11.23, p7
(2) Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 1895.11.26, p10
(3) Brooklyn Times, 1896.01.04, p7
(4) Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 1896.01.16, p9
(5) Brooklyn Daily Standard Union, 1896.01.25, p7
(6) Brooklyn Times, 1896.02.05, p6
(7) Brooklyn Daily Standard Union, 1896.02.05, p8
(8) Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 1896.02.06, p10
(9) Brooklyn Daily Standard Union, 1896.02.15, p7
(10) Brooklyn Daily Standard Union, 1896.03.21, p7
Kibitzing
