Philip Richardson

Richardson in 1895

     Looking at Chessmetrics rating list a while back for the year 1901, I noticed the name of Philip Richardson who was number 13 on the list with an estimated rating of 2655. 
     Whoever heard of the London-born Philip Richardson (November 12, 1841 – September 29, 1920)? Research didn’t turn up much although John S. Hilbert has written a biography of him that was published in 2009. The book which contains 193 games is a pricey $44.95. 
     In the 1890s Richardson was considered one of Brooklyn’s strongest players. Originally from England, Richardson’s family settled in Newburgh, New York in 1852 before moving to Brooklyn two years later. His early interest in chess was the result Morphy’s popularity and most of his games were published early in his career with many of them appearing in the New York Clipper. The New York Clipper, also known as just The Clipper, was a weekly entertainment newspaper published in New York City from 1853 to 1924. It covered many topics, including circuses, dance, music, the outdoors, sports, and theater.
     Richardson, who also composed a few problems, was praised by George H. Mackenzie, the Scottish player who came to the US in 1863 and for 30 years was one of the best players in the country, when he wrote that Richardson was the most formidable opponent he met in the U.S. and sometime around 1880, Mackenzie gave Richardson the nickname of “the Stormy Petrel." The nickname doesn’t mean much to us, but, besides being a bird, the term “stormy petrel” is, according to Merriam-Webster, a) one fond of strife or b) a harbinger of trouble.
     Besides Mackenzie, in his International Chess Magazine, Steinitz also praised Richardson’s play for his tactical prowess. 
     Richardson had good scores against Eugene Delmar (+9 -8 =2), Samuel Lipschutz (+1 -1 =4), Sam Loyd (+2 0 =0 ) and James Mason (+5 -7 =1).
     Richardson and his brother owned a photography studio on Broadway in Brooklyn and given the necessity for sunlight for photography in that period, he would usually visit the clubs only when the weather was poor and he could not work. Although he was a founding member of the revived Brooklyn Chess Club in 1886 and most of his games were played there, he was also an honorary member of the Manhattan Chess Club which he often frequented. 
     The April 19, 1882 edition of the Journal of Indoor and Outdoor Amusements contained a brief sketch of Richardson. He was described as probably the “strongest of those American amateur players, who have never intruded themselves upon public notice by seeking reputation through display of their abilities.” The sketch continued: “He enjoys a national reputation as a player of the first rank, and...deservedly so.” 
     When Lipschutz and Richardson played their match in 1900, neither player was on the American team in the Anglo-American cable match of that year. Of course, there were no ratings in those days, but the estimated ratings according to Chessmetrics for the American team were: Pillsbury (2814) and Showalter (2664). They were followed by John F. Barry (2503), Albert B. Hodges (2555), Edward Hymes (2525), Hermann Voight (2580), Frank Marshall (2604), Samuel Bampton (2493), Charles Newman (2584) and Eugene Delmar (2444).
     Lipschutz’ rating was 2737 and Richardson’s was 2655, so clearly both players could have been included on the U.S. team. 

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[Event "Match"]
[Site "New York"]
[Date "1900.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Samuel Lipschutz"]
[Black "Philip Richardson"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteELO "?"]
[BlackELO "?"]

%Created by Caissa's Web PGN Editor
{C26: Vienna Game: 2...Nf6, sidelines} 1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 {The original idea
behind the Vienna Game was to play a delayed King's Gambit with f4, but in
modern play White often plays more quietly (for example by fianchettoing his B
with g3 and Bg2.} 2... Bc5 {Black most often continues with 2...Nf6.} 3. g3
Nf6 4. Bg2 d6 5. d3 a6 6. Nge2 Ng4 {This sneaky move has a point and it's not
capturing on f2.} 7. O-O {Should black now capture on f2? It is generally not
a good idea to trade 2 minor pieces (usually a B and N) for a R and P early in
the game. The person trading the 2 minor pieces most likely will not have
enough pieces left to conduct a winning attack. The Rs gain a little in
strength in the ending though. In the opening, two minor pieces (excluding two
Bs) are normally equivalent to a R and two Ps. Two Bs are roughly equal to 2
and a half Ps. So, the answer is no, black should not capture on f2 although
I seen a lot of lower rated players do it in online games. Still, as we will
soon see, all this is theoretical...in practice things aren't always so clear
as this game between two strong masters will show.} 7... h5 {As we are about
to see, Richardson's reputation as an attacker is about to be demonstrated.}
8. h3 {It would have been better to prevent this with 8.h4.} 8... h4 {White
should counter black's K-side demonstration with a blow to the center with
7.d4 with about equal chances.} 9. hxg4 {But this move loses.} 9... hxg3
{Instead of establishing a winning bind with 9...Bg4, black counter blunders
and allows white to gain the advantage with 10.d4.} 10. g5 {This is almost as
good as 10.d4} 10... gxf2+ 11. Rxf2 Bxf2+ 12. Kxf2 {White's minor pieces and
better development give him a slight advantage here.} 12... Nc6 13. Nd5 Bg4
14. c3 Qd7 15. Be3 O-O-O {Stockfish comes up with an interesting idea for
white which involves transferring his K to safety with Ke1-d2-c2 while black
counters with ...f4. I don't see humans ever coming up with such an idea. In
any case white's next move involving an attack on c7 looks logical, but in
reality it allows black to gain the advantage.} 16. Bb6 Ne7 17. Nxe7+ Qxe7
18. Be3 {White's demonstration hasn't lead to anything and his K is
dangerously exposed after 18...f5!} 18... Rh2 {This isn't bad either. White
is suddenly on the defensive.} 19. Qg1 Rdh8 20. Ng3 f6 {Not bad, but more
forceful was 20...f5 opening lines against white's K at the cost of a P.} 21.
Rf1 {With 21.Nf1 driving back the R he could have offered much better
resistance.} 21... Qf7 22. c4 R8h3 {White's best defense would now be 23. Bd2
when 23...Qe8 24.gxf6 and 25.Ke1 offers his some chances of defending. So,
after 23.Bd2 Bf3! 24.Kxf3 Qh5+ 25.Kf2 Qg4 26.Qxh2 Rxh2 white has three minor
pieces for his Q and may be able to survive.} 23. Bc1 Qe8 {Now black will
triple heavy pieces on the h-file and there is nothing white can do. There is
also the threat of ...Qa4 and the Q reaches the 2nd rank with devastating
effect. White's next move prevents that, but he can't defend against both
threats.} 24. b3 Qh8 25. Qxh2 Rxh2 26. gxf6 Rxg2+ {A forceful finish that
leaves white helpless.} 0-1