In the initial issue Graham wrote that the appearance of a chess monthly in a small town remote from the leading centers of the game and under the management of one whose name was not familiar might require some explanation. The explanation was that he simply wanted to produce a magazine at a reasonable price that covered events of general interest, present games, endings, analyses and discoveries in the openings that had value. He also wanted to publish “the prettiest and freshest fancies in the problem art.” He promised that even though it was an experiment, the magazine would continue for at least one year regardless of the support it got.
In the first issue there was an article titled “The American Champion Weds” that read:
Harry N. Pillsbury and Miss Mary E. Bush, both of Philadelphia, were united in marriage in Chicago on the morning of Jan. 17. The ceremony, which was entirely private, was performed by Rev. Frank Dewitt Talmage. They had been engaged for three years, and the American chess champion made the best move in his life when he procured that license.
Had not Mr. Pillsbury been a chess expert he probably would never have known Miss Bush. Their first meeting occurred during one of the champion's professional engagements. Mrs. Pillsbury is the daughter of the late Judge Bush, of Monticello, N.Y.,who was State Senator when he died a few years ago. The few chess friends who had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Pillsbury were charmed by her beauty and gift of conversation. She will accompany her husband on his tour through the South and to the Pacific coast. They left for St. Louis on Friday morning.
There’s an interesting entry on Ancestry.com:
Mary Ellen Pillsbury (Bush)
Birthdate: estimated between 1843 and 1899
Death: Unknown
Immediate Family: Daughter of Albert J. Bush and Charlotte Horton
Wife of Frank Shearf; Henry DuBois Southard and Harry Nelson Pillsbury
The September issue carried some interesting news on Pillsbury. Harry Nelson Pillsbury (December 5, 1872 – June 17, 1906), as you know, was a leading American player who at the age of 22 won one of the strongest tournaments of the time (the Hastings 1895 chess tournament) but his illness and early death prevented him from challenging for the World Chess Championship. See my post Pillsbury’s Syphilis.
According to the September article, Pillsbury was to retire as a professional player “in about two years.” After his retirement he proposed to devote himself earnestly to the study of law. Before that happened though, he intended to play a match with Lasker for the world championship. It was expected that the details of the match would be arranged when Pillsbury went to Europe, which he planned to do early in 1902 and be to be gone a year or more. I had never heard of Pillsbury's intention to retire and become a lawyer.
After his marriage Pillsbury and his wife left for what was known as his fourth American tour...it was considered a brief one, lasting only four months.
In January of 1902, along with his wife, he was sailed for England. While abroad he was planning on playing in a number of tournament (which he did) and touring the Continent (which he did).
The magazine speculated that when Pillsbury left professional chess for good there would be no one to take his place in the realm of blindfold chess. At the time he had done what no one had done, or even attempted.
His record of twenty simultaneous blindfold games was unheard of, especially since he could also combine both checkers and whist with his blindfold chess games. Pillsbury thought he could handle up to 30 blindfold games.
Upon reaching Europe in 1902 he played in Monte Carlo (second a half point behind Maroczy) and in Hanover (second a point and a half behind Janowsky).
During the Hanover tournament Pillsbury gave numerous exhibitions and on August 2, 1902, during a rest day, he set a new world record by playing 21 blindfolded games simultaneously. He only scored +3 -7 +11, but his feat was made more difficult in that his opponents were allowed to analyze their games by shifting pieces around and consult spectators. Also, his opponents were all strong players and included future GM Ossip Bernstein. In addition to the blindfold chess games in the Hanover exhibition, he also played four blindfold games of checkers, winning three and drawing one.
The tournament committee promised ten shillings to the winners and five shillings to anyone who obtained a draw. Checkmate magazine observed that amount of money would buy a lot of cigars and beer. The exhibition took 11 and a half hours. So much for a rest day!
Pillsbury’s feat was considered nothing short of phenomenal especially when compared to Zukertort who played 16 games against weak players on two consecutive days, or, Blackburne who played “only” 15 games. When comparing them to Pillsbury’s exploits, Checkmate magazine put the accomplishments of Zukertort and Blackburne in the “infant class.”
In December 1902, Pillsbury was in Moscow and broke his own world record by playing 22 simultaneous blindfold games in an exhibition lasted 10 hours. He scored +17 -1 =4.
According to Alekhine, one of the players was his older brother, Alexei, who supposedly drew, but other than Alekhine’s word there is no evidence. The 10-year old Alekhine did watch the exhibition though and is was a strong motivation for his trying blindfold and simultaneous play himself.
In 1903, Pillsbury was back playing in Monte Carlo where he finished third behind Tarrasch and Maroczy. In Vienna he finished fourth behind Chigorin, Marshall and Marco. He then returned to the United States and played in Cambridge Springs in 1904, his last major event.
By 1904, his ability to sustain the rigorous concentration needed for top flight chess had been severely impaired and some his games were blighted by mistakes. He never did become a lawyer. See Edward Winter’s site HERE for details on Pillsbury’s last days.
The following Youtube video by GM Ben Finegold looks at three miniatures, one by Pillsbury and two by Spassky he says you should know by heart. You can download the games on Chess.com.
Pillsbury vs Winawer, Budapest 1896
Larsen vs Spassky, USSR vs. Rest of the World 1970
Spassky vs Avtonomov, Soviet Junior Qualifiers 1949
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