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| Alamac hotel on an old postcard |
The hotel itself had an interesting history. In 1918 it was sold to Harry Latz, owner of a hotel of the same name on the ocean in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Latz renamed his new Lake Hopatcong property the Alamac and completed a major renovation, adding a sun parlor, new furnishings, tennis courts, a play area for children, a bachelor lodge, miniature golf, and more. In 1923 he built another Alamac Hotel at Broadway and 71st Street in New York City and yet another one on Collins Avenue in Miami Beach, Florida. Today the latter two have been converted to apartments.
Latz hosted many different competitions which brought attention to the hotel. Swimming championships featuring national competitors were regularly held and a checker tournament featuring life-size pieces and a large landscaped playing board in front of the hotel took place in 1922.
In the mid-1920s the famous dance instructor Arthur Murray was in charge of social events which included a live orchestra, motion picture screenings and a host of daily activities.
In the late 1920s the hotel was sold to the Jacobs family, who adopted a kosher menu and billed it as “Alamac in the Mountains.” That’s when the hotel became a favorite of one of vaudeville’s newest headliners and later television star Milton Berle.
The hotel closed in the late 1930s due to the Great Depression, but it reopened during World War II. After the war, the hotel was in need of renovation, but continued to host local meetings. New owners took over in 1947, but during renovations the hotel caught fire and was completely burned down on February 21, 1948. Only the hotel’s boathouse and a few outbuildings survived.
Hotel owner Harry Latz was a chess enthusiast and he helped organize the elite New York 1924 tournament. He was also involved in an early attempt to arrange a world championship match between Capablanca and Alekhine.
In 1923 the hotel hosted the 9th American Chess Congress that was held August 6-21. In that tournament Frank Marshall and Abraham Kupchik shared first. Marshall was undefeated, but was held to 5 draws, three of which were against the tailenders. Kupchik lost two games (Marshall and Edward Lasker who finished 4th) and he had only one draw (against Roy T. Black who finished 6th).
In 1926, Capablanca won without difficulty as at no time was he in danger of defeat. He scored all of his wins in the first five rounds and so coasted to victory in the remaining rounds.
Maroczy got off to a promising start by winning his first two games, but then lost two. In the 9th round he missed a chance to unseat Kupchik when he was a P up with winning chances in their individual game, but Kupchik managed to hold on to the draw.
Marshall was a great disappointment. He started off with a loss to Maroczy then won his only game when he defeated Edward Lasker. The rest of the tournament was a disaster. His only satisfaction was drawing both of his games against Capablanca.
But, Marshall’s disaster wasn’t as big as Edward Lasker’s who lost his first five games, but finally managed to pull himself together to defeat Marshall in round 7. In round 10 he outplayed Kupchik and was a P up, but a draw was all he could get.
No doubt the biggest surprise (at least to modern readers) is the placement of the unheralded Abraham Kupchik (1892-1970) whom Arnold Denker described as “The Frightened, Little Rabbit” in his book The Bobby Fischer I knew.
He described Kupchik as a tiny, whisper of a man with the saddest eyes he had had ever seen. Described as a gentle man, known to club members as “Kuppele” or “Kup” he was, according to Arnold Denker, repulsed at the idea of attacking an opponent and defensive chess was the name of the game. However, he was extremely effective at 10-second per move chess.
Chessmetrics estimates his highest rating to have been 2641 in 1926. In 1935 at the Warsaw Chess Olympics, playing 3rd board, Kupchik scored an impressive +6 -0 =8. He was considered for an invitation to the famous New York 1924 tournament but it was finally decided that his inclusion would not have added anything to the tournament. His strength was unappreciated even in his day and his defensive, do nothing style would have made him right at some 94 years later.
Final Scores
As a curiosity, going into this tournament which was held in July, Chessmetrics’ March 1926, rating list shows the players to have the following estimated ratings and world rank: Capablanca (2751/4), Marshall (2694/6), Maroczy (2637/14), Lasker (2573/24) and Kupchik (2554/28).
In the following game Edward Lasker played the opening in what was at the time an original fashion, holds his own for most of the game, but finally drifts into an inferior position. In the end Capa gives up his Q for two Rs against which Lasker’s Q is helpless.
Edward Lasker has never been given much recognition, but up until the late 1920s Chessmetrics estimates his rating to have ranked him in the top 50 players in the world.
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