Lake Keuka is one of the major lakes in the the group and it's different because it is Y-shaped in contrast to the long and narrow shape of the other Finger Lakes and so in the past it was referred to as Crooked Lake.
I don't know about today, but in the late 1800s and early 1900s it was one of the garden spots of New York and it was charmed with the beauty of the scenery.
The water of the lake was said to be so clear that the pebbles on the bottom could be counted and in every direction on the sloping hill sides which surround the lake, miles of vineyards dotted with patches of woods and fields of grain stretched away into the distance.
In 1898 the meeting of the New York State Chess Association took place at the Grove Spring Hotel at Keuka Lake during the second week of August.
In addition to tournaments there was a match between Pennsylvania and New York in which each team member played every member of the opposing team. I am unsure if there is an actual name for this type of match, but the old Chess Review magazine called them Virginia Reel matches.
A highlight of the event was that the local wine companies took the opportunity to allow players and guests to test the quality of their champagne and one company put up a dozen bottles as prizes and, also, to be used at a dinner.
Another offered a bottle of wine as a prize for the best game in the match. The below Kemeny-Delmar game won the prize.
There were many regrets expressed at the absence of Walter P. Shipley, secretary of the Pennsylvania State Chess Association, who was unable to attend due to illness.
In the wine-winning game the Hungarian born Emil Kemeny (1860-1925), master, editor and publisher scored a quick point thanks to his swift and precise K-side attack.
Born Budapest, Kemeny lived in New York, Philadelphia and Chicago and during the mid-1890s, he was one of the strongest players in the country. He returned to Budapest some time in the 1900s and died there in 1925.
His friend, Walter P.Shipley, described him as "...tall, standing over six feet in height. Kemeny was a genial companion with a keen sense of humor, well read, spoke several languages fluently and besides being an able chess player was passionately fond of good music."
Eugene Delmar (1841-1909) was born in New York City and for over 50 years he was a leading player in America.
[Event "New York v Pennsylvania Team Match"]
[Site ""]
[Date "1898.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Emil Kemeny"]
[Black "Eugene Delmar"]
[Result "*"]
[ECO "C41"]
[Annotator "Stockfish 15.1"]
[PlyCount "45"]
[EventDate "1898.??.??"]
{Philidor Defense} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 {Today this relic of a bygone era is
considered solid, but passive and so it has largely been abandoned.} 3. d4 {
Almost always played. 3.Bc4 is playable, but it's very rare.} Nf6 4. Nc3 (4.
dxe5 {According to Pillsbury this is premature.} Nxe4 5. exd6 (5. Qd5 Nc5 {
And white's Q is exposed which will result in a loss of time.}) 5... Bxd6 {
Black has fully equalized.}) 4... Nbd7 5. Be3 Be7 6. Bd3 {When commenting on
the game Pillsbury preferred 6.Bc4} (6. dxe5 dxe5 7. Bc4 O-O 8. h3 c6 9. Qe2 {
is fully equal. Regan,N (2165)-Vatter,H (2385) Berlin 1998}) 6... c6 (6... Ng4
7. Qd2 Nxe3 8. Qxe3 O-O 9. O-O c6 10. Rad1 Qc7 {is about equal. Noa,
J-Blackburne,J Hamburg 1885}) (6... O-O 7. O-O {White 's other option was 7.d5}
c6 8. a4 b6 9. Qe2 a6 10. Rfd1 Qc7 {equals. Schweitzer,W (2022)-Kleissl,H
(2271) Jenbach 2009}) 7. Ne2 Qc7 8. c3 d5 9. Qc2 {This is just one of several
reasonable moves at white's disposal.} dxe4 10. Bxe4 Nxe4 {Pillsbury felt that
instead of this black should have simply castled and reserved the capture of
the B which would have given him a good game. Actually, there is nothing at
all wrong with black's move.} (10... O-O 11. Nxe5 Nxe4 12. Qxe4 {is completely
even.}) (10... exd4 11. Bxd4 O-O 12. O-O Re8 {is yet another option that
results in equality.}) 11. Qxe4 O-O {Pillsbury thought it was far preferable
to continue with 11...exd4} (11... exd4 12. Bxd4 {However, white now has the
advantage.} Rg8 13. O-O Kf8 14. Rfe1 Nf6 15. Qd3 {Black is in an awkward
position at best.}) (11... f6 {This surprising move is black's best option.}
12. O-O O-O 13. Ng3 {with a minimal advantage.}) 12. dxe5 b6 {This move is
really where black goes wrong.} (12... f6 {Challenging white in the center is
not entirely satisfactory, but it's black's best option.} 13. Qc4+ Kh8 14. exf6
Bxf6 15. Ng3 {And white is only slightly better because of his more active
pieces.}) 13. Ned4 Bb7 {Placing his B on the same diagonal as white's Q is
very inviting, but it's also wrong! After this white gets a decisive advntage.}
(13... Nc5 14. Qc2 Ne6 {is his best chance of holding his position together.
After} 15. Nf5 Rd8 16. Qa4 {In order to transfer the Q to the K-side.} c5 17.
Qg4 Bf8 18. O-O Bb7 19. Ng5 {qith good attacking chances.}) 14. Nf5 Rae8 (14...
Nc5 {keeps fighting.} 15. Qg4 g6 16. O-O-O Bc8 17. Nxe7+ {White is better, but
he has no forced win.} Qxe7) 15. O-O-O ({White needs this N for his attack so
exchanging to would be wrong because it would allow black to equalize.} 15.
Nxe7+ Rxe7 16. O-O-O c5 17. Qh4 Rfe8 {and white's attack has dissipated.})
15... Bf6 16. Rxd7 (16. Bf4 {also works.} Bxe5 17. Bxe5 Nxe5 18. Nd6 Re7 19.
Nxe5) 16... Qxd7 17. Qg4 Qe6 (17... Bxe5 18. Nh6+ {wins the Q}) 18. exf6 g6 {
This loses quickly.} (18... Qxf6 {would have been better because after} 19. Bd4
Qg6 20. Qxg6 hxg6 21. Nd6 Re7 22. Nxb7 Rxb7 {Black has practical chances. True,
white scored 5 wins in Shootouts, but they were 70+ ,ove games and tricky B+N
vs R endings.}) 19. Nh6+ Kh8 20. Qxe6 (20. Ng5 {is an equally good alternative.
} Qxg4 21. Ngxf7+ Rxf7 22. Nxf7+ Kg8 23. Nh6+) 20... Rxe6 21. Ng5 c5 (21...
Ree8 {White mates in 10} 22. Bf4 Ba6 23. Ngxf7+ Rxf7 24. Nxf7+ Kg8 25. Nh6+ Kh8
26. f7 Re1+ 27. Rxe1 Kg7 28. Re8 g5 29. Bxg5 Kg6 30. Rg8+ Kh5 31. g4#) 22. Nxe6
fxe6 23. Rd1 {Black resigned.} *
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