Later the same year, Sammy was in the United States and on Tuesday, December 7, 1920, the weather was rainy and the temperature in the mid-40s when he played an exhibition game in the Manhattan apartment of Mischa Elaan (1891-1967), the great violin virtuoso who was also a keen chess devotee.
Elman's legacy spanned more than six decades. His first 78 rpm discs were made in Paris in 1906; his final LP sessions were in New York in 1967.
For his effort that evening Elman present Rzeschewski with a diamond ring. Among many prominent guests for the game were Fannie Hurst who was among the most popular and sought-after writers of the post-World War I era, Sammy’s father Jacob and chessmasters Herman Helms and Charles Jaffe. Also present was Hartwig Cassel, a prominent chess journalist, editor and promoter in Great Britain and the United States.
Sammy’s opponent for the exhibition game was the Russian-born Morris Schapiro (1903-1996), an investment banker and chess master. He came to the United States in 1907 and his family lived in the Brownsville and Flatbush sections of Brooklyn.
At 16, he entered Columbia University on a Pulitzer Scholarship and at the time of this game the 17-year old Schapiro was already an acknowledged first-class player and one of the brightest students at Columbia; he was also the university’s chess champion.
When asked as his opinion of Sammy Rzeschewski right after the game Schipiro exclaimed, "He is the greatest genius the world has
ever known.”
The game was played with a time limit of 30 moves an hour. It actually lasted just two hours and of those 120 minutes, Schapiro
used 79 minutes and Rzeschewski 41 minutes.
Schapiro’s play was conservative, but confident because he was on familiar ground as he was following a line the Brooklyn Chess Club had successfully adopted against Boston in a match.
After an hour's play and 27 moves, with the position about equal, a brief adjournment was taken. After resumption of play Rzeschewski gradually improved his prospects, but even so he could only claim the initiative, but not more. Things remained in that condition until move 36. when Schapiro made a catastrophic blunder when he moved his K forward instead of retreating.
With few exceptions when he would consider his move for two or three minutes, Rzeschewski made his moves very quickly which, no doubt, had to be very disconcerting to Schapiro!
Morris A Schapiro–Sammy Rzeszewski0–1C14Exhibition game, New York City07.12.1920Stockfish 15.1
French: Classical System 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.c3 f6 4.g5 e7 5.e5 fd7 6.xe7 xe7 This is the classical variation and white now has two
main continuations: 7.f4 and 7.Qd2 7.d2 a6 7...0-0 8.f4 c5 9.f3 c6
is a more solid continuation. 8.d1 c5 9.c3 c6 10.f4 b6 10...f5 11.f3 0-0 in this non-game Kasimdzhanov,R (2672)-Morozevich,A (2731) Mainz 2006
agreed to a draw 10...0-0 11.f3 f6 12.f2 b5 13.d3 b4 14.0-0 b6
as in Bartel,M (2627)-Karas,M (2240) Katowice POL 2022. White is better and
went on to win. 11.f3 d7 12.e2 12.d3 f6 13.0-0 0-0-0 14.e3 g5
This lead to a quick loss in Sirkova,D (1804)-Boneva,Z (1949) Sofia 2008.
Black should have played 14...cxd4when white is only slightly better. 12...0-0 13.0-0 f5 14.dxc5 xc5+ 15.e3 xe3+ 16.xe3 a4 17.c4 d4 17...xb2 would be a losing move because after 18.cxd5 exd5 19.xd5 a4 20.d1 b5 21.c1 b2 21...fc8 22.b3 h8 23.xa4 bxa4 24.b6 wins 22.xc6 xc6 23.e7+ h8 24.xc6 wins 18.c2 d3 19.xd3 xb2 It's now safe to play
this because the attack on the B gains a tempo/ 20.e2 a5 21.e3 b5 21...ac8 only results in equality. 22.a4 bxc4 23.xc4 xc4 22.cxb5 axb5 23.ab1 bc4 Slightly more accurate would have been 23...Nac4 24.xc4 24.fd1 yields a slight advantage after fd8 25.c2 ac8 26.cd4
with a somewhat more active position. 24...xc4 25.fd1 c6 26.d4 d5 27.xb5 e3 At this point the game had been underway about an hour and a brief
recess was taken. The position is equal. 27...xa2 Results in drawish
equality after. 28.c3 c2 29.xd5 xe2 28.d2 xa2 28...e4 was
interesting because it leads to an unbalanced P-fomtion after 29.a1 29.d3 xd3 30.xd3 d5 31.g3 xa2 29...xg2 The chances are actually equal, but
white's a-Pawn could become a cause for concern so black does best to avoid
this line. 29.c1 d5 30.f2 g4+ 31.xg4 fxg4 32.g3 a4 33.d4 33.xg4 is leathal! fxf4+ 34.g3 g4+ 35.f2 xg2+ 36.e3 e4+ 37.d3 xe5 etc. 33...h5 34.f1 34.f5 exf5 Or 34...Ra3+ as in the game. 34...a3+ 35.h4 f4 36.e6 e8 37.e1 f3 38.gxf3 gxf3 39.g3 a6 40.xf3 xf3 41.xf3 axe6 draw 34.c7 h7 35.e7 a3+ 36.h4 xf4 37.xe6 xe6 38.xe6 g3+ 39.h3 e3 40.ed6 g5 41.d7+ g6 42.2d6+ f5 43.f7+ e4 44.xf4+ xf4 45.hxg3+ xg3+ 46.h2 xe5 47.a6 This position is drawn. 34...h7 35.f5 a3+ 36.f4 Schapiro is oblivious to the
lurking danger and plays a losing move. 36.f2 c4 37.c1 a4 38.f6 gxf6 39.exf6 xf6+ 40.g1 Even with an extra P and B vs. N there does not seem
tp be any way for black to make progress. 36...h6 Very nice! There is no
satisfactory answer to the threat of ...g5# 37.h4 Prevents g5+. 37.xe6
is hopeless. xe6 38.f6 gxf6 39.exf6 xf6+ 40.e5 xf1 37...gxh3 38.f3 Prevents ...g5# 38.gxh3 g5# 38...hxg2 Engines immediately spot the mate
in 16 moves. 39.xg2 xf5+ 40.g3 axf3+ White resigned. Times: Schapiro
1hour, 19 minutes. Rzeszewski 41 minutes 40...axf3+ 41.xf3 xf3+ 42.h2 g5 43.g1 g4 44.f2 xf2 45.xf2 h4 46.e3 g3 47.e2 h3 48.d3 g2 49.c3 g1 50.b4 h2 51.b5 h1 52.b4 b6+ 53.c3 c1+ 54.d3 be3# 0–1
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