Mintonette was invented in Holyoke, Massachusetts. We known it by its later name, volleyball. The first automobile race took place in France. The winner traveled 732 miles in 48 hours and 47 minutes.
A Sears catalog from 1895 shows you could get a shirt for as little as 50 cents. A carpenter made around 32 cents an hour and an unskilled laborer made about half of that.
That was the year World Champion Lasker moved back to England, first to London and later to Manchester. In the US, Jackson W. Showalter won the 5th US championship by defeating Samuel (or Salomon) Lipschultz in a match by a score of 7-4.
In March the leading English player of the 1870s, William Potter died. In May Martin From died in Copenhagen. He was an analyst and is remembered for the Fromn Gambit (1.f4 e5). Problem composer and the 1886 Scottish champion Georges Barbier died in France.
In 1895, in December, Harry N. Pillsbury contracted syphilis in Russia and in June of 1906, he died from it. Back in those days mercury was the treatment of choice for syphilis. In the early stages of the disease topical applications may have occasionally aborted the infection, but it was undoubtedly ineffective in curing
secondary syphilis. Besides that, the problem was mercury’s toxicity to the central and peripheral nervous systems. It could produce harmful effects on the nervous, digestive and immune systems, lungs and kidneys and it could be be fatal.
Before his trip to Russia, the Hastings international tournament was won by Pillsbury. At that time the tournament was not played over Christmas and New Year; it was played from August 5th to September 2nd.
Today’s’ game was played in that tournament. I remember when I first saw this game (probably back in the early 1960’s) how much I enjoyed it. Recently I played through it again and nothing has changed. The game won Second Brilliancy Prize despite Tarrasch’s rather inept conduct of most of the game. However, his brilliant combination at the end after Walbrodt mishandled the attack, allowed Tarrasch to redeem himself.
Tarrasch's opponent, Carl Walbrodt (November 28, 1871 - October 3, 1902), was a leading German master of the period who participated in many tournaments and matches and wrote several chess columns. In real life he and his brother owned a pantograph factory. He was diagnosed with tuberculosis in the early 1890's and ultimately died from it.
Enjoy the complications!
[Event "Hastings"]
[Site "Hastings ENG"]
[Date "1895.08.09"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Siegbert Tarrasch"]
[Black "Karl Walbrodt"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C77"]
[Annotator "Stockfish 16"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "1895.08.05"]
{C77: Ruy Lopez} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. d4 {
Black has a wide choice here: 6...Bd7, 6...Nd7, 6...Bd7 and 6...exd4} Bd7 {
This transposes into the Steinitz Defense Deferred. It's an interesting and
still relatively unexplored system. It appears somewhat passive, but it is
extremely solid and flexible.} 7. Bxc6 $16 Bxc6 8. Qe2 exd4 9. Nxd4 Bd7 10. O-O
Be7 11. b3 O-O 12. Bb2 b5 {[%mdl 32] One early annotator dubbed this a sly
move threatening...c5, ...b4 and ...Bb5 winning the exchange. Not true.} (12...
Re8 13. Rad1 Bf8 14. Qd3 Qe7 15. Rfe1 Rad8 {was played in Marco,G-Taubenhaus,J
Ostende 1905. The position is equal.}) 13. a4 (13. Rad1 c5 {Not the best move.
Both 13...Re8 and 13...h6 are good.} 14. Nf5 b4 {Taking the N is a little
better.} 15. Na4 Bb5 {This loses. 15...Bxf5 leaves white slightly better.} 16.
Qf3 Ne8 (16... Bxf1 17. Kxf1 c4 18. e5 {is decisive. Hust va samplke line...}
Ne8 19. Nxe7+ Qxe7 20. Qxa8) 17. Qg3 Bg5 18. Rfe1 g6 19. h4 Bf6 20. e5 Bg7 21.
exd6 Bxb2 22. Ne7+ Kh8 23. Nxb2 Qd7 24. c4 bxc3 25. Qxc3+ f6 26. a4 Bc6 27.
Nxc6 Qxc6 28. d7 Ng7 29. b4 {White is winning.}) 13... b4 {This not only
drives back the N, but it also gains space.} 14. Nd1 (14. Nd5 c5 15. Nf3 (15.
Nxe7+ Qxe7 16. Nf3 Qxe4 {black has won a P.}) 15... Nxd5 16. exd5 Bf6 17. Bxf6
Qxf6 18. Rae1 Rfe8 {Black stands slightly better.}) 14... c5 15. Nf3 (15. Nf5 {
was better.} Bxf5 16. exf5 d5 17. Ne3 d4 18. Nc4 {with about equal chances.})
15... Bc6 {[%mdl 2048] In spite of having a backward d-Pawn, black has a nice
position.} 16. Nd2 d5 17. e5 {With this move Tarrasch is striving for a closed
position where Walbrodt’s two B’s don’t have a lot of scope, but the
idea fails.} (17. exd5 {This has been recommended.} Nxd5 18. Nc4 Re8 19. Nde3
Bf6 20. Bxf6 Nf4 21. Bxd8 Nxe2+ 22. Kh1 Raxd8 {Black has the more active
position.}) 17... Ne8 18. Ne3 Qd7 19. Rad1 d4 {This move gives white’s N a
good outpost on c4, but is gives black's light-squared B a great diagonal plus
it also shuts white’s B out of the game. The real surprise is that it is the
buried B on c7 that is going to win the game for Tarrasch!!} 20. Nec4 Qe6 21.
f4 {This looks right...it's part pf Tarrasch's pan to keep the game closed....
but it's actually a poor move.} (21. Rde1 {keeps the game about equal.} Bd5 22.
Qd3 Qc6 23. f3 {and it's hard to see how either side can make any headway.})
21... f5 {Excellent! The position is closed, but Walbrodt's position has a lot
of freedom and he uses it to build up a promising attack.} 22. Na5 Bd5 23. Qd3
Kh8 {This is the kind of move that engines do not readily find. Black’s plan
is to open up the g-file for an assault on White’s K.} 24. Qg3 {In view of
black's plan the Q is not well placed here and so 23.Nac4 was better.} Ra7 {
Another great move. Because he in control of the game Walbrodt is preparing to
bring the R over to the K-side before undertaking an immediate attack.} (24...
g5 {This immediate assault is also extremely good!} 25. Nf3 gxf4 26. Qxf4 Rg8 {
with good attacking chances.}) 25. Nac4 Rg8 26. Rde1 g5 27. Re2 Bd8 28. Qd3
Rag7 29. g3 gxf4 {This move was criticized as a mistake by Tarrasch and
Reinfeld. Tarrasch recommended ...g4 followed by the advance of the h-Pawn,
saying it would have lead to a quick win, but that does not appear to be the
case. In fact, 29...gxf4 is the best move in thsi position and it leaves black
with a clear advantage.} (29... g4 30. Nd6 Rf8 (30... Nxd6 31. exd6 Qxd6 32.
Qxf5 {with equal chances.}) (30... h5 {is bad for black...} 31. Nxf5 Rf7 32.
Nd6 {with a significant advantage.}) 31. Qxa6 Re7 32. Rff2 h5 {and black's
advantage is minimal.}) 30. Rxf4 {[%mdl 32] White's pressure on the f-Pawn is
not quite enough to equalize.} Rg5 {This defends the f_Pawnm but it is a small
slip that loses some of his advantage.} (30... Rg4 31. Qxf5 Rxf4 32. Qxf4 (32.
Qxe6 Bxe6) 32... Nf6 33. Nd6 Nh5 34. Qf2 Bg5 35. Qf5 Qxf5 36. Nxf5 Rf8 {
positionally black has the advantage. White has a nifty tactical shot here...}
37. Nxd4 cxd4 38. Bxd4 Ng7 39. e6 Be7 40. Ne4 {but his chances are only
marginally improved.}) 31. Ref2 Ng7 32. Nd6 Qxe5 {This is probably not the
most effective move. That said, suggesting anything a lot better is a
challenge!} (32... Bc7 {was recommended without futyher comment by Reinfeld..
After} 33. Nf3 Bxf3 34. R4xf3 Bxd6 35. exd6 Qxd6 36. c3 bxc3 37. Bxc3 {Black
is a P up, but it's hard to see how he will make further progress.}) (32... Rg6
{is the engine suggestion, but it only keeps the advantage while noit
undertaking anything concrete.} 33. Nf3 Rf8 34. Kf1 Be7 35. Qxa6 Bxf3 36. R4xf3
Qxe5 37. Nc4 Qd5 38. Qb5 f4 39. Nb6 Qh5 40. Bc1 Ne6 41. Qe2 Qh3+ 42. Ke1 Ng5
43. Rxf4 Re6 44. Rxf8+ Bxf8 45. Bxg5 Rxe2+ 46. Rxe2 {Black is clearly better...
theoretically at least, but the position is very difficult.}) 33. Nxf5 Nh5 {
[%mdl 8192] This is a blunder that loses immediately.} (33... Ne6 {keeps a
slight advantage.} 34. Re4 Bxe4 35. Qxe4 Qxe4 36. Nxe4 R5g6 37. Nxc5 Nxc5 38.
Bxd4+ Rf6 39. Bxc5 Rc6 40. Bd4+ Bf6) 34. Rxd4 {[%mdl 512] An amazing change of
fate!} Nxg3 {Perhaps this was the move Walbrodt was relying on, but it is
insufficient.} 35. Nxg3 {Rh4 is the strong threat.} Rxg3+ 36. hxg3 Rxg3+ 37.
Kf1 Rxd3 38. Rg4 {This is the winner...it leads to mate in 9, so Walbrodt
resigned.} (38. Rxd3 {would have been a horrible mistake!} Qxb2 39. Rxd5 Be7
40. Ne4 {and black should be able to draw.}) (38. Rg4 h5 (38... Qxb2 39. Rf8+ {
mate next move.}) 39. Bxe5+ Bf6 40. Bxf6+ Kh7 41. Rg7+ Kh6 42. cxd3 c4 43. Nxc4
h4 44. Rh2 Bf7 45. Rxh4+ Bh5 46. Rg5 a5 47. Rhxh5#) 1-0
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