If my memory is correct Frank Marshall’s book, My Fifty Years of Chess, was the first one I had. It was published in 1942, which, of course, was before I was born and it was, I think, republished in paperback by Dover.
Frank Marshall (1877-1944) was US Champion for 27 years and his games are still a delight to play over. Best known for his great tactical skill, he was famous for the "Marshall swindle" where a tactical trick would turn a lost game around. It’s not remembered today, but in his day Marshall was also known for his endgame skill.
There is no question that the 1904 Cambridge Springs International Chess Congress, the first major international tournament in the United States, was Marshall’s greatest success; he finished first by two full points.
Other American players, Jackson W. Showalter, Albert Fox, John Barry, Albert B. Hodges, Eugene Delamr, Max Judd and even the legendary Harry N. Pillsbury were no longer able to compete at Marshall’s level.
Marshall’s success at Cambridge Springs even resulted in him being considered as a world championship challenger. Unfortunately, he was never able to repeat the great success of Cambridge
Springs, nor was he successful in a run at the world championship. In fact, after Cambridge Springs Marshall’s play was inconsistent and his results were not especially impressive. That may have been due more to his personal nature and style of play more than his ability.
The July 2, 1896 edition of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported on the Continuous tournament, one in which the players played 37to 260 (!) games and the final standing were based on the percentage of wins, draws not counting.
“F. J. Marshall, the young player who has been making such rapid strides to the front in local chess circles of late, has again captured first prize in the Brooklyn club's continuous tournament with the high percentage of 80 (percent).”
Marshall’s overall score was +40 -10.
Close on Marshall's heels was G. W. Jones, a former first prize
winner, with a score of 77.8 percent (+35 -10). R. P. Dow secured the highest number of wins with 260 and he also had the highest number of losses, 184.
Here is Marshall’s win against the runner up., about whom nothing is known. The only other time his name came up (that I found) was in 1897 when the Brooklyn CC defeated the Chicago CC in a correspondence match 6.5-5.5.
In that match Jones, playing on board defeated his opponent. William Napier was on first board for Brooklyn followed by Herman Helms and Frank Marshall.
In the game Jones was facing some pressure in the form of a K-side attack, but he was holding his own until move 20 when he took the precaution of playing a defensive move. It turned out to be a fatal mistake after which Marshall unleashed a vicious attack against which there was no defense. As far as I know this game does not appear in any books on Marshall.
[Event "Brooklyn CC Continuous Tournament"]
[Site "Brooklyn, NY USA"]
[Date "1896.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "G W Jones"]
[Black "Frank Marshall"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C50"]
[Annotator "Stockfish 16"]
[PlyCount "50"]
[EventDate "1896.??.??"]
[Source "Brooklyn Daily E"]
{C54: Giuoco Piano} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. O-O d6 5. c3 Bg4 6. d3
Nf6 7. Be3 Bb6 8. Nbd2 Qe7 {The alternative is 8...O-O} 9. b4 Rd8 10. a4 d5 11.
exd5 Nxd5 (11... Bxe3 12. dxc6 Bxd2 13. Qxd2 Bxf3 14. gxf3 bxc6 {is a slightly
more accurate continuation.}) 12. Bxb6 (12. Bxd5 {would give white the
advanyage after} Rxd5 13. c4 Rxd3 14. c5 e4 15. cxb6 exf3 16. Qc2 Nxb4 17. Qc4
Be6 18. bxc7 O-O 19. Bc5 Qxc7 20. Qxb4) 12... axb6 13. Qb3 Nf4 14. Rae1 O-O 15.
h3 (15. d4 {was more accurate, but it would allow black to draw.} Bxf3 16. Nxf3
Qd7 17. Nxe5 Nxe5 18. Rxe5 Qg4 19. g3 Nh3+ 20. Kg2 {and black can draw by
repeating moves.}) 15... Bh5 (15... Bxh3 16. gxh3 Rd6 17. Re4 Nxh3+ 18. Kh1 {
Best} (18. Kg2 Nf4+ 19. Rxf4 {otherwise black has a mating attack..} Rg6+ 20.
Kh2 exf4 21. Rg1 Rxg1 22. Kxg1 g5 {and black has reason to be optimistic.})
18... Rh6 19. Nh2 {Here, too, black has a good position, In Shootouts white
scored +1 -3 =1}) 16. d4 Rd6 {This is a slight inaccuracy. It would have been
better to get the Q off the line of the R with 15...Qf6} 17. Kh2 {This
defensive move was unnecessary.} (17. dxe5 {gives black the initiative after}
Rg6 18. g3 Nxh3+ 19. Kh1 Rh6 20. Kg2 {but white's defensive resources should
prove adequate.}) (17. d5 Nb8 18. Rxe5 {with slightly the better of it.}) 17...
Qd7 18. Nxe5 Nxe5 19. Rxe5 {White has won a P, but black has good attacking
prospects and that's all Marshall needs.} Rh6 {[%mdl 32] White must now
prevent ...Bg6.} 20. Re3 {[%mdl 8192] This looks like a good defensive move,
but there is absolutely no time for such precautions!} (20. Rfe1 {had to be
played. Then after} Bg4 21. Kg1 Bxh3 22. g3 {White is completely safe...there
is simply no way black can dig out white's K.} (22. Bxf7+ {is a fancy defense.}
Qxf7 23. Qxf7+ Rxf7 24. Re8+ (24. gxh3 Nxh3+ 25. Kg2 Rxf2+) 24... Rf8 25. Rxf8+
Kxf8 26. gxh3 Nxh3+ 27. Kg2 {and, theoretically at least, white should be able
to draw.})) 20... Bg4 {The attack on h3 is overpowering.} 21. Rh1 Bxh3 {
[%mdl 128]} 22. gxh3 (22. Kg1 {allows white to put up a manly defense.} Qc6 23.
Ne4 Bxg2 24. Rxh6 Qxh6 25. Ng3 {Clearly black is better, but how does he win?!
According to Stockfish the best line is} g6 26. Qb1 Qh4 27. Qe1 Bc6 28. f3 Bxa4
29. Ne4 Qh3 30. Bf1 Qf5 31. c4 Bc2 32. Qf2 Bxe4 33. fxe4 Qg5+ {and black has a
decisive advantage because of his passed Ps on the K-side.}) 22... Rxh3+ {
Black now has a mate in 8.} 23. Kg1 Qg4+ 24. Rg3 Rxg3+ 25. Kf1 Rxc3 {[%mdl 512]
Pretty, but not the most efficient! White resigned} (25... Re8 26. fxg3 Qxg3
27. Bxf7+ Kf8 28. Qe6 Rxe6 29. Bxe6 Qg2+ 30. Ke1 Qe2#) (25... Rxc3 26. Qb1 Qg2+
27. Ke1 Re8+ 28. Kd1 Qxh1+ 29. Bf1 Re2 30. f3 Rxf3 31. Kc2 Rxd2+ 32. Kxd2 Qh2+
33. Ke1 Rxf1+ 34. Kxf1 Qe2+ 35. Kg1 Qg2#) 0-1
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