In the 1800s there was an group of strong players in the Boston area known as the Order of the Mandarins of the Yellow Button. In order to join, a prospective member had to be an amateur who had beaten a recognized Master of international repute in an even game i.e. no odds.
The group met on Saturday afternoon for skittles and in the evenings they had diiner and discussed chess. Members included: Franklin K. Young, Constant F. Burille, F. H. Harlow, Dr. E.M. Harris, C. F. Howard, Major Otho.E. Michaelis, General W. C. Paine, Dr. Horace Richardson, Henry N. Stone, Preston Ware, Jr. and Charles B. Snow.
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The elusive Charles B. Snow Snow was born on Orleans, Massachusetts and passed away in his home in Roxbury, a Boston suburb, on February 28, 1924 at the age of 76.
For many years he was one of the leading players in Boston. For
more than half a century he had been a member of the Boston Chess Club. His obituary described him as a man with a cordial and amiable disposition who was ever ready for a game with anybody.
He was a successful merchant in the stove and hardware business, and later he owned a carpet and crockery store.
What made him so elusive is that he never sought notoriety or any titles in the chess world, although many times he won first place in the Boston club championship. He just loved the game and found great pleasure in it.
It was in 1874, when a player of some ability named Reverand Benjamin M. Neill (1853-1922) of Philadelphia was residing in Boston, Snow discovered that he and a group were playing chess at the Y. M. C.A. and so Snow invited Neil to the Boston Chess Club. There
Neill 1 caused a sensation when he easily whipped all the club members,
Neill was a strong player and problemist, whose chess career spanned almost 50 years.
In 1873, he began to compose problems.
In 1874, while living in Boston, he won the New England Championship by beating Preston Ware in a match with the score of 7-3.
He also won a tournament held in Boston tournament in1874 with the score +15 -1 =2. He traveled to New York in 1874, where he defeated Eugene Delmar in a short match.
After returning to Philadelphia in 1875, he won the Philadelphia Chess Club Tournamentin1875).
Neill participated in few tournaments only, since he didn't want chess to interfere with his ministerial duties. He even published his chess problems under the name Benjamin Milnes, as long as he was active in church work.
In 1888, in a special four-round tournament between five of Boston's strongest players, Snow finished second (15-5) behind Burille whose scored 15.5-4.5. In rghwie individual games in the tournament Snnow scored _1 1 =2 against Burille. Snow defeated the third place finisher, Franklin K. Yong, 2.51.5. He acored 4-0 against Preston Ware and Henry Stone who were 4th and 5th respectively.
Besides the aforementioned humility, what makes Snow so elusive is that never kept any written records of his games so only a very few are now available from other sources.
The following is taken from the Boston Globe's weekly chess column dated October 11, 1876. The tournament is unknown as is the full identity of his opponent.
[Event "Bostin"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1876.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Charles B. Snow"]
[Black "Sawyer"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C51"]
[Annotator "Stockfish 16"]
[PlyCount "55"]
[EventDate "1876.??.??"]
{C51: Evans Gambit} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 {Fashionable at the
time, the Evans Gambit fell out of fasjion for decades until Garry Kasparov
used it in a few games in the 1990s which which prompted a brief revival of
interest in it.} Bxb4 {Declining the gambit with 4...Bb6 makes it little
harder foir white to score the point, but the gambit's acceptance is much more
popular.} 5. c3 Bc5 6. O-O d6 7. d4 exd4 8. cxd4 Bb6 9. Bb2 Nf6 $11 (9... Nge7
10. d5 Na5 11. Bxg7 {Losing. 11.Bd3 equals} Rg8 12. Bf6 Nxc4 13. e5 Bg4 14.
exd6 Qxd6 15. Bxe7 Kxe7 16. Re1+ Kf8 17. Re4 Qf6 {White resigned. Prill,D
(2181)-Sanchez Jerez,E (2291) Calvia ESP 2013}) 10. d5 Ne5 (10... Ne7 {is
superior.} 11. Bxf6 gxf6 12. a4 O-O {In spite of apperances the chances are
equal. Bird,H-Steinitz,W London 1883}) 11. Nxe5 dxe5 12. Ba3 Nxe4 13. Qe2 {
Black's position looks precarious, but in reality he can actually claim to be
a bit better.} Qh4 {Not really bad, but it's risky.} (13... f5 {The position
of black's K in the center of the board is probably enough to scare most
players away from this position, but Stockfish is certain that the position is
exactly equal. After 5 minutes analysis this is its best line...} 14. Nd2 Nxd2
15. Qxd2 Bd7 16. Rfe1 e4 17. d6 Qf6 18. dxc7 Bxc7 19. Bb2 Be5 20. Bxe5 Qxe5 21.
Bf7+ Ke7 22. Bd5 Bc6 23. Bxc6 bxc6 24. Rac1 Rac8 25. f3 Rhd8 26. Qg5+ Kf7 27.
fxe4 Qd4+ 28. Kh1 fxe4 29. Qh4 Kg8 30. Rxe4 Qd2 31. Rce1 c5 32. h3 Kh8 33. Re7
Rg8 34. Qc4 a5 35. R1e4 Qd8 36. Kg1 Qd6 37. Kh1 Rgf8 38. R4e6 Qd1+ 39. Re1 Qd8
40. Qc3 Rg8 {[%eval 0,0] Evaluation}) 14. Nd2 f5 {This is a mistake. It's
possible that black miscalculated to consequenses of capturing in f3.} (14...
Bxf2+ {Or 14...Nxf2} 15. Rxf2 Qxf2+ 16. Qxf2 Nxf2 17. Kxf2 Bf5 {This is the
type of unbalanced material situation that is theoretically equal, but in
practice the stronger player can probably win from either side.}) 15. d6 (15.
g3 {won't do because after} Qf6 16. Nxe4 fxe4 17. Bb5+ Kd8 18. Qxe4 Bh3 {
Black is better.} 19. Bb2 Rf8 20. Bxe5 {Let's get tactical!} Bxf2+ 21. Kh1 Qf5
22. Qxf5 Rxf5 23. Bxg7 Ke7 24. Bd3 Rf7 25. Bc3 Bxf1 26. Bb4+ (26. Rxf1 {
is a blooper.} Bc5 {and black is better.}) 26... Ke8 27. Rxf1 Bb6 28. Rxf7 Kxf7
29. Bxh7 Re8 {In Shootouts white drew one game and lost 4.}) (15. Bb5+ {
This is actually white's best mive.} Bd7 16. Bxd7+ Kxd7 17. Nxe4 fxe4 18. Qb5+
Kd8 19. Kh1 {White is better. Black must avoid} Bxf2 20. Qxb7 Rc8 21. d6 {
and wins.}) 15... Bd7 {This is wrong.} (15... Nxd2 {is a loser...} 16. Qxe5+
Kd8 17. Qxg7 {Threatening mate on c7} Re8 (17... cxd6 18. Qxh8+ Kc7 19. Qg7+ {
also wins}) 18. Bb2 cxd6 19. Bf6+) (15... cxd6 {After this black nakes it out
of the woods.} 16. Rae1 Nc5 17. Nf3 Qf6 18. Nxe5 dxe5 19. Qxe5+ Qxe5 20. Rxe5+
Ne6 21. Rfe1 Bd8 22. Rxf5 Bf6 {with equal chances.}) 16. Nxe4 (16. g3 {is
still a poor choice as it allows black to equalize.} Qf6 $11 17. Nxe4 fxe4 18.
dxc7 Bxc7) 16... fxe4 (16... Qxe4 {offering a trade of Qs loses quickly.} 17.
Qh5+ g6 18. Qg5 cxd6 19. Qf6 Qxc4 (19... Rf8 20. Qxd6 O-O-O (20... Qxc4 21.
Qxf8#) 21. Rac1 {wins}) 20. Qxh8+ Ke7 21. Qxa8 {wins easily.}) 17. Bd5 {
[%mdl 8192] This slip should have reversed the situation and allowed black to
gain the advantage!} (17. dxc7 Rc8 18. Rad1 Rxc7 19. Bd6 Qg4 20. Qxg4 Bxg4 21.
Bxc7 Bxd1 22. Rxd1 Bxc7 {The Bs of opposite color give white drawing chances.})
17... O-O-O {While this does not lose by any means it makes black defense
difficult.} (17... c6 {shuts out white's B on a3 and allows black's K to reach
safety.} 18. Bxe4 O-O {and black is better.}) 18. dxc7 {As bad as things may
look for black he is hanging on by the skin of his teeth.} Bxc7 {[%mdl 8192]
Very logical...and very wrong! It loses almost at once.} (18... Kxc7 {This
paradoxical move exposing the K is realtively safe.} 19. Rac1+ Bc6 (19... Kb8
20. Bd6+ Ka8 21. Qa6 {wins}) 20. Bxe4 Qf6 {and clack is hanging on.}) 19. Rab1
{The final assault begins...and a vicious one it is!} Bb6 20. Rfc1+ Kb8 {
This allows a maye in 9, but he was lost anyway.} (20... Bc6 21. Rxc6+ bxc6 22.
Qa6+ Kc7 23. Rxb6 axb6 24. Qa7+ Kc8 25. Qa8+ Kc7 26. Qxc6+ Kb8 27. Qb7#) 21.
Bd6+ Ka8 22. Rxb6 $1 {[%mdl 512]} Bc6 23. Rbxc6 e3 24. Rc8+ $3 Rxc8 25. Bxb7+ {
[%mdl 512]} Kxb7 26. Qb5+ Ka8 27. Qd5+ Rc6 28. Qxc6# 1-0
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