Wednesday, July 3, 2024

Manhattan CC vs. Franklin CC, 1904

    
In 1904 the Manhattan Chess club met the Franklin Chess Club of Philadelphia in an over then board match that was played in the Manhattan Chess Club in Carnegie Hall at corner Seventh Avenue and Fifty-Sixth Street, New York. 
    Luster was lent to the match because Frank Marshall, who just ten days earlier had taken first prize in the great Cambridge Springs, and the U.S. Champion Harry N. Pillsbury who was able to obtain some partial revenge for some of his recent losses to Marshall. 
    During supper at the Hotel Savoy Marshall was presented an expensive gold watch and chain in recognition of his wonderful success at Cambridge Springs that year. 
    Why these two giants were playing on second board is not known, but presumably it was because Fox and Bampton were the champions of their clubs.
    This was the first time that Pillsbury, who had moved to Philadelphia, had entered the Manhattan Chess Club since an incident that had taken place several years previously when he resigned his membership in a huff because someone had stolen his umbrella.
 
A game that I liked (Fritz 17)
[Event "Manhattan CC - Franklin CC, New York"] [Site "Manhattan CC, New York, NY USA"] [Date "1904.05.30"] [Round "?"] [White "Harry N. Pillsbury (Franklin)"] [Black "Frank Marshall (Manhattan)"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D02"] [Annotator "Stockfish 16"] [PlyCount "77"] [EventDate "1904.??.??"] {D02: QP Opening} 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 c5 3. dxc5 e6 4. e4 Bxc5 (4... dxe4 {is a mistake. After} 5. Qxd8+ Kxd8 6. Ng5 Ke8 7. Nxe4 {black has an unfavorable position.}) 5. Bb5+ Nc6 6. O-O a6 7. Ba4 Nge7 8. Nc3 (8. Ne5 O-O 9. Nd3 Ba7 10. Nc3 b5 11. exd5 Nxd5 12. Nxd5 Qxd5 13. Bb3 {Pezelj,N (2276)-Benkovic,P (2433) Mataruska Banja 2007, The position is equal.}) 8... d4 9. Ne2 O-O 10. a3 e5 11. b4 Ba7 12. Ng3 Be6 13. b5 axb5 14. Bxb5 h6 {thus prevents Ng5.} 15. Rb1 Bc5 { White should now play 16.a4 with equal chances. Instead Pillsbury chooses a risky continuation.} 16. Bxc6 Nxc6 $17 (16... bxc6 17. Nxe5 Bxa3 {is only equal.}) 17. Rxb7 Bb6 {The R is trapped.} 18. Nh4 Na5 (18... Qxh4 {would result in equality after} 19. Rxb6 Rfc8) 19. Rxb6 Qxb6 20. Qh5 {White has what appears to be a dangerous attack, but black has sufficient defensive resources. ]} Nc4 (20... Bd7 {allowing the Q to defend h6 kept the advantage. Now Marshall's best move is} 21. Qxe5 Rfe8 22. Qh5 Nc4 23. Nhf5 Bxf5 24. Nxf5 { Here he can play it safe with 24...Qg6 or he can take up the challenge and capture the e-Pawn.} Rxe4 25. Nxh6+ gxh6 26. Qd5 Rae8 27. Qxc4 Re1 28. Bd2 { A difficult position which slightly favors black. In Shootouts using Stockfish white scored +0 -4 =1}) 21. Bxh6 gxh6 22. Qxh6 Bf5 {Brilliant...but also the only defense.} (22... f6 23. Nh5 Ra7 24. Qg6+ Kh8 25. Nxf6 Rxf6 (25... Bg8 26. Qh6+ Rh7 27. Ng6#) 26. Qxf6+ Kh7 27. Qg6+ Kh8 28. Qh6+ Kg8 29. Ng6 Bc8 30. Qf8+ Kh7 31. Qxc8 Qxg6 32. Qxc4 {white is winning.}) 23. Qg5+ Bg6 {Materially white has only 3 Ps vs. a R, but the chances are equal.} 24. Nh5 {[%mdl 128] Black needs to defend precisely.} Rfb8 {[%mdl 8192] ...which he does not and with this move he loses the game.} (24... Rfd8 $1 $11 {and black stays safe.} 25. Nf6+ Kf8 26. Qh6+ Ke7 {and now white cannot continue as in the game with} 27. Nd5+ Rxd5 28. exd5 Bxc2 {with a decisive advantage, but it require a lot of nursing to score the point as the following possible continuation shows.} 29. d6+ Nxd6 30. Qg7 Ra5 31. Nf3 Ne8 32. Qg5+ f6 33. Qg8 Qe6 34. Qh8 d3 35. h4 Nd6 36. Nd2 Ra4 37. h5 Rh4 38. f3 Nf7 39. Qb8 Rd4 40. g4 Ng5 41. Kh2 Rd8 42. Qa7+ Rd7 43. Qc5+ Kf7 44. Kg3 Kg7 45. Ra1 Re7 46. Re1 Qd7 47. Ra1 Ba4 48. Rc1 e4 49. h6+ Kh7 50. Re1 Bc6 51. f4 e3 52. Rxe3 Ne4+ 53. Nxe4 Bxe4 54. Qb4 d2 55. Rxe4 Rxe4 56. Qxe4+ f5 {and wins.}) 25. Nf6+ Kf8 (25... Kg7 {leads to mate.} 26. Nf5+ Kh8 27. Qh6+ Bh7 28. Qxh7#) 26. Qh6+ Ke7 27. Nd5+ Kd7 28. Nxb6+ Rxb6 29. Qg7 Ke7 30. f4 {[%mdl 32]} Rf6 31. f5 Bh5 32. Rb1 {Threatening mate with Rb7+.} Ra7 33. Rb8 {White wants to mate with Qf8+.} Rfa6 34. Qh8 Kd6 35. Qf8+ Kc6 36. Qc8+ Kd6 37. Qxc4 Rxa3 38. Rb6+ Kd7 39. Qc6+ {Black resigned. It's mate in 2. According to Stockfish Pillsbiry's play was nearly flawless.} 1-0

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