We’ve had nearly 250 years of trying, but it’s still hard to pin down an identifiable “American” style of chess.
The United States on the eve of its semiquincentennial on July 4th can boast of producing a string of world-class talents in the game, from New Orleans-born Paul Morphy in the 19th century and Bobby Fischer, the pride of Brooklyn, New York, in the 20th century to modern stars such as GMs Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura, the second- and third-highest rated players in the world, respectively.
But Americans tend to shun dogmatic ideas in favor of practical solutions, and finding a stylistic through line for our greatest players is an exercise in futility. American chess has been, as the cliche has it, a melting pot, with immigrants such as Irish-born James Mason, Poland’s Sammy Reshevsky and GM Wesley So of the Philippines as just a small sampling of the foreign-born players who have enriched the American game.
But this pre-Fourth of July column celebrates two native sons, starting with a brilliancy from Morphy played at the end of his epic European tour in 1858-1859, a trip that first put American chess on the global map.
The game, a casual encounter played shortly before the end of Morphy’s return to the U.S., is marred by a few oversights and lapses from the attacking side and the defense. But this game shows the precocious American’s unmatched feel for open play and his talent for brilliant mating combinations, all in the space of just two dozen moves.
Franz Schrufer, believed to be a German problem composer of the time, holds up reasonably well in the sharp opening moves of this Two Knights’ Defense, in which White relies on a double pin to win back his temporarily lost piece on 6. Re1 d5!? 7. Bxd5 Qxd5 8. Nc3. But Black fails to find the best line two moves later on 10. Neg5 Bb4?, when the more discreet 10…0-0-0! 11. Nxe6 fxe6 12. Rxe6 Bd6 leaves him at least equal.
White immediately pounces with the speculative 11. Rxe6+!? (very much in Morphy’s style, but the less flashy 11. Nxe6 fxe6 [Bxe1? 12. Nxg7+] 12. Rxe6+ Kf8 13. Qe2 leaves White with an overwhelming attack in lines such as 13…Bd6 14. Bd2 Re8 15. Re1 Bxh2+ 16. Kf1 Rxe6 17. Qxe6 g6 18. Qf6+ Kg8 19. Re8 mate) fxe6 12. Nxe6 — White’s not winning, but he secures an initiative that he retains to the end.
Black overlooks several chances to slow down the attack: 12…Qf7? (the engines like 12…Kd7! 13. Nexd4 Kc8 14. Nxc6 bxc6 15. Be3, with play for both sides) 13. Nfg5 Qe7 14. Qe2 Bd6 15. Nxg7+ Kd7? (and here Black still has life after 15…Kd8 16. N7e6+ Kc8), but it’s a third oversight that leads to one of Morphy’s most picturesque combinations.
Thus: 19. Ne6+ Kc8? (even here, the game would go on after 19…Ke8! 20. Re1 [Nxc7+?! Kd8 21. Nxa8? Bxg5 22. Qxg5+ Kc8, and the White knight can’t be saved] Rg8) 20. Nc5+ Kb8 (Kd8 21. Qd7 mate) 21. Nd7+ Kc8 22. Nb6+ kb8 23. Qc8+! Rxd8 24. Nd7 mate!, with a nice Morphyesque spin on the venerable Philidor’s Mate pattern.
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Harry Nelson Pillsbury, born in Somerville, Massachusetts, in 1872, had nearly as famous a debut as Morphy, winning the storied Hastings 1895 tournament over a string of European stars in his first international outing, the start of a distinguished but tragically short career in Europe and the U.S.
Pillsbury engaged in a series of spirited games with his slightly younger rival Frank Marshall, who would go on to dominate the American chess scene for decades after Pillsbury’s untimely passing in 1906 at the age of just 33. Pillsbury was the victor in their last recorded game, part of a match between the leading chess clubs of Philadelphia and New York.
The two enterprising Americans chart their own path in this unusual Queen’s Pawn Game line, with Pillsbury as White ceding Black an imposing advanced pawn center after 8. Nc3 d4 9. Ne2 0-0 10. a3 e5. White’s strained attempts at counterplay cost him material on 13. b5?! axb5 (Black’s pressure on the half-open a-file will prove more effective than White’s on the b-file) 14. Bxb5 h6 15. Rb1 Bc5 16. Bxc6 Nxc6 17. Rxb7!? — White knows this rook will not find its way back to safety, but banks on a kingside attack with Marshall’s army deployed on the other flank.
Defense was never Marshall’s strong suit, and White’s investment pays dividends after 20. Qh5 Nc4?! (now was the time to batten some hatches down as Black keeps his edge after 20…Kh7! 21. Qxe5 Nc4 22. Qh5 Ra5 23. Nhf5 Bxf5 24. Bxf5 Nxa3) 21. Bxh6! (Pillsbury, like Morphy, needed no invitation to sacrifice material for an attack) gxh6 22. Qxh6 Bf5! — a saving defensive resource in the face of White’s threat of 23. Nh5 — 23. Qg5+ Bg6.
Black has held the line for now, but overlooks a critical finesse as the struggle reaches its climax: 24. Nh5 Rfb8?? (the rook had to clear out to give the Black king an escape route, but 24…Rfd8! was the only move, controlling the vital d5-square and leading to a likely draw after 25. Nf5 Kf8 26. Qe7+ Kg8 27. Qg5 Kf8 28. Qe7+) 25. Nf6+ Kf8 26. Qh6+ Ke7 27. Nd5+, and Black will not get enough material compensation for the lost queen.
Pillsbury presses home his advantage forcefully, driving back Marshall’s forces with 30. f4! Rf6 31. f5, and getting his rook into the party with 32. Rb1 Ra7 33. Rb8. Black’s king is run to ground on 35. Qf8+ Kc6 36. Qc8+ Kd6 37. Qxc4 Rxa3 38. Rb6+ Kd7 39. Qc6+, and Black packs it in just ahead of 39…Kd8 (Ke7 40. f6+ Kf8 41. Rb8 mate) 40. Rb8+ Ke7 41. Re8 mate.
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Perhaps the most “American” character in the history of U.S. chess was known not so much for his play at the board but for his hundreds of inventive and ground-breaking chess problems.
Sam Loyd, born in Philadelphia in 1841, mixed mathematical rigor, clever storytelling, and not a little P.T. Barnum hucksterism to forge a long career as the country’s first great and most influential chess problemist. We close with today’s diagram, one of Loyd’s lesser-known but still charming efforts, in which White moves first and mates Black in three moves.
Chess engines (unfortunately) can solve even the toughest of these problems with the push of a button, but if you would like to try figuring it out on your own (and I highly recommend it), we’ll have the answer in this space next week.
(Click on the image above for a larger view of the chessboard.)
Morphy-Schrufer, casual game, Paris, March 1859
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d4 exd4 5. O-O Nxe4 6. Re1 d5 7. Bxd5 Qxd5 8. Nc3 Qh5 9. Nxe4 Be6 10. Neg5 Bb4 11. Rxe6+ fxe6 12. Nxe6 Qf7 13. Nfg5 Qe7 14. Qe2 Bd6 15. Nxg7+ Kd7 16. Qg4+ Kd8 17. Nf7+ Qxf7 18. Bg5+ Be7 19. Ne6+ Kc8 20. Nc5+ Kb8 21. Nd7+ Kc8 22. Nb6+ Kb8 23. Qc8+ Rxc8 24. Nd7 mate.
Pillsbury-Marshall, Franklin C.C. vs. Manhattan C.C., New York, May 1904
1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 c5 3. dxc5 e6 4. e4 Bxc5 5. Bb5+ Nc6 6. O-O a6 7. Ba4 Nge7 8. Nc3 d4 9. Ne2 O-O 10. a3 e5 11. b4 Ba7 12. Ng3 Be6 13. b5 axb5 14. Bxb5 h6 15. Rb1 Bc5 16. Bxc6 Nxc6 17. Rxb7 Bb6 18. Nh4 Na5 19. Rxb6 Qxb6 20. Qh5 Nc4 21. Bxh6 gxh6 22. Qxh6 Bf5 23. Qg5+ Bg6 24. Nh5 Rfb8 25. Nf6+ Kf8 26. Qh6+ Ke7 27. Nd5+ Kd7 28. Nxb6+ Rxb6 29. Qg7 Ke7 30. f4 Rf6 31. f5 Bh5 32. Rb1 Ra7 33. Rb8 Rfa6 34. Qh8 Kd6 35. Qf8+ Kc6 36. Qc8+ Kd6 37. Qxc4 Rxa3 38. Rb6+ Kd7 39. Qc6+ Black resigns.
• Got a hot tip or a cool game to share? David R. Sands can be reached at davidrsands18@gmail.com.
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