Gens Una Sumus!
Nigel Davies
1) Mechanics Institute Chess Club News
2) Showalter visits Mechanics’ Institute 1891
3) Here and There
GMs Josh Friedel and Jesse Kraai will lead a contingent of Mechanics' players toLas Vegas for the National Open this weekend.
IM Sam Shankland is among the participants in the US Junior Closed whichwill be held this summer in Wisconsin.
Book and equipment donations to the Mechanics' are always welcome. All donations to the Mechanics' are tax deductible due to the M.I.'s 501(c) (3) nonprofit status. If you have any chess books or equipment that have been lying around unused for some time consider donating to the Mechanics'. You will not only get a tax write off but also the satisfaction of seeing things put to good use.
Local Artists to Test His Skill— He Proclaims
Steinitz the World's Champion— His Views on the Game
He will play some match games with the best players of the various local clubs, and such experts as Messrs. Redding, Lovegrove and Dr. Marshall have already consented to cross swords with him. The games will most probably be played in the Mechanics' Institute rooms.
Mr. Showalter comes from Georgetown, Ky. He is a most prepossessing gentleman,about 30 years of age, and of pleasing address and appearance.
Speaking to a Call reporter yesterday on the topic if chess he said: "I have played the. game ever since I was a boy, but It has only been within the last five or six years that I gained any deep insight into the game.
There will be another tournament held this year at Lexington, Ky., beginning onAugust 4th, in which I shall take part, as will Pollock of Baltimore, Max Judd of St. Louis, a very strong player, Lipschitz of New York and others.
"I am an honorary member of every chess club in the country, I believe, and am an active one of the Manhattan Club of New York. I do not know if it be any special honor, but, as far as I can ascertain, I am the youngest public chess-player in America."
“Who is the greatest living chess-player" Steinitz, most certainly. There can beno doubt about his being the champion.He is a Bohemian by birth, I believe. Atpresent he is in New York, where he has lived for the past two years."
Source: The Morning Call (San Francisco) February 17, 1891 (page 3)
Interview With an Exponent of It's Beauties
What the Champion Says of San Francisco
Jackson W. Showalter, the American champion chess-player, who has been demonstrating the beauties of that scientific game to the players in the Mechanics' Institute, leaves at the end of this week for his home in Kentucky. En route he will visit Los Angeles, staying there about a week, and will play the experts there. After leaving Los Angeles lie will visit St. Louis for two weeks to play a match with Max Judge, who challenges his title to the championship.
Mr. Showalter has been most courteously treated by the local chess-players, and he is eloquent in expressing his gratitude for the extremely kind manner in which he has been received. Unfortunately the rainy weather caused him to suffer with a severe cold during most of his month's stay and left him unable to accept much of the hospitality that was so freely extended to him. Excepting the disagreeable weather recollections, lie carries away with him only the pleasantest memories of San Francisco and its residents.
Speaking of the strength of the local players as compared with those he has met else where, Mr. Showalter is most complimentary. In his opinion, "the players of San Francisco are much stronger than those of Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago and Pittsburgh. They take a very great interest in the game, and the outlook for San Francisco to be one of the leading centers for first class play is most encouraging. Owing to larger populations and wider organizations the play in New York, St. Louis, Brooklyn and New Orleans is probably stronger than here. But San Francisco in general in comparison with all cities of equal size in the Union is much ahead.
"I have played with all the leading lovers of the game here. I think Joseph Redding is perhaps the strongest player I have met, but I have only played twice with him. I won one game and the other was not finished. My principal reason for not leaving sooner was to meet Mr. Redding in a match game of three in five this week. Walter Lovegrove is the best young player I have met here. I think he will prove a formidable opponent for any one in a year or two, and I believe he hasa most brilliant prospect before him in the chess world.
"Dr. Marshall is also a player of strong caliber. I have played several games with him. and always found him a hard man to defeat. Messrs. Manson, Ott and Heine man are also first-class, and would be valuable acquisitions to any club.
"After meeting Mr. Judd in St Louis my next public engagement is in the United States Association Chess Congress on August 4 at Lexington, Ky., when the championship title will be played for again."
That the game between the champion and Walter Lovegrove was a well contested one from opening to finish can readily be seen by a glance at the following record of the moves:
Game San Francisco, CA, 1891
NM Michael Aigner prepared the following two lists for June.
Samuel Sevian (#1 age 8)
Cameron Wheeler (#5 age 8)
Yian Liou (#3 age 11)
FM Danya Naroditsky (#1 age 13)
NM Greg Young (#3 age 14)
NM Steven Zierk (#2 age 15)
NM Rohan Agarwal (#5 age 16)
IM Sam Shankland (#2 age 17)
#11 FM Elliott Liu, 2405, 19 (attends Stanford; from S. California)
#15 FM Danya Naroditsky, 2378, 13
#20 NM Steven Zierk, 2333, 15
#26 NM Daniel Schwarz, 2313, 19 (attends Stanford)
#36 NM Julian Landaw, 2284, 19 (attends UC Berkeley; from S. California)
#42 NM Drake Wang, 2262, 19 (attends Cal Poly SLO)
#46 NM Greg Young, 2249, 14
#48 NM Jimmy Heiserman, 2236, 20 (attends UC Davis; from Texas)
#50 NM Rohan Agarwal, 2231, 16
#53 NM Vaishnav Aradhyula, 2226, 18 (attends Stanford; from Arizona)
#96 Christopher De Sa, 2158, 18 (attends Stanford; from Arizona)
Rusty Miller sends the following link dedicated to the games of Montana/Washington Expert Michael Murray
http://www.smokecreek.com/MikeNWChess.html
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