1899 in Review

by Eric Schiller

As the turn of the century approached, chess grew in stature, but major competitions were still infrequent. The major European nations produced most of the top players, but more and more Americans were making an impact. Germany's Emanuel Lasker was only a few years into his long reign as World Champion. His top-ten competition came from Hungary, Poland, Austria, Russia and America, as well as his native land. Charousek was ill and missed out on the big events, and Tarrasch was less active than usual. Pillsbury, Janowsky and Schlechter were contenders, with Hodges and Marshall the notable Americans. The Caxton rating list for 1899 is in the table on the left.

In the biggest tournament of the year, a double round robin held in London, Lasker walked away with first place. He scored 23.5 out of 28, losing only a single game, to Blackburne, though he won their other game. He defeated all the other players in their individual matches,m not even dropping half a point to the bottom four players. Blackburne had a fine event, finishing in sixth place, though his lack of efficiency against the middle of the field hurt him.Chigorin was unable to score against the top of the table, and had to settle for plus 4 at 16-12. Steinitz had a disaster finishing minus three and ending up in 11th place. He was in sad shape, battling a mental collapse and he died later that year. The game between Steinitz and Lasker is available here.

The tournament originally had 15 players, but Teichman quit after four games, so most scores include two forfeit wins. Some strong players couldn't make it. Doctor Tarrasch was busy with medical concerns, Amos Burn copped out at the last minute, Horatio Caro was a no-show, and Charousek was simply too ill. One of the most remarkable features of the event was the fighting chess from Carl Schlechter, who had only 8 draws.

There was a second section in the tournament, won by Frank Marshall, with 8.5 out of 11. Marco and Mieses were the most experienced opponents, and the tournament was not all that strong (Caxton category 2100). Still, the New Yorker was a virtual unknown at the time, and the event can be taken as the start of his international career.

Amsterdam hosted an open International amateur tournament, which was one by Atkins, who was not able to play in the london events. Other recognizable names in the event include Olland, Tresling and Swiderski.

Otherwise, match play dominated the scene. David Janowski crossed the Atlantic to challenge three of America's best. He defeated Lipschütz 3.5-1.5, blew away Marshall 3-1, but could only manage a 2-4 result against Showalter.

Lasker and Pillsbury were guests in Britain for some time. Lasker stopped in Scotland en route to Moscow, and Pillsbury engaged in some exhibitions. There was plenty of chess in England, with such traditional events as the annual Oxford vs. Cambridge match, which was won in convincing fashion by the latter.

The loss of Steinitz overshadowed the deaths of some other important players, including the Reverend George MacDonnell, J.S. Kipping, Edmund Thorold and the famous Baron von Heydebrand und von der Lasa.

Major chess competitions