1907-1936: the Champion Who Enjoyed It

Chap ter 5 1907-1936: The Champion Who Enjoyed It Frank James Marshall enjoyed being the always liked a wide open game and tried to United States champion. Like Morphy before knock our my opponent with a checkmate as him and Bobby Fischer after, he was easily rec quickly as possible. I subscribe to the old be ognized as the best American player of his day. lief that offense is the best form of defense." But, unlike his two peers, success at the game By the time Marshall had turned 11 he never seemed to haunt Marshall: to the con had outgrown his father's abilities and was trary, he revelled in his tide status, wearing it soon introduced to stiffer competition at Mon like a badge. Later champions would see the treal coffeehouses, and eventually joined the tournament primarily as a source of prize Montreal Chess Club which he credits as a money. Gata Kamsky competed in part to es major, favorable influence. From then on, tablish his credentials as an American, and not Marshall had ample opportunity to develop just "former Soviet," star. But to Marshall, the his style, claiming that from the age of ten tide was more, a virtual facetof his personal until he had long since retired from competi ity. Indeed, a Frank Marshall signature was not tive chess he played at least one game a day - complete until he added, as a suffix, "United and then took the chess board to bed with him States Chess Champion." in case he got any middle-of-the-night inspi He was born in New Yo rk City on Au rations. "Only a pocket set, though," he added. gust 10, 1877, and lived there for eight years Marshall's monolithic, yet romantic, de before his family moved to Montreal, where votion to the game paid offwhe n, afterestab he began his life in chess by watching his fa lishing himself as a force in international com ther play casual evening games over the din petition and the strongest native-born player ing room table. The future champion did not then active in America, he traveled to Ken prove to be a master overnight. Upon learn tucky in 1909 and defeated the on-again, off ing the moves from his father, it took young again champion, Jackson Showalter. In retro Frank at least six months to play as well as he, spect, this act cleared up all confusion about and "quite a long time" beforehe won a game. the succession ofchampions since Mackenzie's Marshall describes his early chess style: "From day, and also gave Marshall the title left ap the very first, I was an attacking player, for parently vacant by the death of Pillsbury in ever on the offensive. This often got me into 1906. The American ChessBulletin reported at trouble. However, I am glad that my father the time a sentiment shared by many U.S. did not curb this instinct too much .... I have players: "It was indeed a pleasant surprise when 37 38 The United States Chess Championship word came from Lexington, Ky., rhe first of New Yo rk. Without much coaxing, Capa November, that play actually had begun in a blanca added to his reputation by a series of match between Frank J. Marshall and Jackson highly publicized simultaneous exhibitions W. Showalter for the championship of the tours in which he usually won about 90 per United States. The Bulletin had complete faith cent of his games. in the assertion that Showalter had not re Inevitably, comparisons between Mar tired .... But it remained forMarshall to track shall and Capablanca - the two best players in our chess lion to his lair." New York and also the two best players in the One reason it was a pleasant surprise was Western Hemisphere -were made. A match that the match also pur an end to the peculiar was also inevitable. Capablanca later recalled: dispure that had been raging in American clubs "Marshall was disposed to play in chis case for nearly a year: whether or not the title of where he naturally discounted his victory. How U.S. champion had been usurped by the young farhe was wrong, the result proved." dynamo Jose Raoul Capablanca. How could It did indeed, as Capa routed Marshall the Havana-born Capa be considered as Pills by winning eight games, losing only one and bury's successor? That requires a bit of digres drawing seven others. The match, held in early s10n: 1909, had ostensibly been for a match stakes After Pillsbury's fatal symptoms became and also forbragging rights. Bue the New Yo rk apparent, American chess hopes shifted to State Association had complicated matters by Marshall, who was only 22 when he garnered sanctioning the event as being for the U.S. an impressive tie forthird prize at the Paris in championship tide. After all, the state body ternational of 1900. That was his debut in reasoned, wasn't Marshall the champion? grandmaster chess and although he finished Bue afterthe match Marshall counterat behind world champion Emanuel Lasker and tacked. He argued chat the Cuban could not Pillsbury, Marshall had the pleasure of beat hold the U.S. title because he was not a United ing both of them in the course of event. Four States citizen (remember the difference be years later, in Pillsbury's last, somewhat pa tween Captain Mackenzie and James Mason?). thetic appearance, Marshall scored his great This argument sounded a bit self-serving, con est success by winning the Cambridge Springs sidering chat Cuba was then a United States International in western Pennsylvania, ahead territory and chat Capablanca had been living of Lasker, Pillsbury and a host of strong Eu in New Yo rk for more than three years and ropean and American masters. At the rime gave every indication ofremaining. Moreover, there was no doubt that Marshall had replaced the Cuban said he planned to take out citizen rhe soon mortally ill Bostonian as the best U.S. ship papers as soon as he came of legal age, player of the day. which would be in a few months. But by the time Pillsbury's death this was Capa told the American Chess Bulletin: "I no longer so clear. Jose Capablanca had come am the undisputed champion of Cuba, and to New Yo rk fromhis native Cuba to study at last spring I beat Marshall by the score of 8 to Columbia University and he quickly set the 1. Mr. Marshall has the greatest reputation and local chess scene on fire. Like Marshall, Capa the best score in tournaments of any living had learned the moves at an early age from his chess player in the U.S.A., and is therefore father and was naturally gifted with remark considered everywhere as the strongest repre able tactical intuition. But he also had an ex sentative of the United States .... Therefore, I ceptionally deep strategic sense and when he consider myself the 'champion of America,' met the New Yo rk masters who had styled them and stand ready to defend my tide within a selves after Pillsbury and Marshall, the Cuban year against any American of the U.S.A. or never had any difficulty. His renown at speed anywhere else, fora side bet of at least $1,000, chess - then becoming the new fadat the Man United States currency. Under these circum hattan Chess Club - quickly spread beyond stances the question whether I am a citizen of 1907-1936: The Champion Wh o Enjoyed It 39 the U.S.A. or not has nothing to do with the from of the Phoenix m the mid- and late matter under consideration." 1800s. The tradition has been carried over But Capablanca tended to overstate his today in the fo rm of an annual "Phoenix case - he was never "champion of Cuba," for Stakes" race each spring. example. Fans quickly took sides, some forMar But the stakes for the Showalter-Marshall shall, some for Capa. Once again the chess match were modest -$500 a side -and the community turned to a lawyer to sort out the only aspect of it that was in keeping with the facts and again their choice was Walter Penn Phoenix tradition was its speed. The match Shipley. His line of reasoning came as a sur was to consist of 15 games and was decided prise, but his conclusion was even more so. after12 - taking just 14 days to play. Marshall The real U.S. champion, Shipley said, was nei won two of the first three games, drew the ther Marshall, nor Capablanca. He wrote: "If other and coasted easily to victory with seven there is any chess champion of the United wins and three draws. Showalter scored only States, Jackson W Showalter of Kentucky is two wins and he seemed long out of shape. the holder of the tide. Since he won it he has never declined any challenge and until he does C21 Danish Gambit so, neither Marshall, Capablanca nor any other Match, Lexington, Ky., 1909; player has a valid claim." white Marshall, black Showalter Shipley went on to say that "to be the American champion one must be an American, 1 e4 eS 2 d4 exd4 3 c3!? either native or naturalized." Capa could be come a chaLlenger for the tide if he now be Marshall's choice of opening may seem comes a citizen, the lawyer ruled. ''And the man bizarre but this was his style at the time and he must challenge is Showalter." it didn't matter whether he was playing in a With that, the New York Chess Associa tournament or a match.

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