[blind-chess] US Chess History Article #7
- From: Roderick Macdonald <rmacd@xxxxxxxx>
- To: Blind Chess Mailing List <blind-chess@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2010 20:42:07 -1000 (HST)
US Chess History Article 7
THE FORGOTTEN FORTIES
by Robert John McCrary
Most modern chess fans who read about the history of the game start with
Paul Morphy's victory at the First American Chess Congress in 1857. If
they delve a little deeper they will encounter a reference to the first
international chess tournament in 1851 in London. Before that, all is a
mysterious darkness to them.
Yet, the previous decade, the 1840's, was one of the most important
decades ever in the development of organized chess in the US. The 1840's
saw the first American chess columns, followed quickly by the first chess
magazines in this country. The first documented American chess tournament,
a local event, occurred in 1843. The first national chess gatherings
involving a large number of players took place in the 1840's. The first US
Championship competition was held in that decade.
Any change in the course of history results from a combination of general
cultural circumstances, and individual leaders who appear just at the
right time to exploit those circumstances. Such was the case in the
1840's. American culture was experiencing a revolution in transportation
(the railroad) and in communication (a more efficient postal service in
the wake of the railroad, and the new telegraph.) The influence of
newspapers and magazines that came with better communication also promoted
the growth of literacy, as did the growth of cities and the
diversification of the economy.
The individual who exploited those circumstances was an English immigrant
named Charles Stanley. He was one of the best English players, and he
brought his skills and English ideas with him when he arrived on American
shores in 1843. It is not surprising that American chess was so influenced
by English ideas, as that trend was strongly evident in all aspects of
American culture at that time.
One of the ideas that Stanley brought with him was that of having a
regular newspaper column devoted to chess. In England, Howard Staunton was
entertaining and insulting readers, and influencing the growth of
organized chess, through his columns in The Illustrated London News.
Charles Stanley proceeded to do the same in his columns, which started in
1845 and included the influential journal, The Spirit of the Times.
Charles Stanley also brought the idea of a chess magazine with him from
England. As Staunton was putting out The Chess Player's Chronicle, Stanley
put out the American Chess Magazine in 1846. Unfortunately for Stanley, he
had competition from a simultaneously-started magazine called The Chess
Palladium and Mathematical Sphinx. The two publications feuded
shamelessly, and Stanley's rival stopped publishing almost immediately.
Unfortunately, The American Chess Magazine did not last much longer and
folded in 1847.
The first US Championship competition was held in 1845, and once again
Charles Stanley was involved, winning a match, and the first US
Championship, in New Orleans against Eugene Rousseau. The most interesting
feature of that match was not the players, but was a little boy hardly
anyone noticed. Paul Morphy, then aged eight, attended the match with his
uncle, who was a strong player in his own right and was acting as
Rousseau's second. When Morphy next met Stanley in 1857, he reminded him
that he had been at the 1845 match. Morphy, of course, went on to become
the most legendary figure in chess history.
The first national "open" events took place in Kentucky in the 1840's.
Players came together from all over to play chess for several days in the
scenic areas of Blue Lick and Drennon Springs. These were the forerunners
of today's big Opens, but there was one major difference: players then did
not know how to hold tournaments, as serious chess competitions had
historically been limited to matches between two players only. As a
result, the Kentucky gatherings perhaps could be better described as
"festivals." The idea of the Kentucky meetings had also been taken from
England, in which regional and then national gatherings were taking place
in the Yorkshire area.
The 1840's gave way to the great decade of the 1850's, which saw the
emergence of Paul Morphy and America's first forays into international
competition. But the memorable moments of the 1850's would have been
impossible without the foundation laid during the formative forties.
----------
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