Description
Book Synopsis Few men are prominent chess players as well as esteemed chess writers. James Mason, in his lifetime, had the reputation of being both. This book chronicles Mason''s early career in the United States, providing many details on his writings and annotations for The Spirit of the Times and The American Chess Journal, his participation in the Cafe Europa and Cafe International tournaments, his win in 1876''s Fourth American Chess Congress, and his matches against chess greats like George H. Mackenzie, Eugene Delmar, Dion M. Martinez, Edward Alberoni, and Henry E. Bird. Mason''s efforts to establish an American Chess Association and to arrange an international centennial congress in 1876 are also explored. In addition to the general index, the work also includes indexes of games, annotators, and openings.
Trade Reviewthe 1860s and 1870s were a golden time for chess journalism in the United States...a particularly nice touch is the reproduction of drawings of several chess clubs of the day...a first rate effort that will be fascinating reading for anyone interested in chess in 19th century America...a first-class productions effort with high quality paper and library binding...recommended"—IM John Donaldson (
JeremySilman.com)
"invaluable...excellent"—
Manchester Chess Federation"invaluable"—
The Compulsive Reader"exceptionally good"—
ChessCafe.com"beautifully bound and printed. Flows like a novel, very much a 21st century book on a 19th century topic!"—
British Chess Magazine"a rich look at the early career of a fine player and writer and the development of the American chess scene"—
ChessvilleTable of Contents
- Preface and Acknowledgments 1
- A Note to the Reader 3
- Part I. Mason's Chess Career in America
- One "Establishing Himself in Business" 7
- Intermezzo: American Chess in 1867 26
- Two After the Break 27
- Intermezzo: Chess Players' Baseball Game 45
- Intermezzo: Chess in Philadelphia 46
- Three New World versus Old World 47
- Intermezzo: Nineteenth Century American Congresses 89
- Four Disputed Victories 90
- Intermezzo: The Café International 105
- Five The Pencil and the Game 106
- Intermezzo: The Spirit of the Times 129
- Six "Get Up Some Attack" 130
- Intermezzo: The Lieders' Cup 144
- Part II. Matches and Tournaments
- Mackenzie–Mason (New York, 1869) 147
- Königs–Mason (New York, 1873?) 148
- Delmar–Mason (Brooklyn–New York, 1873) 148
- Delmar–Mason (Brooklyn–New York, 1873) 148
- Martínez–Mason (Philadelphia, 1874) 149
- Delmar–Mason (New York, 1874) 149
- Alberoni–Mason (New York, 1875) 149
- Bird–Mason (New York, 1875–1876) 150
- Consultation Match (New York, 1877–1878) 151
- First Café Europa Tournament (New York, 1868–1869) 152
- Second Café Europa Tournament (New York, 1869) 153
- Third Café Europa Tournament (New York, 1869) 153
- Fourth Café Europa Tournament (New York, 1869) 154
- Fifth Café Europa Tournament (New York, 1869–1870) 156
- Brooklyn Chess Club Tournament (Brooklyn, 1870) 157
- Café International Tournament (New York, 1870) 158
- Café International Tournament (New York, 1874–1875) 159
- Café International Tournament (New York, 1875) 160
- Café International Tournament (New York, 1876) 161
- Fourth American Chess Congress (Philadelphia, 1876) 163
- Clipper Free Centennial Tournament (New York, 1876) 165
- Part III. Games and Positions
- Miscellaneous 1868 169
- First Café Europa Tournament (New York, 1868–1869) 170
- Second Café Europa Tournament (New York, 1869) 170
- Third Café Europa Tournament (New York, 1869) 171
- Fourth Café Europa Tournament (New York, 1869) 172
- Match Mackenzie–Mason (New York, 1869) 176
- Miscellaneous 1869 179
- Fifth Café Europa Tournament (New York, 1869–1870) 181
- Brooklyn Chess Club Tournament (Brooklyn, 1870) 181
- Miscellaneous 1870 182
- Miscellaneous 1872 184
- Match Königs–Mason (New York, 1873?) 185
- Match Delmar–Mason (Brooklyn–
- New York, 1873) 186
- Match Delmar–Mason (Brooklyn–New York, 1873) 187
- Miscellaneous 1873 190
- Match Martínez–Mason (Philadelphia, 1874) 200
- Match Delmar–Mason (New York, 1874) 201
- Miscellaneous 1874 203
- Café International Tournament (New York, 1874–1875) 209
- Café International Tournament (New York, 1875) 211
- Match Alberoni–Mason (New York, 1875) 212
- Miscellaneous 1875 214
- Match Bird–Mason (New York, 1875–1876) 225
- Café International Tournament (New York, 1876) 235
- Fourth American Chess Congress (Philadelphia, 1876) 242
- Clipper Free Centennial Tournament (New York, 1876) 250
- Miscellaneous 1876 253
- Miscellaneous 1877 259
- Consultation Match (New York, 1877–1878) 264
- Miscellaneous 1878 269
- Part IV. Appendices, Sources and Indexes
- Appendix 1. Problems and an Endgame 275
- Appendix 2. A Summary of Mason's Results 280
- Match Record 280
- Tournament Record 280
- Record Against
- Prominent Players 281
- Simultaneous Exhibition 284
- Appendix 3. Chess Activity in New York and Brooklyn 285
- Appendix 4. Chess Personalities, Clubs and Resorts 295
- Appendix 5. Published Works by Mason 307
- Appendix 6. Articles by Others 322
- Appendix 7. Letters to Editors of Newspapers and Journals 326
- Appendix 8. Notes in Original Languages 342
- Sources 347
- Index of Opponents 351
- Consultation Games Index 354
- Handicap Games Index 355
- Index of Annotators 356
- Index of Openings (ECO Codes) 359
- General Index 363
