Let's relive this great tournament that was played at the beginning of the 20th century and at the same time let's play chess in a 3-round tournament with 10 days for each move..........
5 spots left....don't miss it....
https://www.chess.com/tournament/torneo-cambridge-springs-1904
Cambridge Springs was a spa resort in Pennsylvania, famous for its spas and mineral waters. It advertised that it was the city that was halfway between New York and Chicago when you took the Erie Railroad line. It is in northwestern Pennsylvania, about 30 miles south of Erie, Pennsylvania.
The city was founded at the beginning of the 19th century by German and Irish families. It was first called Cambridge Township and then Cambridgeboro. In 1897 it was changed to Cambridge Springs to recognize the importance of the mineral springs in the area. Mineral waters were supposed to cure almost anything.
In 1903, William Douglass Rider, Jr. wanted an international chess tournament at his resort hotel (built 1895-1897). Most support and funding was provided by Rider and the directors of the Eire Railroad Company. Additional support was received from chess clubs across the country in the form of subscriptions to daily chess newsletters. Another financial backer was Professor Isaac Leopold Rice (1850-1915), a millionaire who made his fortune as a corporate lawyer. Another financial backer was Baron Albert de Rothschild (1844-1911) of Vienna.
The prize fund was $3,100 (equivalent to $62,000 in today's money!). $100 in 1904 had the purchasing power of $2,000 in 2003. The event would be played from April 25 to May 19, 1904.
Cambridge Springs was a spa resort in Pennsylvania, famous for its spas and mineral waters. It advertised that it was the city that was halfway between New York and Chicago when you took the Erie Railroad line. It is in northwestern Pennsylvania, about 30 miles south of Erie, Pennsylvania.
The city was founded at the beginning of the 19th century by German and Irish families. It was first called Cambridge Township and then Cambridgeboro. In 1897 it was changed to Cambridge Springs to recognize the importance of the mineral springs in the area. Mineral waters were supposed to cure almost anything.
In 1903, William Douglass Rider, Jr. wanted an international chess tournament at his resort hotel (built 1895-1897). Most support and funding was provided by Rider and the directors of the Eire Railroad Company. Additional support was received from chess clubs across the country in the form of subscriptions to daily chess newsletters. Another financial backer was Professor Isaac Leopold Rice (1850-1915), a millionaire who made his fortune as a corporate lawyer. Another financial backer was Baron Albert de Rothschild (1844-1911) of Vienna.
The prize fund was $3,100 (equivalent to $62,000 in today's money!). $100 in 1904 had the purchasing power of $2,000 in 2003. The event would be played from April 25 to May 19, 1904.
Along with the European masters, the Americans had the American champion and world number 3 player Harry Nelson Pillsbury (31) from Philadelphia, the New York champion and world number 10 player Frank Marshall (26) from Brooklyn, the former American champion Jackson Showalter (45) from Kentucky, Brooklyn Chess Club champion Albert Fox (22) from New York, former Brooklyn champion William Napier (22) from Pittsburgh (he won the British championship after this tournament in 1904), former U.S. champion and New York State champion Albert Hodges (42) from Staten Island, New England champion John Barry (30) from Boston, and four-time New York State champion Eugene Delmar ( 62) from New York.
Of the top 11 players in the world, only Tarrasch (#4), Maroczy (#5) and Blackburne (#9) were missing.
On April 19, the European teachers traveled to Washington, D.C., where they were welcomed by President Theodore Roosevelt at the White House.
The tournament participants arrived in Cambridge Springs on April 21, 1904. On April 25, 1904, the first round of one of the strongest chess tournaments ever held began at the Rider Hotel in Cambridge Springs, Pennsylvania. The Rider Hotel was a large hotel that had 500 rooms, including a bowling alley.
The tournament rules, adopted at the Hastings Chess Congress of 1895, prohibited consultations on adjourned games. You couldn't even enter a room with any other player during the intervening period between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. No ties were allowed in less than 30 moves unless it was a forced draw (there were only 2 ties in less than 30 moves). The game was from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and then from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The time control was 30 moves in 2.5 hours, then 15 moves every hour thereafter.
The rules were adopted by the players on April 24, 1904.
This was the first major American tournament of the 20th century.
World champion Lasker had not played a chess tournament in four years. His last tournament was Paris in 1900, which he won with 14 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss.
For the first time in the history of chess tournaments, a daily chess bulletin was produced showing all the games from the previous day's round.
Cambridge Springs was the first international tournament for Barry, Fox, Hodges and Lawrence.
During the tournament, a Rice Gambit consultation team event was held.
Participate in this tournament and I will publish all the games that were played in the Cambridge Springs 1904 Tournament with the round-by-round classifications.
https://www.chess.com/tournament/torneo-cambridge-springs-1904
And if you want to see the games of the first super chess tournament, Cambridge Springs 1895, here is the link
https://www.chess.com/tournament/torneo-hastings-1895