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Tournament: Cable Matches • Venue: played by cable • Dates: 22 February & 23 March 1907
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1907 Cable Match: USA v Great Britain
22-23 February 1907, Savoy Hotel, London & Jefferson Hall, Court Square, Brooklyn, New York
| Bd | Great Britain | vs | United States | Opening |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1b | Amos Burn | ½-½ | Frank James Marshall | QGD |
| 2w | Henry Ernest Atkins | 1-0 | John Finan Barry | French Def |
| 3b | Thomas Francis Lawrence | ½-½ | Albert Beauregard Hodges | Ruy Lopez |
| 4w | Joseph Henry Blackburne | ½-½ | Hermann G Voigt | (by default) |
| 5b | George William Richmond | 1-0 | Mordecai Morgan | Sicilian |
| 6w | Francis Joseph Lee | ½-½ | Albert Whiting Fox | QP Game |
| 7b | William Ward | 0-1 | Samuel Warren Bampton | QP Game |
| 8w | Dr. Harry Holmes | ½-½ | George H Wolbrecht | QGD |
| 9b | Reginald Pryce Michell | 0-1 | Clarence Seaman Howell | Giuoco Piano |
| 10w | George Edward Wainwright | 1-0 | Alfred K Robinson | French Def |
| 5½-4½ | ||||
BCM, 1907, p110
The Cable Match Great Britain versus the United States of America, controlled by the City of London and Brooklyn Chess Clubs, was contested on February 22nd and 23rd, the British team being located at the Savoy Hotel, London, and the
American representatives at Jefferson Hall, Court Square, Brooklyn; these places being put in direct communication by the Commercial Cable Company. The match is for a trophy presented by Sir George Newnes, Bart., M.P., and, in accordance with the deed of gift, the handsome prize becomes the absolute property of the side winning three matches in succession.
For the benefit of readers not conversant with the history of previous contests, we may point out that the first match was played on March 9th, 1895, between the Manhattan Club, of New York, and the now defunct British Chess Club, of London. In this [the 1895] encounter play was restricted to one day, which proved insufficient. At the close of play only two games were finished, and both were draws. D. G. Baird (New York) v. D. Y. Mills (London), Major Hanham (New York) v. F. W. Lord (London). Hardly any of the games had advanced much beyond the opening, and though advantages were claimed by both sides the match was eventually declared drawn, on the suggestion of Doctor Lasker, who acted as umpire.
Next year (1896) the Brooklyn Chess Club took the place vacated by the Manhattan Club, and its officials wisely agreed with the officials of the British Club that play in future contests should extend over two days. These two organisations controlled the arrangements until the dissolution of the British Chess Club, after which event the City of London Chess Club stepped into the breach, and has since met the expenses and obligations of the contest on this side of the Atlantic.
The record of each match from 1896 to 1903 is as follows:—
| Winners | Score | Losers | |
| 1896 | United States | 4½-3½ | Great Britain |
| 1897 | Great Britain | 5½-4½ | United States |
| 1898 | Great Britain | 5½-4½ | United States |
| 1899 | United States | 6-4 | Great Britain |
| 1900 | United States | 6-4 | Great Britain |
| 1901 | (drawn match) | 5-5 | |
| 1902 | United States | 5½-4½ | Great Britain |
| 1903 | United States | 5½-4½ | Great Britain |
In 1904 the cables were exceptionally busy with news from the seat of the war then proceeding between Russia and Japan, and the companies could not give the necessary service, except at exorbitant charges. In 1905 all arrangements were completed by the respective sides with teams assembled ready to start play when notification was received that "the Cable Company was unable to undertake the work."
During 1906 negotiations were practically abandoned, but this year it was found possible to make satisfactory arrangements, a turn of events entirely due to the fact that Washington's Birthday—a general holiday in the United States—fell on Friday, and that next day the New York Stock Exchange was closed, these happy incidents reducing the pressure of commercial news between London and New York to a minimum. With two victories standing to the credit of America, it was necessary that the qualification of each British player should be carefully considered by the Selection Committee, and we believe this investigation was conducted most conscientiously. At the same time we have evidence that many capable critics do not entirely approve of the team selected. We have received several letters calling attention to the fact that one Northern player of acknowledged strength and repute was fully entitled to a definite place in the team; but our correspondents must excuse us not giving space to their communications on this occasion. There is no reason to doubt the sincerity of the Committee’s action, and, after all, there is something to be said in favour of the principle that those who pay the piper have the right to call the tune. Three new men appeared on the British side— Messrs. G. W. Richmond, Dr. Holmes, and G. E. Wainwright. Mr. Richmond has earned quite a high reputation in Metropolitan chess circles by defeating in London League matches nearly all the strongest of the Metropolitan players.
To be placed at board No. 5 in his first International Cable Match is ample evidence of the high opinion which is held of Mr. Richmond’s chess skill by the Selection Committee, and when we add that for some ten years he has "dodged" all but skittle chess as much as possible, his strength of play is simply wonderful. He will be thirty years of age in June next. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries and Member of the German Federation for Insurance Science, and has written some scores of articles dealing with varied branches of insurance in different parts of the world.
He has won five club tournaments, and played, in his early days, eight or nine matches, winning all! Some time ago he told us that the game he is most proud of is a draw he secured in a simultaneous performance given by Mr. H. E. Bird some six months after he (Mr. Richmond) started playing. As second player, Mr. Richmond has a penchant for the Sicilian Defence, which he plays uncommonly well. This is not surprising, as he is thoroughly au fait with all the variations of that opening. He is a member of the Insurance Chess Club (London), and also of the Hastings Club, which he often assists in matches. Mr. Richmond’s most notable public performance was at Hastings in 1904, when he won first prize in one of the sections of the first class amateurs' tournament. He tied with Mr. P. S. Leonhardt, but defeated that player in the deciding game—a Sicilian Defence, which we published in Vol. XXIV., page 487. Mr. Richmond is a chess amateur player of the best type—modest, courteous, and ever ready to assist those who labour con amore to forward the interests of Caïssa.
Doctor Holmes is a well-known member of the Liverpool Chess Club, and was selected because of the excellent form he displayed last year at Ostend, when he won third prize in the first class amateur tournament. He was bom at Mid Ville, near Boston, Lincolnshire, on July 5th, 1874, and learnt to play chess at school; but his knowledge of the game, and particularly of the openings, was greatly strengthened by study of the chess columns in the Standard. After leaving school he went to St. John’s, Cambridge, but did not join the ’Varsity Chess Club. From Cambridge he went to London for professional study. He joined the Metropolitan Chess Club, won prizes in two successive winter handicaps, and was promoted to Class 1 B; meeting and defeating Mr. Herbert Jacobs in one game they played in the championship tournament. About this time Mr. Holmes played many games with Mr. R. P. Michell.
After obtaining his medical degree Dr. Holmes was located for some months in Nottingham, removing later to Wigan, where he stayed four years. During this period he joined the Manchester Chess Club, but compiled a poor record in both match and tournament play. Some four years ago he settled in Liverpool; joined the Liverpool Chess Club, and last year won the championship tournament; though he modestly attributes his success to good fortune in winning a drawn game against Mr. P. R. England, who overlooked a mate on the move.
Dr. Holmes was a competitor at the Hastings Congress of 1904, and tied for third prize with Mr. F. E. Hamond in the first class amateurs’ section, won by Mr. G. W. Richmond, to whom Mr. P. S. Leonhardt was second. In the Southport Congress of the British Chess Federation Dr. Holmes won first prize in Section A of the first class amateurs’ contest. During the past two years he has played many games with Mr. Amos Burn, and has improved in steadiness and soundness, as a consequence of the many defeats sustained! Since he settled in the North of England, Doctor Holmes has done excellent service in the matches promoted by the Northern Union and the Lancashire County Association. Socially he is an excellent friend, whilst in chess matters he is modesty personified. He wrote us a short time ago as follows :—"Though proud of my selection for the Cable Match, I should have had much greater pleasure in playing if the Rev. W. C. Palmer had been playing above me." We regard it a privilege that Dr. Holmes is one of our many personal chess friends.
On Saturday, February 23rd, an enthusiastic Yorkshire chess player greeted us with "Floreat Eboracum semper. Vive la Wainwright!" This mixing of Latin with French is hardly in accord with our sense of propriety, but the expressions undoubtedly convey some idea of the esteem in which Mr. G. E. Wainwright is held in the leading chess circles of his native county—Yorkshire. As a chess player, he needs no introduction to our readers. He is one of the strongest of the band of British amateur players who have won their way into the front rank by sterling performances in the chess arena. At the present time Mr. Wainwright is leading in the championship tournament of the City of London Chess Club, with 12 wins out of 15 games played, and has still two games to contest. It would occupy too much of our space to give even a resumé of the records he has compiled, but we may note, en passant, that he has competed at every Congress of the British Chess Federation. At Hastings, in 1904, he tied with the late Mr. C. H. Sherrard for first prize in one of the sections of the first class amateur tournament. In 1905, at Southport, he competed for the British Championship, and finished with a score of 6 points; being placed in the final list above Messrs. Wahltuch, Palmer, Michell, Mackenzie, and Gunston. Last year, at Shrewsbury, Mr. Wainwright tied for third prize in the championship, and would undoubtedly have secured second place in the list but for "letting off" Mr. R. P. Michell in the eighth round. It should be stated that Mr. Wainwright was drafted into the team owing to Mr. H. W. Shoosmith not taking the position assigned to him. For many years Mr. Wainwright has been identified with Surrey chess, and he has played top board in the County team for many seasons with splendid success. A leading chess master says :—"Wainwright is a sporting chess player of the best type," and with this opinion few will disagree. A portrait of Mr. Wainwright will be found at page 373 of Volume XXV., 1905.
Since the last match, in 1903, the Americans have suffered severe loss of strength by the death of Mr. H. N. Pillsbury and the withdrawal from active chess play of Mr. Jackson W. Showalter, both of whom occupied very high positions in all the matches they took part in. To fill the vacancies two new men were selected—Mr. M. Morgan, Philadelphia, editor and compiler of the standard work, Chess Digest; and Mr. E. [sic] H. Wolbrecht, of St. Louis, who won the championship tournament of the Western Chess Association at Chicago during the summer of 1906. Mr. Wolbrecht was born in St. Louis in 1872, and took up the study of chess some ten years ago. He practised persistently with the late Mr. Max Judd, and eventually won the championship of the St. Louis Club. Mr. Wolbrecht is an engineer by profession, and is is at present engaged in improvement work on the Mississippi River for the United States Government.
Sir George Newnes opened the proceedings on the Friday afternoon, play being preceded by the following exchange of compliments :—"Most cordial greeting from the British team to their friendly opponents." "American team reciprocate greeting from their formidable opponents." Hostilities opened at three o'clock, the Americans, on the odd-numbered boards, having first move. By agreement, Mr. C. S. Howell, who has been residing in London for some months past, played Mr. R. P. Michell vis-a-vis, and the game, which we append, and have taken from the Daily News, provided a mild sensation; Mr. Michell being compelled to resign on his 21st move.
[score of Howell-Michell]
Of the games played by Cable, the British side soon had a decisive advantage on board 10, where Mr. Wainwright’s opponent got into difficulties very early by losing valuable time. With his 14th move Mr. Wainwright won a Rook. We give the opening play:—
[First 14 moves of Wainwright-Robinson - n.b. full score of game available in viewer/download]
Mr. Robinson went on until the game had extended to 31 moves. He resigned at 10p.m.
The first Cable game actually finished was that at board No. 5, where Mr. Mordecai Morgan opposed Mr. Richmond, the latter defending with the Sicilian. Much to the surprise of everybody, Mr. Morgan got into "time" difficulties, and lost by default—failing to complete the requisite number of moves within the first hour. It seems that Mr. Morgan took one hour and thirteen minutes for fifteen moves, and was under the impression that the rule did not operate till the close of the second hour. When play ceased at 11.30p.m., the score was—British team, 2½; American team, 1½—a draw having been agreed to by Messrs. Marshall and Burn.
Play was resumed on Saturday with excellent prospects of a British victory. In four of the games the positions were quite equal, whilst Mr. Atkins and Dr. Holmes had distinctly the best of matters, and were both expected to win. But events did not quite take the course expected. Mr. Ward, in a position from which he might easily have drawn, played rather "loosely" on his 37th move, giving Mr. Bampton a chance which that gentleman made such good use of that seven moves later the game was registered a win to America. This result was followed by a draw between Dr. Holmes and Mr. Wolbrecht, the former, though having a Pawn plus in the ending, reaching a drawn position. Score :—3 each.
The next contribution to the score sheet was the draw between Messrs. Blackburne and Voigt, offered by the latter. At one stage it was thought that the veteran British master had winning chances, but about the 40th move the position was such that neither player could hope to do more than draw. Three games were in progress when the adjournment was made for dinner, but shortly after the resumption of play Messrs. Lawrence and Hodges agreed to draw. The next result was the victory achieved by Mr. Atkins in what was undoubtedly the finest game of the series. Mr. Barry adopted the French Defence, and played 4...Be7 instead of the now fashionable McCutcheon variation. In the mid-game the British champion displayed excellent judgment. His play was aggressive, but the attack was never overstrained. We shall publish this fine game next month, with notes by Mr. Teichmann. The success of Mr. Atkins gave the Englishmen a clear lead, and left the final result of the match dependent upon the encounter between Mr. F. J. Lee and Mr. Fox. The former had Kt and Pawns versus Bishop and Pawns. Mr. Fox could make no impression on the "stonewall" tactics of his opponent, and finally agreed to draw, after previously refusing the offer. As a matter of fact, when Mr. Fox abandoned play he had none the best of matters.
According to the conditions of the deed of gift, the British victory has invested the contest with a new lease of life, three successive victories, draws not counting, being necessary before the trophy can be claimed as absolute property.
1907 Oxford & Cambridge vs Harvard, Yale & Columbia Cable Match
23 March 1907, Inns of Court Hotel, Holborn, London & Villa Julia, Riverside Drive, New York
[BCM, April 1907, pp 182-185]
| Bd | Great Britain | University | vs | United States | University | Opening |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1b | Herbert Jennings Rose | Balliol, Oxford | ½-½ | José Raúl Capablanca | Columbia | Ruy Lopez |
| 2w | William Rawson Greenhalgh | Pembroke, Cambridge | 0-1 | Quincy Adams Brackett | Harvard | French Def |
| 3b | Leonard Illingworth | Trinity, Cambridge | 0-1 | Louis Jacob Wolff | Columbia | Ruy Lopez |
| 4w | Noel James Roughton | New, Oxford | 1-0 | John Levi Clark | Harvard | Scotch Game |
| 5b | John Rowland Hanning | New, Oxford | 1-0 | Edgar Bartow Burgess | Yale | Two Knights Def |
| 6w | William Herbert Humphreys | Christ's, Cambridge | ½-½ | Henry Blumberg | Columbia | Four Knights Def |
| Match Drawn | 3-3 | |||||
Cable Match: Oxford and Cambridge v. Harvard, Yale, and Columbia.—The match by Cable started at one o’clock on Saturday March 23rd [1907], the English team being located at the Inns of Court Hotel, Holborn, which was placed in direct communication with the residence of Professor Rice, Villa Julia, Riverside Drive, New York, where the American players were guests of the generous donor of the Rice Trophy. The arrangements for the present encounter were made by Mrs. Rhoda A. Bowles, chess editor of Womanhood, and Professor [Isaac Leopold] Rice, and left nothing to be desired; in many instances less than one minute was taken to transmit a move from London to New York. Mr. H. L. Bowles acted as umpire for America. The players were supplied with badges in the form of a chessboard of blue and white squares, surrounded by an edging of light and dark blue cord, as they represented Cambridge or Oxford respectively. Play commenced at one o'clock, after the usual greetings had been exchanged, and the Americans had White on the odd-numbered boards, play being governed by a time-limit of 24 moves an hour.
The first result came from board 5, Mr. J. R. Hanning winning his opponent’s Queen shortly after eight o’clock. At board No. 1 Mr. Rose unfortunately overlooked the win of a piece and the game ended in a draw. Mr. Greenhalgh had to face the French Defence, and should have drawn without difficulty, but he missed the correct continuation and lost. Mr. Illingworth defended the Ruy Lopez with P-QR3, and got into a cramped position, but managed to exchange Queens and free his game. He reached the end-game with Kt, B, and five Pawns v. two Knights and five Pawns. Later he lost one Pawn, and finally resigned, after nine hours’ hard play. Mr. Roughton adopted the Scotch game (Kt x P), which his opponent defended with Q–R5. The Oxonian continued with the Kt-QKt5 variation, and secured a splendid game, which he conducted brilliantly, sacrificing a piece. In the ending he had two Bishops, Rook, and Pawns against two Rooks and Pawns. His opponent, however, prolonged for several hours a useless struggle, which he might have gracefully resigned. For a long time it was thought that the match would end in a victory for the English players. Games 4 and 5 were early decidedly favourable, No. 1 drawn, and with only No. 3 doubtful, the desired result seemed secured; then Mr. Greenhalgh blundered, and resigned. Mr. Illingworth resigned immediately after Mr. Clark capitulated to Mr. Roughton, and the match rested upon the result of the encounter between Messrs. Humphreys and Blumberg, the draw being proposed by the former and accepted by Mr. Blumberg at 11-10 p.m. Thus the match ended in a draw for the third time since the inaugural contest in 1899, and the handsome trophy which is shown in our illustration still rests in possession of the English Universities.
File updated
| Date | Notes |
|---|---|
| 18 March 2024 | Original upload. All 10 games of the GB-USA match (22 February) and all 6 of the GB-USA Universities match (23 March). |
| 11 August 2024 | Added results and reports. |