1886
Harry Nelson Pillsbury, Youth, estimated 1886.
Cleveland Public Library
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Harry Nelson Pillsbury, 1901
January 23 1901
Baraboo News Republic, Baraboo, Wisconsin, Wednesday, January 23, 1901
Harry N. Pillsbury of Philadelphia, chess champion of America, added a dash of romance to one of his business trips Thursday by meeting and wedding in Chicago Miss Mary F. Bush, also of Philadelphia. Mr. Pillsbury did not let his marriage interfere with a professional engagement that evening in the University club. He played fourteen simultaneous games with members of the club, granting the odds of a knight and a move on every board. At the end of the evening it was found that honors were even. A month ago Mr. Pillsbury left Philadelphia for a professional trip in the northwest. Apparently the marriage had been arranged before hand, for Miss Bush was in Chicago to meet her future husband, having come on from Philadelphia. They took quarters at the Morrison and were married privately. Mr. and Mrs. Pillsbury are each 28 years old. Mr. Pillsbury has interspersed his chess playing with the study of law, and intends ultimately to go into practice.
May 23 1901
The New Zealand Mail, Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand, Thursday, May 23, 1901
H. N. PILLSBURY.
Harry N. Pillsbury and Mary E. Bush were married in Chicago, Ill., on January 17th 1901, by the Rev. Frank de Witt Talmage, at the home of Mr. Bush, a brother of the bride. The bride is the daughter of the late Albert J. Bush, who at his death was judge of the County Court, Sullivan County, New York, and resided at Monticello. Judge Bush was considered the ablest lawyer in Sullivan County and up to the date of his death was respected by all throughout the community in which he resided alike for his ability and integrity of purpose. His daughter was born at Monticello and resided there with her mother several years after the death of her father. She and Mr. Pillsbury have been friends for many years. Prior to her marriage Mrs. Pillsbury spent some time in Philadelphia with friends of her family and during that time many of Mr. Pillsbury's friends had the pleasure of meeting her. All were charmed, not only with Mrs. Pillsbury's beauty, but with her unusually bright mental attainments and now unite in extending to Mr. Pillsbury their heartiest congratulations. The only regret of Mr. and Mrs. Pillsbury's friends was that the marriage did not take place in Philadelphia, but this unfortunately was prevented by Mr. Pillsbury's business engagements. Mr. and Mrs. Pillsbury, at present, are enjoying an extended tour through the southern and western portions of the United States.—“British Chess Magazine”.
Harry Nelson Pillsbury, 1906
June 19 1906
Daily Mirror, London, London, England, Tuesday, June 19, 1906
CHESS CHAMPION DEAD.
Harry Pillsbury, Who Beat Fifteen Men at Once, Dies in America at Early Age of Thirty-Five.
It is doubtful if the world of chess will ever see a finer player than Harry Pillsbury, who died suddenly yesterday, at Philadelphia, from apoplexy, at the early age of thirty-five.
He was only eighteen when he made a name for himself in the chess world by beating the champion, Steinitz. Shortly after the performance of this feat he met twelve strong chess-players and twelve players of draughts, playing them all simultaneously. He won eight of the chess games and drew four. Curiously, he lost two of the draughts games—probably because the easy character of the game made him careless.
He performed his greatest feat in 1902, when he met in one encounter sixteen fine chess-players, and, while playing a rubber of whist and chatting with his friends, kept the whole sixteen games in mind, and won fifteen of them—in addition to the rubber.
June 21 1906
Wayne County Herald, Honesdale, Pennsylvania, Thursday, June 21, 1906
GREAT CHESS MASTER GONE.
Harry Pillsbury, Champion of Knight and Pawn, Dead at Philadelphia.
PHILADELPHIA, June 20.—Harry Nelson Pillsbury, the chess master, died here yesterday of apoplexy after an illness of many months. Pillsbury was born Dec. 05, 1872, at Somerville, Mass., where the body will be taken, the funeral to be held there tomorrow.
Pillsbury learned the rudiments of chess when he was sixteen years old at the Deschapelles Chess club in Boston.
His first notable victory was a score of 5 to 4 in a match with John F. Barry of Boston in 1891. In 1893 he won the New York city tournament with a total score of 7 out of a possible 9 and in 1895 won first prize at the Hastings tournament, against many of the strongest players of the world.
In 1897 Pillsbury won from Showalter the American chess championship, which he confirmed by a second match with Showalter in 1898.
Harry Nelson Pillsbury, 1898
June 1898
Chess Tournament of Vienna, Austria, June, 1898.
Standing: Adolf Schwarz, Carl Schlechter, Fähndrich, Horatio Caro, Geza Maroczy, Jackson Whipps Showalter, Georg Marco, Semyon Zinovievich Alapin, Alexander Halprin, David Graham Baird and Amos Burn. Seated: Siegbert Tarrasch, Joseph Henry Blackburne, Harry Nelson Pillsbury, Wilhelm Steinitz, Mikhail Chigorin, David Janowski, Emmanuel Schiffers and Paul Lipke.
June 04 1898
The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore, Maryland, Saturday, June 04, 1898
Americans Again Win At Chess.
Vienna, June 3.—The second round of the International Chess-master's Tournament was played at the Vienna Chess Club today. The three Americans Steinitz, Pillsbury and Showalter again came out victorious, while Baird, the fourth American player, had not finished his game at the time of adjournment. Today's results:
Burn drew with Alpin; Tarrasch vanquished Trenchard; Baird and Schiffers adjourned their game; Caro and Janowski divided honors, while Pillsbury downed Lipke; Schwarz and Blackburn drew; Halprin had to resign to Showalter; Maroczcy and Schlechter drew; Steinitz beat Marco and Tschigorin beat Walbrodt.
The third round will be played tomorrow in the following order: Schlechter vs. Steinitz; Showalter vs. Maroczcy; Blackburne vs. Halprin; Pillsbury vs. Schwarz; Janowski vs. Lipke; Schiffers vs. Caro; Tarrasch vs. Baird; Alapin vs. Trenchard; Walbrodt vs. Burn; Marco vs. Tschigorin.
Harry Nelson Pillsbury, 1900
Harry Nelson Pillsbury, 1899
January 12 1899
Harry Nelson Pillsbury 12 Jan 1899, Thu The Saint Paul Globe (Saint Paul, Minnesota) Newspapers.com
The Saint Paul Globe Saint Paul, Minnesota Thursday, January 12, 1899 ★
Pillsbury Is Here
The Greatest Chess Player In America Now Visiting St. Paul — Will Play Here Today — Some of the Notable Matches in Which He Has Been a Contestant—Has Beaten Some of the Greatest Players in the World—Defeated Showalter Past Two Seasons for U.S. Championship.
This afternoon, beginning at 2 p. m., and evening, beginning at 7:30 p. m., at the rooms of the St. Paul Chess and Whist club, will appear Harry N. Pillsbury, the undisputed chess champion of the United States. He will give an exhibition in the afternoon of blindfold play, and in the evening will play simultaneously with the strongest players in the city.
Since the days when Charles Mohle traveled around and payed the Twins a visit as operator of Ageeb, the inscrutable Turk, there has been no chess stimulant in the Northwest. But lo a greater—a much greater—than Mohle, or, in fact, any operator of the Turk, is here.
While not a Morphy, for men of peculiar and transcendent genius such as his are meteoric in every class, he is a chess expert and genius of the highest order. Lasker, the present champion of the world, has had to succumb to this young American giant, and that notable victory of his at Nuremberg, in 1896, over Lasker, stands today as one of the most brilliant in the annals of chess.
He was born in Somerville, Mass., Dec. 5, 1872, where, by the by, Barker, the checker champion, was also born.
The following shows his record to date:
1893—New York, impromptu, unplaced; Lasker first.
1893—New York, Masters' tourney, first prize; Hodges second.
1894—New York, Masters' tourney, unplaced; Steinitz first.
1896—Hastings, international, first prize; Tschigorin second.
1895-6—St. Petersburg, Quadrangular, third prize; Lasker first.
1896—Nuremberg, international, third prize with Tarrasch; Lasker first.
1896—Budapest, international, third prize; Tschigorin first.
1898—Vienna, international, second prize; Tarrasch first, after a tie.
—
1892—Boston, vs. H. N. Stone; won by 5 to 1.
1692—Boston vs. J. H. Barry; won by 5 to 4.
1896—Vienna. vs. B. Englisch; drawn (five drawn games).
1897—Brooklyn, vs. J. W. Showalter; won by 18 to 8 (United States championship).
1898—New York, vs. J. W. Showalter; won by 7 to 3 (United States championship).
He is a combination of the two schools, a master of theory and tactics and a natural genius in strategic coups. He is cool, quiet, steady in his play, never allowing nervousness or irritability to overcome him at any time, which, perhaps, is a potent factor in his tournament triumphs.
As a blindfold player he has few equals, and is nearly as good as Blackburne, the erst English champion, in his palmiest days, and fully his peer now, having played as many as twelve simultaneously with success, and his complete mastery over the various positions and his ability to make several brilliant coups and combinations at one time is a remarkable feature of his powers of concentration.
Harry Nelson Pillsbury, 1893
1893
Emanuel Lasker playing Harry Pillsbury, New York, 1893.
October 13 1893
Harry Nelson Pillsbury vs Jean Taubenhaus
Impromptu International Congress, New York (1893), Brooklyn, NY USA (Brooklyn CC), rd 10, Oct-13
Queen Pawn Game: General (D00) 1-0
October 14 1893
The Boston Globe, Boston, Massachusetts, Saturday, October 14, 1893
Chess Tournament Results.
New York. Oct 13—The results of the 10th round in the international chess tournament, played at the Brooklyn chess club today, were as follows: Lasker beat Pollock, Pillsbury beat Taubenhaus, Jasnogrodsky beat Ryan, Olly beat Albin, Hanham beat Delmar, Schmidt beat Gossip, Showalter beat Lee.
December 24 1893
The Boston Globe, Boston, Massachusetts, Sunday, December 24, 1893
Pillsbury Takes the Chess Prize.
New York, Dec 23—The masters' chess tournament was concluded at the Manhattan cafe today when Harry N. Pillsbury of Boston won the first prize, while A. B. Hodges of Staten island, J. W. Showalter of Kentucky, and Adolf Albin of Vienna took the remaining prizes in the order named.
Harry Nelson Pillsbury, 1902
1902
Photograph of Mary Ellen Bush-Pillsbury (wearing dark red), Harry Nelson Pillsbury's wife, Page 147, Issue 38 of Womanhood, 1902.
Mary Ellen Bush and husband, Harry Nelson Pillsbury
February 20 1902
Louis Eisenberg and Harry Nelson Pillsbury in the Monte Carlo Chess Tournament of 1902. Original b/w photo by Barca, L'illustrazione Italiana, Year XXIX, No 12, March 23, 1902.
Louis Eisenberg vs Harry Nelson Pillsbury
Monte Carlo (1902), Monte Carlo MNC, rd 11, Feb-20
Russian Game: Classical Attack. Mason Variation (C42) 1-0
The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn, New York, Thursday, February 20, 1902
PILLSBURY LOSES.
Eisenberg Surprises the Champion in Eleventh Round of Chess Tourney.
Marshall Wins.
(Special to the Eagle.)
Monte Carlo. Monaco, February 20—Eisenberg, the Russian chess player, from Odessa, who, like Napier of America, is a newcomer in international chess, is for the present the center of attraction in the masters' tournament here.
Last night Eisenberg worsted Mieses of Germany in a supplementary game, and this morning he sprang a big surprise, downing Pillsbury, the American champion, in the eleventh round.
While full credit is due to the Russian, he was materially assisted toward victory through Pillsbury failing to properly estimate his strength. An energetically conducted attack, to which Pillsbury did not oppose a sufficiently careful defense, enabled Eisenberg to triumph over his noted adversary.
It was the first defeat suffered by the American since he lost to Maroczy in the opening round and came as a serious set-back to him.
The masters were paired this morning in accordance with the third pairing of the Berger schedule as follows:
Wolf vs. Maroczy, Mieses vs. Tschigorin, Schlechter vs. Mason, Napier vs. Tarrasch, Eisenberg vs. Pillsbury, Marco vs. Albin, Gunsberg vs. Regis, Teichmann vs. Mortimer, and Marshall vs. Scheve, Janowski and Popel are disengaged.
Marshall placed another point to his credit, winning a smartly played game from Scheve of Germany, and bringing his total up to 7.
Gunsberg and Teichmann also won the games with Reggio and Mortimer.
Napier has Tarrasch to deal with and has thus far played in excellent shape.
In addition to other results, reported from yesterday's sessions, the game between Albin and Tarrasch was drawn, as was the first.
There are thus four games left, to be played off at a later date, including the Teichmann-Eisenberg, Teichmann-Wolf, Teichmann-Mason and Maroczy-Tschigorin games.
Harry Nelson Pillsbury, 1896
January 12 1896
The Boston Globe, Boston, Massachusetts, Sunday, January 12, 1896
CHAMPION PILLSBURY.
Career of the Wonderful Chess Player.
His Babyhood, Boyhood and Schooldays in Somerville.
How He Learned the Rudiments of the Game and Became Famous.
When Harry N. Pillsbury, the champion chess player, was a child he would content himself for hours at a time planning mimic battles with regiments of gaudily gotten up tin soldiers. He delighted in forming his fighting men in all sorts of positions and then moving them together until, with a grand sweep of his baby hands, both armies were annihilated in an indiscriminate charge.
He was born on Dec. 5, 1872. His father, L. B. Pillsbury, is a real estate agent in Somerville, but is perhaps best known as a school teacher, having been master in the high schools at Reading, Bridgewater, Hopkinton and Charlestown. He was also sub-master in the Somerville high school. Young Pillsbury's mother was a woman of gifted intellect and lovable disposition. She was a writer of no mean ability, but excelled in versification. Before her death her poems were collected under the title of “Old Mill and Other Poems.”
It was something of a surprise to the old schoolmates of Harry's who attended the Foster school when they first heard of his success as a chess expert.
Eight years ago, when Harry Pillsbury was 15 years old, his brother Ernest taught him the first moves in the game of chess. Ernest was not an expert, but could play a very fair game. Harry learned quickly. So fascinating was the game to him that it actually interfered with his studies. He was then in the high school, which he left before being graduated to give all of his time to chess. It soon came to pass that his brother was no match for him, and, there being a local club in East Cambridge, Harry joined that and began at once to make a reputation for himself.
C. F. Burrille of the Boston chess club, the chess expert, took a fancy to him and directed his play until he advanced from the odds of rook to that of knight player. While yet young in the game he became a member of the Deschappelles club in Boston, which included among its members some of the best players in this part of the country. His debut created a sensation. Old-timers went down before him like rickety chimneys in the path of a cyclone.
In 1889 the champion played a match with H. N. Stone, the conditions requiring that the style of game be the StoneWare defense, a famous Boston invention, and the young man won three games and lost two. Two years later he began a match with C. F. Burrille, one of the best match players in Boston, but the match was never ended. Pillsbury accepted the odds of pawn and move, and won four games, drew two and lost two.
When William Steinitz visited Boston Pillsbury played three games with him at the odds of pawn and move, winning two and losing one. In an even game Steinitz played Pillsbury, Snow and Barry in consultation, and was badly beaten.
After this Pillsbury started on a professional tour to Philadelphia, beating all opponents. When this tour was at an end he was invited by the Boston Press club to give an exhibition of blindfold playing. He began with one game, tried two, and added one after another until he succeeded, in December of 1892, in playing eight games all at one time.
In the winter of 1893-94 Mr. Pillsbury joined the Brooklyn chess club, and in conjunction with J. F. Barry, won for the association the championship of the Metropolitan press league. He competed with varied success in several tournaments until August of last year, when he went to Hastings, Eng., as the representative of the Brooklyn club and won the championship for himself and his club.
In the present tournament at St. Petersburg it was intended to bring together the five bright particular stars of the chess world, Lasker, Pillsbury, Steinitz, Tarrasch and Tschigorin—but just before the beginning of the tournament, Dr. Tarrasch was prevented by a business engagement from taking part. Play began on the 13th of last month, Pillsbury doing considerably more than holding his own.
Mr. Pillsbury is of medium size, with an intellectual head and classical features. He is of a resolute nature and incisive speech, at once courteous and fearless. Having the advantage of youth and energy he combines Yankee originality with analytical ability of a high order. His style of play is painstaking and solid, and he may be depended on not to lose a game for the sake of that false brilliancy which so often ends in defeat. In other words he plays to win and not for the gallery.
Before taking up chess professionally, Mr. Pillsbury was employed as advertising agent by one of Boston's big fancy goods houses. While so employed he became acquainted with newspaper men throughout the city, and was pronounced by all who came in business contact with him a very clever young man.
According to Mr. Pillsbury's father, the young chess expert can play a marvelous game of checkers, an accomplishment seldom found coexistent with the science of chess. As in the game in which he excels, all of the possible moves on the checker board are pictured in his mind the moment play opens. He once said that while playing eight games blindfolded, the picture of each succeeding move flashed before his mind's eye and passed on to give place to another as soon as the move was made.
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'til the world understands why Robert J. Fischer criticised the U.S./British and Russian military industry imperial alliance and their own Israeli Apartheid. Sarah Wilkinson explains: Tweets by swilkinsonbc |
 “What a sad story Fischer was,” typed a racist, pro-imperialist colonial troll who supports mega-corporation entities over human rights, police state policies & white supremacy. |
To which I replied: “Really? I think he [Bob Fischer] stood up to the broken system of corruption and raised awareness! Whether on the Palestinian/Israel-British-U.S. Imperial Apartheid scam, the Bush wars of ‘7 countries in 5 years,’ illegally, unconstitutionally which constituted mass xenocide or his run in with police brutality in Pasadena, California-- right here in the U.S., police run rampant over the Constitution of the U.S., on oath they swore to uphold, but when Americans don't know the law, and the cops either don't know or worse, “don't care” -- then I think that's pretty darn “sad”. I think Mr. Fischer held out and fought the good fight, steadfast til the day he died, and may he Rest In Peace. Educate yourself about U.S./State Laws -- https://www.youtube.com/@AuditTheAudit/videos After which the troll posted a string of profanities, confirming there was never any genuine sentiment of “compassion” for Mr. Fischer, rather an intent to inflict further defamatory remarks. |
This ongoing work is a tribute to the life and accomplishments of Robert “Bobby” Fischer who passionately loved and studied chess history. May his life continue to inspire many other future generations of chess enthusiasts and kibitzers, alike.
March 9, 1943 - January 17, 2008The photograph of Bobby Fischer (above) from the March 02, 1956 The Tampa Times was discovered by Sharon Mooney (Bobby Fischer Newspaper Archive editor) on February 01, 2018 while gathering research materials for this ongoing newspaper archive project. Along with lost games now being translated into Algebraic notation and extractions from over two centuries of newspapers, it is but one of the many lost treasures to be found in the pages of old newspapers since our social media presence was first established November 11, 2017.
