AFebruary 18 1912
February 18, 1912. The fifteenth annual championship tournament of the Pennsylvania State Chess Association will be held at the rooms of the Franklin Chess Club, 804 Betz Building, February 22, 1912. The first round will start at 10 a.m., the second round will start at 2 p.m., the third round will start at 4:30, and the final round at 8 p.m.
All chess players residing in the State of Pennsylvania or members of any Pennsylvania chess club are invited to enter. Entrance fee will be $2, and there will be four prizes:
First prize, chess works of the value of $20.
Second prize, chess works of the value of $10.
Third prize, chess works of the value of $6.
Fourth prize, chess works of the value of $4.
Players desiring to enter should at once communicate with P. B. Driver, president and treasurer of the club, whose address is Ridley Park, Pa.
The present officers of the club are: President and treasurer, P. B. Driver; secretary, V. P. Shipley; directors, S. W. Bampton, D. S. Robinson, H. Wells.
There will be a class “B” tournament held on the same day, provided there are ten entries received on or before Monday, February 19th. The association will offer special prizes for this tournament. Entrance fee to class “B” tournament, $1.
Since the formation of the association the following players have won the championship for the various years:
[…]
1910—14 entries…S. Mlotkowski.
1911—22 entries… S. Mlotkowski.
March 03 1912
March 03, 1912. The Fifteenth Annual Championship Tournament of the Pennsylvania State Chess Association was held at the rooms of the Franklin Chess Club, February 22, 1912. There were sixteen entries. Play started at 10 a.m., and the following rounds were finished, to wit:
Round 1: G. Flores-S. Mlotkowski, 0-1
Round 2: C. S. Bonsall-S. Mlotkowski, 0-1
Round 3: S. Mlotkowski-M. Eschner, 1-0
Round 4: S. T. Sharp-S. Mlotkowski, ½-½
After four rounds, first place resulted in a tie between S. Mlotkowski and S. T. Sharp, who will now play a short match to decide the championship. The third and fourth prizes were divided between E. M. Edwards, M. Eschner and R. Sze.
March 24 1912
The following two games were played in the recent Pennsylvania State Championship Tournament. The French Defense in the preliminary round and the King's Gambit in the play-off. The time limit of 30 moves an hour was too fast for strictly first class chess. As will be seen in both games. Sharp obtained a decided advantage. He should easily have won the first game, but had to make his thirtieth move in less than one minute, and, therefore, missed an easy win.
Notes:
(a) We believe that the more conservative move of B-K2 is stronger.
(b) White has the choice of several attacks at this juncture. The strength of the present attack, so far as we are aware, was pointed out to us some years ago in the Manhattan-Franklin Match, where Julius Finn played White against the Editor of this column. Finn claimed that Q-K2ch, followed by the exchange of Queens, gave White a powerful game, and we are inclined to agree with him. The game played in the match mentioned resulted in a draw, although White maintained the upper hand all the way through, Black only being able to equalize the position after hard fighting.
(c) In this move and White's opportunity of doubling his Rooks on the King's file lies the strength of the White game. On a casual examination, the game would be pronounced equal, but on a more careful study, Black will be found always to be under pressure and considerable care must be used in developing his game or his position will collapse.
(d) This move was made, as explained above, on the pressure of the time limit, the rules requiring 30 moves to the hour. BxP would have won easily.
Sydney Thomas Sharp (white) vs. Stasch Mlotkowski (black)
French Defense: Exchange Variation
This game decided the championship, Mlotkowski winning first prize and Sharp taking second. Again Sharp was most unfortunate, having secured a decided advantage, he lost the game on the time limit. We are not certain whether he was under the impression at the time that the time was 25 moves an hour or whether in hastily putting down his moves he had made a miscount. In any event, after finishing his 27th move, he was one minute over the hour, and consequently resigned.
Black forfeited the game on time limit.
Stasch Mlotkowski (white) vs. Sidney Thomas Sharp (black)
King's Gambit Declined: Classical Variation
March 31 1912
Pennsylvania State Championship 31 Mar 1912, Sun The St. Louis Star and Times (St. Louis, Missouri) Newspapers.com
In the annual tournament of the Pennsylvania State Chess Association at the rooms of the Franklin Chess Club. Stasch Mlotkowski captured the honors for the third time in succession by defeating S. T. Sharp after a tie.
May 19 1912
May 19, 1912. The Tournament for the Championship of the Franklin Chess Club, as well as for the George W. Childs Cup and Championship of Philadelphia, is drawing to a close. The tournament, as heretofore explained, is of the knock-out order, only the players paired meet twice instead of in only one game, thus each player has the advantage of having the first move! If the result of these two games should be even, then players continue to play until one has scored an advantage.
As we go to press the semi-final round is being played, S. Mlotkowski being paired against Driver and W. P. Shipley paired against E. M. Edwards, the champion interscholastic player of this city.
June 14 1912
June 14, 1912. (1 and 2). The following game was played in the recent Franklin-Manhattan match which resulted in a victory for the Philadelphia club:—
First Board—Giuoco Piano.
A. S. Meyer (white) vs. Stasch Mlotkowski (black)
Italian Game: Classical Variation, La Bourdonnais Variation
June 16 1912
The following game decided the championship of the Franklin Chess Club. Mlotkowski and Shipley tied for first and second places in the tournament and the play-off was decided by two games. The first game, a French Defense, played by W. P. Shipley, resulted in a draw. The present game was well contested, and Mlotkowski obtained a well-deserved win through an exceptionally fine combination, beginning with his thirty-first move of Q-N6. Both players were pressed for time for the last five or six moves, but we doubt if the result would have been different had the time limit been slower. We shall, as soon as the third, fourth and fifth prizes are determined, publish the full and complete score of the tournament. Sixteen players were in the contest.
Walter Penn Shipley vs Stasch Mlotkowski
Franklin CC ch play-off (1912), Philadelphia, PA USA
Spanish Game: Classical Variation (C64) 0-1
June 30 1912
First Prize 30 Jun 1912, Sun St. Louis Globe-Democrat (St. Louis, Missouri) Newspapers.com
Following the “knockout” plan the Franklin Chess Club of Philadelphia has closed its annual tourney successfully with S. Mlotkowski winning the first prize. He, with Walter Penn Shipley, were the only entrants left in the final round and the Philadelphia lawyer was compelled to surrender as the subjoined Ruy Lopez will show.
July 07 1912
Tournament 07 Jul 1912, Sun The Times-Democrat (New Orleans, Louisiana) Newspapers.com
The last championship tournament of the Franklin Chess Club of Philadelphia was of the “knockout” variety, first place being won by S. Mlotkowski, who had already achieved the distinction of being victorious in three successive Pennsylvania State tournaments. Walter Penn Shipley was Mlotkowski's rival until the final round, when he lost a hard-fought partie to the new champion.
October 13 1912
Franklin CC 13 Oct 1912, Sun The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) Newspapers.com
THE annual meeting of the Franklin Chess Club was held at the rooms of the club in the Betz Building Thursday evening, October 3, 1912. The meeting was well attended. The Tournament Committee's report set forth that the championship tournament of the club, as well as the tournament for the George W. Childs cup for the championship of the city of Philadelphia, had been won by Stasch Mlotkowski. W. P. Shipley secured second prize.
December 17 1912
Cuban Will Be In Tourney 17 Dec 1912, Tue Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, New York) Newspapers.com
CUBAN WILL BE IN TOURNEY.
New York, Dec. 16.—According to an announcement made by the management of the forthcoming American National Chess Tournament, to be opened in this city on January 20th, Jose R. Capablanca, of Havana, will take part. As Frank J. Marshall, the United States champion, is expected to return soon to this country he will no doubt be a competitor. It is expected also that J. W. Showalter, A. B. Hodges, W. E. Napier, J. F. Barry, Oscar Chajes, Charles Jaffe, G. H. Walcott, of Boston; S. Mlotkowski, of Philadelphia; N. T. Whitaker, of Washington: E. P. Elliott, of Minneapolis and G. H. Wolbrecht, of St. Louis, will play.
