California Chess History Collection
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
CHESS IN SAN FRANCISCO (Final Part)
I hope that this entertaining and exciting trip to the past will motivate some creativity in chess. If you want to read the complete story go to the Mechanics Chess History website…
The Mechanics' Chess Club is still very active and sometimes you have the chance to meet strong grandmasters (gm) like Alex Yermolinsky or even Walter Browne, the top player from the 70’s who is also an expert in Poker.
Children play a great importance in this club and various activities are available for them such as summer camp and lectures from gm’s.
With a special thanks to the Mechanics' Chess Club & the Chess Dryad
"Visits by World Champions to the MI"
"This past century the MI has hosted many World Champions including Lasker (1902 and 1926), Capablanca (1916), Alekhine (1924 and 1929), Euwe (1947!?), Fischer (1964), Smyslov (1976), Petrosian (1978), Spassky (??) and Karpov (1999)"
"THE COMPOSER"
"A.J.Fink was born on July 19, 1890 and died on December 15, 1956, at the age of 66 in San Francisco.
An internationally-known problem composer, Fink had more than a thousand problems published during his lifetime and won on the order of one hundred prizes."
An internationally-known problem composer, Fink had more than a thousand problems published during his lifetime and won on the order of one hundred prizes."
"After the Fire"
"Part One - The Rebuilding
The 1906 earthquake destroyed the Mechanics' Institute, but it didn't take long for chess activity to spring up..."
The 1906 earthquake destroyed the Mechanics' Institute, but it didn't take long for chess activity to spring up..."
"Seattle vs San Francisco May 1899"
The history of this chess club was followed by many telegraphic matches which were common at that time.
"The following article was discovered by Chess Director Donaldson during a visit to the J.G. White Collection in Cleveland. It features several prominent names including Dr. Lovegrove, one of the top San Francisco players for several decades, and W.A. Dickey.
The latter is the subject of a monograph by MI member Robert Moore entitled W.A. Dickey: Alaska's First Champion. Dickey is perhaps best known for rediscovering, naming and estimating within 300 feet the height of Mt. McKinley, the highest mountain in North America."
"The following article was discovered by Chess Director Donaldson during a visit to the J.G. White Collection in Cleveland. It features several prominent names including Dr. Lovegrove, one of the top San Francisco players for several decades, and W.A. Dickey.
The latter is the subject of a monograph by MI member Robert Moore entitled W.A. Dickey: Alaska's First Champion. Dickey is perhaps best known for rediscovering, naming and estimating within 300 feet the height of Mt. McKinley, the highest mountain in North America."
"Before the Fire 1854-1906"
"The great Pierre Saint-Amant, one of the top players in the world in the 1840s, was French Consul in San Francisco from 1851-52.
It appears he left the Bay Area before the founding of the Mechanics’, so the honours for the first world class player to visit San Francisco go to Johann Zukertort who spent nearly a month in the City in July of 1884."
It appears he left the Bay Area before the founding of the Mechanics’, so the honours for the first world class player to visit San Francisco go to Johann Zukertort who spent nearly a month in the City in July of 1884."
Parts of the History from the Mechanics
With the help of this historian, I will now bring you into another chess dimension :+)
THE MECHANICS
Two weeks beforehand, I had been staying in San Francisco.
During this time, I decided to pay a visit to the Mechanics' Chess Institute where I was greeted very warmly.
Some years later, I still remember Mr John Donaldson for giving me such good advice. This guy, definitively from the west coast, is a strong international master who works for one of the most historic chess clubs in the United States.
(The Mechanics' Chess Club is located in one of the oldest buildings in SF and has a huge chess library)
During this time, I decided to pay a visit to the Mechanics' Chess Institute where I was greeted very warmly.
Some years later, I still remember Mr John Donaldson for giving me such good advice. This guy, definitively from the west coast, is a strong international master who works for one of the most historic chess clubs in the United States.
(The Mechanics' Chess Club is located in one of the oldest buildings in SF and has a huge chess library)
I WAS NOT REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT CHESS
This time around, I was not really concerned about chess. But there was a problem?!
I had to go see Death Valley, Vegas and come back to my motherland.
For this reason, I decided to play in Reno (Nevada). The city of Casinos with big money :+)
I had to go see Death Valley, Vegas and come back to my motherland.
For this reason, I decided to play in Reno (Nevada). The city of Casinos with big money :+)
SAN FRANCISCO
A few years ago when there was the famous Kramnik – Kasparov match in London, I was lost in another continent: America.
Like a real traveller, I had no money and was sleeping in hostels like the Green Tortoise from San Francsico.
Like a real traveller, I had no money and was sleeping in hostels like the Green Tortoise from San Francsico.
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