Frank Marshall's Greatest Tournament

Cambridge Springs 1904 was an international tournament with 16 players. Eight were from Europe and eight were from America. Marshall was clear first with a score of 13-2 consisting of 11 wins, 4 draws, and no losses. A full two points back were David Janowsky and Emanuel Lasker, the world champion. The next best score by an American was turned in by Jackson Showalter with 8.5, good for clear 5th place. He had 4 wins, 9 draws, and 2 losses. In the elite "supergrandmaster" events lately, four or five wins is often enough to win, but in Showalter's case, he was not only way behind Marshall in wins, but came in first in draws. The great Harry Nelson Pillsbury, who triumphed at Hastings 1895, was already sick (he would die in 1906) and only tied for 8-9 with 7 points. Marshall credited his victory to how good he felt and his greater knowledge of the American players compared with his European rivals, who took the Americans too lightly. The following game was Marshall's last tournament game with Pillsbury.