The Brooklyn Gunman: Harry N Pillsbury

Harry Nelson Pillsbury (1872-1906) was a chess genius! At age 22, he won Hasting 1895 one of the strongest tournaments of all time and the most important of the 19th century, since it assembled the entire cream of world chess! His illness and early death prevented him from challenging for the World Chess Championship.

From that tournament, I want to share with you an impressive game, between Pillsbury and Tarrasch, which was decisive for the first place. In his classic book, “Master of the ChessBoard”, Reti wrote:

“We are all familiar with the film dramas, in which the hero or the heroine is in imminent danger of death while at same time, but in another quarter, rescue plans are under way. The audience follows the action and counteraction in breathless suspense, but to all appearances the rescuer will arrive on the scene too late. Only at the very last moment, when all hope has been abandoned, is the tragic end averted. A similarly exciting drama is offered in the following game.”

Let’s see.