Steinitz vs “Allies” - 1892

 John Finan Barry was a great American chess player from Boston, who once challenged Jackson W. Showalter for the U.S. Championship (losing -7 +2 =4) in 1896.  Mr. Barry was also an excellent chess columnist and a true ambassador to the game of chess.  He additionally represented the United States in many of the famous cable matches against Great Britain from 1896-1901, compiling an impressive record of 5 wins, 0 losses, and 1 draw.

In September of 1917, Barry had an article published in British Chess Magazine.  The article was in response to BCM’s April edition of the same year, in which they talked about Mr. Franklin K. Young’s “Major Tactics of Chess”.   Barry wrote in to display the differences in his belief of chess fundamentals, as opposed to the afore mentioned author’s writings.

Barry included a game in his notes to BCM that took place on the event of Wilhelm Steinitz’s last visit to Boston in 1892.  It was a consultation game in which Barry refers to himself, Harry Nelson Pillsbury, and Mr. S. B. Snow as the “Allies”.  Their opponent was then world champion Steinitz, who was playing by himself.  Barry refers to this particular game as one of the finest illustrations for fundamentals that he had ever seen, stressing the minor right formation versus stategic counter-attack.

We present this rare game to you as seen below, complete with Mr. Barry’s commentary.  Steinitz had the White pieces and the “Allies” had the Black pieces.

SOURCE: British Chess Magazine, September, 1917