Cambridge Springs 1904 chess set

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Avatar of Kovylkino



Lasker - Marshall World Championship Match (1907) - played chess pieces "American Chess Company".

 

source of information

World Chess Hall of Fame: 

 

The American Chess Company began advertising chess sets in American Chess Magazine in 1897. Some of the advertisements contained illustrations of the sets, showing their distinctively charming “sawtooth” mane knights. It is unknown whether the American Chess Company manufactured the sets itself, or whether it simply served as a distributor. However, some of the sets were used by some of the top players of the era in important competitions. Frank Marshall and Emanuel Lasker used an American Chess Company set in their 1907 World Chess Championship match. A set like this one, with different knights, was used during the 1904 Cambridge Springs International Chess Congress, which was won by Frank Marshall

https://worldchesshof.org/exhibit/staunton-standard-evolution-modern-chess-set

 

Avatar of alleenkatze
Kovylkino wrote:



Lasker - Marshall World Championship Match (1907) - played chess pieces "American Chess Company".

 

source of information

World Chess Hall of Fame: 

 

The American Chess Company began advertising chess sets in American Chess Magazine in 1897. Some of the advertisements contained illustrations of the sets, showing their distinctively charming “sawtooth” mane knights. It is unknown whether the American Chess Company manufactured the sets itself, or whether it simply served as a distributor. However, some of the sets were used by some of the top players of the era in important competitions. Frank Marshall and Emanuel Lasker used an American Chess Company set in their 1907 World Chess Championship match. A set like this one, with different knights, was used during the 1904 Cambridge Springs International Chess Congress, which was won by Frank Marshall

https://worldchesshof.org/exhibit/staunton-standard-evolution-modern-chess-set

 

More accurately these chessmen were referred to in the WCHoF excerpt as those similar to Cambridge Springs and used at least in promotional photographs for Lasker-Marshall in the 1907 World Championship.

From my collection, an Austen Fuller photograph for the exhibition.

FJMarshall 1907 promotional photograph with American Chess Company chessmen.

Refer posts #17, #22, #25 and #108 image one for more information.

Link to Chicago Collections Consortium images referenced. 

https://explore.chicagocollections.org/records/?keyword=chess&f1-types=Digital%20Images&pages=3&f2-institutions=Chicago%20History%20Museum

 

Avatar of Kovylkino

Thank you for the information

Avatar of beachero

Hi everyone.  I acquired these pieces earlier this year.  The king's height is 89mm.  The set is well weighted with white leather pads.

Avatar of Bamboo58

Great find. Very nice. Good size set for playing and analysis. Is that an autograph on the box? What year does this set date from?

Avatar of Impractical

Wow happy

They don't make them like this any more.

Avatar of Pawnerai

@beachero Holey Moley. What an incredible find. Up there with Jaques in my book. Thanks for posting!

Avatar of BlackEngkanto

wow, awesome. that is indeed a beautiful set. 

 

Avatar of TenaciousE
@beachero That box and those pieces look almost identical to mine. Would you mind messaging me? I would like to discuss your set further and compare notes.
Avatar of beachero

Thank you for the comments.  @TenaciousE I’ll message you.  @Bamboo58, not sure.  I figure it was made 1900-1910.  The Cambridge Springs tournament was 1904, inside the box someone wrote “Capablanca 1909”.  Not sure about the mark on the bottom, it is in cursive.  Could be an autograph or a previous owner’s mark perhaps.

Avatar of Powderdigit
Fantastic! It’s great too see these sets and to think of the history that they whisper in their antique condition. Wonderful stuff.
Avatar of alleenkatze
beachero wrote:

Thank you for the comments.  @TenaciousE I’ll message you.  @Bamboo58, not sure.  I figure it was made 1900-1910.  The Cambridge Springs tournament was 1904, inside the box someone wrote “Capablanca 1909”.  Not sure about the mark on the bottom, it is in cursive.  Could be an autograph or a previous owner’s mark perhaps.

@beachero

It certainly appears that you have the real deal, although a smaller size King, there are many questions for you about these chessmen.  Thanks for posting!

Avatar of magictwanger

"To think of the history that they whisper in their antique condition"!

Wow Powder! You really have a knack for words.....Very impressive.

Avatar of Powderdigit
Ha! Thanks - I’m no poet but I was trying to describe the story of a faded signature and those words emerged from the fog of my mind.☺️
Avatar of magictwanger

Quite eloquent use of language....I'm impressed and that's coming from an English minor in college.

Avatar of Krames
@beach…. Pure class!!!! Incredible find.
Avatar of Impractical

1909 was before Capablanca's international debut at San Sebastian 1911, but by April 19,1909 Capa had turned 20 years old just 6 months earlier and played his first match game against Frank Marshall in New York, NY.  That first game was drawn but Capa went on to win 8-1 with 14 draws.  Is it possible this set was one used in that match?

Avatar of alleenkatze

One would think that if it was used during the Marshall-Capablanca match, it would have something more to denote that fact than a pencil note in the bottom of the box.  Capablanca toured the USA in 1909 visiting 27 cities and playing over 300 exhibition games.  More likely the original owner made the note to mark an event that involved him and the chessmen.  Look for something to link the name on the box to a game or ? 

Avatar of Impractical

According to another chess website, the 1909 match was played in four cities, New York, Morristown, NJ, Scranton, PA, and Wilkes-Barre, PA.  Does anyone know if sets used are documented as such in collections?  Does anyone have such a certificate? 

Of course, it does make sense that the inscription on the box containing only Capablanca's name would more likely be from one of his simuls than the match itself, but I think the owner wrote the name on the box knowing that certificates may be lost in the mists of time.  After all, in 1909 Marshall was far more famous than Capablanca, and even after the match the claim that Capa was the US Champion was disputed, since he was not yet a naturalized citizen.

Avatar of alleenkatze

Any known photographs from the match?  Marshall-Capablanca