Marking Marshall's victory

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Exactly 100 years ago this week, a rising young master from New York won one of the strongest tournaments ever held in this country after having defeated a host of better-known U.S. and European stars.

At the luxurious Rider Hotel in the Pennsylvania resort town of Cambridge Springs, 26-year-old Brooklynite Frank Marshall finished an undefeated 13-2, besting reigning world champion Emanuel Lasker of Germany and France's David Janowsky by an astounding two full points. Among the also-rans: Boston great Harry Nelson Pillsbury, former U.S. champion Jackson Showalter and Russian star Mikhail Chigorin.

Oddly, Marshall's actual play from the tournament has been a bit overlooked despite his stupendous score. The two most anthologized games from the event are Pillsbury's famous win over Lasker (avenging a brilliant loss to the champ in the same opening variation eight years earlier) and Lasker's scintillating win over also-ran William Ewart Napier, one of the most tactically complex games ever played.

Marshall was famous for his romantic, attacking style, but his best effort at Cambridge Springs was his arduous Round 11 defensive stand against Janowski, a 76-move victory for the American that all but decided the tournament.

Still, the winner managed some other fine games, including a poignant Round 2 victory over Pillsbury, whose play already was being hurt by the brain illness that would kill him two years later at the age of 33. The two Americans had fought some wonderful duels in the past, but this time, Marshall scores a quick knockout.

Pillsbury as Black plays a modern opening, the Pirc, in an old-fashioned way, preferring piece pressure and quick development with 7...Nc6 to challenging the White center with 7...c5. A move later, Black creates a bad hole in his kingside with 8. Bc4 e6?! (Be6 was playable as Black is fine on 9. Ng5 Nxc3! 10. Nxe6 Nxd1 11. Nxd8 Rxd8 12. Kxd1 Rxd4+ 13. Bd3 Nxe5), and on 9. Bg5 Nxc3 10. bxc3 Ne7 11. 0-0, White has an alarming lead in development.

In his element, Marshall jettisons a pawn with 12. Bf6! Bxf6 13. exf6 Nf5 14. Qe2 Qxf6, and bores in with the aggressive 15. g4! Nd6 (Ne7 16. Ne5 Qh4 17. Rxf7 h5 18. Rxe7+! Qxe7 [Kxe7 19. Nxg6+] 19. Nxg6 Qg7 20. Nxh8 Qxh8 21. Bxe6, winning) 16. Ne5.

Marshall in his memoirs remarked that it is difficult to believe Black will be mated in just a few more moves, but the half-open f-file, the dominant knight on e5 and the weaknesses around the Black king all give White a big edge.

The payoff comes on 19. Raf1 Bd7 20. Rf6! Rg8 (see diagram; the g6 square is also fatally vulnerable in lines like 20...Be8 21. Nxg6! fxg6 22. Rxf8 Qxf8 23. Qe5+ Kg8 24. Rxf8+ Kxf8 25. Qh8+ Ke7 26. Bxg6) 21. Nxg6!! Qxf6 (fxg6 22. Rxg6+ Kh7 23. Rxh6+! Kxh6 [Kg7 24. Rh7 mate] 24. Qe3+ Kg7 [Qg5 25. Qh3+ Kg7 26. Qh7 mate] 25. Qe5+ Kh6 26. Qh5+ Kg7 27. Qh7 mate) 22. Rxf6 Kxf6 (hara-kiri, but Black was lost in any case) 23. Qe5 mate.

A round later, against Pillsbury's old Boston rival John Barry, Marshall combined defense and offense for another quick decision. This 26-mover actually has two distinct phases, as Marshall first neutralizes a piece sacrifice by White, then efficiently switches to a mating attack.