Jackson Showalter
Encyclopedia
Jackson Whipps Showalter (February 5, 1860, Minerva, Ohio
– February 5, 1935, Lexington, Kentucky
) was a five-time U.S. Chess Champion
: 1890, 1892, 1892–1894, 1895-1896 and 1906–1909.
(1891/92, +7-4=3), Albert Hodges
(1894, +7-6=4), S. Lipschütz (1895, +7-4=3), Emil Kemény
(1896, +7-4=4), and John Finan Barry (1896, +7-2=4). He lost championship matches to Max Judd
(1890, +3-7=0), S. Lipschütz (1892, +1-7=7), Albert Hodges
(1894, +3-5=1), Harry Nelson Pillsbury
(twice, 1897 (+7-11=3) and 1898 (+3-7=2), and Frank Marshall (1909, +2-7=3).
Other match results: William H.K. Pollock (1891, +3-2=3), Emanuel Lasker
(1892/93, +2-6=2), Jacob Halpern (1893, +5-3=1), Adolf Albin
(1894, +10-7-8), Dawid Janowski
(1898, +2-7=4; 1899, +4-2=0 and +4-2=1; 1916, +2-7=2), Borislav Kostic
(1915, +2-7=5), and Norman T. Whitaker (1916, +6-1=0).
Tournament record: Cincinnati 1888, +8-0=2, first place; New York 1889, +15-17=8, ninth (Chigorin and Weiss won; the first draw in the second round did not count and had to be replayed); St. Louis 1890, +11-0=1, first; Chicago 1890, +13-1=0, first; Lexington 1891, +5-1=0, first; New York 1893 (Impromptu), +7-4=2, third (Em. Lasker won); New York 1893 (N.Y.C.C.), +5-3=1, third (Pillsbury won); Buffalo 1894, +3-1=2, first; New York 1894, +5-3=2, third (Steinitz won); Nurenberg 1896, +3-10=5, sixteenth (Em. Lasker won); Vienna 1898, +12-16=6, fourteenth (Tarrasch won); Cologne 1898, +8-5=2, sixth (Burn won); London 1899, +7-10=9, eight (Em. Lasker won); Paris 1900, +8-6=5, tenth (Em. Lasker won; the first draw did not count and had to be replayed); Munich 1900, +7-7=1, seventh (Pillsbury and Schlechter won); New York 1900, +6-2=2, second (Lipschütz won); Cambridge Springs 1904, +4-2=9, fifth (Marshall won); Excelsior 1915, +9-1=0, first; Tampa 1916, +3-4=2, second (W. Moorman won); Chicago 1916, +14-1=2, second (Ed. Lasker won); Lexington 1917, +4-3=1, second (Ed. Lasker won); Chicago 1918 +4-6=1, ninth (Kostic won); Cincinnati 1919, +6-3=1, fourth (Ed. Lasker won); Louisville 1922, +7-2=2, fourth (Factor won); Chicago 1926, +2-8=2, twelfth (Marshall won).
A variation of the Queen's Gambit Accepted
is named after him (1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nc3).
The famous "Capablanca Simplifying Manoeuvre" in the Orthodox Variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined
(1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Nf3 0-0 7. Rc1 c6 8. Bd3 dxc4 9. Bxc4 Nd5) had in fact been used by Showalter in the 1890s, many years before José Raúl Capablanca
played it.
Minerva, Ohio
Minerva is a village in Carroll, Columbiana, and Stark counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 3,934 at the 2000 census.The Carroll and Stark County portions of Minerva are part of the Canton–Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the Columbiana County portion is part...
– February 5, 1935, Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
) was a five-time U.S. Chess Champion
U.S. Chess Championship
The U.S. Chess Championship is an invitational tournament held to determine the national chess champion of the United States. Since 1936, it has been held under the auspices of the U.S. Chess Federation. Until 1999, the event consisted of a round-robin tournament of varying size...
: 1890, 1892, 1892–1894, 1895-1896 and 1906–1909.
Chess career
Showalter won U.S. Championship matches against Max JuddMax Judd
Max Judd was an American chess master....
(1891/92, +7-4=3), Albert Hodges
Albert Hodges
Albert Beauregard Hodges was an American chess master.-Chess career:As one of the most well known American chess players of the late 19th century, Hodges played an important role in transforming chess from a pleasant pastime into a social institution.In 1894 he lost a match to Jackson Whipps...
(1894, +7-6=4), S. Lipschütz (1895, +7-4=3), Emil Kemény
Emil Kemény
Emil Kemény was a Hungarian–American chess master, editor and publisher.Born in Budapest, Hungary, he lived for many years in New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago. During the mid-1890s, Kemeny was one of the strongest players in America...
(1896, +7-4=4), and John Finan Barry (1896, +7-2=4). He lost championship matches to Max Judd
Max Judd
Max Judd was an American chess master....
(1890, +3-7=0), S. Lipschütz (1892, +1-7=7), Albert Hodges
Albert Hodges
Albert Beauregard Hodges was an American chess master.-Chess career:As one of the most well known American chess players of the late 19th century, Hodges played an important role in transforming chess from a pleasant pastime into a social institution.In 1894 he lost a match to Jackson Whipps...
(1894, +3-5=1), Harry Nelson Pillsbury
Harry Nelson Pillsbury
Harry Nelson Pillsbury , was a leading chess player. At age 22, he won one of the strongest tournaments of the time , but his illness and early death prevented him from challenging for the World Chess Championship.- Early life :Pillsbury was born in Somerville, Massachusetts, moved to New York City...
(twice, 1897 (+7-11=3) and 1898 (+3-7=2), and Frank Marshall (1909, +2-7=3).
Other match results: William H.K. Pollock (1891, +3-2=3), Emanuel Lasker
Emanuel Lasker
Emanuel Lasker was a German chess player, mathematician, and philosopher who was World Chess Champion for 27 years...
(1892/93, +2-6=2), Jacob Halpern (1893, +5-3=1), Adolf Albin
Adolf Albin
right|thumb|Adolf AlbinAdolf Albin was a Romanian chess player, especially known for the countergambit that bears his name, and for the first chess book written in Romanian.- Life :...
(1894, +10-7-8), Dawid Janowski
Dawid Janowski
Dawid Markelowicz Janowski was a leading Polish chess master and subsequent French citizen....
(1898, +2-7=4; 1899, +4-2=0 and +4-2=1; 1916, +2-7=2), Borislav Kostic
Borislav Kostic
Borislav Kostić was a Serbian professional chess grandmaster from Vršac , then in the Austro-Hungarian Empire ....
(1915, +2-7=5), and Norman T. Whitaker (1916, +6-1=0).
Tournament record: Cincinnati 1888, +8-0=2, first place; New York 1889, +15-17=8, ninth (Chigorin and Weiss won; the first draw in the second round did not count and had to be replayed); St. Louis 1890, +11-0=1, first; Chicago 1890, +13-1=0, first; Lexington 1891, +5-1=0, first; New York 1893 (Impromptu), +7-4=2, third (Em. Lasker won); New York 1893 (N.Y.C.C.), +5-3=1, third (Pillsbury won); Buffalo 1894, +3-1=2, first; New York 1894, +5-3=2, third (Steinitz won); Nurenberg 1896, +3-10=5, sixteenth (Em. Lasker won); Vienna 1898, +12-16=6, fourteenth (Tarrasch won); Cologne 1898, +8-5=2, sixth (Burn won); London 1899, +7-10=9, eight (Em. Lasker won); Paris 1900, +8-6=5, tenth (Em. Lasker won; the first draw did not count and had to be replayed); Munich 1900, +7-7=1, seventh (Pillsbury and Schlechter won); New York 1900, +6-2=2, second (Lipschütz won); Cambridge Springs 1904, +4-2=9, fifth (Marshall won); Excelsior 1915, +9-1=0, first; Tampa 1916, +3-4=2, second (W. Moorman won); Chicago 1916, +14-1=2, second (Ed. Lasker won); Lexington 1917, +4-3=1, second (Ed. Lasker won); Chicago 1918 +4-6=1, ninth (Kostic won); Cincinnati 1919, +6-3=1, fourth (Ed. Lasker won); Louisville 1922, +7-2=2, fourth (Factor won); Chicago 1926, +2-8=2, twelfth (Marshall won).
Assessment
He was known as "the Kentucky Lion" after his birthplace and his hairstyle, which consisted of a thick mane down the back of his neck, and perhaps also his playing strength.A variation of the Queen's Gambit Accepted
Queen's Gambit Accepted
The Queen's Gambit Accepted is a chess opening characterised by the moves:The Queen's Gambit is not considered a true gambit, in contradistinction to the King's Gambit, because the pawn is either regained, or can only be held unprofitably by Black...
is named after him (1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nc3).
The famous "Capablanca Simplifying Manoeuvre" in the Orthodox Variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined
Queen's Gambit Declined
The Queen's Gambit Declined is a chess opening in which Black declines a pawn offered by White in the Queen's Gambit:This is known as the Orthodox Line of the Queen's Gambit Declined...
(1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Nf3 0-0 7. Rc1 c6 8. Bd3 dxc4 9. Bxc4 Nd5) had in fact been used by Showalter in the 1890s, many years before José Raúl Capablanca
José Raúl Capablanca
José Raúl Capablanca y Graupera was a Cuban chess player who was world chess champion from 1921 to 1927. One of the greatest players of all time, he was renowned for his exceptional endgame skill and speed of play...
played it.
Further reading
- Harry GolombekHarry GolombekHarry Golombek OBE , was a British chess International Master and honorary grandmaster, chess arbiter, and chess author. He was three times British chess champion, in 1947, 1949, and 1955 and finished second in 1948. He became a grandmaster in 1985.He was the chess correspondent of The Times...
: Golombek's Encyclopedia of Chess, Crown Publishers 1977.