Samuel Lipschütz
Encyclopedia
Samuel or Solomon (Slm) Lipschütz (July 4, 1863, Ungvar – November 30, 1905, Hamburg
) was a chess
player and author. He was chess champion of the United States
from 1889 to 1890 and again from 1891 to 1894.
Born in Ungvár, Carpathian Ruthenia
, Austria-Hungary
(now Uzhhorod
, Ukraine
), Lipschütz emigrated to New York
in 1880 at the age of seventeen. He soon became known in chess circles and in 1883 he was chosen as one of a team to represent New York in a match with the Philadelphia Chess Club, and won both of his games. In 1885 he won the championship of the New York Chess Club, and the next year he took part in the international tournament held in London
, where he defeated Johannes Zukertort
and George Henry Mackenzie
. At the Masters' Tournament at New York in 1889 Lipschütz finished sixth to be the only American player among the prize winners. Lipschütz won the U.S. Chess Championship
in 1890 and 1892. He secured for the Manhattan Chess Club
the absolute possession of the "Staats-Zeitung" challenge cup by winning it three times in succession (one tie against Wilhelm Steinitz
). In 1900 he won the Manhattan Chess Club championship ahead of Frank Marshall and Jackson Showalter
. Lipschütz played Emanuel Lasker
twice and drew
both games. Several games played by Lipschütz were published in Examples of Chess Master-Play (New Barnet, 1893).
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Lipschütz wrote a 122-page appendix to The Chess-Player's Manual (Gossip
, 1888) and edited The Rice Gambit, New York, 1901. An anonymous reviewer of The Chess-Player's Manual in the New York Times praised "Mr. Lipschütz's appendix, which brings the development of the openings almost down to date". David Hooper and Kenneth Whyld write in The Oxford Companion to Chess
that Lipschütz's appendix "helped to make this one of the standard opening books of the time".
William Ewart Napier
recalled Lipschütz as a "frail little man, with a gentlemanly mien and manners and an extravagantly long, pointed nose—the Cyrano
of Chess". According to Arthur Bisguier
and Andrew Soltis
, "He was a methodical attacker with some strikingly good positional ideas—and some terrible ones." As an example of the former, they quote his 1889 theoretical novelty in the Ruy Lopez
, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 d6 4.Bxc6+ bxc6 5.d4 f6!, which World Champion
Wilhelm Steinitz
praised as an "excellent and novel idea". Afflicted by a disease of the lungs, Lipschütz travelled to Hamburg
for treatment, where he died after an operation.
There is considerable dispute over Lipschütz's first name. Chess historian
Edward Winter
writes, "S. Lipschütz (1863-1905) was a US champion, but chess historians are still unable to establish with certainty his forename." The Chess-Player's Manual, to which Lipschütz contributed the appendix, gives only his first initial, "S". The Jewish Encyclopedia
(see below), gives his first name as "Solomon". Jeremy Gaige
in his 1987 book Chess Personalia: A Biobibliography lists five sources that give his first name as "Simon", four that give it as "Samuel", and one that gives it as "Solomon". In an earlier book, Gaige wrote, "His first name has been variously given as Samuel, Simon or Solomon. The weight of evidence does not clearly favor any of them."
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
) was a chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
player and author. He was chess champion of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from 1889 to 1890 and again from 1891 to 1894.
Born in Ungvár, Carpathian Ruthenia
Carpathian Ruthenia
Carpathian Ruthenia is a region in Eastern Europe, mostly located in western Ukraine's Zakarpattia Oblast , with smaller parts in easternmost Slovakia , Poland's Lemkovyna and Romanian Maramureş.It is...
, Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
(now Uzhhorod
Uzhhorod
Uzhhorod or Uzhgorod is a city located in western Ukraine, at the border with Slovakia and near the border with Hungary. It is the administrative center of the Zakarpattia Oblast , as well as the administrative center of the surrounding Uzhhorodskyi Raion within the oblast...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
), Lipschütz emigrated to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1880 at the age of seventeen. He soon became known in chess circles and in 1883 he was chosen as one of a team to represent New York in a match with the Philadelphia Chess Club, and won both of his games. In 1885 he won the championship of the New York Chess Club, and the next year he took part in the international tournament held in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, where he defeated Johannes Zukertort
Johannes Zukertort
Johannes Hermann Zukertort was a leading chess master of German-Polish-Jewish origin. He was one of the leading world players for most of the 1870s and 1880s, and lost to Wilhelm Steinitz in the World Chess Championship 1886, which is generally seen as the first World Chess Championship match, he...
and George Henry Mackenzie
George Henry Mackenzie
George Henry Mackenzie was a Scottish–American chess master....
. At the Masters' Tournament at New York in 1889 Lipschütz finished sixth to be the only American player among the prize winners. Lipschütz won the U.S. Chess Championship
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...
in 1890 and 1892. He secured for the Manhattan Chess Club
Manhattan Chess Club
The Manhattan Chess Club in Manhattan was the second-oldest chess club in the United States . The club was founded in 1877 and started with three dozen players; membership later reached into the hundreds before the club ended its existence in 2002...
the absolute possession of the "Staats-Zeitung" challenge cup by winning it three times in succession (one tie against Wilhelm Steinitz
Wilhelm Steinitz
Wilhelm Steinitz was an Austrian and then American chess player and the first undisputed world chess champion from 1886 to 1894. From the 1870s onwards, commentators have debated whether Steinitz was effectively the champion earlier...
). In 1900 he won the Manhattan Chess Club championship ahead of Frank Marshall and Jackson Showalter
Jackson Showalter
Jackson Whipps Showalter was a five-time U.S. Chess Champion: 1890, 1892, 1892–1894, 1895-1896 and 1906–1909.-Chess career:...
. Lipschütz played Emanuel Lasker
Emanuel Lasker
Emanuel Lasker was a German chess player, mathematician, and philosopher who was World Chess Champion for 27 years...
twice and drew
Draw (chess)
In chess, a draw is when a game ends in a tie. It is one of the possible outcomes of a game, along with a win for White and a win for Black . Usually, in tournaments a draw is worth a half point to each player, while a win is worth one point to the victor and none to the loser.For the most part,...
both games. Several games played by Lipschütz were published in Examples of Chess Master-Play (New Barnet, 1893).
George H. D. Gossip
George Hatfeild Dingley Gossip was a minor American-English chess master and writer. He competed in chess tournaments between 1870 and 1895, playing against most of the world's leading players, but with only modest success. The writer G. H...
, 1888) and edited The Rice Gambit, New York, 1901. An anonymous reviewer of The Chess-Player's Manual in the New York Times praised "Mr. Lipschütz's appendix, which brings the development of the openings almost down to date". David Hooper and Kenneth Whyld write in The Oxford Companion to Chess
The Oxford Companion to Chess
The Oxford Companion to Chess is a reference book on chess written by David Hooper and Kenneth Whyld. The book is written in an encyclopedia format. The book belongs to the Oxford Companions series.-Details:...
that Lipschütz's appendix "helped to make this one of the standard opening books of the time".
William Ewart Napier
William Ewart Napier
William Ewart Napier was an American chess master of English birth.- Life :...
recalled Lipschütz as a "frail little man, with a gentlemanly mien and manners and an extravagantly long, pointed nose—the Cyrano
Cyrano de Bergerac
Hercule-Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac was a French dramatist and duelist. He is now best remembered for the works of fiction which have been woven, often very loosely, around his life story, most notably the 1897 play by Edmond Rostand...
of Chess". According to Arthur Bisguier
Arthur Bisguier
Arthur Bernard Bisguier is an American chess Grandmaster, chess promoter, and writer. Bisguier won two U.S. Junior Championships , three U.S. Open Chess Championship titles , and the 1954 United States Chess Championship title. He played for the United States in five chess Olympiads...
and Andrew Soltis
Andrew Soltis
Andrew Eden Soltis is a chess Grandmaster, author and columnist.He won at Reggio Emilia 1971–72 and was equal first at New York 1977. He was awarded the International Master title in 1974 and became a Grandmaster in 1980...
, "He was a methodical attacker with some strikingly good positional ideas—and some terrible ones." As an example of the former, they quote his 1889 theoretical novelty in the Ruy Lopez
Ruy Lopez
The Ruy Lopez, also called the Spanish Opening or Spanish Game, is a chess opening characterised by the moves:-History:The opening is named after the 16th century Spanish priest Ruy López de Segura, who made a systematic study of this and other openings in the 150-page book on chess Libro del...
, 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 d6 4.Bxc6+ bxc6 5.d4 f6!, which World Champion
World Chess Championship
The World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the board game chess. Men and women of any age are eligible to contest this title....
Wilhelm Steinitz
Wilhelm Steinitz
Wilhelm Steinitz was an Austrian and then American chess player and the first undisputed world chess champion from 1886 to 1894. From the 1870s onwards, commentators have debated whether Steinitz was effectively the champion earlier...
praised as an "excellent and novel idea". Afflicted by a disease of the lungs, Lipschütz travelled to Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
for treatment, where he died after an operation.
There is considerable dispute over Lipschütz's first name. Chess historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
Edward Winter
Edward Winter (chess historian)
Edward Winter is an English journalist, archivist, historian, collector and author about the game of chess. He writes a regular column on that subject, Chess Notes, and is also a regular columnist for ChessBase.-Chess Notes:...
writes, "S. Lipschütz (1863-1905) was a US champion, but chess historians are still unable to establish with certainty his forename." The Chess-Player's Manual, to which Lipschütz contributed the appendix, gives only his first initial, "S". The Jewish Encyclopedia
Jewish Encyclopedia
The Jewish Encyclopedia is an encyclopedia originally published in New York between 1901 and 1906 by Funk and Wagnalls. It contained over 15,000 articles in 12 volumes on the history and then-current state of Judaism and the Jews as of 1901...
(see below), gives his first name as "Solomon". Jeremy Gaige
Jeremy Gaige
Jeremy Gaige was an American chess archivist and journalist. He was best known for his work collecting and publishing tournament results and basic biographical data on chess players. Hooper and Whyld called his works "scrupulously written" and "a source of reference for chess journalists and...
in his 1987 book Chess Personalia: A Biobibliography lists five sources that give his first name as "Simon", four that give it as "Samuel", and one that gives it as "Solomon". In an earlier book, Gaige wrote, "His first name has been variously given as Samuel, Simon or Solomon. The weight of evidence does not clearly favor any of them."