Frank Marshall
One of the greatest American chess players of all time, Frank Marshall was a World Chess Championship candidate and held the title of U.S. Chess Champion for 27 years. His swashbuckling style made him a favorite of chess fans around the world, and have made some of his most memorable games and moves timeless treasures that are still enjoyed today.
Early Career
Frank James Marshall was born in New York City on August 10, 1877.
He didn’t pick up chess, though, until the age of 10, by which time he was living in Montreal, Canada. By 1890, he was considered one of the best players in the city.
Rise to Prominence
In 1904, Frank Marshall was invited to participate in the Cambridge Springs International Chess Conference. While a couple of the world’s top players could not participate, most of the world’s best were there, including World Chess Champion Emanuel Lasker and several former and future challengers to the title, including Schlechter, Chigorin and Marshall himself.
While Marshall was already known as an elite player at this point, his performance at Cambridge Springs is what truly caught the world’s attention. Ahead of most of the world’s best players, Marshall finished with a 13/15 score, recording 11 wins without a single loss. That put him two full points ahead of Lasker and Janowski, who split second place. It was the first time in nearly a decade that Lasker had failed to win a tournament he had entered.
That same year, Marshall would also win the American Chess Conference in 1904, by the impressive score of 8.5/9 (1.5 points ahead of Max Judd). However, Marshall was not considered to be the US Champion at this time: Harry Nelson Pillsbury did not participating in the tournament (he was near death at the time), and refused to allow his title to be awarded without him there.
World Chess Championship Challenger
After years of success, Marshall was granted the right to challenge Emanuel Lasker for the World Chess Championship. That match was held in the United States from January 26 to April 8 of 1907, with the venue moving from New York to Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Chicago and Memphis.
To put it lightly, the match didn’t go well for Marshall. He started the match with three straight losses, and despite managing to draw seven of the next eight after that, he never really gained a foothold in the match. It ultimately ended with four more consecutive losses, making the final score 11.5-3.5 in Lasker’s favor. Marshall lost a total of eight games without ever winning one, and he rarely talked about the match afterwards.
International Chess Presence
Marshall would go on to be a major force in international chess for many years to come. He was instrumental in helping eventual World Champion Jose Raul Capablanca gain acceptance in the international chess community. In 1909, the two played a match that Capablanca won in a stunning upset, winning eight games to one with 14 draws. Two years later, Marshall insisted that the organizers of the San Sebastian tournament – one of the strongest in history – allow Capablanca to play. They eventually relented, and Capablanca went on to win the tournament by a half-point over Rubinstein and Vidmar, with Marshall finishing fourth.
Marshall would later qualify for the final and finish 5th at the 1914 St. Petersburg tournament behind only Lasker, Capablanca, Alekhine and Tarrasch. His greatest lasting legacy may have been the founding of the Marshall Chess Club in New York City. Opened in 1915, it remains one of the most prominent chess clubs in the United States to this day.
In his later career, Marshall was a regular member and captain of the United States team at the Chess Olympiad. The team won four gold medals in the 1930s, during which time he tried to encourage a fighting, uncompromising style of play in the team similar to that which he used during his career.
In 1936, Marshall would finally lose his U.S. Chess Championship to Samuel Reshevsky in a championship tournament that his club helped organize – the first such tournament in a series that continues to this day.
Marshall passed away on November 9, 1944 in Jersey City at the age of 67.
Style and Legacy
Marshall is best remembered for his brilliant tactical abilities, including some of the most incredible moves ever played on the board. His most famous move may have come in Levitsky-Marshall at Breslau 1912, where Marshall played the unbelievable 25…Qg3, which allowed his queen to be captured in three ways – all of which led to his opponent’s defeat.
Marshall is also remembered for the founding of the Marshall Chess Club, as well as several opening lines that are named after him. The most famous may be the Marshall Attack in the Ruy Lopez, which is still important in chess theory today.
Early Career
Frank James Marshall was born in New York City on August 10, 1877.
He didn’t pick up chess, though, until the age of 10, by which time he was living in Montreal, Canada. By 1890, he was considered one of the best players in the city.
Rise to Prominence
In 1904, Frank Marshall was invited to participate in the Cambridge Springs International Chess Conference. While a couple of the world’s top players could not participate, most of the world’s best were there, including World Chess Champion Emanuel Lasker and several former and future challengers to the title, including Schlechter, Chigorin and Marshall himself.
While Marshall was already known as an elite player at this point, his performance at Cambridge Springs is what truly caught the world’s attention. Ahead of most of the world’s best players, Marshall finished with a 13/15 score, recording 11 wins without a single loss. That put him two full points ahead of Lasker and Janowski, who split second place. It was the first time in nearly a decade that Lasker had failed to win a tournament he had entered.
That same year, Marshall would also win the American Chess Conference in 1904, by the impressive score of 8.5/9 (1.5 points ahead of Max Judd). However, Marshall was not considered to be the US Champion at this time: Harry Nelson Pillsbury did not participating in the tournament (he was near death at the time), and refused to allow his title to be awarded without him there.
World Chess Championship Challenger
After years of success, Marshall was granted the right to challenge Emanuel Lasker for the World Chess Championship. That match was held in the United States from January 26 to April 8 of 1907, with the venue moving from New York to Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Chicago and Memphis.
To put it lightly, the match didn’t go well for Marshall. He started the match with three straight losses, and despite managing to draw seven of the next eight after that, he never really gained a foothold in the match. It ultimately ended with four more consecutive losses, making the final score 11.5-3.5 in Lasker’s favor. Marshall lost a total of eight games without ever winning one, and he rarely talked about the match afterwards.
International Chess Presence
Marshall would go on to be a major force in international chess for many years to come. He was instrumental in helping eventual World Champion Jose Raul Capablanca gain acceptance in the international chess community. In 1909, the two played a match that Capablanca won in a stunning upset, winning eight games to one with 14 draws. Two years later, Marshall insisted that the organizers of the San Sebastian tournament – one of the strongest in history – allow Capablanca to play. They eventually relented, and Capablanca went on to win the tournament by a half-point over Rubinstein and Vidmar, with Marshall finishing fourth.
Marshall would later qualify for the final and finish 5th at the 1914 St. Petersburg tournament behind only Lasker, Capablanca, Alekhine and Tarrasch. His greatest lasting legacy may have been the founding of the Marshall Chess Club in New York City. Opened in 1915, it remains one of the most prominent chess clubs in the United States to this day.
In his later career, Marshall was a regular member and captain of the United States team at the Chess Olympiad. The team won four gold medals in the 1930s, during which time he tried to encourage a fighting, uncompromising style of play in the team similar to that which he used during his career.
In 1936, Marshall would finally lose his U.S. Chess Championship to Samuel Reshevsky in a championship tournament that his club helped organize – the first such tournament in a series that continues to this day.
Marshall passed away on November 9, 1944 in Jersey City at the age of 67.
Style and Legacy
Marshall is best remembered for his brilliant tactical abilities, including some of the most incredible moves ever played on the board. His most famous move may have come in Levitsky-Marshall at Breslau 1912, where Marshall played the unbelievable 25…Qg3, which allowed his queen to be captured in three ways – all of which led to his opponent’s defeat.
Marshall is also remembered for the founding of the Marshall Chess Club, as well as several opening lines that are named after him. The most famous may be the Marshall Attack in the Ruy Lopez, which is still important in chess theory today.
