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Manhattan Chess Club

by Bill Wall

In 1877 chess players met at the Cafe Logeling, 49 Bowery Street in lower Manhattan. Mr. Logeling was a chess
enthusiast and eventuallu built a room in the back of the cafe for chess.

On November 24, 1877, it was decided to form a chess club. There was discussion to name it the Metropolitan,
Morphy, or Manhattan Chess Club.

On December 1, 1877, 37 members showed up for the first meeting. The entrance fee was $1 per person and dues
were $4 per year.

In 1883, Johannes Zukertort was made an honorary member.

In May 1884, the group moved to 22 East 17th Street.

The club hosted the 1886 world championship (Steinitz-Zukertort) and the 1889 world chess championship
(Steinitz-Gunsberg).

In May 1889, the club moved to 22 West 27th Street.

In 1890-91 Steinitz played Gunsberg in a world championship match at the Manhattan Chess Club. The President of
the Manhattan Chess Club was Isaac Rice.

In May 1892, the club moved to 105 East 22nd Street in the United Charities Building.

In 1894 Steinitz and Lasker met at the Manhattan Chess Club to negotiate thier proposed world championship chess
match. The club hosted the first 8 games of the Lasker-Steinitz world championship match.

In 1895, Emanuel Lasker joined the Manhattan Chess Club. In 1895, the first cabe match was played between the
Manhattan Chess Club and the British Chess Club.

In 1899, William Steinitz resigned as an honorary member from the Manhattan Chess Club.

In 1901, members of the Manhattan Chess Club defeated the Franklin Chess Club of Philadelphia.

From 1905 to 1910 the Club was located at the Carnegie Hall Building on 56th Street.

In 1905 Jose Capablanca joined the Manhattan Chess Club and beat its champion.

From 1910 to 1923 the Club was located at the Sherman Square Hotel, then to Beacon Hotel.

In 1905, Capablanca, at the age of 17, visited the Manhattan Chess Club and beat its champion.

The club organized the New York international tournaments of 1924 (won by Emanuel Lasker) and 1927 (won by
Jose Capablanca).

During the Depression, the Club moved to a basement on Broadway and 73rd Street.

In 1932 to 1941, the Club was located at the Alamac Hotel.

In 1938, women were finally allowed to join the club.

In 1941 to 1956 the Club was located at 100 Central Park South. Maurice Wertheim helped move the chess club to
better quarters.

On March 7, 1942, Capablanca suffered a stroke at the Manhattan Chess Club while analyzing a chess game. He
died the next day at the age of 53.

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In 1947, the Manhattan CC lost to the Club of La Plata in Argentina in a radio chess match by the score of 3.5 to 6.5.
The Manhattan CC team included Reshevsky, Kashdan, Denker, Horowitz, Kevitz, Pinkus, Pavey, Kramer,
Shainswit, and Donald Byrne. Only Reshevsky was able to win. .

Maurice Wertheim (1886-1950) was president of the Manhattan Chess Club in the 1940s. He was an American
investment banker and philanthropist. He was the father of American historian Barbara Tuchman.

In the late 1940s and early 1950s. Sidney F. Kenton was the club's director of activities. Junior members were not
welcomed under Kenton's tenure. He did, however, allow Robert and Donald Byrne join the club.

In 1948, Arthur Bisquier won the Manhattan Chess Club championship at the age of 18, the youngest player up to
that time. He won 7 and drew 2 games. Also in 1948, George Kramer, age 18, won the Manhattan CC Masters
Tourney.

In the 1950s Maurice Kasper, a wealthy New York textile manufacturer, was the president of the Manhattan Chess
Club. He later became an officer of the Americah Chess Foundation. Morris Steinberg was the vice president of the
Manhattan Chess Club.

Gisela Kahn Gresser (1906-2000) was a regular at the Manhattan CC, always taking lessons from Hans Kmoch. She
won the U.S. women's championship 9 times and was the first woman to become a U.S. master. She died in 2000 at
the age of 94.

In June 1955, Bobby Fischer joined the Manahttan Chess Club. He soon won the 'C' section, then the 'B' section.

In 1956 the Club moved to the Hotel Woodrow.

In April 1956, Bobby Fischer won the Manhattan Chess Club 'A' Reserve championship.

In the 1950s and 1960s the Club's secretary by Hans Kmoch and the club was located in the Henry Hudson Hotel on
West 59th St.

In 1971, Bobby Fischer won the Manhattan Chess Club 5-minute championship.JUL
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Lab/7378/manhat.htm Go OCT NOV
👤 ⍰❎
In 1973,
32 captures there were over 400 members of the Manhattan Chess Club. 28 f 🐦
7 Jul 2004 - 23 Apr 2017 2005 2009 2011 ▾ About this capture
In 1982, the club was located at 155 East 55th Street.

In 1984, the club moved to Carnegie Hall at West 57th Street and 7th, 10th floor.

The Club later moved to 353 West 46th Street between 8th and 9th Avenue on "Restaurant Row." Traditionally, the
club was supported by the patronage of Wall Street executives. When they passed away, the American Chess
Foundation, which owns the building, fell into the hands of non-chessplayers. They ordered the Manhattan Chess
Club to move.

In 1985, Josh Waitzkin joined the Manhattan Chess Club.

In 2001, the Club moved to the New Yorker Hotel, Suite 1521, 481 8th Avenue. It was open on weekdays from 6 pm
to midnight and on weekends from 11am to 11pm.

In January 2002, the Manhattan Chess Club closed. It existed for 124 years. Its last president was Jeff Kossak.

Members include Bisguier, Lombardy, Fischer, Donald Byrne, Samuel Reshevsky, and Gisela Gresser.

Winners have included Benjamin (the youngest at 14), Benko, Bisguier, Bonin, Denker, Hanham, Hodges, Janowski,
Kashdan, Kastner, Kevitz (7 times), Kupchik, Maroczy, Marshall, McKelvie, Phillips, Reinfeld, Sherwin, Zaltsman,
and Zuckerman

Thanks to Frank Brady and Aben Rudy for providing me some of this information.
YEAR WINNER
1881 Frank Teed (handicap ch)
1883 Gustave Simonson (handicap ch)
1884 John S. Ryan (1st Manhattan CC Championship)
1885 Eugene Delmar
1886 James Moore Hanham (another source says John S. Ryan)
1887 Samuel (Simon) Lipschuetz
1888 D. G. Baird
1889 Samuel Lipschuetz
1890 D. G. Baird
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1891 D. G. Baird (another source says it was a tie between Major James Moore Hanham and Albert B. Hodges)
1892 J. M. Hanham
1893 Albert B. Hodges
1894 not known
1895 D. G. Baird
1896 L. Schmidt
1897 not known
1898 D.G. Baird and Gustave Koehler
1899 Albert B. Hodges
1900 Samuel Lipschuetz
1901 Frank J. Marshall
1902 Frank J. Marshall
1903 J.M. Hanham, Jacob Halper, Harold Phillips
1904 D.G. Baird
1905 Gustave Koehler
1906 Albert W. Fox
1907 Paul Johner
1908 Albert Puvermacher
1909 Manuel Ayala, Otto Roething, Leon Rosen
1910 Frank J. Marshall
1911 Jacob Rosenthal
1912 Magnus Smith
1913 Magnus Smith
1914 Abraham Kupchik
1915 Abraham Kupchik
1916 Abraham Kupchik
1917 Abraham Kupchik
1918 Oscar Chajes
1919 Abraham Kupchik
1920 Abraham Kupchik, Oscar Chajes
1921 David Janowski, Roy T. Black
1922 Morris A. Schapiro
1923 Morris A. Schapiro
1924 Oscar Chajes
1925 Abraham Kupchik
1926 Abraham Kupchik
1927 Alexander Kevitz (another source says Geza Maroczy)
1928 Abraham Kupchik
1929 Alexander Kevitz
1930 Abraham Kupchik
1931 Isaac Kashdan
1932 A. Kevitz on tiebreak over Robert Willman
1933 Robert Willman
1934 A. Kevitz after playoff with Kashdan (another source says Robert Willman)
1935 Isaac Kashdan, Alexander Kevitz
1936 Alexander Kevitz on tiebreak over Albert C. Simonson
1937 IsaacKashdan after playoff with Albert C. Simonson
1938 Isaac Kashdan
1939 Jacob (Jack) Moskowitz
1940 Arnold Denker (he won the Manhattan CC 6 times)
1941 Albert S. Pinkus
1942 Fred Reinfeld and Sidney N. Bernstein tie
1943 not known
1944 Arnold Denker after playoff with Willman
1945 Albert Pinkus
1946 Alexander Kevitz
1947 Alexander Kevitz (another source says Arnold Denker)
1948 Arthur B. Bisguier
1949 Arthur B. Bisguier
1950 Arnold Denker, George Shainswit
1951 Arnold Denker
1952 George Kramer
1953 Max Pavey
1954 Arnold Denker
1955 Alexander Kevitz
1956 Max Pavey
1957 Arthur B. Bisguier
1958 Arthur B. Bisguier
1959 Arthur B. Bisguier
1960 Pal C. Benko
1961 Pal C. Benko
1962 Paul Brandts
1963 Bernard Zuckerman
1964 Bernard Zuckerman
1965 Pal C. Benko
1966 Pal C. Benko
1967 Pal C. Benko
1968 Arthur B. Bisguier
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1969 Arthur B. Bisguier
1970 Arnold Denker
1971 Arthur Feurstein
1972 Walter Shipman
1973 George Kramer
1974 Alexander Kevitz, George Kramer, Walter Shipman
1975 Neil McKelvie
1976 Milorad Boskovic
1977 Alexander Kevitz
1978 Joel Benjamin
1979 Jorge Massana, Neil McKelvie
1980 Jeffrey Kastner
1981 John Fedorowicz
1982 Joel Benjamin, Vitaly Zaltsman
1983 Joel Benjamin
1984 Walter Shipman
1985 Walter Shipman
1986 Jonathan Schroer
1987 Ronald M. Young, Bernard Zuckerman
1988 Mark Ginsburg
1989 Michael Rohde
1990 Mark Ginsburg
1991 Kamran Shirazi and Zaltsman win the 114th annual Manhattan CC Ch.
1992 Joel Benjamin
1993 Jay Bonin
1994 Jay Bonin, Walter Shipman
1995 Walter Shipman
1996 John Fedorowicz, Alexander Wojtkiewiez
1997 Jay Bonin
1998 Joel Benjamin
1999 Joel Benjamin (wins for the 6th time)
2001 Leonid Yudasin

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