MANHATTAN

CHESS CLUB

Popular chess club that opened in the nineteenth century in New York. In 1877 chess players met at the Cafe Logeling, 49 Bowery Street in lower Manhattan. Mr. Logeling was a chess enthusiast and eventually built a room in the back of the cafe for chess. On 24 November 1877, it was decided to form a chess club. There was discussion to name it the Metropolitan, Morphy, or Manhattan Chess Club. On 1 December 1877, 37 members showed up for the first meeting. The entrance fee was $1 per person and dues were $4 per year. In May 1884, the group moved to 22 East 17th Street. In May 1889, the club moved to 22 West 27th Street.

Pillsbury with cigar at the Manhattan Chess Club in 1893

In 1890-91 Steinitz played Gunsberg in a World Championship match at the Manhattan Chess Club 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 their proposed world championship chess match. 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, and then to Beacon Hotel. 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 1941 to 1956 the Club was located at 100 Central Park South. On March 7, 1942, Capablanca suffered a stroke at the Manhattan Chess Club while analysing a chess game. He died the next day at the age of 53. In 1949 Arthur Bisguier won the Manhattan Chess Club Championship. In June 1955, Bobby Fischer joined the Manhattan Chess Club. He soon won the ‘C’ section, and 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 late 1980s the Club was headquartered at Carnegie Hall on the 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-chess players, who ordered the Manhattan Chess Club to move. 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 11 am to 11 pm. In January 2002, the Manhattan Chess Club closed, after existing for 124 years. Its last president was Jeff Kossak.Winners of the Manhattan Chess Club International were: 1976 Weinstein, Lein and Shamkovich, 1979 Rhode.Manhattan Champions were:1881 Teed, 1883  Simonson, 1884 Ryan, 1885 Delmar, 1886 Hanham, 1888 Baird, 1890 Baird, 1891 Hanham & Hodges, 1893 Hodges, 1896 Baird, 1897 Schmidt, 1898 Baird & Koehler, 1899 Hodges, 1900 Hanham, 1901 Marshall, 1902 Marshall, 1903 Phillips, 1904 Baird, 1905 Koehler, 1906 Fox, 1907 Johner, 1908 Pulvermacher, 1909 Ayala, Roething, & Rosen, 1910 Marshall, 1911 Hanham & Rosenthal, 1913 Smith, Magnus”, 1914 Kupchik, 1915 Kupchik, 1916 Kupchik, 1917 Kupchik, 1918 Chajes, 1919 Kupchik, 1920 Kupchik & Chajes, 1921 Janowski & Black, 1922 Schapiro, 1923 Schapiro, 1924 Chajes, 1925 Kupchik, 1926 Kupchik, 1927 Maroczy, 1928 Kupchik, 1929 Kevitz,1930 Kashdan, 1933 Kupchik & Willman, 1934 Willman, 1935 Kashdan & Kupchik, 1935 Kashdan & Kupchik, 1937Kashdan & Simonson, 1938 Kashdan, 1939 Moscowitz, 1940 Denker, 1941 Pinkus, 1942 Bernstein & Reinfeld, 1944 Denker & Williams & Willman, 1945 Pinkus, 1946 Kevitz, 1947 Kevitz, 1948 Bisguier, 1949 Bisguier, 1950 Denker & Shainswit, 1951 Denker, 1956 Pavey, 1966 Benko, 1975 McKelvie, 1978 Benjamin, 1989 Rohde, 1991 Shirzai & Zaltsman, 1996 Fedorowicz & Wojtkiewicz, 1997 Benjamin, 1998 Bonin, 1999 Benjamin, 2001 Yudasin