Despite the continual distration of war, the 1918 brought together possibly the strongest field so far, including a future GM, 3 IMs, and a mere United States Champion in reserve. This was largely due to the efforts of Western Chess Association Secretary Edward Lasker, who apparently had odd ideas about assembling a field to contest the title he had won twice in a row.

The "American Chess Bulletin" for November 1918 published the general conditions: two rounds on 9/22, 9/24, 9/26, 9/28; one round and adjournments on 9/23, 9/25, 9/27. Time control was a straight 20 moves in one hour. Times of play: were 9:00 A.M. to 1 P.M. and from 2:30 P.M. to 6:30 P.M.

We've got the picture to prove it!

http://books.google.com/books?id=Cq...

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19th Western Championship

Chicago, Illinois
September 22-28, 1918

                            1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2
1  Borislav Kostic          X = 1 1 = 1 1 1 = 1 1 1 9.5
2  Herman H Hahlbohm        = X 0 1 = 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 7.0
3  Edward Lasker            0 1 X 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 7.0
4  John Stuart Morrison     0 0 1 X 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 7.0
5  Norman Tweed Whitaker    = = 1 1 X 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 7.0
6  Lewis J Isaacs           0 0 0 0 0 X = 1 1 1 1 1 5.5
7  Wilbur Lyttleton Moorman 0 0 0 0 1 = X 1 1 = = 1 5.5
8  John Winter              0 1 1 0 1 0 0 X 1 0 0 1 5.0
9  Jackson Whipps Showalter = 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 X 1 0 1 4.5
10 John Taliaferro Beckner  0 1 0 0 0 0 = 1 0 X 0 1 3.5
11 George Gessner           0 0 0 0 0 0 = 1 1 1 X 0 3.5
12 William Stewart Gilman   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 X 1.0

Some sources refer to "N. T. Harrison". This was Norman T. Whitaker playing under a pseudonym, trying to avoid public attention while dodging the draft.

PROGRESSIVE TABLE

              1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11
1  Kostic    1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 5.5 6.0 6.5 7.5 8.5 9.5
2  Hahlbohm  1.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 4.5 5.0 6.0 7.0 7.0 7.0
3  Lasker    0.0 1.0 1.0 2.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0 7.0
4  Morrison  1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0 7.0 7.0 7.0 7.0
5  Whitaker  0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 3.0 3.5 4.5 5.0 5.0 6.0 7.0
6  Isaacs    1.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.5 2.5 2.5 3.5 4.5 5.5
7  Moorman   0.0 0.0 1.0 2.0 2.5 3.0 4.0 4.0 5.0 5.0 5.5
8  Winter    1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 2.0 2.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 4.0 5.0
9  Showalter 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 2.0 2.5 2.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 4.5
10 Beckner   0.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.5 1.5 1.5 2.5 3.5 3.5 3.5
11 Gessner   0.0 0.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 3.0 3.5 
12 Gilman    0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0

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Sources:

American Chess Bulletin, November 1918, p. 313-319; February 1919, p. 53; March 1919, p. 70.

Chess Results 1901-1920 / Gino di Felice, p. 244.

Chicago Daily Tribune, daily reports, September 24-29, 1918

New York Times, September 28, 1918

Shady side : the life and crimes of Norman Tweed Whitaker, chessmaster, by John Hilbert. Yorklyn, DE : Caissa Editions, 2000. SS

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NEXT: Game Collection: US Open 1919, Cincinnati = 20th Western Champ.

SEE ALSO: Game Collection: US Open Tournament Index