New York 1857

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New York 1857
Compiled by Mal Un

The first American Chess Congress was held in New York City from October 6th to November 10th, 1857. Organized by Daniel Willard Fiske, the tournament was designed as a knockout format similar to the one seen at London in 1851, with the provision that draws did not count and had to be replayed. The first prize was $300. The sixteen best American chess masters were invited to participate in the event, including Paul Morphy and Louis Paulsen. Morphy dominated the event, sweeping each of his opponents until Paulsen in the final. Despite dropping one game in the final match, Morphy finished the tournament with an astounding 14 wins, 3 draws, and 1 loss. Not one to accept money for chess, Morphy turned down the cash prize in exchange for a silver tray, pitcher, and four goblets in its place. His victory cemented him as one of the best players in the world (if not the best), and prompted his tour across the Atlantic where he faced the best Europe had to offer in a series of matches, winning each and every one of them. Not long after his return to America, Morphy would retire from chess.

The matches, final standings, and crosstables:

First Round:

+Morphy 3/3 1 1 1
-Thompson 0/3 0 0 0

+Meek 3/5 1 0 0 1 1
-Fuller 2/5 0 1 1 0 0

-Knott 2½/6 ½ 1 0 1 0 0
+Perrin 3½/6 ½ 0 1 0 1 1

+Lichtenhein 3/5 0 0 1 1 1
-Stanley 2/5 1 1 0 0 0

+Raphael 3½/6 ½ 0 1 0 1 1
-Kennicott 2½/6 ½ 1 0 1 0 0

-Fiske 2/5 0 1 1 0 0
+Marache 3/5 1 0 0 1 1

-Calthrop 0/3 0 0 0
+Paulsen 3/3 1 1 1

-Allison 1/4 0 1 0 0
+Montgomery 3/4 1 0 1 1

Quarterfinal Round:

+Morphy 3/3 1 1 1
-Meek 0/3 0 0 0

-Perrin 0/3 0 0 0
+Lichtenhein 3/3 1 1 1

+Raphael 3½/6 1 ½ 0 0 1 1
-Marache 2½/6 0 ½ 1 1 0 0

+Paulsen 2/2 1 1
-Montgomery 0/2 0 0

Semifinal Round:

+Morphy 3½/4 1 1 ½ 1
-Lichtenhein ½/4 0 0 ½ 0

-Raphael ½/3 0 ½ 0
+Paulsen 2½/3 1 ½ 1

Third place playoff:

3rd Lichtenhein 3/3 1 1 1
4th Raphael 0/3 0 0 0

Final Match:

1st Morphy 6/8 1 ½ 0 ½ 1 1 1 1
2nd Paulsen 2/8 0 ½ 1 ½ 0 0 0 0

Round One, First Match, Game #1
J Thompson vs Morphy, 1857
(C50) Giuoco Piano, 21 moves, 0-1
Round One, First Match, Game #2
Morphy vs J Thompson, 1857
(B44) Sicilian, 48 moves, 1-0
Round One, First Match, Game #3
J Thompson vs Morphy, 1857
(C53) Giuoco Piano, 46 moves, 0-1
Round One, Second Match, Game #1
A Meek vs W Fuller, 1857
(C44) King's Pawn Game, 15 moves, 1-0
Round One, Second Match, Game #2
A Meek vs W Fuller, 1857
(C38) King's Gambit Accepted, 41 moves, 0-1
Round One, Second Match, Game #3
A Meek vs W Fuller, 1857
(C02) French, Advance, 24 moves, 0-1
Round One, Second Match, Game #4
A Meek vs W Fuller, 1857
(C20) King's Pawn Game, 26 moves, 1-0
Round One, Third Match, Game #1
F Perrin vs H Knott, 1857
(C01) French, Exchange, 32 moves, 1/2-1/2
Round One, Third Match, Game #2
F Perrin vs H Knott, 1857
(C01) French, Exchange, 39 moves, 0-1
Round One, Third Match, Game #3
H Knott vs F Perrin, 1857
(A40) Queen's Pawn Game, 40 moves, 0-1
Round One, Third Match, Game #4
F Perrin vs H Knott, 1857
(C01) French, Exchange, 26 moves, 0-1
Round One, Third Match, Game #5
H Knott vs F Perrin, 1857
(D32) Queen's Gambit Declined, Tarrasch, 39 moves, 0-1
Round One, Third Match, Game #6
F Perrin vs H Knott, 1857
(A84) Dutch, 25 moves, 1-0
Round One, Fourth Match, Game #1
C Stanley vs T Lichtenhein, 1857
(B20) Sicilian, 31 moves, 1-0
Round One, Fourth Match, Game #2
T Lichtenhein vs C Stanley, 1857
(C45) Scotch Game, 24 moves, 0-1
Round One, Fourth Match, Game #3
C Stanley vs T Lichtenhein, 1857
(C01) French, Exchange, 50 moves, 0-1
Round One, Fourth Match, Game #4
T Lichtenhein vs C Stanley, 1857
(D31) Queen's Gambit Declined, 46 moves, 1-0
Round One, Fourth Match, Game #5
C Stanley vs T Lichtenhein, 1857
(C50) Giuoco Piano, 48 moves, 0-1
Round One, Fifth Match, Game #1
B Raphael vs H Kennicott, 1857
(D30) Queen's Gambit Declined, 61 moves, 1/2-1/2
Round One, Fifth Match, Game #2
B Raphael vs H Kennicott, 1857
(C33) King's Gambit Accepted, 42 moves, 0-1
Round One, Fifth Match, Game #3
H Kennicott vs B Raphael, 1857
(C42) Petrov Defense, 34 moves, 0-1
Round One, Fifth Match, Game #4
B Raphael vs H Kennicott, 1857
(C45) Scotch Game, 36 moves, 0-1
Round One, Fifth Match, Game #5
H Kennicott vs B Raphael, 1857
(B44) Sicilian, 24 moves, 0-1
Round One, Fifth Match, Game #6
B Raphael vs H Kennicott, 1857
(B40) Sicilian, 54 moves, 1-0
Round One, Sixth Match, Game #1
N Marache vs D W Fiske, 1857
(B44) Sicilian, 60 moves, 1-0
Round One, Sixth Match, Game #2
D W Fiske vs N Marache, 1857
(D32) Queen's Gambit Declined, Tarrasch, 42 moves, 1-0
Round One, Sixth Match, Game #3
N Marache vs D W Fiske, 1857
(B44) Sicilian, 48 moves, 0-1
Round One, Sixth Match, Game #4
D W Fiske vs N Marache, 1857
(A84) Dutch, 35 moves, 0-1
Round One, Sixth Match, Game #5
N Marache vs D W Fiske, 1857
(C01) French, Exchange, 27 moves, 1-0
Round One, Seventh Match, Game #1
S Calthrop vs Paulsen, 1857
(B21) Sicilian, 2.f4 and 2.d4, 30 moves, 0-1
Round One, Seventh Match, Game #2
Paulsen vs S Calthrop, 1857
(C54) Giuoco Piano, 42 moves, 1-0
Round One, Seventh Match, Game #3
S Calthrop vs Paulsen, 1857
(C40) King's Knight Opening, 22 moves, 0-1
Round One, Eighth Match, Game #1
W S Allison vs H P Montgomery, 1857
(C53) Giuoco Piano, 20 moves, 0-1
Round One, Eighth Match, Game #2
H P Montgomery vs W S Allison, 1857
(C44) King's Pawn Game, 52 moves, 0-1
Round One, Eighth Match, Game #3
W S Allison vs H P Montgomery, 1857
(C50) Giuoco Piano, 23 moves, 0-1
Round One, Eighth Match, Game #4
H P Montgomery vs W S Allison, 1857
(C51) Evans Gambit, 30 moves, 1-0
Quarterfinal Round, First Match, Game #1
A Meek vs Morphy, 1857
(C65) Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defense, 29 moves, 0-1
Quarterfinal Round, First Match, Game #2
Morphy vs A Meek, 1857
(C00) French Defense, 30 moves, 1-0
Quarterfinal Round, First Match, Game #3
A Meek vs Morphy, 1857
(C44) King's Pawn Game, 31 moves, 0-1
Quarterfinal Round, Second Match, Game #1
T Lichtenhein vs F Perrin, 1857
(C48) Four Knights, 32 moves, 1-0
Quarterfinal Round, Second Match, Game #2
F Perrin vs T Lichtenhein, 1857
(B44) Sicilian, 29 moves, 0-1
Quarterfinal Round, Second Match, Game #3
T Lichtenhein vs F Perrin, 1857
(B00) Uncommon King's Pawn Opening, 30 moves, 1-0
Quarterfinal Round, Third Match, Game #1
B Raphael vs N Marache, 1857
(B21) Sicilian, 2.f4 and 2.d4, 46 moves, 1-0
Quarterfinal Round, Third Match, Game #2
N Marache vs B Raphael, 1857
(C20) King's Pawn Game, 39 moves, 1/2-1/2
Quarterfinal Round, Third Match, Game #3
N Marache vs B Raphael, 1857
(B44) Sicilian, 70 moves, 1-0
Quarterfinal Round, Third Match, Game #4
B Raphael vs N Marache, 1857
(C01) French, Exchange, 20 moves, 0-1
Quarterfinal Round, Third Match, Game #5
N Marache vs B Raphael, 1857
(C42) Petrov Defense, 24 moves, 0-1
Quarterfinal Round, Third Match, Game #6
B Raphael vs N Marache, 1857
(A80) Dutch, 30 moves, 1-0
Quarterfinal Round, Fourth Match, Game #1
H P Montgomery vs Paulsen, 1857
(B21) Sicilian, 2.f4 and 2.d4, 47 moves, 0-1
Quarterfinal Round, Fourth Match, Game #2
Paulsen vs H P Montgomery, 1857
(B01) Scandinavian, 31 moves, 1-0
Semifinal Round, First Match, Game #1
T Lichtenhein vs Morphy, 1857
(C45) Scotch Game, 19 moves, 0-1
Semifinal Round, First Match, Game #2
Morphy vs T Lichtenhein, 1857
(C27) Vienna Game, 29 moves, 1-0
Semifinal Round, First Match, Game #3
T Lichtenhein vs Morphy, 1857
(D32) Queen's Gambit Declined, Tarrasch, 31 moves, 1/2-1/2
Semifinal Round, First Match, Game #4
T Lichtenhein vs Morphy, 1857
(A80) Dutch, 34 moves, 0-1
Semifinal Round, Second Match, Game #1
B Raphael vs Paulsen, 1857
(B40) Sicilian, 25 moves, 0-1
Semifinal Round, Second Match, Game #2
Paulsen vs B Raphael, 1857
(C47) Four Knights, 47 moves, 1/2-1/2
Semifinal Round, Second Match, Game #3
B Raphael vs Paulsen, 1857
(C32) King's Gambit Declined, Falkbeer Counter Gambit, 53 moves, 0-1
Third Place Playoff, Game #1
T Lichtenhein vs B Raphael, 1857
(C48) Four Knights, 29 moves, 1-0
Third Place Playoff, Game #2
B Raphael vs T Lichtenhein, 1857
(C33) King's Gambit Accepted, 32 moves, 0-1
Third Place Playoff, Game #3
T Lichtenhein vs B Raphael, 1857
(A43) Old Benoni, 25 moves, 1-0
Final Match, Round One
Morphy vs Paulsen, 1857
(B40) Sicilian, 36 moves, 1-0
Final Match, Round Two
Paulsen vs Morphy, 1857
(C67) Ruy Lopez, 53 moves, 1/2-1/2
Final Match, Round Three
Paulsen vs Morphy, 1857
(C46) Three Knights, 34 moves, 1-0
Final Match, Round Four
Morphy vs Paulsen, 1857
(B40) Sicilian, 36 moves, 1/2-1/2
Final Match, Round Five
Morphy vs Paulsen, 1857
(B40) Sicilian, 64 moves, 1-0
Final Match, Round Six
Paulsen vs Morphy, 1857
(C48) Four Knights, 28 moves, 0-1
Final Match, Round Seven
Morphy vs Paulsen, 1857
(B40) Sicilian, 26 moves, 1-0
Final Match, Round Eight
Paulsen vs Morphy, 1857
(C47) Four Knights, 29 moves, 0-1
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