James Mason
Mason was born in Kilkenny, Ireland on November 19, 1849 He was born during the great potato famine of Ireland, an event which impoverish a great many working families and fill the shores of America with a people looking for a life with a future.
and died in Rochford, Essex, England on January 15, 1905
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The Irish Potato famine of 1845-1850 killed almost 2 million Irish and caused another 1.5 million to emigrate. It was refered to by the Irish as the Great Hunger due to it's political nature about which John Mitchel wrote: The Almighty indeed sent the potato blight but the English created the famine! |
Around 1860-1861, James Mason, though it's certain that's not his real name, arrived in New Orleans, the home of the legendary chess player, Paul Morphy. Since New Orleans was not a port of entry for expatriate Irishmen, it's assumed he arrived there via the traditional cotton routes that linked Lancashire to the Confederacy.
From New Orleans, his family made it's way to New York City, the place of dreams. Though his father was just a peasant laborer, somehow James had gained a degree of literacy before arriving in America. This gave him a leg up over many of his peers. Once in NYC, Mason got a job as a bootblack, then as a newsboy around Park Row and the Bowery. He started hanging around the local chess cafés, watching and playing, apparently, quite successfully.
His employer at The New York Herald, J.Gordon Bennett, took notice of Mason and opened windows of opportunity for him to pursue both chess and journalism.
Mason soon became the strongest player at the New York Chess Club [established by James Thompson in 1839, the New York Chess Club was a precursor to The Manhattan Chess Club (1887) and The Marshall Chess Club (originating as the Marshall Chess Divan in 1915, it became the Marshall Chess Club in 1922)].
He played for New York in rivalry matches against Philadelphia. His stature grew to the point where Henry Bird of England challenged him to a match to be played in New York City. Mason won easily with 11 win and 4 loses.
Then came the 4th American Chess Congress, played during the centennial exposition in Philadelphia in 1876. After winning this tournament, Mason was regarded as the US champion.
George Henry Mackenzie, the US champion after Morphy (he won the 2nd American Chess Congress of 1871 and the 3rd American Chess Congress of 1874 and was US champion from 1871-1876 and again from 1877-1887. Mason took the crown from 1876-1877. These are unofficial titles and open to interpretation. The first official US champion was Showalter in 1888), didn't attend the 4th American Chess Congress. I think the only match between Mackenzie and Mason consisted of 3 games with Mason winning 1 and other two were draws.
Mason teamed up with Sam Loyd (who also served with Paul Morhpy as a contributer to the Chess Monthly) to edit The American Chess Journal, America's foremost chess magazine of that time.
Paris Exposition of 1878 |
standing: Mackensie, Englisch, Gifford, Winawer, Mason sitting: Anderssen, Zukertort, Bird, Steinitz, Clerc |
Mason took off for Paris in 1878 to compete in the International Masters tournament at the Café de la Régence (another World Exposition tournament, won by Zuckertort followed by Winawer, Blackburne, Mackenzie, Bird, Anderssen, Englisch, Rosenthal, Clerc, Mason, Gifford, then Pitschel) Not faring well in this tournament, Mason went to London where he enjoyed considerably greater success.
In 1879, he beat Blackburne in a match. He participated in many strong tournaments with good results: 3rd place in the Vienna, 1882 tournament - the strongest ever up to that time; Mason outplayed both Blackburne and Gunsberg in the Simpsons Handicap Tournament, 1884; at the Hamburg Tournament of 1885, won by Gunsberg, Mason shared second place with Blackburne, Tarrasch, Englisch and Weiss!
His tournament play was much better than even the results indicate. Mason, over the years, developed a liking for alcohol, a craving for which invariably overcame him during a long enough tournament. According to Lasker: "the Celtic part of his brain heated up and he would leave the board at a critical stage and not return."
His spotty tournamnet results were partly attributed to forfeits after previous briliiant games. Again Lasker notes: "Mr Mason's play as a player was very high, but he could have achieved the highest place of all, had he not possessed characteristics that unfit anyone for the attainment of success".
Mason was known to tournament directors as a trouble maker, partially due to his drunken disorderliness, partially due to his naturally belligerent temperment. His personal characteristics eventually doused out the fire of his prodigical beginnings and, while he became less a threat over the board despite his truly modern chess technique, his writings became all the more important.
He was a frequent contributer to the British Chess Magazine and collaborated with the twice Irish champion, W.H.K.Pollock, on the the St Petersburg Tournament of 1895-1896 tournament book. In the meantime he wrote several chess books:
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The Principles of Chess in 1894 The Art of Chess in 1895 Chess Openings in 1897 Social Chess in 1900 |
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In 1903, Mason became seriously ill as indicated in a letter to his employer, the British Chess Magazine: "I had epileptoid seizure: pretty bad-convulsions, coma, etc --narrow squeak. Since then, have been slowly recovering: but there is no saying when I shall be well enough to tackle any real work..." His employmeent was his only source of income and, though a fund was established by the magazine of his behalf, Mason felt coerced to try to make some money at chess and entered the City of London Chess Club Tournament in 1904 against a field of Masters including Blackburne, Gunsberg, Mortimer, Lee, Teichmann, Van Vliet and Napier. He didn't fare too well and it proved to be his last hurrah. He died 0n January 15, 1905 and was buried in a little churchyard in Thundersley.
According to Jim Hayes, who researched Mason's origins, it's most likely that his real name was Patrick Dwyer (O'Dwyer) from Kilkenny. According to Robert J.Buckley, Mason's closet friend: "James Mason's true name was neither James nor Mason. His real name was confided to me years ago, as it were sub sigilla confessionis. Later Mason wrote to me: 'My father adopted the name of Mason on landing in New Orleans when I was eleven. Don't split till I'm dead, and even then I would rather you didn't give the name, it's so infernally Milesian, and they'd say that all of the faults of the race went with it, particularly love of drink and laziness. I have them both myself.'".
Around 1860-1861, James Mason, though it's certain that's not his real name, arrived in New Orleans, the home of the legendary chess player, Paul Morphy. Since New Orleans was not a port of entry for expatriate Irishmen, it's assumed he arrived there via the traditional cotton routes that linked Lancashire to the Confederacy. Mason took off for Paris in 1878 to compete in the International Masters tournament at the Café de la Régence (another World Exposition tournament, won by Zuckertort followed by Winawer, Blackburne, Mackenzie, Bird, Anderssen, Englisch, Rosenthal, Clerc, Mason, Gifford, then Pitschel) Not faring well in this tournament, Mason went to London where he enjoyed considerably greater success.Around 1860-1861, James Mason, though it's certain that's not his real name, arrived in New Orleans, the home of the legendary chess player, Paul Morphy. Since New Orleans was not a port of entry for expatriate Irishmen, it's assumed he arrived there via the traditional cotton routes that linked Lancashire to the Confederacy. Mason took off for Paris in 1878 to compete in the International Masters tournament at the Café de la Régence (another World Exposition tournament, won by Zuckertort followed by Winawer, Blackburne, Mackenzie, Bird, Anderssen, Englisch, Rosenthal, Clerc, Mason, Gifford, then Pitschel) Not faring well in this tournament, Mason went to London where he enjoyed considerably greater success.