Harry Nelson Pillsbury vs. Jackson Whipps Showalter Match
February 25 - April 1, 1898
New York, NY
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2
Pillsbury 0 1 1 ½ 1 ½ 1 0 1 1 0 1 7 (w/2 draws)
Showalter 1 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 1 0 0 1 0 3 (w/2 draws)
As in 1897, victory was to go to the first player to win 7 games.
In the event of a 6-6 tie, victory would go to the first player to
win 10 games. Match would be drawn and ended if the score reached
9-9. Pillsbury was White in the odd-numbered games.
After the 1897 match, Showalter challenged Pillsbury once more.
This time the results were more what Pillsbury's supporters hoped
for. Pillsbury grudgingly agreed to accept the US title this time.
By 1904, he was quite glad to have it.
In addition to over-the-board chess, Pillsbury was famous for
blindfold play, and for memory feats. One of his better
remembered feats is being handed the following list of words by two
university professors, and being able to recite it backwards and
forwards after a few minutes study, and to repeat the feat again
the next day without re-examining the list in the intervening
time. The list was as follows:
Antiphlogistine, periosteum, takadiastase, plasmon, ambrosia,
Threlkeld, strepococcus, straphylococcus, micrococcus,
plasmodium, Mississippi, Freiheit, Philadelphia, Cincinnati,
athletics, no war, Etchenberg, American, Russian, philosophy,
Piet Potgelter's Rost, Salamagundi, Oomisellecootsi, Bangmanvate,
Schlechter's Nek, Manzinyama, theosophy, catechism, Madjesoomalops.
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