Chicago Chess and Checker Club

The Chicago Chess and Checker Club (renamed the Chicago Chess Club in 1961) was Chicago's longest-lived metropolitan chess club, enduring at least 89 years from its founding in 1891 to its dissolution in the early 1980s. Legendary players who visited the club include Harry Pillsbury, Emanuel Lasker, Frank Marshall, José Raúl Capablanca and Aron Nimzowitsch. For many years, the club occupied space at the historic Schiller Building on Randolph Street.

Locations
The original location of the Chicago Chess and Checker Club was 151 Fifth Ave. (pre-1911 numbering, now 21 S. Wells St.). In 1900, the club moved to "larger and more convenient quarters" at 77-79 Clark St., opposite City Hall. In 1903 it moved to the 11th floor of the 17-story Schiller Building at 109 Randolph St. (now 64 W. Randolph St), designed by Louis Sullivan, and remained there for the next 31 years. In 1934, the Schiller Building was acquired by the Balaban and Katz Theatre Corp., and the chess club moved to 155 N. Clark St., then to 542 S. Dearborn St. in 1949. In 1952, the club returned to the Schiller Building, but the historic structure was demolished in 1961, at which point the club moved to 64 E. Van Buren St. (a building it shared with a pornographic theater) and shortened its name to the Chicago Chess Club.

Beginning in 1970, the club went into a vagrant phase, moving first to a spartan second-floor space rattled by noise from passing 'L' trains at 538 S. Wabash Ave.; then to the La Salle Hotel, 10 N. La Salle St., in 1973; then to the St. Clair Hotel, 162 E. Ohio St., in 1975, not long before the La Salle was demolished; then to 25 N. Franklin St. the following year. In October 1978, it left downtown altogether and moved to the No Exit Café, 7001 N. Glenwood Ave., in Rogers Park, where it petered out between 1980 and 1984.

Visiting Masters
Emanuel Lasker visited the Chicago Chess and Checker Club at the club's invitation on May 30, 1893, and played a simultaneous exhibition. The result of the exhibition was not reported. He returned for another exhibition in November 1902.

Harry Pillsbury paid his first visit to the club on Dec. 31, 1898, when he played a simultaneous exhibition against 19 opponents -- 12 at chess (+8 =4) and seven at checkers (+4 =1 −2). Pillsbury stayed in town for a week and continued to visit the club. A game against Sidney P. Johnston made news when the local player drew Pillsbury in a Queen's Gambit Declined. Pillsbury concluded his visit with a 37-board simul in which he won 30 games, drew five and lost two. He became a frequent visitor to the club and even married his fiancée during one of his visits.

Frank Marshall visited the club in December 1899 and January 1900, narrowly defeating Johnston seven games to six (with two draws) in a 15-game match. Marshall was then challenged to a five-game match by Carl Medinus but declined, pleading lack of time; he returned later in the month, however, and played a "four up" (first to win four) match against Medinus beginning Jan. 30; Marshall won four games to Medinus's two. Marshall was another frequent visitor: he played another simul at the club on Nov. 20, 1906, winning 22 and drawing one, and returned in 1909 and 1913.

José Raúl Capablanca played a simul at the club on Nov. 28, 1910, winning 22 games, drawing three and losing three, including one to Oscar Chajes.

The Chicago Daily Tribune announced on April 4, 1927, that Aron Nimzowitsch was to play a simul at the club against 35 opponents that evening, but the outcome was not reported.

Notable Players

 * Greg De Fotis
 * Sidney P. Johnston
 * Philip Le Cornu
 * Norbert Leopoldi
 * Eugene Martinowsky
 * Carl Medinus
 * Charles W. Phillips
 * Albert Sandrin Jr.
 * Louis Uedemann
 * Craig Chellstorp

Notable Games
F. Marshall–S.P. Johnston

Scandinavian Defense (B01) Chicago Chess and Checker Club, Dec. 26, 1899 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.Bc4 Bg4 5.f3 Bf5 6.Nc3 c6 7.dxc6 Nxc6 8.d3 e5 9.Be3 Bb4 10.Nge2 0-0 11.a3 Ba5 12.0-0 Nd4 13.Kh1 a6 14.Ne4 Nd5 15.Bxd5 Qxd5 16.N2g3 Bg6 17.Bd2 Bb6 18.f4 exf4 19.Bxf4 Ne6 20.Qf3 Nxf4 21.Qxf4 Rac8 22.Nc3 Qd8 23.Nge4 Bc7 24.Qf2 f5 25.Nd2 Be5 26.Qf3 Bxc3 27.bxc3 Rxc3 28.Qxb7 Qc8 29.Qd5+ Bf7 30.Qxf5 Rxc2 31.Ne4 Qxf5 32.Rxf5 Rd8 33.Raf1 Bg6 34.R5f3 Ra2 35.Nc5 h6 36.Ne6 Rxd3 37.Rf8+ Kh7 38.Rb8 Be4 39.Nf8+ ½-½

'''F. Marshall–C. Medinus''' Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defense (C67) Chicago Chess and Checker Club, Jan. 30, 1900 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.Qe2 Nf6 6.d4 e4 7.Nc3 d5 8.Ne5 Bd7 9.Bg5 Nxd4 10.Bxd7+ Nxd7 11.Qh5 g6 12.Bxd8 gxh5 13.Nxd7 Kxd8 14.Ne5 Ke7 15.Rfd1 c5 16.Nxd5+ Ke6 17.Nc7+ Kxe5 18.Nxa8 Bd6 19.c3 Ne6 20.Rd2 Rxa8 21.Rad1 Bc7 22.Rd5+ Kf6 23.Rxh5 Kg6 24.Rhd5 Rd8 25.Kf1 Rxd5 26.Rxd5 h5 27.h4 b5 28.Rd7 a5 29.a3 c4 30.Ke2 f5 31.g3 f4 32.gxf4 Nxf4+ 33.Ke3 Ne6 34.Kxe4 Nc5+ 35.Kd5 Nxd7 36.Kc6 Bd8 37.Kxd7 Bxh4 0-1