W stałej rubryce zawierającej wybrane teksty angielskie poświęcone szachom prezentujemy dziś kolejną pracę Johna S. Hilberta (Kenmore, USA) z cyklu "Szachiści polsko-amerykańscy".
Polskie tłumaczenie eseju zamieszczone było w miesięczniku "Szachista" w roku ubiegłym.

Louis Charles Karpinski:
Polish-American Chess Player and Historian of Mathematics
by John S. Hilbert

Louis Charles (Ludwik Karol) Karpinski was born in Rochester, New York, on August 5, 1878, the son of Henry H. and Mary Louise Engesser. Though born in America, Karpinski was throughout his life proud of his father's Polish birth. His interest in chess developed early, and though he could find only modest competition around his Western New York home, Karpinski early became associated with chess players who could help him develop his talent.

For example, the game that follows, published in the Daily Standard-Union of Brooklyn, New York, on August 26, 1893, shows a fifteen year old Karpinski receiving pawn and move from his more experienced, nineteen year old opponent.

That opponent, Walter Frere, was already placed in the first rank of amateur players in the New York City area. Indeed, Frere came from a chess-playing family, his father being Thomas Frere, who had helped organize the First American Chess Congress of 1857, won by Paul Morphy. Hermann Helms, long-time editor and publisher of the American Chess Bulletin, a journal that ran from 1904 through 1963, and a strong player in his own right, played a tied match with Walter Frere the same year the game below was played. Though Karpinski could do no more than draw the game, still, given his young age and inexperience, this result could not have been entirely a disappointment.

Karpinski - Frere
Staten Island, New York
August 1893
Pawn and Move (Remove Black's f-pawn)
1.e4 --- 2.d4 e6 3.Bd3 c5 4.e5 d5 5.Qh5+ Kd7 6.Qf7+ Ne7 7.c3 cxd4 8.cxd4 Qb6 9.Nf3 Nbc6 10.Qf4 Nb4 11.Qd2 Nxd3+ 12.Qxd3 Nf5 13.0-0 h5 14.Nc3 Be7 15.Qb5+ Qxb5 16.Nxb5 a6 17.Nc3 g5 18.Bxg5 Nxd4 19.Nxd4 Bxg5 20.f4 Bd8 21.g3 b5 22.Nce2 Bb6 23.Kg2 Ke7 24.Rac1 Bb7 25.b3 Rab8 26.Rc2 h4 27.Rfc1 Kd7 28.b4 hxg3 29.hxg3 a5 30.a3 Ra8 31.Rh1 Rxh1 32.Kxh1 axb4 33.axb4 Ra1+ 34.Kh2 Rb1 35.Nxb5 1/2.

The next year, 1894, Karpinski traveled to Buffalo, New York, on the shores of Lake Erie, to play in the Third Class section of the mid-summer New York State Chess Association (NYSCA) congress. While Showalter was defeating Pillsbury to win the Masters' event, Karpinski showed? improvement in his play by winning the seven round, eight man round robin tournament, scoring 6,5.

In 1895 the mid-summer congress of the NYSCA was held at Skaneateles, New York. Karpinski, now seventeen, traveled to that town to play once more, this time moving up to the Second Class tournament. One of his tournament efforts from this event has been found, published in the Daily Standard-Union for August 10, 1895.

Weeks - Karpinski
Second Class Tournament
NYSCA' Mid-summer Congress
Skaneateles, New York, 1895
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.b3 cxd4 6.cxd4 Bb4+ 7.Bd2 Qb6 8.Nf3 Nxd4 9.Nc3 Nxf3+ 10.Qxf3 Qd4 11.Bb5+ Kf8 12.Qg3 a6 13.Be2 Ne7 14.Rd1 Nf5 15.Qg5 f6 16.exf6 gxf6 17.Qxf5 exf5 18.Bh6+ Ke7 19.Rxd4 Bxc3+ 20.Rd2 Bxd2+ 21.Bxd2 Bd7 22.0-0 h5 23.Re1 Kf7 24.Bb4 Rae8 25.a4 b5 26.a5 Re4 27.Bc5 Kg6 28.f3 Re6 29.b4 Rhe8 30.Kf2 Bc6 31.Bd4 Bb7 32.h4 Bc8 33.Bc5 Bb7 34.Bd4 Kg7 35.Kf1 Rc8 36.Bc5 Bc6 37.Rd1 Rd8 38.Bd3 f4 39.Bd4 Be8 40.Bf5 Re7 41.Bb6 Ra8 42.Rxd5 Re5 43.Be4 Rxd5 44.Bxd5 Rc8 45.Bc5 Bc6 46.Be6 Re8 47.Bh3 Rd8 48.Bf5 Rd2 49.Bc8 Rd8 50.Bf5 Re8 51.Bd6 Rd8 52.Bc5 Bb7 53.Ke2 Rd5 54.Bc2 Bc8 55.Be4 Re5 56.Kf2 Re8 57.Kg1 Rd8 58.Kh2 Rd2 59.Kg1 f5 60.Bc6 Kf7 61.Kh2 Rd8 62.Bb6 Rd6 63.Ba8 Ke6 64.Bc5 Rd7 65.Bc6 Rh7 66.Be8 Bd7 67.Bxd7+ Kxd7 68.Kg1 Ke6 69.Kf2 Rc7 70.Ke2 Rxc5 0-1.

In 1897 Karpinski graduated from Oswego State Normal School. Before leaving to attend Cornell University, a very fine university in Western New York, Karpinski once more traveled to the mid-summer congress of the NYSCA.

Held at the Murray Hill Hotel, Thousand Islands, during August 1897, that year's mid-summer congress is best remembered for the Inter-State match held between New York and Pennsylvania, won by New York 25,5-23,5. The match included such players as Harry Nelson Pillsbury and Albert Hodges, past and present United States Champions, playing for New York, while Pennsylvania was ably represented by the likes of Kemeny, Shipley, and McCutcheon (after whom the McCutcheon Variation in the French Defense is named). Karpinski advanced to the First Class tournament, finishing second to the president of the state organization, Howard J. Rogers. Karpinski's score of 5,5-2,5 included four wins, one loss, and three draws. Unfortunately, the only surviving example of his play is his one loss, to the tournament's winner. The game was published in the Albany Evening Journal for October 30, 1897. The annotations appeared in that newspaper.

Rogers - Karpinski
First Class Tournament
NYSCA' Mid-summer Congress
Thousand Islands, New York, 1897
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Nf3 Ngf6 6.Bg5 Be7 7.Nxf6+ Nxf6 8.Bd3 b6 9.0-0 0-0 10.c3 Bb7 11.Re1 Nd7 12.Bxe7 Qxe7 13.Bc2 Bxf3 14.Qxf3 Nf6 15.d5 e5 (The only move, of course, but it leads to a protracted struggle to defend the pawn.) 16.Qf5 Rfe8 17.Ba4 (Not a strong move, though it looks annoying. Black's rejoinder saves the pawn.) 17...g6 18.Qf3 Red8 19.Re2 e4 20.Qe3 Rxd5 (Premature; Black had overlooked the fact that when White plays 21. Bc6, he could not respond with Rd3 on account of Qxd3, etc.) 21.Bc6 Rad8 22.Bxd5 Rxd5 23.f3 Qd6 24.fxe4 Ng4 (A very clever resource [but ultimately insufficient].) 25.Qg3 Qxg3 26.hxg3 Rd7 27.e5 Re7 28.Rae1 Re6 29.Re4 Nh6 30.Rd1 Kf8 31.Rd7 Re7 32.Rxe7 Kxe7 33.Kf2 Ng8 34.Kf3 Ke6 35.Kf4 h6? 1-0.

Karpinski's studies at Cornell University occupied his time, but he did not ignore chess. He participated in the 1899 Saratoga Springs, New York team tournament, playing against Pennsylvania. He drew games with Shipley as well as McCutcheon. His teammates included the likes of S. Lipsch?tz and Frank J. Marshall. Karpinski also played successfully for Cornell University, where by 1901 he was first board on the school's championship team. He was instrumental in organizing the Triangular Chess League, with teams from Cornell, Brown, and the University of Pennsylvania, a league that continued for many years after Karpinski had graduated.

???? In August 1901 Karpinski played in the Masters' tournament of the NYSCA. His opponents were many of the finest players in the country: Pillsbury, Marshall, Delmar, Napier and Howell made up the rest of the entry list for the double round event. In round one Karpinski drew against Howell, later NY State champion and frequent contributor to the American Chess Bulletin. In the second round he faced Eugene Delmar, who had played at the great New York 1889 tournament where he defeated the likes of Chigorin and Bird. Delmar had been NY State champion, and was a well-respected, tenacious fighter at the board. Once again, Karpinski managed to hold his own, even gaining the advantage by the time of adjournment, though the game ended in a draw. The game score appeared in the New-Yorker Staats-Zeitung for September 15, 1901.

Delmar - Karpinski
NYSCA Masters' Tournament, Rd.2
Buffalo, New York, 1901
1.e4 c5 2.g3 d5 3.Bg2 dxe4 4.Bxe4 Nf6 5.Bg2 e6 6.Ne2 Be7 7.Nbc3 a6 8.d3 Qc7 9.Bf4 Bd6 10.Bg5 Nbd7 11.0-0 h6 12.Bd2 Rb8 13.Qe1 b6 14.Nf4 0-0 15.Ne4 Bb7 16.f3 Nd5 17.Nxd6 Qxd6 18.Nh3 Qc7 19.Nf2 Ne7 20.Ng4 Ng6 21.Bc3 e5 22.Qd2 Rbe8 23.f4 Bxg2 24.Qxg2 exf4 25.gxf4 h5 26.Ne5 Ngxe5 27.fxe5 Re6 28.Rf5 Nxe5 29.Kh1 f6 30.Raf1 Qc6 31.Rxh5 Qxg2+ 32.Kxg2 Ng4 33.Kf3 g6 34.Rh4 Ne5+ 35.Kg3 Nd7 36.Rhf4 Re3+ 37.R1f3 Rxf3+ 38.Kxf3 Kf7 39.d4 Rh8 40.h4 Rh5 41.dxc5 Rxc5 42.Re4 Rd5 43.a4 Rf5+ 44.Ke2 Rd5 45.Rc4 Rc5 46.Rxc5 Nxc5 47.a5 b5 48.Ke3 Ke6 49.Kd4 Na4 50.Be1 Nxb2 51.Kc5 Nc4 52.Kc6 Na3 53.Kb6 Nxc2 54.Bc3 b4 55.Bb2 f5 56.Kxa6 f4 57.Kb6 f3 58.a6 f2 59.a7 f1Q 60.a8Q Qf2+ 61.Kb5 Na3+ 62.Bxa3 bxa3 63.Qe8+ Kd5 64.Qg8+ Ke4 65.Qe6+ Kf3 66.Qc6+ Ke2 67.Qc4+ Ke1? 1/2.

???? Unfortunately Karpinski found himself outclassed in such an event, dropping his games to Pillsbury, Napier, and Marshall. Though he could do no better than two draws and eight losses in the double round event, he played fighting chess throughout, and even gave the great Pillsbury a tough time in their second encounter. The game and notes are from Sergeant and Watts' "Pillsbury's Chess Career", but also appeared in many contemporary newspapers.

Karpinski - Pillsbury
NYSCA Masters' Tournament, Rd.10
Buffalo, New York, 1901
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 Bg4 9.d4 exd4 10.cxd4 Bxf3 11.gxf3 0-0 12.Nc3 Na5 13.Bc2 b4 14.Ne2 c5 15.d5 Ne8 16.Ng3 g6 17.Bh6 Ng7 18.f4 Nc4 19.b3 Nb6 20.Qg4 Re8 21.Nf5 (White has a splendid attacking position, but for the fact that his King and Queen are on a line. White's twenty-seventh move gives Pillsbury just the breathing-time that he requires.) 21...Nxf5 22.exf5 Kh8 23.fxg6 fxg6 24.f5 Rg8 25.fxg6 Bf6 26.Rad1 Ra7 27.Kh1 Bg7 28.gxh7 Rf8 29.Bxg7+ Rxg7 30.Qe2 Qf6 31.Qh5 Rg5 32.Qh3? (White has succeeded in bringing his Queen to the point where he wants her; but the process was too slow. The tables are turned, and Black wins without using his distant knight.) 32...Rxd5 33.Re6 Rxd1+ 34.Bxd1 Qxf2 35.Rxd6 Qe1+ 36.Kg2 Qf1+ 37.Kg3 Qf2+ 38.Kg4 Qf4+ 39.Kh5 Rf5+? 0-1

???? Karpinski had learned that chess at the highest levels simply required too great a sacrifice. After this tournament he traveled to France, enrolling at the University of Strassbourg, where he earned his doctorate in mathematics in 1903, writing a thesis on number theory. In 1904 he became an instructor of mathematics at the University of Michigan. Married April 20, 1905, Dr. Karpinski had seven children. He became a full professor of mathematics at Michigan in 1919, where he remained until retirement in 1948. His academic career eventually focused on the history of mathematics, a field in which he developed an international reputation due to his more than 100 publications, including numerous books. He was also well-respected for his work with historical sources, especially involving bibliographical work associated with maps and original source material. According to Science for July 6, 1956 (vol.124, no. 3210), Karpinski "died in his sleep early in the morning of 25 January 1956 at his home in Winter Haven, Florida, from which since his retirement he had continued as a book dealer." Karpinski was by many years the last surviving player from Buffalo 1901. While his success in chess competition was perhaps modest, he lived a long and full life, one filled with success in many fields. He deserves to be remembered as an accomplished and respected Polish-American.
1998 John S. Hilbert