George Henry Mackenzie

The Gallant Captain of Chess

Mackenzie's record against the best players of his era was admirable. He enjoyed plus scores against luminaries such as Bird, Blackburne, Zukertort and Germany's Siegbert Tarrasch. He won the 1st prize of every American tournament he entered. Simply put, Mackenzie was the dominant force in American chess after Morphy's retirement, through the 1860's and up to Steinitz's arrival on these shores in the 1880's.

--NM Macon Shibut, in The U.S. Chess Hall of Fame, 1995

 

Captain George Henry Mackenzie (1837-1891) is often forgotten in chess history since he was the American chess champion who followed the legendary Paul Morphy. Born on March 24, 1837 in North Kessock, Ross-Shire, Scotland, Mackenzie became a professional soldier who would later serve in the Northern forces of the U.S. Civil War. Mackenzie traveled to India, throughout Europe, the U.S., and Cuba.

Hooper and Whyld's The Oxford Companion to Chess notes: "From 1865 to 1880 Mackenzie contested 13 tournaments and 7 matches in the USA. He won all of them (except for one drawn match) and was rightly regarded as the best player in the USA." For example: In 1869 Mackenzie scored +82 -8 to win the longest master tourney in New York. Mackenzie won every American Chess Congress in which he competed: the Second (Cleveland, 1871), Third (Chicago, 1874), and Fifth (New York, 1880.) Professor Arpad Elo calculated Mackenzie's five year peak rating as 2560.

Mackenzie's victory in the prestigious Frankfurt International Tournament of 1887 confirmed his status as one of the world's greatest players. The Captain is certainly well-deserving of his status as a member of the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame in Washington, DC.

Despite his successes, Mackenzie remained fairly modest, stating "If I were to describe myself at all, I should call myself a small Morphy."

He apparently possessed a mordant wit. After listening to Steintz compare himself to Morphy as follows: "I play my king all over the board; I make him fight. What did Morphy do_ He castled! He put his king safely in the corner!" Mackenzie replied, "Not a bad idea either."

After suffering for years with chronic heart problems and severe tuberculosis, the Captain died in New York City on April 14, 1891 aged 54. Since then, some chess writers have repeated a claim that Mackenzie may have committed suicide with morphine. However, a timely coroner's inquiry actually indicated otherwise. "It was established that the rumor of suicide was started by a physician who refused to sign a certificate for an insurance policy because he had not been paid a fee." (New York Times, April 30, 1891.)

As of 1995, a book on Captain Mackenzie is reportedly still in the works by author Jonasson and publisher Brandreth.

"Great esteem is felt here for Captain Mackenzie. No player visits our shores that is more welcome to all classes of players than the gallant Captain."

--C.D., London correspondent for the International Chess Magazine, July 1886.

 

"Captain Mackenzie was a tall, well-built, and handsome man, of a retiring disposition, but very affable with friends. Like many other chess players he was a great smoker, giving preference to the pipe over the cigar. He was a cool, deliberate player."

--New York Times, April 15, 1891

 

"What a fine genial fellow Captain Mackenzie was. Everyone admired and respected him."

--British Chess Magazine, May, 1891

 

"In his character Captain Mackenzie combined uprightness with good temper and suavity of disposition and manners, which made him a great favorite wherever he was known."

--Steinitz, 1891

 

"Mackenzie was a fearless attacking player--the strongest player ever born in Scotland."

--Fred Wilson, Picture History of Chess, Dover, 1981

 

"While Mackenzie may not get recognition as one of the true term world chess champions, he clearly was the `World Travelling Chess Champion.'"

--Gene McCormick, Chess Life, March, 1981

On behalf of all lovers of American chess, I thank the generous anonymous fan of Captain Mackenzie who contributed most of the material in this section.