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George Henry Mackenzie
George Henry Mackenzie.jpg
Full name George Henry Mackenzie
Country United States
Born (1837-03-24)24 March 1837
North Kessock, Scotland, United Kingdom
Died 14 April 1891(1891-04-14) (aged 54)
New York City, United States

George Henry Mackenzie (born March 24, 1837, in North Kessock, Scotland – died April 14, 1891, in New York City) was a famous Scottish-born American chess player. He was known as a master in the game.

About George Henry Mackenzie

George Henry Mackenzie grew up mostly in Aberdeen, Scotland. He went to Aberdeen Grammar School and then to Marischol College at the University of Aberdeen. He also studied in France and Prussia between 1853 and 1855.

When he was 19, in 1856, he joined the army as an ensign in the 60th Foot regiment. His regiment soon went to the Cape of Good Hope and then to India. He became a lieutenant in 1858 and later returned to England. In 1861, he left the army. Mackenzie started playing chess in 1853. In 1862, he won a chess tournament in London, even beating the famous player Adolf Anderssen.

In 1863, during the American Civil War, Mackenzie moved to the United States. He joined the Union army and became a captain. After the war, in 1865, he moved to New York City. There, he wrote about chess for a newspaper called Turf, Field, and Farm. He won first place in the annual competitions at the New York Chess Club for four years in a row, from 1865 to 1868.

His Final Years

George Henry Mackenzie passed away at the Cooper Union Hotel on April 14, 1891. People had different ideas about why he died. The New York Times reported in 1890 that he had tuberculosis. The day after he died, the newspaper said he died from pneumonia. They thought he caught a fever while visiting Havana. However, his doctor said that tuberculosis was the real cause of his death.

His Chess Career

Mackenzie was a top chess player in America from the time he arrived in 1863 until just before he died in 1891. For 15 years, from 1865 to 1880, he won first place in 13 chess tournaments in a row. He also won six out of seven chess matches against other players, with only one match ending in a tie.

Some of his big wins in the U.S. included first place at tournaments in Cleveland in 1871, Chicago in 1874, and New York in 1880. These were important national chess events.

From 1878, Mackenzie started getting invitations to play in major international tournaments in Europe.

  • In 1878, he tied for fourth and fifth place in Paris.
  • In 1882, he tied for fourth place in Vienna.
  • In 1883, he tied for fifth to seventh place in London.
  • In 1885, he took fourth place in Hereford and seventh place in Hamburg.
  • In 1886, he tied for seventh and eighth place in London.

His best result ever was winning the fifth German Championship in Frankfurt in 1887. He beat many strong players there, including Blackburne, Zukertort, and Tarrasch. Only the World Champion, Wilhelm Steinitz, was not in that tournament.

He also won the fifth Scottish Championship in Glasgow in 1888. He won four games, lost zero, and tied two. Samuel Lipschuetz became the United States Chess Champion in 1890, taking Mackenzie's place.

Even though he only won one international tournament (Frankfurt 1887), Mackenzie often finished in high places. In individual matches, he beat Samuel Lipschutz in 1886. Lipschutz was another top American player. Mackenzie won five games, lost three, and tied five. In the same year, he tied a match with the European master Amos Burn in London. Mackenzie won four games, lost four, and tied two.

Despite his success, Mackenzie was not seen as a serious challenger for the world chess title held by Steinitz. His results in tournaments were not as good as Steinitz, Zukertort, and Blackburne in the 1880s. Also, in games against Steinitz, Mackenzie only won one game, lost six, and tied three.

A Famous Chess Game

Here is a famous game played by George Henry Mackenzie.

Solid white.svg a b c d e f g h Solid white.svg
8 {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black rook {{{square}}} black rook 8
7 {{{square}}} black pawn {{{square}}} black pawn {{{square}}} black queen {{{square}}} black bishop {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black pawn {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black pawn 7
6 {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black pawn {{{square}}} black bishop {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black pawn {{{square}}} black knight {{{square}}} black king 6
5 {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black pawn {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} white queen 5
4 {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} white pawn {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} white pawn {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} white knight 4
3 {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} white bishop {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} white rook {{{square}}} white knight {{{square}}} black king 3
2 {{{square}}} white pawn {{{square}}} white pawn {{{square}}} white pawn {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} white pawn {{{square}}} white pawn 2
1 {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} black king {{{square}}} white rook {{{square}}} white king {{{square}}} black king 1
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Position after 16...Rag8
This section uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves.

Mackenzie vs. James Mason, Paris 1878
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.exd5 exd5 5.Nf3 Bd6 6.Bd3 0-0 7.0-0 Nc6 8.Bg5 Ne7 9.Bxf6 gxf6 10.Nh4 Kg7 11.Qh5 Rh8 12.f4 c6 13.Rf3 Ng6 14.Raf1 Qc7 15.Ne2 Bd7 16.Ng3 Rag8 (see diagram) 17.Qh6+!! Kxh6 18.Nhf5+ Bxf5 19.Nxf5+ Kh5 20.g4+ Kxg4 21.Rg3+ Kh5 22.Be2# 1–0

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