George Henry Mackenzie

Chessmetrics Ranking: ranked as high as world number three for ten months during 1881-1882

Tournament Career: winner of five super-tournaments:

3-time winner of the American Chess Congress

winner of the German Chess Congress 1887, New York 1876 chess tournament

Matches: Mackenzie vs Lipschutz 5:3 (=5)

  Mackenzie vs Burn 4:4 (=2)

Why he deserves recognition: 

George Henry Mackenzie was one of those chess players whose life could fill several books. Born and raised in Scotland, he served in the British Navy and sailed around the Cape of Good Hope to India. In 1863, at the age of twenty-six, he sailed to America, which was then embroiled in a devastating civil war. Mackenzie joined the Union side and defended its ideals on the battlefield until the end of the war in 1865.

By that time, he already had some chess experience from his time in Europe. Before leaving the old continent, he played in several tournaments and even claimed a victory over Adolf Anderssen. After the end of the Civil War, Mackenzie resumed his European chess career and gradually became the dominant force in American chess. In this sense, he filled the gap left by Paul Morphy, who had shone in America and Europe in the late 1850s but then retired from chess. Mackenzie never reached the heights and dominance of his great predecessor, but he was the best American chess player from the end of the Civil War until his death in 1891.

Mackenzie won the second, third, and fifth American Chess Congress. He also claimed victory at the strong tournament in New York in 1876. Perhaps his greatest success was his victory in Europe at the German Chess Congress 1887 in Frankfurt, where he took first place ahead of players like Blackburne, Tarrasch, Paulsen, Burn, Gunsberg, and Zukertort.

Why he isn’t ranked higher:

In the nineteenth century, the vast majority of world players were located in Europe, and Mackenzie did not face as tough competition in America. After his victories in American tournaments, he began receiving invitations to European tournaments and made several trips to the old continent to participate. Apart from one significant success in Frankfurt 1887, he did not win another heavily contested tournament, although he usually finished in the upper half of the field. He was never considered a serious contender for the world championship title.

Best Games:

George Henry 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 17.Qh6+ Kxh6 18.Nhf5+ Bxf5 19.Nxf5+ Kh5 20.g4+ Kxg4 21.Rg3+ Kh5 22.Be2# 1-0