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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 76.4.252.50 (talk) at 18:22, 7 October 2007 (more historical ACA (SCA) etc records entered). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

The American Chess Association represents the United States as the official governing body within the World Chess Federation, Inc. It was founded in 1857 when it sponsored the First American Chess Congress. On November 11, 1857 Paul Morphy, who had defeated Paulsen for the ACA title, was presented a silver service at the prize giving by Colonel Mead, President of the American Chess Association. On behalf of Paul Morphy, the American Chess Association offered a $5,000 challenge to any player in Europe to contest a match with the recently crowned ACA champion (see Illustrated London News, December 26, 1857). The purpose of the ACA is to extend the role of chess in American society. Current membership as of 2007 is approximately 500,000 members after a major national marketing campaign. Membership is $1 for life. The ACA publishes a monthly magazine, American Chess Monthly, now in its 151st year of publication, which can be subscribed to separately. American Chess Monthly has been published since Vol 1, #1 was founded and edited by Willard Fiske (who helped organize the First American Chess Congress), in January 1857.(see the Passionate Collector http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/collector/chess/chess_2.html). Fiske , with Paul Morphy as co-editor(http://sbchess.sinfree.net/willard.html), edited the American Chess Monthly until 1861. At the 2nd American Chess Congress 1871, Preston Ware, Jr was elected President of ACA At the 3rd American Chess Congress 1874, James Adams Congdon was elected President of ACA.

By-Laws and Rules of Play of the American Chess Association is published, December 1875

As per "The Globe Magazine, 1876," the American Chess Association organized and later ran the 4th American Chess Congress which was held August 17-31, 1876 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the 6th American Chess Congress, New York 1889 S. Lipshutz as the top American finisher, became US Chess Champion with the caveat the title must be defended by matches only and within a reasonable interval defend all challenges

1892 New Editor of The American Chess Monthly became George H Walcott, Jr. of Boston(as documented @ www.bcmchess.co.uk/chessbooksmoravian.html)John F. Barry, of Boston served as Games Editor and later competed against Jackson Showalter for the U.S. Chess Championship in 1896. While editor, Walcott was 2nd at Rochester 1910 (NY State Championship;3rd Boston 1911 (Boston Chess Club Championship);5th at New York 1911 (behind only Marshall,Capablanca, Chajes, and Jaffe); and 2nd at Trenton Falls, 1912(NY State Championship; see Gaige, Crosstables, Vols 2-3.

Pillsbury not defending within a reasonable interval after match with Judd in 1899, as required by the the caveat of the 1889 6th American Chess Congress, Judd, winner of the Western Chess Association (modern day USCF US Open 1903) organizes in conjunction with the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, the 7th American Chess Congress. Frank Marshall wins the event Oct 11-27,1904 and is proclaimed U.S. Chess Champion as Pillsbury declined to play due to illness. Marshall is shown in 1905 in a photo taken in Paris wearing his US Champion gold medal, years before his 1909 match with Showalter and in addition , evidence he considered having won US Championship then is his introduction he wrote for The Golden Treasury of Chess in 1943 whereby he calls himself as "U.S. Chess Champion for 32 years" (1904-1936)

After defeating Showalter in 1909, Marshall resigned his US Championship title in December 1909 with formal statement to the British newspaper The Daily Sketch (Dec 1909) By Robert's Rules of order resignations may not be rescinded and the title reverted to Showalterm and having resigned the title, Marshall could only have regained it by a further new match with Showalter.

In 1912 Norman Whitaker wins SCA (modern day renamed ACA US Open) In 1913 Norman Whitaker wins SCA (modern day renamed ACA US Open) In 1916 Wilbur Moorman wins SCA (modern day renamed ACA US Open) In 1916 Showalter defeats Whitaker by 6-1 retaining US Championship (match) title In 1918 Whitaker defeated Showalter 5.5 to 2.5 to gain US Chess Championship (match) title.

1921 American Chess Monthly Volume 65 reports new US Champion as Norman Whitaker as top American finisher at 8th American Chess Congress in Atlantic City, per rules of 1889 NY 6th American Chess Congress which gave Lipshutz the US Champion title. Whitaker not only defeated European veteran Janowski (not US citizen and not eligible for US Champion title) who won the event, but also defeated Marshall head to head, who finished in a tie for 5th-7th. 1923,1924,1927,1929 PJ Walker wins ACA US Open 1925,1928,1930,1933,1934,1935,1943 Nestor Hernandez wins ACA US Open 1926 J.P Stoner wins ACA US Open 1927, The Washington Post of September 18, 1927 praises Norman Whitaker's feat in capturing the United States Championship. Both Marshall, and later Kupchik (in 1928) decline opportunity to play in a match with Whitaker. 1931,19321937,1938,1940 W.N. Woodbury wins ACA US Open 1933 R.B Edgar ties w Nestor Hernandez ACA US Open 1936 John Buck wins ACA US Open 1939,1945 Dr Gustave Drexel wins ACA US Open 1941 Louis Chauvenet wins ACA US Open 1942 Joseph balint wins ACA US Open 1946 G Wilfred Sweets wins ACA US Open 1947 Stanley Weinstein wins ACA US Open 1948 Jerry Sullivan wins ACA US Open 1949 Hans Berliner wins ACA US Open 1950,1951 Norman Whitaker wins ACA US Open 1952 Marvin Rogan wins ACA US Open 1953 Constantine Rasis wins ACA US Open 1954 George Krause wins ACA US Open 1955 Rea Hayes wins ACA US Open 1956 there were two ACA US Opens, the traditional SCA one won by Dr Roger A Carlyle and the formerly aka Eastern States Open (non USCF) version directed by Norman Whitaker won by Hans Berliner 1957 Dr Steven Shaw wins ACA US Open 1958 David Krause wins ACA US Open 1959 Dr Roger Carlyle agains wins ACA US Open

1975-1976 American Chess Association, now headquartered in Washington DC, allows events to also be USCF rated and are listed as such in USCF's Chess Life magazines.

1981 American Chess Monthly reports 1981 ACA Jaycees Open held in Cushing, Oklahoma and won by Stan Vaughan score of 6-0 1982,1983,1984 ACA US Opens Punta Gorda won by Stan Vaughan 1985 American Chess Monthly reports ACA US Open/100th anniversary Col. Isaac Trabue held in Punta Gorda, Florida won by Stan Vaughan of Fort Myers. 1986,1987 ACA US Open events Punta Gorda won by Stan Vaughan

2000 Las Vegas Sentinel-Voice (Feb 3, 2000) reports that ACA ranked #5 qualified to play match for ACA US Championship and was believed to be first African-American to play for the title in the organization's 143 year history. Cannon lost the $5,001 match, sponsored by the Pawn Place of Henderson, Nevada by a score of 6.5 to 0.5 to Stan Vaughan. Vaughan earned $3,334.00 while Cannon received $1,667.00(as reported by Eric Schiller, Chess City Magazine: http://www.chesscity.com) the 2007 ACA US Open Chess Championship with 480 entrants Sep 1-3, was won by Varuzhan Akopian 12-0 and $6,000 ACA (2710) with ACA US Champion Vaughan going 11-1 to be top American finisher and retain title for 2008 winning 3,000 2nd place and additional $5,000 bonus as 2008 ACA US Champion

Back issues reprints from the organization dating back to 1861 are available from the ACA organization's library. ACA contact info is amchess@cox.net.