American Chess Association

The American Chess Association was a chess organization founded in New York, 1857. [cite book | title = This Day in New York Sports | author = Jordan Sprechman | coauthors = Bill Shannon | pages = pp.280,406 | isbn = 1571672540 | publisher = Sports Publishing LLC | year = 1998 | accessdate = 2007-07-28 ] [cite web | url = http://www.chessville.com/BillWall/StrangeButTrue.htm | title = Strange But True | work = Bill Wall's Wonderful World of Chess | author = Bill Wall | accessdate = 2007-07-08 ] The organization organized the first major chess tournament, the First American Chess Congress, in the United States on October 6, 1857. [cite book | title = Who Was Who in America | year = 1967 | publisher = Marquis Who's Who | pages = p.23 | accessdate = 2007-07-28 ] [cite web | url = http://www.brainyhistory.com/events/1857/october_6_1857_53681.html | title = October 6, 1857 in History | work = Brainy History | accessdate = 2007-07-28 ] On November 11, 1857, Paul Morphy, who had defeated Louis Paulsen in the tournament, was presented with a silver service at the prize giving by Colonel Charles D. Mead,fact|date=July 2007 President of the ACA. [cite book | title = Paul Morphy : his later life | author = C.A. Buck | location = Newport, Ky. | publisher = Will. H. Lyons | year = 1902. | id = OCLC|2393093 | url = http://batgirl.atspace.com/CA_Buck.html | accessdate = 2007-07-28 ] 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. [cite book | title = The Exploits and Triumphs, in Europe, of Paul Morphy | author = Frederick Milnes Edge | year = 1859 | publisher = D. Appleton & Company | pages = p.16 | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=rJcCAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA16&dq=%22The+Exploits+and+Triumphs%22+%22American+Chess+Association%22 ]

The ACA published a monthly magazine, "American Chess Monthly", founded in January 1857 by Willard Fiske, who had helped organize the First American Chess Congress. [cite web | url = http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/collector/chess/chess_2.html | title = 1857 Chess Congress | work = Cornell Library | accessdate = 2007-07-28] Fiske edited "American Chess Monthly" from 1857 until 1860, four months before it ceased publication. Morphy was credited as co-editor, though he had little actual involvement. [cite book | title = The Oxford Companion to Chess | author = David Hooper | coauthors = Kenneth Whyld | pages = p.117 | isbn = 0192175408 | publisher = Oxford University Press | year = 1984 | accessdate = 2007-08-27 ] (Another magazine of the same name published in 1892-93 had no connection with this one.) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess_Monthly]

In 1874, the American Chess Association changed its name to the National Chess Association. [cite book | title = The U.S. Chess Championship, 1845-1985 | author = Andrew Soltis | coauthors = Gene McCormick | pages = p.31 | isbn = 0899500560 | publisher = McFarland & Company Inc | year = 1986 | accessdate = 2007-08-21 ] A successor organization, the National Chess Federation, merged with the American Chess Federation in 1939 to create the modern U.S. Chess Federation. [cite book | title = A Passion for Chess | author = Reuben Fine | pages = p.178 | publisher = David McKay Company, Inc | year = 1958 | accessdate = 2007-08-21 ]

References

Further reading

* | url = http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/collector/chess/chess_2.html