Chess, Money, and Prizes
Chess, Money, and Prizes by Bill Wall In May 1826, Johann Maelzel (1772-1838), the owner of the Turk Automaton Chess-Player, held a New York charity exhibition with The Turk and raised $128.50. The money was given to the Association for the Relief of Respectable Indigent Females. In 1827, William Lewis (1787-1870) was a strong English chess player and author that declared bankruptcy due to bad investments. His chess club in London was forced to close. In 1845, the first place prize for the U.S. Championship match was $1,000 ($40,000 in today’s currency). The winner was Charles Stanley (1819-1901), defeating Eugene Rousseau (1810-1870) in a match. In 1851, the prize fund at the Lonon 1851 International Tournament was 500 British pounds. That would have been $2,500 at the time and $95,000 in today’s money. In 1857, the $300 first place money for the first American Chess Congress played in New York was refused by Paul Morphy (1837-1884), the winner. Inste...