Pillsbury

Harry Nelson Pillsbury learned chess at sixteen, unusually late for a future elite player. Only a few years later he astonished the chess world by winning Hastings 1895, one of the strongest tournaments held up to that time. He became United States champion in 1897 and held the title until his death in 1906.

Pillsbury had an extraordinary memory. In a simultaneous exhibition, one player faces many opponents at the same time. He could also do this blindfolded, without looking at the boards and while keeping every position in his mind. In 1902 he played 22 such games in Moscow and another 21 in Hanover.

His play was dynamic: he sought active pieces and attacking chances rather than merely preserving a stable position. He also helped popularize the Queen's Gambit, an opening that offers a pawn temporarily to contest the center. Ill health made his career short, but his Hastings victory and feats of mental visualization gave him a lasting place in chess history.