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James Mason: Wild Irish
There is no excellent beauty that hath not some
strangeness in the proportion. Hibernian Origin… The Irish are reputed to be imaginative, pugnacious, and resistant of interpretation. Now, to what degree this combination plays out on the chessboard of Life, this writer, himself a son of Erin, will not venture to assert. I will however confidently claim that the above characterization does indeed apply to that Gaelic great of the 64 squares, James Mason. Of our subject’s earliest life, we have but two bare facts: he was born in Kilkenny, Ireland, on November 19, 1849. Simple truth be told, the name he was given at birth (the cognomen “James Mason” was assumed at eleven years on arrival in the United States), family background, education, and so on, are all unknown. Jim Hayes (note 1) of the Irish Chess Union has however put forth the reasonable conjecture that “…his early years were ones of privation with scant opportunities for education and having to suffer the hungers and hardships concomitant with dire poverty.” Truly, this was the rough situation of the Irish peasantry in the wake of the Great Famine (note 2). The American Years The Mason family arrived in the U.S. embarking first at New Orleans, and then moving on to New York, in 1861. As remarked upon, the family name, which has never been discovered, was here shed in favor of “Mason”. Again, as to the precise motivation for the name change, hard evidence is lacking. It should be borne in mind however that this was a common practice of the poor and disposed arriving in the U. S.: New World, New Life, ergo New Name. Further, where, under what circumstances, and to what extent young “James” had been educated (i.e., in Ireland and/or the U.S., public or private, what subjects…) is all lost information. In any event, Mason’s skill with the written word would soon land him a reporting job at the N.Y. Herald (note 3) newspaper. Indeed, throughout his life, whether displayed in his several book or numerous articles, Mason’s ability as a prose stylist would serve him well. Just when, in the hurly-burly life of this incipient ink-slinger, did the Royal Game make entrée? Not surprisingly, we don’t know – although some researchers posit 18 years of age. If little else, this supposition, even if only roughly accurate, is indeed a trumpet-tongued declaration of the radical changes in world-class chess since the 19th century! Today, no matter native genius for the game, this late start would inevitably lock that player out of the highest levels. Not so, however, in those wonderful days pre-modern chess! Mason joined the New York Chess Club; within a few short years (circa 1870), he was deemed their strongest player. Even in those “good old days” a journeyman-period was quite necessary to acquire the polish of the professional, and thus, for the next five years, Mason played in many tournaments and matches along the U.S. eastern seaboard.
By 1876, James Mason, aged 25, was ready to burst upon the international chess scene. First, as a result of his success at the NY Chess Club, a match was sponsored with the famed English player Henry Bird, which Mason won (by most accounts the score was 11-4-4, (note 4). Next, in rapid succession, two important titles were captured: the tournament put on by the New York Clipper (note 5) newspaper and the Fourth American Chess Congress (note6). Two games indicative of
Mason’s play are here presented: the first from the match with Bird, the
second from the early going in the Fourth Congress:
These events provided Mason with solid evidence that his genius indeed lay within the realm of the 64 Squares. The life of chess professional, however, then as now, can be rather uncertain, and so over the next three years Mason maintained the “press of press business” and a growing involvement with the Royal Game. Two events of note in this interregnum period are Mason’s victory over Mackenzie (note 7) in a short match (1-2-0), and his assistance in editing the American Chess Journal with Sam Lloyd (note 8). As with the majority of players of his time, Mason had some interest in chess compositions (although even at this epoch the chasm between player and problemist is beginning to show). Here is a three-mover created by Mason, published in the July-August 1877 issue of the American Chess Journal (note 9):
Key Tournaments
Many a good man’s fault, said Mr. Dedalus with a sigh. By the mid-1880’s, Mason’s predilection for strong drink was becoming more pronounced. Soon a disturbing pattern emerged: initially, Mason would do extremely well, defeating, or at least drawing, with opposition of his own caliber. By mid-tournament, however, he would often arrive at the board with “one too many under the belt”, or simply not arrive at all… Thus, Mason’s later game record is scattered with inexplicable losses to unknown players, or forfeitures due to “no show”. Mason’s personal reputation was further damaged when his irascible “Irish temper” was agitated by drink. Several modestly disreputable incidents occurred, and Mason, although embarrassed and disheartened by his behavior, was unable to restrain himself. Literary Legacy Luckily, as his playing prowess declined, he still had his writing ability to fall back on. From 1883 until weeks before his death, Mason was a regular contributor to various publications, most notably the British Chess Magazine. No collection of these articles has ever, to my knowledge, been published; and tracking them down today would be a time-consuming task, indeed. Mason also authored four books: The Principles of Chess (189), The Art of Chess (1895), Chess Openings (1897), and Social Chess (1900). The first two are readily available in electronic-format. Here is a position well-worth studying from The Art of Chess, page 74. Of note is the simple description Mason gives of what is to be accomplished, without line-upon-line of useless “detailed analysis” (which no one reads anyway). Work it out yourself – and learn!
Decline For much of the last two years of his life, Mason was confined to bed with a serious illness. Unable to work, he relied upon donations which had been solicited on his behalf by the British Chess Magazine, and daily care provided by a local pastor. In September of 1904, he bravely attempted to take part in the City of London Chess Tournament. Mason was however but several steps from Deaths’ dark door. On January 15, 1905, James Mason passed on.
Footnotes
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