Author: Adolf Albin (1848-1920) signed
Year: 1895
Place: Hastings
Description:
Autograph sheet with the handwritten signature and date “Ad. “Albin Hastings Sept. 2, 1895 (8" x 6 1/2") one sheet.
Adolf Albin was a Romanian chess player. He is best known for the countergambit that bears his name and for authoring the first chess book written in Romanian. Albin came to chess relatively late: according to The Oxford Companion to Chess he learnt the game in his 20s and did not play in international events until his 40s. His best result came at New York 1893, where he finished second behind Emanuel Lasker (who scored a perfect 13/13), ahead of Jackson Showalter, Harry Nelson Pillsbury and others. He played in the very strong tournaments at Hastings 1895 (scoring 8½/21) and Nuremberg 1896 (scoring 7/18). His tournament results on the whole were spotty, though he won individual games against several notable players, including world champion Wilhelm Steinitz at New York 1894 and Nuremberg 1896. He authored the first chess book in Romanian, Amiculŭ Joculu de Scachu Teoreticu şi Practicu (published in Bucharest in 1872).
This autograph was obtained during the Hasting tournament which was a round-robin tournament of chess conducted at the Brassey Institute in Hastings, England from 5 August to 2 September 1895. Hastings 1895 was arguably the strongest tournament in history at the time it occurred. All of the top players of the generation competed. It was one of the first times such a "super-tournament" was conducted. Albin scored draws with Lasker and Chigorin.
Condition: The sheet is toned, edges is heavily rubbed and has marginal wear else very good of a scarce chess signature.
SOLD 2024