Cincinnati Commercial, 1881 (2nd Problem Tourney)

The announcement stated that the judges would be the column editor (J. W. Miller) and the four prize winners of the solving tourney. The solving tourney, however, resulted in a two-way (or perhaps four-way) tie for the first prize as well as a four-way tie for the second prize. While there are records for how each of the prizewinners voted, there is no record that the chess column editor voted; presumably the number of judges was thought to be sufficient. (The signature H. E. M. Bettman identifies the brothers Henry W. Bettmann, Edgar Bettman and Morris L. Bettman, who returned a single vote.)

No two-movers and four three-move problems competed in the tourney. The authors were J. & H. Bettmann, E. Barbe, A. H. Robbins and J. A. Stafford. (Judges who also competed in the tourney were barred from voting for their own problems.)

Judging appears to have been by single vote. One of the judges did not return a vote as he had lost his records of prizeworthy problems.