Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 5.djvu/614

Rh 602 CHESS career concluded. He died suddenly on the 22d of June 1874, at the age of sixty-four. Among the contemporaries of Staunton, mention should certainly not be omitted of Henry Thomas Buckle, author of the History of Civilization. His remarkable powers as a chess-player were principally exhibited in games played only for recreation at Simpson s Chess divan, wherein he was successful over Kieseritzki, and used to concede odds to strong players such as Barnes, Bird, &amp;lt;fec. He beat Anderssen in 1851 when the Breslau player was at the height of his strength in a series of 15 well-contested games played between them, by a majority of one game, and he also about the same time defeated Lowenthal in a match. In the ten years 1830-1840 a new school arose in Berlin, the seven leaders of which have been called the Pleiades. These were Bledow (1795-1846), Bilguer (1815-1840), Hanstein (1810-1850), Mayet (1810-1868), Schorn (1802-1850), B. Horwitz, born in 1809 and now living in London, and last, but not least, the eminent player and chess author, Von Heydebrandt und der Lasa, at present the imperial German ambassador at Copenhagen. As belonging to the same period must be mentioned the three Hungarian players, Grimm, who died in Turkish Asia, whither he had fled after the insurrection of 1848 ; Szen, known by his successful combats with Labourdonnais (who conceded the Pesth player pawn and two moves, but lost 11 games out of 12), his competition in the 1851 tourney, as also his general play with the strongest adepts of his time; and J. Lowenthal, lately deceased, whose career, however, belongs more naturally to the period of later British chess. Among other proofs of the skill of these Hungarians is the correspondence match in 1843-45 be tween Pesth and Paris, won by the former. The first modern international chess tournament, held at London in 1851, marks the commencement of the present epoch, and was the forerunner of various similar contests between strong players of different nationalities. This tourney brought forward a player who, so far as beauty of combination goes, stands even to the present moment with out a rival, viz., A. Anderssen, born in Breslau the 6th of July 1818. Before his appearance in England he had defeated all his German antagonists, and at the above- mentioned tournament he took the first prize, having successively beaten L. Kieseritzki, Szen, Staunton, and Mr Wyvill, M.P. Anderssen played the same year in the tournament of the London Club, and again took first honours. In 1857 he competed in the Manchester tourney, but lost in the last round to Lowenthal, who consequently won the first prize, Anderssen having the second. In December 1858 Anderssen was beaten by Morphy in a match played at Paris, the score being 7 games to 2 and 2 drawn. In 1860 the indefatigable Breslau player again visited Paris, and played successfully against J. Kolisch ; and he also defeated the latter in 1861 in a set match played at London by 4 games to 3. In the London tourna ment of 1862, Anderssen took the first prize ; but in 1866 he lost a match to Steinitz, the winner s score being 8 to 6. In 1869 Anderssen came out first in the North German and Rhenish tournaments, and again in 1870 at the Baden- Baden congress ; but in the spring of 1871 he lost a match to Zukertort, score 5 to 2, and he took but the third prize at the Vienna congress of 1873. Altogether he has shown himself the most soldier-like of chess players, ever ready for the fight, and never caring to rest upon his reputation. Among those who may be reckoned as more or less owing their training to him are the following eminent players : D. Harrwitz, J. Dufresne, Max Lange, B. Suhle, P. Hirschfeld, G. R. Neumann, E. Schallopp, S. Mieses, J. H. Zukertort, and many others. Paul Morphy, who beat Anderssen by such a decisive majority of games, is considered by many competent judges, and probably with truth, to have been the strongest chess player that ever lived. His career was short but brilliant. Born in New Orleans on the 22d of June 1837, he was taught chess by his father when only ten years of age, and in two years time became a strong player, able to contend with success against his uncle Mr Ernest Morphy and Mr Eugene Rousseau, both high-class experts. When not quite thirteen he played three games with Lowenthal, and won two of them, the other being drawn. He was twenty years of age when he competed in the New York congress of 1857,, where he won the first prize, having defeated C. H. Stanley, L. Paulsen, and other strong American amateurs. In 1858 he visited Europe, and there met with a series of triumphs. He arrived first in England, and there defeated by large majorities Boden, Medley, Mongredien, Owen, Bird, and others. He also, in a match played in London, beat Lowenthal by 9 games to 3 and 2 drawn. In September of the same year (1858) he played a match at Paris with Harrwitz, whom he defeated by 5 to 2 and 1 drawn ; and later on he obtained a victory over Anderssen as above stated. During his stay in Europe he on two or three occasions played without sight of board or men and simultaneously against eight strong players, each time with great success. He returned to America in May 1859, and here his chess career virtually finishes. He continued to play in his own circle, but with decreasing interest in the game, until 1866, when he totally abandoned its practice and has never played since. Wilhelm Steinitz, born at Prague in 1836, and for the last fourteen years resident in London, took the sixth prize at the London congress of 1862. Immediately afterwards he defeated Blackburne in a match by 7 to 1 and 2 draws. In 1866 he beat Anderssen in a match by 8 games to 6 ; and in 1867 he took the third prize at the Paris tournament. In 1868 he carried off the first prize in the British Chess Association handicap, in 1870 the second prize of the Baden-Baden tournament, and in 1872 the first prize of the London grand tourney. In the last-mentioned year he defeated Zukertort in a match by 7 games to 1 and 4 draws. In 1873 he carried off the first prize at the Vienna congress ; and in 1876 he defeated Blackburne, winning 7 games right off. He has also won matches against Dubois, Mongredien, Deacon, and Bird, and in 1872-4 he, in conjunction with W. N. Potter, conducted and won a telegraphic correspon dence match for London against Vienna. One of the special characteristics of the present time is the extraordinary power of playing blindfold chess which we now so often see exhibited. In Philidor s age it was considered an almost incredible wonder that he should be able to play three simultaneous games without seeing board or men, but Paulsen, Blackburne, and Zukertort have often played 10 or 12 simultaneous blind fold games, while even as many as 14 and 15 have been so played. With the following summary of tournaments contested during the last 25 years, the modern history of chess may conclude : 1851. London. 1 Anderssen, 2 Wyvill, 3 Williams, 4 Staunton, 5 Szen, 6 Kennedy, 7 Honvitz, 8 Mucklow. 1857. Manchester. 1 Lowenthal, 2 Anderssen. New York. 1 Morphy, 2 L. Paulsen. ] 858. Birmingham. 1 Lowenthal, 2 Falkbeer. 1860. Cambridge. 1 Kolisch, 2 Stanley. 1861. Bristol. 1 L. Paulsen, 2 Boden. 1862. London. 1 Anderssen, 2 L. Paulsen, 3 Owen, 4 G. Mac- Donnell, 5 S. Dubois, 6 Steinitz. 1865. Dublin. 1 Steinitz, 2 MacDonnell. 1866. Eedcar. 1 De Vere. ,, English Championship Cup. De Vere. ,, British Chess Association. 1 Steinitz, 2 Green. 1867. Paris. 1 Kolisch, 2 Winawer, 3 Steinitz. 4 Neumann.