Chess History And Reminiscences
PREFACE
This little work is but a condensation and essence of a much
larger one, containing the result of what can be discovered
concerning the origin and history of chess, combined with
some of my own reminiscences of 46 years past both of chess play
and its exponents, dating back to the year 1846, the 18th of
Simpson's, 9 years after the death of A. McDonnell, and 6 after
that of L. de La Bourdonnais when chivalrous and first class
chess had come into the highest estimation, and emulatory matches
and tests of supremacy in chess skill were the order of the day.
English chess was then in the ascendant, three years before
Howard Staunton had vanquished St. Amant of France, and was
the recognized world's chess champion, while H. T. Buckle the
renowned author of the History of Civilization was the foremost
in skill among chess amateurs, Mr. W. Lewis and Mr. George
Walker the well known and prolific writers on chess, were among
the ten or twelve strongest players, but were seldom seen in the
public circle, Mr. Slous and Mr. Perigal were other first rate
amateurs of about equal strength. Mr. Daniels who attended
Simpson's had just departed. Captain Evans and Captain Kennedy
were familiar figures, and most popular alike distinguished and
esteemed for amiability and good nature, and were the best
friends and encouragers of the younger aspirants.
At this time Simpson's was the principal public arena for first
class chess practice and development: the St. George's Chess Club
was domiciled in Cavendish Square at back of the Polytechnic. The
London Chess Club (the oldest) met at the George and Vulture on
Cornhill, when Morphy came in 1858, and Steinitz in 1862, these
time honoured clubs were located at King St., St. James, and at
Purssell's, Cornhill respectively.
Other clubs for the practice and cultivation of the game were
about thirteen in number, representing not five percent of those
now existing; the oldest seem to have been Manchester, Edinburgh,
and Dublin, closely followed by Bristol, Liverpool, Wakefield,
Leeds and Newcastle.
Annual County Meetings commenced with that held at Leeds in
1841. The earliest perfectly open Tournaments were two on a
small scale at Simpson's in 1848 and 1849, and the first World's
International in the Exhibition year 1851, at the St. George's
Chess Club, Polytechnic Building, Cavendish Square. In each of
these Tournaments the writer participated.
Three chess columns existed when I first visited Simpson's in
1846, viz., Bells Life managed by Mr. George Walker from 1834
to 1873. The Illustrated London News from 15th February 1845 to
1878, in charge of Howard Staunton, and the Pictorial Times which
lasted from February 1845 to June 1848. The first column started
had appeared in the Lancet 1823, but it continued not quite one
year.
The Chess Player's Chronicle issued in 1841 (Staunton), was then
the only regular magazine devoted to chess, but a fly leaf had
been published weekly about the year 1840, in rather a curious
form of which the following is found noted:
About the year 1840 the Garrick Chess Divan was opened by Mr.
Huttman at No. 4 Little Russell St., Covent Garden. One of the
attractions of this little saloon was the publication every week
of a leaf containing a good chess problem, below it all the
gossip of the chess world in small type. The leaf was at first
sold for sixpence, including two of the finest Havannah Cigars,
or a fine Havannah and a delicious cup of coffee, but was
afterwards reduced to a penny without the cigars. The problem
leaf succeeding well, a leaf containing games was next produced,
and finally the two were merged in a publication of four pages
entitled the Palamede.
The Gentleman's Magazine 1824, 1828, British Miscellany 1839,
Bath and Cheltenham Gazette 1840, and Saturday Magazine 1840,
1845, had contained contributions in chess, but of regular columns
there were only the three before mentioned, now there are about
one hundred and fifty, mostly of larger dimensions.
Mr. George Walker's 1000 games published in 1844, gives no
game of earlier date than 1780, viz., one of Philidor's of whose
skill he gives 62 specimens, and there are 57 games by
correspondence played between 1824 and 1844.
The list of chess works of consideration up to Philidor's time,
number about thirty, but there were several editions of Jacobus
de Cessolus (1275 to 1290) including translations by J. Ferron
and Jean De Vigny, from which last named Caxton's book of 1474
was derived.
Lucena, Vicenz, Damiano, and Jacob Mennell appeared before
1520, Ruy Lopez in 1561, Polerio, Gianuzio, Greco, Salvio,
Carrera, Gustavus Selenus and the translation of Greco, followed
in the interval from 1561 to 1656.
I. Bertin 1735 and the six Italian works of the last century,
were the principal which followed with Philidor's manifold
editions, up to Sarratt the earliest of the nineteenth
century writers.
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