Chess History And Reminiscences
and with the reasonable conclusions to be deduced even from the
very voluminous but not always best selected evidence of
Van der Linde.
So much has a very lively interest in chess depended in modern
times upon the enthusiasm of individuals, that the loss of a single
prominent supporter or player, has always seemed to sensibly affect
it. This was notably felt on the death of Sir Abram Janssens and
Philidor towards the end of the last century, and of Count Bruhl,
Mr. G. Atwood and General Conway in this. During the last 15
years the loss of Staunton, Buckle, Cap. Kennedy, Barnes,
Cochrane and Boden, and yet more recently of such friends of
British chess as F. H. Lewis, I. C. H. Taylor and Captain
Mackenzie left a void, which in the absence of any fresh like
popular players and supporters, goes far to account for the
depression and degeneracy of first class chess in England.
Though the game is advancing more in estimation than ever, and
each succeeding year furnishes conclusive evidence of its
increasing progress, in twenty years more under present auspices,
a British Chess Master will be a thing of the past, and the
sceptre of McDonnell and of Staunton will have crumpled into dust,
at the very time when in the natural course of things according
to present indications, the practice of the game shall have
reached the highest point in its development.
We miss our patrons and supporters of the past who were ever
ready to encourage rising enterprize. None have arisen to supply
their places. The distinguished and noble names we find in the
programmes of our Congresses and Meetings, and in the 1884 British
Chess Association are there as form only, and it seems surprising
that so many well known and highly esteemed public men should
allow their names to continue to be published year after year as
Patrons, Presidents, or Vice-Presidents of concerns in which
apparently they take not; or at least evince not, the slightest
interest.
Of the score or so of English born Chess Masters on the British
Chess Association lists of 1862, but five remain, two alone of
whom are now residing in this country.
The British Chess Association of 1884, which constituted itself
the power to watch over the interests of national chess, has
long since ceased to have any real or useful existence, and why
the name is still kept up is not easy to be explained.
It has practically lapsed since the year 1889, when last any
efforts were made to collect in annual or promised subscriptions,
or to carry out its originally avowed objects, and the keeping up
in print annually, of the names of the President and Vice-President
Lord Tennyson, Prof. Ruskin, Lord Randolph Churchill, and Sir
Robert Peel seems highly objectionable.
The exponents of chess for the 19th century certainly merit more
notice than my space admits of. After Philidor who died in 1795,
and his immediate successors Verdoni and E. Sarratt, W. Lewis,
G. Walker, John Cochrane, Deschapelles and de La Bourdonnais,
have always been regarded as the most able and interesting, and
consequently the most notable of those for the quarter of a
century up to 1820, and the above with the genial A. McDonnell
of Belfast, who came to the front in 1828, and excelled all his
countrymen in Great Britain ever known before him, constitute the
principal players who flourished up to 1834, when the series of
splendid contests between La Bourdonnais and McDonnell cast all
other previous and contemporary play into the shade.
The next period of seventeen years to 1851, had produced
Harrwitz, Horwitz and Lowenthal from abroad, and Buckle, Cap.
Kennedy, Bird and Boden at home, whilst the great International
Chess Tournament of that year witnessed the triumph of the great
Anderssen, and introduced us to Szen and Kiezeritzky, then
followed a lull in first class chess amongst us from 1851 to 7,
succeeded by a year of surpassing interest, for 1858 welcomed
the invincible Paul Morphy of New Orleans, considered by some
superior even to La Bourdonnais, Staunton and Anderssen the three
greatest players who had preceded him.
In the year 1862 England's second great gathering took place and
Anderssen was again victorious. In the four years after Morphy's
short but brilliant campaign, a wonderful array of distinguished
players had come forward, comprising Mackenzie, Paulsen, Steinitz,
Burn and Blackburne, The Rev. G. A. MacDonnell, C. De Vere,
Barnes, Wormald, Brien and Campbell. In another ten years two
more of the most illustrious chess players appeared in the persons
of Zukertort and Gunsberg, and we read of matches between
Steinitz, Zukertort and Blackburne, for a modest ten pound note
(see growth of stakes in chess).
In 1867 at Paris, 1870 at Baden, 1873 at Vienna, and 1878 again
at Paris, four more International Chess Tournaments of nearly equal
interest to the 1851 and 1862 of London took place, and they were
won respectively by Kolisch, Anderssen, (third time) Steinitz and
Zukertort, Berlin 1881, a very fine victory for Blackburne, 1882
Vienna, honours divided by Steinitz and Winawer, and 1883 the
Criterion, London, a second remarkable victory for Zukertort
represent the other most noteworthy tournaments.
Of all sorts International and National, there have been 34
meetings with 46 County local gatherings, as well as 20 of the
University matches between Oxford and Cambridge, of which the
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