june english chess master generally regarded having world strongest player largely result victory promoted chess set clearly distinguishable pieces shape pattern style required competitions principal international chess tournament england world leading chess centre caused recognised world strongest player onwards leading chess commentator won matches players 1840s entered parallel career scholar ill health writing careers led competitive chess attempts organise match failed alleged deliberately trying avoid match possible chances getting physically fit making time available match modern commentators consider understanding play far ahead contemporaries attacking player attacked preparations complete chess articles books widely read encouraged development chess united_kingdom reference decades chess openings english opening named advocacy controversial figure time chess writings hand maintained good working relationships strong players influential chess enthusiasts demonstrated excellent management skills life information early life based claims record birth baptism found chess historian summarised information sources born natural son fifth neglected youth receiving little education spent time oxford member university came age inherited thousand pounds soon later life tell played merchant venice famous english actor playing steps chess came london took subscription games chess actually played london late apparently took interest chess said time strongest players saw london easily given odds played games captain evans inventor lost match german chess writer improved sufficiently win match german master slow cautious player great defensive skill december edited chess column chess editor magazine chess column developed separate magazine owned edited early 1850s competitive peak early prevailed long series games strong player chess treats games incorrectly match fact series matches lists best performance little later year lost short match london visiting french player generally regarded world strongest active player challenged longer match played paris stake equivalent money prepared new opening lines especially beginning known english opening match took paris assistants known case seconds match gained seven game lead struggled winning match wins draws losses december wanted match initially unwilling developed heart second match von der later suggested faded second match long difficult negotiation reported went paris intending start match october caught pneumonia travelling died match postponed took place modern commentators regard facto world champion match victory title formally exist defeat arose continue french supremacy chess established contemporary english commentators mainly later writers hailed world champion response enthusiastic europe england writers suggested players notably von der stronger chess writer promoter began chess column influential chess column world continued rest life articles focused board play significant number featured correspondence chess followed enthusiasm progress promising including produced weekly articles chess match electric telegraph took place washington baltimore april captain kennedy travelled play games telegraph group london took long term interest solution difficulties travel reported telegraph games illustrated london news report match sydney adelaide calculated moves longest game travelled total miles distance earth moon published famous work print contained pages opening analysis pages analysis handbook based von der des published enhanced variations analyses book chess player companion followed found time matches comfortably beating professionals fourteen wins draws seven losses match set unusual way seven games gave odds moves won lost seven games gave lost won seven odds won seven marriage design chess set july married children previous marriage registered chess set design london obtained manufacturing rights advertised new set illustrated london news chess column pointing pieces easily identifiable stable good looking box signed received royalty set sold design popular standard professional amateur chess players wrote vote taken chess players pieces enjoyed playing win overwhelming margin proposed took lead organising international tournament thought great exhibition presented unique opportunity difficulties international participation greatly reduced motivated reports years earlier proposed organise international tournament germany winner recognised world champion colleagues ambitious objectives tournament including chess parliament complete rules procedures competitive chess writing chess proposed production showing known chess openings table tournament started captain kennedy missouri wrote winner regarded world chess champion organisers obtained financial contributions europe asia enabling committee set prize fund equivalent money despite generally enthusiastic response major players unable participate including von der travel costs accepted invitation offered pay travel expenses pocket necessary committee organised tournament british players promoted play international tournament obtain right number players knock tournament tournament success disappointing personally second round knocked won tournament convincingly play place narrowly beaten defeat williams suggests stretched acting competitor secretary organising committee fallen colleagues organised tournament played month later multi national set players competed tournament result won published book chess tournament recounted detail efforts required london international tournament happen presented games comments play unfortunately comments book illustrated london news disappointed placing achieved final stages playing career shakespeare publication immediately london international tournament challenged match games accepted challenge match arranged physically unfit immediate contest return work arrived late tournament convincingly won match soon seven wins draw losses later played match won play place london international tournament won games wins draws losses lost match given williams game start trying arrange match met von der brussels began match abandon middle thirteenth game von der leading wins losses draws unfit continue heart affected second match von der opinion chance health good contest onwards obtained contract publishers edit text shakespeare edition appeared parts work praised experts busy shakespeare edition received letter inviting city play won recent replied honor implied selection opponent champion pointing competed years working days week editing shakespeare possibly travel atlantic match wrote compelled literary occupation abandon practice chess occasional game skill entertain admiration win spurs chess europe advantage visit year meet country france germany russia champions ready test honor prowess chess historian wrote letter article interpreted refusal offer interpreted differently main reasons visit europe hope playing match chess historians disagree murray interpretation response offer play electric telegraph technology progress uses chess reported enthusiastically offer arrived left europe fortunate newly laid cable broke month replaced arriving england june promptly challenged match declined offer saying challenge came late negotiations urging play early july agreed provided given time practice openings provided manage breaking publication contract work early august wrote asking match occur asked delay weeks competed tournament started august birmingham knock tournament eliminated second round playing total games public chess competition wrote damaged health trying ahead schedule shakespeare project play competitive chess left london birmingham old enemy published article accusing trying delay match indefinitely received letter pressing date match met socially birmingham tense discussion agreed play early november tournament letter signed anti book appeared column illustrated london news alleging actually money share stakes letter widely thought written written immediately reading walker article letter immediately leaving birmingham time wrote friends asking obtain stake money match family refused contribute allow play money match money sent went paris play continental masters september printed complimentary page article complimentary mention chess column october wrote open letter circulated publications complained conduct replied october stating difficulties faced giving reasons cancel match october published entire reply partial copy open letter reference anti book letter chess columns printed anonymous letters took wrote lord president explaining efforts bring match accusing avoiding match means short admitting wish play complaining representation facts illustrated london news demanding shall declare world fault match taken place replied reasonable decline match opinion letter america instead given impression soon ready start match later life continued writing chess column illustrated london news death new developments enthusiasm published supplement work new book devoted pages presenting games praised american play years later published main subject history major english public schools presented progressive ideas learning place successfully active interest student engaged corporal punishment avoided abolished later life occupied writing shakespeare including reproduction shakespeare papers published death works highly regarded time died suddenly heart disease june desk writing papers time working chess book chess theory practice published posthumously memorial plaque hangs old residence road london memorial stone bearing chess knight raised grave london previously unmarked neglected assessment controversial figure time words chess journalist represents unique challenge chess history players immediately associate match extremely unfair focus relatively minor controversial incident ignores significant achievements chess historian writes issue national bias unfortunately require consideration affair chess historian makes similar point american perspective fact british thing accept treatment knew damned decent showing match critics british world champion biggest fans american controversy chess historians trace 20th century animosity books sergeant turn use book edge accompanied europe secretary personal assistant returned january months opinions edge value historical source vary widely american chess journalist reviewing edge book commented connection way manner afford reader half hour entertainment sergeant books sorrow extensive use edge book note edge strong bias suggests seen manuscript edge book disliked treatment affair objected edge treatment matters chess historians described edge unreliable having extreme bias wrote word applied edge small number english notably authors precise basis anti sign prejudice matter clear edge letters edge regarded lazy helpless immortal wanted negotiations edge insisted making public possible wrote response initial challenge article illustrated london news interpreted refusal offer interpreted differently main reasons visit europe hope playing match murray commented affair little fact kept open possibility match long good deal urged justification course followed noted sides playing tactical games public comments players respective supporters response complaints lord president said reasonable decline match opinion letter america instead given impression soon ready start match von der later wrote specifically affair thought chance health good contest onwards potter wrote obituary concerning utterly means getting engagement declined good grace asked released said heard distinguished enemy man weak backbone curved fear 20th century commentators critical known chess writers including israel criticised chess historians lack accuracy general specifically concerned writes non playing historian publish analysis useful similarly players indifferent chess history touch wrote non match sadly man considerable harm reputation later generations chess player wrote playing match greatest player century youth fame tragedy chess contest young champion old said play playing strength style famous story described author bad games chess historian traced book published author said seen copy written bad games title page winter unable trace copy time death said commented strongest player time great ability judgement positions lacked imagination required deliberately create opportunities combinations twentieth century opinions play varied enormously condemned hand wrote remarkable feature play number ultra modern ideas familiar restricted centre development work theory local engagement etc called opening considered early 1840s superior rivals opined profound opening analyst time theorist player nonetheless strongest player day addition understood concepts modern players hold dear considered modern player website ranks world number august july june january early 1840s successfully odds based player including eventually exceptions gave lost match losses draws win won games lost match given williams game start according match records collected players successful receiving odds won match london lost second longer match paris year eliminated london international tournament beat play place tournament relative health fragile competition late 1840s commentators wrote stronger von der regarded world best play von der forced ill health abandon match time regarded belonging closed category chess players example heroic category included instead seeking immediate combat deferred ready closed english opening got frequent use especially noted accuracy combinations personality virtues defects large scale world champion commented founded edited magazine wrote chess column studied opening theory published remarkable books endorsed famous pieces organized international chess tournament history british international master wrote achievements weight arrogant nature scarcely matched history game contemporaries sympathetic admitted response unexpected defeats proposals arguments considered ill founded highly volatile relationship founder dedicated chess earliest supporters enemies gave good got chess journalism business days involved involved fair share chess disputes suggested frequent wars words originated leading players commentators jealousy unexpected rise early 1840s disdain humble possibly illegitimate birth wrote hardly blamed struggles youth character jealous suspicious man hand criticized description germany second best player won london international tournament reasonable basis known von der skill objective chess commentator large percentage book chess devoted games praised highly criticised play presented losses showed excellent management skills building team organise london international tournament determination overcoming difficulties getting competitors maintained good working relationships important players enthusiasts example helped prepare second match captain evans agreed seconds match later helped organise match contributed help finance addition principal officers largest personal contributions corresponded von der years met letter von der november expressed sorrow deaths masters enthusiasts including especially conversation charming witty despite disappointing way playing career ended continued write enthusiasm progress new technologies players developments chess theory time death book chess theory practice sufficiently complete published posthumously described date fourteen years death influence chess proposed principal international chess tournament proved events possible produced clear consensus world strongest player subsequent international tournaments took place great_britain paris contemporaries including regarded writings chess openings best time immediately leading english language chess textbook went spawned remained print revised edition 1940s chess theory practice published posthumously regarded modern respects growing need date analysis openings obituary said literary basis stands play little influence players day explains chess understanding far ahead time deep living era shallow tactics rule contemporaries style openings accompanied eclipsed directly aggressive styles dominated chess unveiled approach little evidence direct influence modern chess introduced english opening called twentieth century invention fully respectable future world champion began playing 1930s similarly early champion today popular opening successful response little influence played today regarded safe defensive line treated vigorous slightly risky counter attack hand wrote revived old forgotten ideas introduced feared attacking line favour thought offer white equality best analysed different approach dutch followed world leading players successfully introduced line class competition later authorities concluded black gets good game advocated opening called opening rarely played today allows black choose sharp counter attack safe line usually leads draw writings edition shakespeare plays respected memorial tournament howard memorial tournament held simpson strand london restaurant regularly visited 19th century play discuss chess coffee house known simpson tournament strongest held london notable games john match london focuses attack shows opponent attack simply exposed white king match london starts apparently threatening attack development sacrifices piece counterattack leads decisive material advantage match paris develops faster opponent creates threats launches mating attack match develops pieces effectively closed position mistakenly opens position produces combination gives easily won match london game english opening uses modern looking formation bishops gains superior space mobility opponent wins attack adolf manchester team adopts formation opens center start attack uses couple small combinations halt attack gain decisive material advantage tournament results sources match results sources notes cases known won score books articles players games odds gave odds usually successfully matches based players matches played way means means moves second column scores shows games won shows losses shows draws
Howard Staunton