Chess History and Reminiscences | Page 4

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 two first and
greatest were held at Perrott's, Milk St., in 1873 and 1874.
Continuing with the chess giants of more modern date, Mason's great
powers became developed