 |
|
|
|
|
|
Blackburne, Joseph Henry | |||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
|
Biographical data |
| British player. British Champion, 1868. Trivia by Bill Wall His nickname was the Black Death, given to him by a comment in the tournament book of Vienna 1873. He was also known for his temper. After losing to Steinitz in a match, he threw him out of a window. Luckily for Steinitz that they were on the first floor. He was once arrested as a spy because he sent chess moves in the mail and it was thought the the moves were coded secrets. He tied for first in the British Championship of 1914 at the age of 72. During a simultaneous exhibition at Cambridge University, the students thought to gain the advantage by placing a bottle of whisky and a glass at each end of the playing oval. In the end he emptied both bottles and won all his games in record time. During the temperance movement in England he declared that whisky drinking improved one's chess because alcohol cleared the brain and he tried to prove that theory as often as possible. It is estimated he played 100,000 games of chess in his career. |
| |
||
|
I need your help | Amazon |
|
I'm always searching for new data, new biographies, new photos. So, you can write and send me a biography (in English) of your favorite players: share your thoughts with other chess players! If you want to add or change the information about a player, you can compile this form. If you have photos or something else, please send me them. Thanks! |
Search books about this player at Amazon, the biggest online library. |
|