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.
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