The period dating from the France and England Championship
Match between St. Amant and Staunton in 1843, to the Vienna
Tournament of 1873, was singularly prolific in very great chess
players. In addition to Anderssen 1851, and Morphy 1858, there
appeared in the metropolis in 1862 Louis Paulsen, William
Steinitz, and J. H. Blackburne, three players who, as well as
Captain Mackenzie competed in the British Chess Association's
Tournaments of that year, and were destined with Zukertort and
Gunsberg of ten years later growth, to rank as conspicuously
successful among even the score or so of the pre-eminently
distinguished players of the highest class the world has ever
produced, the Rev. G. A. MacDonnel1 and Barnes were of five and
Boden of 12 years earlier reputation, all were competing in the
1862 contest, Buckle died in this year, and his opponent Bird
had retired from chess, other pursuits entirely absorbing his
time mostly abroad. He had been the hardest fighter and most
active of the English combatants of 15 years before, and it was
his fate about four years later, once more to become not the
least prominent and interesting of the leading chess players.
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