Prev | Current Page 183 | Next

Bird, H. E. (Henry Edward), 1830-1908

"Chess History and Reminiscences"

Steinitz from Prague,
who for twenty-two years, from 1867 to 1889, has been regarded
as chess champion of the world, at the usual slow time limit is
now residing in Brooklyn, New York. Soon after his arrival from
Vienna in 1862 he became a tolerably regular attendant at
Simpson's, and it was through this that his appointment of Chess
Editor to the "Field" arose, as well as that of Mr. Hoffer who
superseded him in that post. Mr. Walsh, chief Editor of the
"Field," had been for many years a constant visitor at Simpson's,
and the column for a long time was not favourable to our chess
interests. Foreign influence and views became far too
conspicuously manifested. The great English chess players were of a
retiring nature after the disappearance of the powerful Staunton
and Captain Kennedy, and the retirement of the genial
McDonnell; Boden was as reserved as Buckle or as Morphy, Bird
cared only for his game. Such eggs of chess patronage as
continued to exist, somehow or other always found their way into
one and the same basket, to which no British master could have
access. No eminent English player had any voice in chess
management, and though the Jubilee year's proceedings, bid fair
to balance matters on a more cosmopolitan basis, the facts
remain that for the three last German Tournaments at Frankfort,
Breslau and Dresden, neither Lee nor Pollock, the youngest, nor
Bird, the oldest master, could on either occasion manage to
participate.


Pages:
171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195