Chess history trivia

John Townsend · Post by **John Townsend** » Thu Nov 19, 2015 10:04 am

Which famous chess player once raised funds for a new hospital by dressing up in an oriental costume and taking on up to five visitors simultaneously for a stake of five shillings a game, and met Queen Victoria and Prince Albert at the event?

Barry Sandercock · Post by **Barry Sandercock** » Thu Nov 19, 2015 4:37 pm

Savielly Tartakower is my guess.

John Townsend · Post by **John Townsend** » Thu Nov 19, 2015 4:50 pm

I'm sorry, Barry. It's the wrong answer!

Matt Mackenzie · Post by **Matt Mackenzie** » Thu Nov 19, 2015 6:07 pm

Tarta was just a boy back then, tbf - was it Blackburne?

John Townsend · Post by **John Townsend** » Thu Nov 19, 2015 7:24 pm

Sorry, not Blackburne either.

Roger de Coverly · Post by **Roger de Coverly** » Thu Nov 19, 2015 7:39 pm

John Townsend wrote: and met Queen Victoria and Prince Albert at the event?

Prince Albert died in 1861, which places the event in the era of Staunton and his contemporaries.

John Clarke · Post by **John Clarke** » Thu Nov 19, 2015 9:50 pm

A pompous character like Staunton would surely have been highly unlikely, and nor can I see Morphy wanting himself to be used that way. Anderssen and Harrwitz don't seem right either, somehow.

Bird was eccentric enough; Steinitz could just possibly have been persuaded (though it's a bit early for him); perhaps Lowenthal??

MJMcCready · Post by **MJMcCready** » Fri Nov 20, 2015 7:58 am

I'm assuming it wasn't anyone on this forum, could you give us a clue?

Kevin Thurlow · Post by **Kevin Thurlow** » Fri Nov 20, 2015 8:23 am

How about Marmaduke Wyvill? He was a politician so probably used to dramatic gestures to get publicity.

John Townsend · Post by **John Townsend** » Fri Nov 20, 2015 8:42 am

No correct guesses so far. The event took place on an island.

PeterFarr · Post by **PeterFarr** » Fri Nov 20, 2015 9:22 am

Bird?

John McKenna · Post by **John McKenna** » Fri Nov 20, 2015 9:37 am

My guess is Karl Ernst Adolf Anderssen (1818-79) on the Isle of Wight?

(Edit: I see, just above, that the knowledgeable Peter Farr of Sussex has proposed Henry Edward Bird (1830-1908).
Some others might like to suggest a name starting with C,D,E...)

John Townsend · Post by **John Townsend** » Fri Nov 20, 2015 9:41 am

Sorry, not Bird, not Anderssen.

Christopher Kreuzer · Post by **Christopher Kreuzer** » Fri Nov 20, 2015 10:36 am

Let's try and guess the island...

Channel Islands?
Isle of Man?

Was it one of the UK (or nearby) islands, or one of the far-flung British imperial possessions?
Hopefully it wasn't a small island in a lake or something.

Have been trying to work out which hospital as well (though there are many candidates).

IM Jack Rudd · Post by **IM Jack Rudd** » Fri Nov 20, 2015 10:50 am

"The event took place on an island". Well, that fails to rule out a whole host of places, most notably Great Britain itself.

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