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Francis Lee
F J Lee 
 

Number of games in database: 247
Years covered: 1882 to 1909
Overall record: +75 -108 =61 (43.2%)*
   * Overall winning percentage = (wins+draws/2) / total games in the database. 3 exhibition games, blitz/rapid, odds games, etc. are excluded from this statistic.

MOST PLAYED OPENINGS
With the White pieces:
 Queen's Pawn Game (58) 
    D02 D00 D05 A46 A40
 Ruy Lopez (13) 
    C65 C77 C70 C62 C68
 Queen's Gambit Declined (8) 
    D37 D30 D35 D31
 Three Knights (6) 
    C46
 French Defense (6) 
    C11 C13 C01 C14
 Slav (5) 
    D12
With the Black pieces:
 French Defense (23) 
    C14 C11 C00 C01 C12
 Caro-Kann (19) 
    B13 B18 B12 B10
 Scandinavian (14) 
    B01
 French (13) 
    C11 C00 C12
 Orthodox Defense (12) 
    D50 D61 D52 D51 D55
 Classical French (9) 
    C14
Repertoire Explorer

NOTABLE GAMES: [what is this?]
   F J Lee vs Mason, 1899 1-0
   A H Pettersson vs F J Lee, 1905 0-1
   F J Lee vs Znosko-Borovsky, 1907 1-0
   Bird vs F J Lee, 1892 0-1
   Blackburne vs F J Lee, 1904 0-1
   Chigorin vs F J Lee, 1899 0-1
   Steinitz vs F J Lee, 1899 1/2-1/2
   F J Lee vs Steinitz, 1899 1-0
   Pillsbury vs F J Lee, 1893 0-1
   Blackburne vs F J Lee, 1899 1/2-1/2

NOTABLE TOURNAMENTS: [what is this?]
   Blackburne - Lee (1890)
   Teichmann - Lee (1901)
   Impromptu International Congress, New York (1893)
   British Championship (1908)
   British Championship (1906)
   British Championship (1904)
   London (1904)
   London (1900)
   British Championship, Scarborough (1909)
   Barmen Meisterturnier B (1905)
   4th BCA Congress, Bradford (1888)
   London (1899)
   Ostend Masters (1907)

GAME COLLECTIONS: [what is this?]
   New York 1893, The Impromtu Tournament by Calli
   "New York 1893, The Impromtu Tournament" by Littlejohn


Search Sacrifice Explorer for Francis Lee
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FRANCIS LEE
(born 1858, died Sep-12-1909, 51 years old) United Kingdom

[what is this?]

Francis Joseph Lee was born around April 1858 in Hackney, London. He lost the Blackburne - Lee (1890) match 5.5-8.5. At his peak in the 1890s, he was among the top 30 players in the world. His best tournament result was at New York 1893, Game Collection: New York 1893, The Impromtu Tournament, where he tied for third. He won two matches against Henry Bird in London 1897. He won the South African Championship in 1903. He died in London in 1909.

Wikipedia article: Francis Joseph Lee

https://britishchessnews.com/2024/0...

https://britishchessnews.com/2024/0...

Last updated: 2024-03-18 14:43:11

Try our new games table.

 page 1 of 10; games 1-25 of 247  PGN Download
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
1. W Donisthorpe vs F J Lee  1-0321882MatchC27 Vienna Game
2. F J Lee vs W Pollock  0-1341885Odds Match000 Chess variants
3. W Pollock vs F J Lee  1-0221887Casual gameC00 French Defense
4. F J Lee vs Blackburne 0-13718873rd BCA Congress, LondonC65 Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defense
5. W Pollock vs F J Lee 1-01818873rd BCA Congress, LondonC14 French, Classical
6. F J Lee vs A Guest  1-05518873rd BCA Congress, LondonC77 Ruy Lopez
7. F J Lee vs Gunsberg  0-13018873rd BCA Congress, LondonC65 Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defense
8. Zukertort vs F J Lee  ½-½5318873rd BCA Congress, LondonC11 French
9. W Pollock vs F J Lee 1-0281888Simpson's Divan HandicapC00 French Defense
10. Blackburne vs F J Lee  0-15318884th BCA Congress, BradfordC11 French
11. J Owen vs F J Lee  1-05018884th BCA Congress, BradfordD05 Queen's Pawn Game
12. F J Lee vs A Rumboll  1-04018884th BCA Congress, BradfordC65 Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defense
13. F J Lee vs Burn  1-04218884th BCA Congress, BradfordC46 Three Knights
14. Taubenhaus vs F J Lee  1-03518884th BCA Congress, BradfordB01 Scandinavian
15. F J Lee vs C Locock  ½-½1918884th BCA Congress, BradfordC70 Ruy Lopez
16. F J Lee vs Mason  ½-½3218884th BCA Congress, BradfordC65 Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defense
17. F J Lee vs J E Hall  0-14218884th BCA Congress, BradfordA03 Bird's Opening
18. von Bardeleben vs F J Lee  1-03818884th BCA Congress, BradfordA80 Dutch
19. F J Lee vs E Thorold  0-16318884th BCA Congress, BradfordC49 Four Knights
20. W Pollock vs F J Lee  1-02818884th BCA Congress, BradfordC14 French, Classical
21. F J Lee vs Gunsberg  0-14918884th BCA Congress, BradfordC77 Ruy Lopez
22. W Pollock vs F J Lee  1-0221889Simpson's DivanC11 French
23. O Mueller vs F J Lee  0-13818895th BCA Congress, LondonA40 Queen's Pawn Game
24. J Mortimer vs F J Lee  0-1541890Simpson's Divan Handicap tB00 Uncommon King's Pawn Opening
25. N Jasnogrodsky vs F J Lee  0-1461890Divan Handicap tC11 French
 page 1 of 10; games 1-25 of 247  PGN Download
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2) | Lee wins | Lee loses  

Kibitzer's Corner
Jan-07-04  nimzo: This guy, Francis Joseph Lee, was the national champion of a country. Wasn't England, I think (his name is not on the official list of English champions). Which country was it?
Apr-10-06  blingice: Hmm, he plays a lot of famous people: Lasker, Nimzo, Bird, Blackburne, Steinitz, Znosko-Borovsky, etc.
Feb-24-08  Knight13: This game he won against Bird is very interesting: Bird vs F J Lee, 1892.
Sep-09-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  GrahamClayton: While in South Africa Lee edited the chess column in the "Rand Daily Mail".
May-30-11
Premium Chessgames Member
  GrahamClayton: A very quick win by Lee as part of a 19 board simultaneous exhibition in Dublin:

[Event "Simultaneous exhibition"]
[Site "Dublin"]
[Date "1890.??.??"]
[EventDate "?"]
[Round "?"]
[Result "0-1"]
[White "Lee, Francis Joseph"]
[Black "Mr JD"]

1. e4 c5 2. ♘c3 d6 3. ♘f3 ♘c6 4. ♗c4 ♗g4 5. 0-0 ♘e5 6. ♘xe5 ♗xd1 7. ♗xf7#

Source: Illustrated Sydney News, 5 July 1890

Jan-16-13
Premium Chessgames Member
  Phony Benoni: Obituary (in German) and portrait:

http://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/a...

Aug-01-13  BlackFront: Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn!
Feb-13-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  Chessical: <OBITUARY>.—We much regretted early the week learn of the death, after only a short illness, of well-known English Chess master, Mr F. J. Lee, which occurred Sunday (12th September 1909 - ed.) The immediate cause of death was, are informed, sudden collapse the nervous system.

During his Chess career, Lee visited South Africa, the United States, Havana, Trinidad, and Venezuela. In South Africa he caught an attack of enteric fever (typhoid - ed.), which enfeebled a constitution already somewhat weakened by chronic indigestion, and at Caracas, Venezuela, he had a severe illness from dysentery, which further played havoc with his system and gave him the appearance a man of sixty, at least, when, as a matter of fact, he was only his fifty-second year when he died.

At the Scarborough Congress recently he played in excellent form during the first week, winning ... ( v Blackburne rd.4 BCF Championship 1912 - ed.), and other good games. Towards the end first week, however, became indisposed, and played far below reputation for the remainder of the tournament. He appeared upon his return to London in fairly good health, but he complained of feeling unwell about ten days before his death, was ordered to bed. In this condition his brother, Mr George Lee, who, fortunately, happens be a visit to England from Durban, obtained his admission the University Hospital, where it appears he fidgeted to be allowed return his lodgings, which request, amazing to say, the Hospital authorities assented on Saturday, and Sunday morning he died.

Mr Lee was scarcely the front rank of the leading Chess masters of the world, but held a prominent position in Chess, and his name was familiar everywhere where Chess is played. He was an adversary whom was exceedingly dangerous take lightly, as witness games standing his record, won from Steinitz, Tchigorin, Mason, Pillsbury, and other players of International fame. He took part with distinction in four International masters' tournaments as well as a number of national tourneys of the British Chess Association, the British Chess Federation, and Simpson's Divan. He was successful competitor impromptu International contest New York, 1893, where divided third and fourth prizes with Showalter, and won his game from Pillsbury, Lasker winning the first prize and Albin the second. He prided himself considerably upon winning the first prize, without the loss of a game, in a tourney at "Simpson's," with Bird, Mason, Van Vliet, Loman, Muller, Mortimer, Gossip, and eight other players, and upon winning the Chess Championship of South Africa.

He was generally counted stodgy player, and yet he won a brilliancy prize for a game against Bird, and for a game won from the young Russian master Snosko-Borowsky. He took part several of the Cable matches between Great Britain and America, and edited the Chess column of the Hertford Times from August, 1890, until July, 1893. Mr Lee was well known throughout England, Scotland, and Ireland, and his sudden and unexpected death will keenly regretted among British Chess players.

Source - <Hereford Times - Saturday 18 September 1909, p.16.>

Jan-04-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  GrahamClayton: One of the great "journeymen" of late 19th century/early 20th century international chess.
May-27-17  zanzibar: Is he pictured, playing Gossip, here?

http://cplorg.cdmhost.com/cdm/singl...

If so, there's a small discrepancy.

The handwritten caption is for J.F. Lee.

The initials could be transposed.

There's also a faint penciled-in date on the lower right, which I read as 1893, making Lee ~36 - which looks about right.

Dec-05-20  cameosis: brth month and year: june 1858

https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/info... https://secure.newinchess.com/Lee__...

Dec-05-20
Premium Chessgames Member
  MissScarlett: <Frank Lee>, it's probably him, but some corroborating evidence would be nice.
Dec-05-20  cameosis: it's the best i can give at the moment for this cis male.
Mar-09-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  FSR: https://britishchessnews.com/2024/0...
Mar-09-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  MissScarlett: <Francis Joseph Lee’s birth was registered in the first quarter of 1858 in Hackney. He was baptised at St Matthias Church, Stoke Newington, on 28 April that year.>

https://britishchessnews.com/2024/0...

The <England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index> actually has Q2 (Apr-Jun), not Q1. In which case, he would have been born early April. Search results sometimes display only the first or last month of a quarter, which, I guess, is where <cameosis>'s June came from.

Mar-09-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  FSR: <GrahamClayton . . . 1. e4 c5 2. ♘c3 d6 3. ♘f3 ♘c6 4. ♗c4 ♗g4 5. 0-0 ♘e5 6. ♘xe5 ♗xd1 7. ♗xf7#>

A pin, but not a safety pin.

Mar-18-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  FSR: https://britishchessnews.com/2024/0...
Apr-15-24
Premium Chessgames Member
  MissScarlett: Westminster Gazette, June 13th 1903, p.4:

<Mr. Lee, who left England on account of his health, is returning again, as he cannot stand the South African climate.>

The chess level probably didn't agree with him either: F J Lee vs A Michael, 1903

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