| Vizayanagaram, London (1883) |
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London, England (26 April-6 June 1883)
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 Score Place/Prizes
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1 von Bardeleben • 1 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1 1 0 1 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 21½ 1st £80
2 Fisher 0 • 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 20½ 2nd £60
3 MacDonnell 0 0 • 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ½ 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 19½ 3rd £40
4 Gunsberg ½ 1 0 • 1 ½ 1 1 - 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 19 4th £20
5 Gossip 0 0 1 0 • 1 0 ½ 1 1 ½ ½ 0 1 1 ½ ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 17½ 5th-6th £14
6 Ranken ½ 1 1 ½ 0 • ½ 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 17½ 5th-6th £14
7 Lambert ½ 0 0 0 1 ½ • 0 0 1 1 1 0 ½ 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 16½ 7th £8
8 Piper 0 1 0 0 ½ 0 1 • 0 0 1 1 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 16 8th £4
9 Lee 0 0 0 - 0 1 1 1 • 0 ½ 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 15½
10 Mundell 0 ½ 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 • 1 1 1 0 ½ 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 15
11 Gattie 1 0 0 1 ½ 1 0 0 ½ 0 • 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 14½
12 Hunter 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 1 0 1 • 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 14½
13 Lord ½ 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 • 0 1 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14½
14 Lindsay 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 1 1 1 1 • 0 ½ ½ 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 12
15 Minchin 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 0 0 1 • 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 12
16 Vyse ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ 0 0 ½ 0 1 0 0 ½ ½ 0 • 0 ½ ½ 1 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 11½
17 Ensor 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 1 • 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 11
18 Benima 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 ½ 0 • 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 10½
19 Vansittart 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 1 1 0 1 0 ½ 0 0 ½ 1 1 • 0 1 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 10½
20 Febvret 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 • ½ 1 1 1 1 0 8
21 Newham 0 0 0 1 0 ½ 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ • 0 1 1 1 1 7
22 West 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 • 1 0 1 1 7
23 Rabson 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 ½ 0 1 ½ 0 0 0 • 1 1 1 6
24 Puller 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 • 1 1 4
25 Pilkington 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 0 0 0 0 • 1 1½
26 Dudley 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 • 1
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Unplayed games: + for a win, = for a draw, - for a loss.
Format: Round-robin where draws score one-half.
Introduction
This was the minor event held at the same time as London (1883). It was funded by a £200 donation by the Maharajah of Vizayanagaram (perhaps more accurately spelled Vizianagram), with intended prizes of 1st=£60, 2nd=£50, 3rd=£40, 4th=£30, and 5th=£20. Four additional prizes, totalling £40, were to be added later if the number of participants reached 40 players: £15 for 6th place, £10 for 7th, £8 for 8th, £7 for 9th.(1) However, at the time of the tournament's start only eight prizes were established and paid out at the end: 1st=£80, 2nd=£60, 3rd=£40, 4th=£20, 5th=£16, 6th=£12, 7th=£8 and 8th=£4.(2) This tournament shall be open to such players of all nations as shall not, in the opinion of the Managing Committee, be clearly marked out by their public performance as eligible only for the major tournament. The committee in deciding such eligibility will be guide principally by the following considerations: 1. Whether a player in any international tournament since 1869 has made a score equal to half the score of the winner. 2. Whether a player has in public match play achieved distinction equivalent to the preceding.(3) The experimental rule in the International tournament requiring that draws be replayed was not in force for this minor tournament, so that draws counted the usual 1/2 for each player. The time control was 20 moves in one hour, and hours of play were scheduled from 7:00 PM until midnight so as not to conflict with the morning sessions of the International tournament. However, players were given the option of playing in the morning as well, and many took advantage of this to finish their schedule sooner. Hence, any round-by-round summary would be misleading, even if such were available. Most of the players came from various regions of England, but one of the few foreigners carried off the honors. Contemporary Report (4)
"In the Vizayanagram Tournament the conditions of play imposed a much heavier strain upon those of the competitors (and these were the majority) who elected to do battle in the morning as well as the evening; in fact we may say that it was something like giving odds, and when we remember that players such as Bardeleben, Gossip, Gunsberg, Gattie, Lee, and Piper played only in the evening, it is obvious that the advantage they thus obtained must have contributed not a few additions to their score." "The shorter time limit of 20 moves an hour in this tourney naturally pressed very severly upon the slower and more nervous competitors. Messrs. Lindsay, Minchin, and Ranken seem especially to have felt this, for none of them by any means did himself justice, and the latter, after winning or drawing with all the topmost players, threw away won games to Messrs. Gossip and Lord, and games that were easily drawn to Messrs. Gattie and Lee, simply for want of sufficient time to examine his moves in very difficult positions." "Mr. Minchin was of course heavily handicapped also by his official duties as Hon. Secretary, and by the constant anxiety and interruption which such a post necessarily entails." "Other players from whom more might naturally have been expected were Messrs. Ensor and MacDonnell, both, however, were very much out of form for want of practice, and consequently lost game after game to men whom they could at other times have probably beaten." "Messrs. Bardeleben, Fischer, Gunsberg, Gossip, Lee, and Piper played very steadily, and on the whole very well. They all thoroughly deserve the high positions they have attained, but the greatest credit we think is due to Mr. Fisher, as he alone of them fought both morning and evening. He has upheld the credit of the C.C.A. in the Minor Tourney like Mr. Skipworth in the other, and for the first week he had not lost or drawn a single game." "Another C.C.A. man who has greatly improved is Mr. Lambert, as may be seen by the very respectable total shown by his score. M. Benima is a Dutchman hailing from Groningen, who we think would have stood higher but for his nervousness, for some of his games he played exceedingly well. M. Febvret, though French, has long been resident in London; his style is rapid and impetuous, but somewhat wants ballast." "Herr von Bardeleben is a quiet-mannered, unassuming young man who has won prizes at the Leipsic Augusten Club; he has shown a great talent for the game and rarely makes any mistakes." "Mr. Vansittart is an English player living at Rome, and a very promising young player. Messrs. Lee and Gattie are strong and very improving amateurs trained in the University Club at Oxford; Mr. Gunsberg is well known as the Mentor of Mephisto, though one would not suppose that gentleman required an adviser, and his genius for the game makes him a most formidable antagonist; Mr. Piper is a rising young player of the City of London Club." "Of the rest of the competitors it is hardly necessary to speak." Sources
(1) Games played in the London International Chess Tournament, 1883, Minchin, London 1883, p(xvi)
(2) Games played in the London International Chess Tournament, 1883, Minchin, London 1883, p(lv)
(3) British Chess Magazine, March 1883, p. 103
(4) British Chess Magazine, June 1883, pp. 208-209
Credit
Original collection: Game Collection: London 1883 Vizayanagaram Tournament, by User: Phony Benoni.
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| page 1 of 3; games 1-25 of 66 |
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| Game |
| Result | Moves |
Year | Event/Locale | Opening |
| 1. C Ranken vs Gunsberg |
 | ½-½ | 55 | 1883 | Vizayanagaram, London | C49 Four Knights |
| 2. G MacDonnell vs T H Piper |
| 1-0 | 43 | 1883 | Vizayanagaram, London | A02 Bird's Opening |
| 3. J I Minchin vs Gunsberg |
| 1-0 | 41 | 1883 | Vizayanagaram, London | D05 Queen's Pawn Game |
| 4. J I Minchin vs J Lord |
| 0-1 | 54 | 1883 | Vizayanagaram, London | A04 Reti Opening |
| 5. J I Minchin vs G MacDonnell |
| 0-1 | 44 | 1883 | Vizayanagaram, London | C48 Four Knights |
| 6. J I Minchin vs W E Vyse |
| 1-0 | 39 | 1883 | Vizayanagaram, London | C58 Two Knights |
| 7. W Mundell vs H Lee |
| 1-0 | 53 | 1883 | Vizayanagaram, London | C65 Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defense |
| 8. W L Newham vs Gunsberg |
| 1-0 | 46 | 1883 | Vizayanagaram, London | C48 Four Knights |
| 9. T H Piper vs L Benima |
| 1-0 | 38 | 1883 | Vizayanagaram, London | A04 Reti Opening |
| 10. T H Piper vs F S Ensor |
| 1-0 | 24 | 1883 | Vizayanagaram, London | A04 Reti Opening |
| 11. T H Piper vs B Fisher |
| 1-0 | 21 | 1883 | Vizayanagaram, London | A04 Reti Opening |
| 12. T H Piper vs W Lindsay |
| ½-½ | 63 | 1883 | Vizayanagaram, London | B30 Sicilian |
| 13. T H Piper vs J I Minchin |
| ½-½ | 27 | 1883 | Vizayanagaram, London | D05 Queen's Pawn Game |
| 14. R Rabson vs H Lee |
| 0-1 | 53 | 1883 | Vizayanagaram, London | C40 King's Knight Opening |
| 15. C Ranken vs L Benima |
| 0-1 | 31 | 1883 | Vizayanagaram, London | C45 Scotch Game |
| 16. C Ranken vs B Fisher |
| 1-0 | 36 | 1883 | Vizayanagaram, London | C11 French |
| 17. J I Minchin vs C B Vansittart |
| 1-0 | 18 | 1883 | Vizayanagaram, London | C27 Vienna Game |
| 18. C Ranken vs C J Lambert |
| ½-½ | 30 | 1883 | Vizayanagaram, London | C11 French |
| 19. C B Vansittart vs T H Piper |
| 1-0 | 44 | 1883 | Vizayanagaram, London | C11 French |
| 20. von Bardeleben vs L Benima |
| 1-0 | 57 | 1883 | Vizayanagaram, London | A20 English |
| 21. von Bardeleben vs J I Minchin |
| 1-0 | 26 | 1883 | Vizayanagaram, London | D37 Queen's Gambit Declined |
| 22. W E Vyse vs W Lindsay |
| ½-½ | 35 | 1883 | Vizayanagaram, London | C65 Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defense |
| 23. W E Vyse vs C Ranken |
| 0-1 | 37 | 1883 | Vizayanagaram, London | C65 Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defense |
| 24. J S West vs Gunsberg |
| 0-1 | 36 | 1883 | Vizayanagaram, London | C49 Four Knights |
| 25. C Ranken vs F S Ensor |
| 1-0 | 39 | 1883 | Vizayanagaram, London | C45 Scotch Game |
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| page 1 of 3; games 1-25 of 66 |
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< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 1 OF 2 ·
Later Kibitzing> |
Aug-24-13
 | | offramp: What is Vizay an anagram of? |
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| Dec-04-13 | | YoungEd: Azyiv, for one! |
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| Apr-16-14 | | ekanth: Vijay means victory and nagaram means city |
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Apr-30-15
 | | Chessical: Henry Edward Bird in a letter to a newspaper regarding preparations for the tournament. <Pusapati Ananda Gajapati Raju> (December 31, 1850 – May 23, 1897) was the then Maharaja of the Vizianagaram (Andhra Pradesh, India). "The second London International Chess Tournament owes its origin mainly to the Rajah of Vizayanagaram and a friend, who contributed respectively £200 and £100 in aid of the objects of the meeting, and the committee have decided, wisely we think, in tbe exercise of their discretion, to have a special tournament as a memento of the Rajah's liberality to be called the "Vizayanagaram International Chess Tournament." It is also termed the "Minor Tournament" (not a very happy expression), possibly, however, because those players commonly recognised from their records in matches and tournaments as of the front rank cannot participate. Thus Steinitz, Zukertort, Winawer, Blackburne, Bird. Mackenzie, Mason, and few of the most successful Continental players will probably be excluded; but other players of near first-class force, who have not similarly distinguished themselves, will be considered eligible. The prizes offered for competition are: lst, £60; 2nd, £50; 3rd, £40; 4th, £30; 5th £20, and one, two, or more smaller prizes will be given from the entries, according to their number. Unless 16 competitors enter, the scale of prizes will be reduced by one half. The entrance fee is fixed at £1 only, that the first-class tournament being £5. The same ride is adeled requiring £5 deposit from each player, as a guarantee that he will carry out the rules of the tournament; hut we sincerely hope, as urged in our last, that this stipulation can be dispensed with. The time limit is to be 20 moves an hour, as compared with 15 moves an hour in the principal tournament. It is estimated that it will occupy about one month." H. E. Bird
5 Heygate-street,
Walworth-road,
London.
<Source: "Northampton Mercury", Saturday 24th February 1883, p.6.> |
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Jul-25-15
| | offramp: <Chessical>, what does "ride is adeled" mean? |
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| Dec-16-15 | | Flipboard Newsstand: Amazing list of participants: Gunsberg, Fisher, Piper, Lord, MacDonnell, Vyse, Ranken. But Hunter takes the Visayan Anagram methinks. |
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| Dec-16-15 | | Flipboard Newsstand: They also have Hatfeild Gossip, Dudley and Puller |
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| Apr-16-16 | | zanzibar: From the main tournament TB, regarding the origins of this tournament: <Before the close of January the prospects of the Tournament brightened greatly, and the Committee were confident that complete success would be attained. Mr. Steel, an ardent supporter of the cause, organised a committee of co-operation in Calcutta and opened subscriptions throughout India. The Viceroy of India and the Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal supported the project, and their example was followed liberally by natives and Europeans alike in the Northern Presidency, so that upwards of £200 was remitted to England from this source. At the same time assistance of the most munificent description arrived from Southern India. In answer to applications from Mr. Minchin, H.H. Rama Varma, Maharaja of Travancore, the only independant sovran within the limits of the Madras Presidency, and one of the most enlightened princes of India, sent a donation of £80 to the funds of the Tournament, and, about the same time, the Maharaja of Vizayanagaram, the leading nobleman and largest landed proprietor in Southern India, sent by telegram to Mr. Minchin the sum of £200, which he placed at his disposal for any prizes he might determine upon in connection with the International Tournament.Mr. Minchin during his official service in India had been intimately acquainted with the father of the present Maharaja of Vizayanagaram and with the donor himself, who was at that period an interesting youth, delighting in manly sports and in association with English gentlemen. He regarded the Maharaja's commission as a trust, and determined on carrying it out in the manner that would give the most satisfaction to the son of his old friend. As a Minor Tournament had always formed part of the Com mittee's scheme, which want of funds had hitherto prevented from being carried out, Mr. Minchin determined to devote the Maharaja's princely donation to found a separate Tournament, to be called, in his honour, after his own name. He, therefore, offered the amount to the Committee for this specific purpose and no other, and on that understanding the donation was accepted. Mr. Minchin's action in this matter was subjected at the time to much opposition and some not very generous criticism. Gentlemen, whose only acquaintance with Oriental races was a casual meeting with a dusky crossing sweeper in the streets of London, gravely informed him that he was disgracing the Maharaja's liberality by allowing his prizes to be played for by second-class Chess-players ! It was confidently asserted that no Chess-player of mark would join in a second-class contest, that certainly no foreigner would enter, and that it would degenerate into a meeting of the English Counties Chess Association, playing for prizes of preposterous value in a contest which could in no way be considered International. Undeterred by such criticisms, Mr. Minchin persisted in carrying out his scheme, determined in the first place to give the Maharaja of Vizayanagaram a Tournament of his own,and in the second to broaden the field of interest in the International Tournament by holding a second-class contest simultaneously with that for masters, which should free the latter to a great extent from the cumbersome entrance of ambitious amateurs, and allow the latter to compete in their own field with such professional antagonists as were confessedly not of the highest rank. His hope was that the Master Tournament would be confiucd to about twelve of the leading masters of the world of Chess, struggling with each other on terms that would insure its due supremacy to skill aud genins, and that the Vizayanagarain Tournament might at the same time employ the energies of the strong players of all countries below the highest class in friendly competition for prizes not unworthy of the occasion. In spite of some disappointments that hope was realised.> TB xiv-xv/23-24 |
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| Jun-05-18 | | Cibator: Note that Gunsberg finished in fourth place. Odd that he should have been been competing at this modest level at the late age of 29, before rising to near world class after only a few more years. Bit of a late developer. |
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Jul-31-18
 | | MissScarlett: <The game between Gunsberg and Lee was given as a loss for both players.> Why? |
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| Jul-31-18 | | zanzibar: <MissS> Why don't you apply that firm hand, find the Knowledge, and report back? |
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| Jul-31-18 | | zanzibar: <von Bardeleben> always played the Sicilian as Black in this tournament: London (Vizayanagaram) (1883)/Curt von Bardeleben |
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Jul-31-18
| | MissScarlett: <The game between Gunsberg and Lee was given as a loss for both players.> The <Morning Post> of May 24th, p.3, reports: <The latter [Lee] was fortunate enough to obtain a winning game against Gunsberg, but, in consequence of his having infringed the rules by showing the position during adjournment, it was annulled and will have to be played again.> This apparently didn't happen. If Gunsberg was denied the full point simply on the grounds that he had a losing position, that's a bit harsh! |
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| Jul-31-18 | | zanzibar: Good job <MissS>, the Knowledge report only recorded both players forfeiting, with no other commentary. Of course, we really still don't the full story... but likely both players decided not to do the replay, especially as the final standings would be unaffected as far as prizes go. |
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Aug-01-18
| | MissScarlett: What is the <Knowledge report>? For all my powers, I am not a mind reader. Am I to take it that the tournament book is available to you via Google Book? < especially as the final standings would be unaffected as far as prizes go.> How so? An extra point for either player would have earned them a higher placing. |
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| Aug-01-18 | | zanzibar: <Knowledge> just had a brief notice with tournament xtab - worth mentioning because they explicitly noted both players with a forfeit (w/o mentioning it was the same game) - meaning the double forfeit wasn't just a typo - therefore implying further research was definitely merited. * * * * *
As to the rest, suffice it to say I misread the xtab and confused Gunsberg/Gossip (*). Plus I didn't realize the prizes went down to 9th, or whatever, place. (*) I like SCID's placement of totals after the name, over on the left, before the pairing results. * * * * *
We still don't know the story though. |
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Aug-01-18
| | MissScarlett: Let me make it even clearer - what is this <Knowledge> whereof you speak? I just discovered that our <Henry Lee> died about six months later. |
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| Aug-01-18 | | zanzibar: <Missy> wiki has it. |
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| Aug-01-18 | | zanzibar: And so should your British sources. |
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| Aug-01-18 | | TheFocus: I am looking at the Tournament Book and in the games selection, they do not include the Lee - Gunsberg game, nor do I see an explanation on the double losses, but the cross-table does show both players with "0". The TB has coverage of both <London 1883> and this tournament. |
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| Aug-01-18 | | zanzibar: <Focus> right, but the tb could have been a typo. Wish Minchin notice/commented on the double forfeit. I guess only <Missy> can dig out the true answer to what happened, but it's likely to remain a bit of a mystery. |
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| Aug-01-18 | | TheFocus: <zanzibar: <Focus> right, but the tb could have been a typo. > You were the pointing out the double forfeiture. The cross-table confirms you. |
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| Aug-01-18 | | zanzibar: Right.
<Phony> originally pointed it out in the write-up above, but without reference. I guess it natural then to assume it was from the xtab in the tb. The TB is normally authoritative, but like I said, without Minchin commenting on what happened (like he should have), the xtab could be wrong (ie. a typo somewhere along the line). Having <MissS>'s find goes a long way to explaining what happened, except for why the game ultimately didn't get replayed. |
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| Aug-01-18 | | TheFocus: For those who are able to search British newspapers (I am not), coverage was provided by <The Standard>, <Morning Post>, <Times>, <Morning Advertiser> and <The Field>. The first four newspapers reported daily, while <The Field> had weekly articles. One of these may hold the real answer. |
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| Aug-01-18 | | TheFocus: <zanzibar> <The TB is normally authoritative, but like I said, without Minchin commenting on what happened (like he should have)> Agreed. It does seem very neglectful. |
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