| Staunton - Williams (1851) |
|
Cheshunt, England (November 1851)
1 1 1 1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 Wins
————————————————————————————————————————————————
Williams + + + 0 1 0 1 0 ½ ½ 0 0 0 1 ½ 1 7
Staunton - - - 1 0 1 0 1 ½ ½ 1 1 1 0 ½ 0 6
————————————————————————————————————————————————
Format: First to seven wins, draws not counting, to be victor.
Prizes: £16 to the winner and £8 to the loser.
"The circumstances, in this single instance, of the loser of the majority of games receiving the larger prize, was owing to Mr. Staunton's engaging, as an inducement to his reluctant adversary to play, that in the event of the latter winning four games before Mr. S. won seven, he should have the larger sum played for."(4)
"A match has commenced between Messrs. Staunton and Williams, Mr. Staunton giving his opponent three games at starting. The player who first scores seven games to be the winner."(1)
"In this contest Mr. Staunton gave his antagonist three games to start with, and the score at the end stood:—Williams, 4 games won, 3 allowed, 7; Staunton, 6 won. The former, therefore, though winning two games less, was the victor."(2)
Notes
This was one of the "set matches" arranged by the London (1851) Committee.
Sources
(1) Chess Player, v1 n17, 8 November 1851, p134
(1) Illustrated London News, 1851.11.22, p619
(3) The Chess Tournament, Staunton, London 1852, pp(lxc)
(4) The Chess Tournament, Staunton, London 1852, pp320-350
(5) Bell's Life in London, May 9th 1852, p.5
|
|
|
Mar-12-22
 | | MissScarlett: From a letter by <Oxoniensis> (Robert Barnett Brien) to the Chess Player's Chronicle, 1852, pp.214-218: <But still, I shall be told, we have a private match to deal with. I wish, for Mr. Staunton's sake, and for the sake of chess, that the match in question had not been a private one; as we should then have had some chance of escaping proceedings of a most flagitious character. It is now time that the public should be fully acquainted with the circumstances of the case. I can well appreciate Mr. Staunton's delicacy in not disclosing them to the world; but he will forgive me, I trust, making the remark that his enemies have courted this exposure, and exposure they ought to have. Mr. Williams' aide-de-camp states that three games were given Mr. Williams, on condition that the match should be played at Cheshunt. The following were the real facts of the case: On the Committee of the Tournament choosing Mr. Staunton to play a match with Mr. Williams, the latter refused to play on even terms, and alleged his desire of rest and country air. Hereupon his opponent, in the most handsome manner, offered him that rest at his own country residence, and agreed to give him three games out of seven. The sequel is known, but not to its full extent. The guest (we have the impartial testimony of the distinguished foreigner, Lowenthal, who was present during a great part of the contest) finding, as he confesses, that even with such odds given him, he had not a shadow of a chance in play, did his best to wear out his invalid host. Upon some occasions he did not appear until mid-day had passed, in order that the game might be protracted to midnight. At others he did not appear at all, but sent the most frivolous excuses. The morality of this proceeding I leave to him and to his wretched supporters. If they feel themselves aggrieved by these remarks, let them remember Mr. Staunton's offer to give Mr. Williams the same odds in a match for 100 guineas, provided that a limit be fixed to the time occupied upon single moves, and let the brave spirits act accordingly.> (https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt...) So the knowledge that this match, if not the one with Jaenisch, was played in Cheshunt has been hiding in plain sight for the last 170 years. From Brien's account, I think we can discount the notion that Williams was staying with Staunton, although if the games carried on to a late hour, it's possible he slept over on occasion. That would have been fun. Williams sitting on the toilet, Staunton, pacing outside, with his fob watch. |
|
|
|
|
NOTE: Create an account today
to post replies and access other powerful features which are available only to registered users.
Becoming a member is free, anonymous, and takes less than 1 minute! If you already have a username,
then simply login login under your username now to join the discussion.
|
Please observe our posting guidelines:
- No obscene, racist, sexist, or profane language.
- No spamming, advertising, duplicate, or gibberish posts.
- No vitriolic or systematic personal attacks against other members.
- Nothing in violation of United States law.
- No cyberstalking or malicious posting of negative or private information (doxing/doxxing) of members.
- No trolling.
- The use of "sock puppet" accounts to circumvent disciplinary action taken by moderators, create a false impression of consensus or support, or stage conversations, is prohibited.
- Do not degrade Chessgames or any of it's staff/volunteers.
Please try to maintain a semblance of civility at all times.
NOTE: Please keep all discussion on-topic.
This forum is for this specific tournament only. To discuss chess or this site in general,
visit the Kibitzer's Café.
|
Messages posted by Chessgames members
do not necessarily represent the views of Chessgames.com, its employees, or sponsors.
All moderator actions taken are ultimately at the sole discretion of the administration. |
Spot an error? Please suggest your correction and help us eliminate database mistakes!
Copyright 2001-2025, Chessgames Services LLC
|
Kibitzing
