London, England (28 July-8 August 1851)
1 1
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 Score Place/Prize
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1 Anderssen •• ½1 1 - ½1 1 - - 1 1 1 7 1st Gold Cup*
2 Deacon ½0 •• - - - - - - - 1 1 2
3 Mayerhofer 0 - •• 1 - 1 - - - - - 2
4 Harrwitz - - 0 •• - - - - 1 - - 1
5 Horwitz ½0 - - - •• - - - - 1 - 1
6 Kieseritzky 0 - 0 - - •• - - - - 1 1
7 Kling - - - - - - •• - - - 1 1
8 Loewenthal - - - - - - - •• ½- - 1 1
9 Ehrmann 0 - - 0 - - - ½- •• - - 0
10 Lowe 0 0 - - 0 - - - - •• - 0
11 Szabo 0 0 - - - 0 0 0 - - •• 0
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Format: Single round robin, drawn games replayed and did not count.
Venue: London Chess Club.
* About 20 games were played before participants withdrew and the event ended.
Introduction
The London Chess Club offers a Gold Cup, value 100 guineas, as a prize to be contended for by Foreign Chess Players only, each competitor has to play one game with every other participator in the contest, and the one who achieves the greatest number of victories, gains the prize. The following gentlemen have already entered the list:—Messrs. Anderssen, Loewenthal, Harrwitz, Horwitz, Szabo, Kling, Deacon, Meyerhoffer, Loewe, and several others are expected to join.(1)
Synopsis
London Chess Club.—The hundred guinea cup so handsomely presented by this society for competition to the foreign visitors of chess eminence brought here by the Exhibition, has been honourably gained by M. Anderssen. Among the competitors were MM. Ehreman, Kling, Deacon of Bruges, Harwitz, Horwitz, &c. Some beautiful play was elicited.(2)
<Dix joueurs étrangers, MM. Anderssen, Deacon, Ehrmann, Harrwitz, Horwitz, Kling, Loewe, Loewenthal, Mayerhofer, Szabo, furent invités à prendre part à cette lutte. M. Kieseritzky, alors à Paris, reçut à cet égard une lettre d'invitation de l'honorable président du Cercle, conçue en termes si flatteurs qu'il fallait céder bon gré malgré. D'après l'arrangement fait par la commission, le prix devait être décerné à celui qui gagnerait le plus grand nombre de parties, chacun jouant une seule partie avec chacun. Cet arrangement était vicieux, car la plupart des joueurs se sont retirés lorsqu'ils ont vu qu'ils n'avaient pas chance de gagner. Le but était donc manqué, dans ce sens qu'au lieu d'être arrivé à recueillir un nombre considérable de parties bien jouées, on n'en a pù recueilli qu'une vingtaine de valeur douteuse. Aussi, n'était-il pas équitable de mettre un seul et unique prix; beaucoup mieux aurait-il valu fixer le nombre que chacun devait jouer avec chacun à deux (pour rester tout à fait dans l'équité), el diviser ensuite le prix proportionnellement au nombre des parties gagnées et remises, c'est-à-dire en mettant deux portions pour chaque partie gagnée et une portion pour chaque partie nulle. De cette manière, tout le monde serait resté jusqu'à la fin. M. Kieseritzky n'est arrivé qu'au moment où la moitié des combattants s'éntaient déjà retirés; il n'a eu occasion que de faire les parties MM. Anderssen et Mayerhofer, qu'il a perdes, et celle de M. Szabo, qu'il a gagnée.>(3)
Translation: Ten foreign players, Messrs. Anderssen, Deacon, Ehrmann, Harrwitz, Horwitz, Kling, Loewe, Loewenthal, Mayerhofer, Szabo, were invited to take part in this fight. Mr. Kieseritzky, then in Paris, received in this regard a letter of invitation from the honorable president of the Club, couched in such flattering terms that it was necessary to acquiesce. According to the arrangement made by the commission, the prize was to be awarded to the one who won the greatest number of games, everyone playing a single game with each other. This arrangement was disappointing, as most players withdrew when they saw that they had no chance of winning. The goal was therefore missed, in the sense that instead of managing to collect a considerable number of well-played games, only about twenty of dubious value were collected. Also, it was not fair to have a single and unique prize; it would have been much better to fix the number that each had to play with each other at two (to remain completely fair), and then divide the prize proportionally to the number of games won and drawn, that is to say by putting two portions for each game won and one portion for each game drawn. In this way, everyone would have stayed until the end. Mr. Kieseritzky only arrived when half the combatants had already withdrawn; he only had the opportunity to play games with Messrs. Anderssen and Mayerhofer, which he lost, and with Mr. Szabo, which he won.(3)
<Diese Einrichtung war mangelhaft, denn die Mehrzahl der Spieler zogen sich zurück, als sie keine Aussicht auf den Gewinn zu haben bemerkten. So wurde der Zweck, eine reiche Sammlung gut gespielter Partieen zu erhalten, verfehlt, indem man nur etwa 20 Spiele von sehr fraglichem Werth bekam. Auch war es nicht billig, einen einzigen Preis auszusetzen.>(4)
Translation: This arrangement failed in its purpose, for the majority of those players who realized that they had no prospect of winning withdrew. Hence, the goal of obtaining a rich collection of well-played games was not met, and there are only about twenty games of very questionable value. Furthermore, it was not appropriate to award only a single prize.(4)
Mr. Anderssen has, up to the present moment, carried everything before him in the contest for the cup given by the London Chess Club.(5)
Conclusion
Mr. Anderssen has again been successful in the grand match played at the London Chess Club, and he has already taken his departure for Germany.(6)
Mr. Anderssen is now at Berlin. The London Chess Club has sent the Gold Cup which he (Mr. Anderssen) won.(7)
Missing Game
Of the "about 20" games played it is thought that the decisive re-play between Loewenthal and Ehrmann is missing from the above results.
Sources
(1) The Chess Player, v1 n3, 2 August 1851, p19
(2) London Standard, 1851.08.18, p3
(3) La Régence, v3 n8, August 1851, pp238-239
(4) Schachzeitung, v6 n10, October 1851, p346
(5) The Chess Player, v1 n4, 9 August 1851, p30
(6) The Chess Player, v1 n5, 16 August 1851, p40
(7) The Chess Player, v1 n7, 30 August 1851, p54
Credit
French translation by User: jnpope
German translation by User: cameosis
Kibitzing
