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Sep-01-03
 | | Honza Cervenka: George Walker |
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| Jun-24-05 | | aw1988: An English master of the 19th century. |
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| Jun-25-05 | | SBC: ..and so much more: http://batgirl.atspace.com/Walker.h... |
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| Mar-13-08 | | brankat: Books by George Walker:
New Treatise on Chess - 1832
Chess Made Easy - 1837
Chess Studies: One Thousand Games - 1844
The Art of chess play - 1846
Chess & Chess Players: Original Stories and Sketches - 1850 And he wrote many articles in Chess magazines.
Made a considerable contribution to the development of Chess organizations in 19th century England. |
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| Mar-13-08 | | brankat: An interesting, and a little known fact: In 1823 Walker suggested the idea that, since the Black pieces were thought to be the lucky color, the players who drew White should always have the first move as compensation! It wasn't until 1829 when this rule became universally accepted. |
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| Mar-13-08 | | whiskeyrebel: Isn't it about time for black to get the first move? |
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| Mar-13-08 | | brankat: <whiskeyrebel> It would then mess up 150 years of work on the Openings theory :-) On the other hand, a fresh start is sometimes a good idea. |
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| Feb-20-09 | | WhiteRook48: he keeps walking and walking |
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| Mar-13-09 | | brankat: R.I.P. master Walker. |
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| Sep-15-10 | | myschkin: . . .
"Vincenzio the Venetian"
http://www.mark-weeks.com/aboutcom/...
(from Chess & Chess-Players, 1850)
Addendum: http://books.google.com/books?id=Qr... Pic: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped... @ branko: hugs :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr3x... |
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| Dec-13-11 | | wordfunph: George Walker (1803-1879) sold his fine chess library of 314 books through auction by Sotheby in 1874. The majority of his books were purchased by Rimington-Wilson. http://blog.chess.com/billwall/ches... rest in peace Master George Walker.. |
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| Mar-13-12 | | brankat: First time here in 1.5 years :-) Late, but not too late to thank You for the links <myschkin>! Just read the story: "Vincenzio the Venetian". Mr.Walker certainly was a fine story-teller. R.I.P. Mr.Walker. |
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Mar-14-12
 | | GrahamClayton: <brankat>Books by George Walker: Chess & Chess Players: Original Stories and Sketches - 1850 <brankat>,
Welcome back!
Chess & Chess Players is free as a complete book on Google books. It is well worth reading to get some background on chess half in the first half of the 19th century. |
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| Mar-14-12 | | thomastonk: I have read a lot of George Walker's books and I agree with <GrahamClayton> that one can get some background for his time thereof. On the other hand, for research purposes I would never solely trust his writings, because I have found so many inaccurrancies therein, mostly exaggregations. |
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| Mar-14-12 | | brankat: <GrahamClayton> <Chess & Chess Players is free as a complete book on Google books. It is well worth reading to get some background on chess half in the first half of the 19th century.> Thank You for the tip. I'll check Google books for Mr.Walker's work. <thomastonk>
<..for research purposes I would never solely trust his writings, because I have found so many inaccurrancies therein> This is usually the case with most of chess books, and not only chess books. That's why comparative study of other available sources is of critical importance. Every little bit of data can be of help. |
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| Mar-14-12 | | thomastonk: <brankat: This is usually the case with most of chess books...>
Having read all what I could get at Google books from the 19th century in English, French and German, I know what you mean. But, in my view, Walker exceeds the "usual" degree very often. <That's why comparative study of other available sources is of critical importance.>
No doubt. So, let me try to express my view in another way: Walker's writings are often not the best starting point for a research. |
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| Mar-14-12 | | brankat: <thomastonk> <Walker's writings are often not the best starting point for a research.> This I believe. The story "Vincenzio the Venetian" shows his talent for fiction :-) |
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| Mar-14-12 | | Nosnibor: <brankat> If what you say about the universal acceptance in 1834 that the white pieces were then recognised has having the first move in a game why was it that at the first international chess tournament held in London in 1851 that this rule did not apply? Many of the games commence with Black stating first. |
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| Mar-14-12 | | thomastonk: <Nosnibor, brankat> The Oxford Companion to Chess has the following under the key "first move": "the single move that begins the game, made by White in modern chess. At one time players drew for colour and again for the move; ... . In the Bourdonnais - McDonnell matches in 1834 each player had the same colour throughout, and the right to make the first move changed only after a game had been won. In the London 1851 tournament players had the same colour throughout any one match, but had the first move on alternate games. Black was supposed to be a lucky colour and in 1835 Walker suggested that, by way of compensation, White should have the first move, a practise that had become general by c. 1870. In his column in Bell's Life Walker reversed the colours of games where necessary, so that White always moved first; this is now the custom when games from earlier times are published." Walker's column in Bell's life run from 1835 until 1873 (same source, Walker's entry). |
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| Mar-14-12 | | brankat: <nosnibor> <It wasn't until 1829 when this rule became universally accepted..> Apparently 1834/35. It could have been the case that England back then was not really a part of anything "universal", but a world by herself :-) |
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| Mar-15-12 | | thomastonk: <brankat, nosnibor> It is interesting to observe that the rule "White moves first" is of greater use, if algebraic chess notation is used, like in Germany and Russia. But in Germany this rule was not generally accepted in 1858 as you can see from Schachzeitung, p. 153-156. In particular, von der Lasa suggested in 1858 that during a series of games between two players, the first move changes after every game, but every player plays the same colour in all games (Handbuch des Schachspiels aka Bilguer, 3rd edition 1858, p.11, §2; I don't have the 4th edition from 1864 or the 5th edition from 1874, and in the 6th edition from 1880, White moves first). What do you think of the following challenge: find for every country a source of a game or a game as late as possible where Black moved first! I start with a simple example for Germany: Schachzeitung 1857, p 366
gives a correspondence game between Aachen (my town) and Elberfeld (my sister's town), where Aachen has the Black pieces and moves first: 1. d5 e3 2. c5 f4 ... |
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| May-27-13 | | Gottschalk: I suggest the approximate date 1830 to see the following games in JAVA. [Event "Unknown"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "John Cochrane"]
[Black "George Walker"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C23"]
[PlyCount "54"]
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Bc5 3. c3 Qe7 4. Nf3 d6 5. O-O Nf6 6. d3 h6 7. b4 Bb6 8. a4 a5
9. bxa5 Rxa5 10. Be3 Bxe3 11. fxe3 O-O 12. Qe1 c6 13. Nbd2 d5 14. exd5 cxd5 15.
Bb3 e4 16. dxe4 dxe4 17. Nd4 Rg5 18. Kh1 Rh5 19. Qg3 Nc6 20. Nxc6 bxc6 21. Rf4
Rd8 22. Raf1 Rxd2 23. Rxf6 Be6 24. Bxe6 Qxf6 25. Qe1 Qxf1+ 26. Qxf1 fxe6 27. h3
Rhd5 0-1
[Event "Unknown"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Geoge Walker"]
[Black "John Cochrane"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C23"]
[PlyCount "29"]
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Bc5 3. c3 Qe7 4. Nf3 d6 5. d4 Bb6 6. O-O Nf6 7. Qd3 O-O 8. Bg5
h6 9. Bh4 g5 10. Bg3 exd4 11. e5 Nh7 12. Qg6+ Kh8 13. Qxh6 Be6 14. exd6 cxd6
15. Bxd6 1-0
[Event "Unknown"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "George Walker"]
[Black "John Cochrane"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C38"]
[PlyCount "47"]
1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. Bc4 Bg7 5. O-O h6 6. d4 d6 7. c3 c6 8. g3 g4
9. Bxf4 gxf3 10. Qxf3 Qf6 11. Nd2 Be6 12. d5 Bd7 13. e5 dxe5 14. Ne4 Qg6 15.
dxc6 Bxc6 16. Bxe5 f5 17. Bxg7 Bxe4 18. Rae1 Ne7 19. Rxe4 Qxg7 20. Qxf5 Nbc6
21. Bf7+ Kd8 22. Rd1+ Kc7 23. Rd7+ Kb6 24. Qf2+ 1-0
[Event "Unknown"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "George Walker"]
[Black "John Cochrane"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C23"]
[PlyCount "51"]
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Bc5 3. c3 Qe7 4. Nf3 d6 5. d4 Bb6 6. O-O h6 7. h3 Nf6 8. Qd3 c6
9. Bd2 d5 10. exd5 e4 11. d6 Qxd6 12. Qe2 O-O 13. Ne5 g5 14. f4 exf3 15. Qxf3
Kg7 16. Be3 c5 17. Kh1 cxd4 18. cxd4 Nbd7 19. Nc3 Nxe5 20. dxe5 Qxe5 21. Rae1
Bc7 22. Qxf6+ Qxf6 23. Rxf6 Kxf6 24. Nd5+ Kf5 25. Nxc7 Rb8 26. Bxa7 1-0 |
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| May-28-13 | | thomastonk: <Gottschalk: I suggest the approximate date 1830 to see the following games in JAVA.> No date is much better than a wrong one! Cochrane lived in India most of this live: 1824-1841 and 1843-1869. In my database of old games I have 19 games between these two men, all of them from the period 1841-43 in London. This doesn't prove anything, but maybe it will help you to find out the correct year at least (by means of contemporary sources would be best). All your games are won by Walker, which led me to the following. From "The Chess Player's Magazine" from 1864, p 267: "If our memory serves us correctly, Bell's Life in London of that period informed us that Mr. Walker won a small majority of the games played by him against Mr. Cochrane. Here we have a direct contradiction in a matter of fact, which we shall not attempt to reconcile, but which surely can be set right." The contradiction arises from the fact that before Cochrane had been described as "certainly the second English player of this epoch—superior, that is to say, for we must mention names, to Mr. Slous and Mr. Walker." And in a corresponding footnote to the first quote we learn that the number of games both men played was considerable. |
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| Jun-16-13 | | Gottschalk: <thomastonk>
Thank you for your explanation.
I agree that Cochrane was further noted than Walker;
However, the question seems to be more difficult,
The victories of Walker I submitted seem somewhat rudimentary,
must be prior to 1840.
Nevertheless, I submitted another Cochrane game to Kibitzer's Corner. So, we can only hope that someone will help us and fix the correct date.Bye |
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| Oct-11-13 | | whiteshark: Here's the new link for <SBC>'s huge/great article: http://www.chess.com/blog/batgirl/g... |
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