Manchester Social Chess
Friendly, informal chess for players of any standard from complete beginners to Grandmasters
info@manchestersocialchess.co.uk
A Bit of History
Manchester has a long and proud chess history and produced one the UK’s first great chess players Joseph Henry Blackburne (1841-1924).
For two decades he was in the world’s top ten chess players and won further repute for his skills in Blindfold chess. Blackburne was born in Hulme, Manchester on 10th December 1841.
In the 1868-69 season he won the British championship by beating the current holder, Cecil Valentine De Vere, and he was therefore regarded as England's best player.
His best results were in international tournaments. Although tournaments, Blackburne played in nearly one strong tournament per year from 1870 to 1899; in particular he competed regularly in the German Chess Championship. In the 1870s and 1880s he was almost always a high prize-winner. His best result was 1st equal with Steinitz at Vienna 1873, where the commentators nicknamed Blackburne "the Black Death".
Blackburne gave blindfold and simultaneous exhibitions all over Britain, and for most of his career made most of his income from these exhibitions, including blindfold displays against up to twelve opponents simultaneously. He even travelled to Australia in 1885 to give exhibitions.
Blackburne is an icon of “Romantic chess” because of his wide open and highly tactical style of play.
Thoughts
"A Chess game is divided into three stages: the first, when you hope you have the advantage, the second when you believe you have an advantage, and the third... when you know you’re going to lose!" - Savielly Tartakower