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Editor: Dr Tim Harding |
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Editor: Dr Tim Harding |
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© Dr Tim Harding
Last modified:
2 September 2024
Joseph Henry Blackburne, Britain's greatest chess master of the Victorian era, died 100 years ago, on the 1st of September 1924.
This is the earliest known photograph of Blackburne, probably taken some time between 1867 and 1871. Reproduced courtesy of Liverpool Chess Club, in whose archives it was discovered a few years ago. It was published for the first time in Tim Harding's book Steinitz in London on page 167.
Tim Harding's biography of Blackburne (published by McFarland in 2015) is still in print, and currently on sale for $39.99 on the publisher's website. That's a real bargain in our opinion. Our older pages about Blackburne, the book, and his games are still on this website.
Arguably Blackburne was the greatest chess player Britain produced until the post-WW2 period. At his peak, in the early 1880s, he was number 3 in the world after Steinitz and Zukertort.
Below you can find a short overview of Blackburne's successes. A summary of the major events in his life (written specially for the centenary) was published here recently.
Then we added a major article about Blackburne's achievements as a blindfold chess player.
Veteran journalist Leonard Barden has also remembered Blackburne in his Financial Times and Guardian columns last week.
The page we started two years ago about Blackburne's complicated family was unfortunately never followed up, but we hope to tackle that later this year.
1861 (August) second match v Edward Pindar (at the age of 19)
1863 (Manchester, June) Simultaneous blindfold exhibition against twelve opponents (a world record that stood until 1876)
1868/9 London BCA Challenge Cup (winning play-off v De Vere), thus becoming British Champion
1873 Vienna (joint 1st in tournament but lost play-off match to Steinitz)
1876 London Divan (clear first)
1880 Wiesbaden (joint first)
1881 Berlin (clear first): arguably Blackburne's greatest victory
1885 Hereford (clear first)
1886 London BCA Masters (beating Burn in play-off)
1887 Second match v Zukertort
1891 Match v Golmayo (in Havana)
1914 British Championship (tied first but title awarded to Yates when Blackburne was to unwell to contest a play-off match)
Blackburne also won some other minor tournaments and matches, and took second or third prize in several international tournaments in the 19th century. He also tied for second in the 1910 British Championship.