Great Players: Howard Staunton

Howard Staunton

 The early deaths of both McDonnell and La Bourdonnais left a bit of a gap at the top of world chess, and into the void stepped an unlikely figure. Howard Staunton (1810-1874) started serious play at the very late age of 26, but managed over the course of the next few years to improve very rapidly, leading to his playing two matches in 1843 against the other principal claimant for the title of the world's best player, France's Pierre de Saint-Amant.

The first match narrowly went Saint-Amant's way, finishing 3½-2½ to the Frenchman, but the second was a convincing 13-8 win for Staunton, and he was widely proclaimed the world's best player as a result. A third match in 1844 was arranged, but never took place.

Staunton's status as an unofficial world champion lasted until 1851, when the first major international tournament, London 1851, took place. Staunton was the principal organizer of this event, and was hoping to also be the winner, but it was not to be; after wins against Brodie in the first round and Horwitz in the quarter-final, he lost in the semi-final to eventual winner Adolf Anderssen.

Staunton continued to be an active player up to 1859, at which point he retired from playing, but continued to be an active writer (on the topics of both chess and Shakespeare) until his death in 1874.

His name lives on not only in the form of the gambit that bears his name (1.d4 f5 2.e4), but also in that of the design of chess pieces he promoted, which is now the standard design for tournament play. The English Opening, 1.c4, is also so named largely because of his advocacy and play of it.






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