Henry Bird (chess player) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Henry Bird
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| Born | 14 July 1829 Portsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England
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| Died | 11 April 1908 (aged 78) London, England
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| Nationality | British |
| Known for | Bird's opening |
Henry Edward Bird (born July 14, 1829 – died April 11, 1908) was a famous English chess player and writer. He was also an accountant. Bird wrote books like Chess History and Reminiscences. He also wrote An Analysis of Railways in the United Kingdom.
Even though he worked as an accountant, Henry Bird loved chess very much. People said he "lived for chess." He was always ready to play anyone, anywhere, at any time.
Henry Bird's Chess Tournaments
When Henry Bird was 21, he was invited to a very important event. It was the first international chess tournament ever. This tournament took place in London in 1851. He also played in big tournaments in other cities. These included Vienna and New York City.
In 1858, he played a match against Paul Morphy and lost. Bird was 28 years old then. But he kept playing high-level chess for another 50 years! In a New York tournament in 1876, Bird won a special award. He received the first ever brilliancy prize. This was for an amazing game he played against James Mason.
Bird's Big Ideas in Chess
| This section uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves. |
Henry Bird had many creative ideas for chess. In 1874, he suggested a new way to play chess. It used a bigger board, 8 squares by 10 squares. He also invented two new chess pieces. One was called the guard. This piece could move like a rook and a knight combined. The other new piece was the equerry. It could move like a bishop and a knight.
Bird's ideas for new chess games inspired other players. One famous player, José Raúl Capablanca, created his own chess game. It was called Capablanca Chess. It was very similar to Bird's chess.
Henry Bird also made two chess moves very popular. One is a way to start a game called Bird's Opening (1.f4). This opening move is considered good, but maybe not the very best. The other is a way to defend in a game called Bird's Defence (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nd4). This defense is thought to be a bit weaker. But it can be "tricky" for opponents.
See also
