Joseph Blackburne facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Joseph Henry Blackburne |
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Joseph Henry Blackburne, the "Black Death"
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| Full name | Joseph Henry Blackburne |
| Country | England |
| Born | 10 December 1841 Manchester, England |
| Died | 1 September 1924 (aged 82) London, England |
Joseph Henry Blackburne (born December 10, 1841 – died September 1, 1924) was a famous English chess player. People called him "The Black Death." He was one of the best British chess players in the late 1800s.
Blackburne started playing chess a bit later than most, around age 17 or 18. But he quickly became very good! He played chess professionally for over 50 years. At one time, he was considered the second-best player in the world. He won many tournaments. Blackburne also helped make chess popular by giving special shows. In these shows, he would play many games at once (called simultaneous chess). He also played without looking at the board (called blindfold chess). He even wrote a book with his own chess games.
Early Life and Chess
Joseph Henry Blackburne was born in Manchester, England. As a child, he learned to play draughts. This game is similar to chess.
He became interested in chess when he heard about the famous American player Paul Morphy. Morphy was traveling around Europe and playing amazing chess. This inspired Blackburne to switch from draughts to chess when he was about 17 or 18 years old.
In 1861, Blackburne joined the Manchester Chess Club. He quickly improved his skills. By the next year, he became the champion of his city club. He even beat Bernhard Horwitz, who was a strong player and taught Blackburne about how to play the end of a chess game.
Blackburne later learned how to play blindfold chess. This is when a player plays without seeing the board. He became so good that he could play three blindfold games at the same time!
Images for kids
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Blackburne's contemporary Wilhelm Steinitz was a top chess player in the 1870s and 1880s.
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Emanuel Lasker became World Chess Champion after Steinitz. He was a dominant player during the second half of Blackburne's career.
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Joseph Henry Blackburne around 1890.
See also
In Spanish: Joseph Henry Blackburne para niños
