Chess in 1899
by Bill Wall
In 1899, the flag on a chess clock was first used.
In 1899, the British Chess Code was written for the chess rules.
In 1899, the 2nd Nordic Championship was won by J. Moller in Copenhagen.
In 1899, the Paris Chess Club forbade discussion of political or religious subjects.
In 1899, the King of Italy announced a national chess championship. Only one person showed up.
In Jan 1899, former world chess champion William Steinitz resigned from the Manhattan Chess Club after Judge Jerome said that the club was not a club for professional players. Steinitz took offense and resigned his membership. (source: New York Times, Jan 15, 1899)
On Jan 15, 1899, Serafino Dubois died in Rome. He was Italy’s leading player in the mid 19th century.
On Jan 28, 1899, the Northern Counties' Chess Union was formally inaugurated.
On Feb 22, 1899, Berthold Koch was born in Berlin. He was East German champion in 1951 and 1952.
In March, 1899, the British universities of Cambridge and Oxford defeated the American universities (Harvard, Columbia, Yale, and Princeton) by one point in their first cable match (3.5 to 2.5). The winning team took possession of the Rice Trophy, donated by Isaac Rice of New York.
On April 14, 1899, Efim Bogoljubow was born in Kiev. He was a Ukranian-German chess master.
On April 23, 1899, Vladimir Nabokov was born. He was a Russian-American novelist. He wrote The Defense.
On May 1, 1899, Josef Lokvenc was born. He was an International Master.
In May 1899, William Kimball, a New York lawyer, died while playing chess in Evans’s cigar store and chess room. He was 55. (source: New York Times, May 30, 1899)
In June 1899, Emanuel Lasker took1st place in London, 4 points ahead of the rest. He won 18, drew 7, lost 1 and took the 1st place money of $1,250. His loss was to Blackburne. It was the first time a British player defeated a reigning world champion.
On June 3, 1899, George Alcock MacDonnell died. He was an Irish clergyman and chess master.
On July 6, 1899, Bror Axel Folke Per Rogard was born. He was the 2nd president of FIDE.
On July 27, 1899 Tassilo Heydebrand un der Lasa died in Storchnest, Poland. He was a German chess master and chess historian.
In Sep 1899, the 1st All-Russian chess championship was held in Moscow. Chigorin took 1st place. There were 14 players.
On Dec 8, 1899, Max Lange died. He was a German chess master and problem composer.