Henry Edward Bird, 1986

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March 09 1986

Asbury Park Press, Asbury Park, New Jersey, Sunday, March 09, 1986

History records that the first brilliancy prize in chess was awarded to British master Henry Edward Bird for his game against James Mason at New York in 1876.
(Bird - Mason 1875/76 Match)
Happily, the tradition of rewarding the player of the most brilliantly executed game in a tournament or match has continued to the present day. And chess fans have been regaled with many pretty games, inspired, one would like to think, by the prospect of winning a special prize.
The criteria for awarding a brilliancy prize are reasonably straightforward: The game should exemplify an original concept and contain the element of surprise.

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