AAugust 07 1886
The Australian Town and Country Journal, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, Saturday, August 07, 1886
BLACKBURNE THE CHESSPLAYER
A cablegram sent by our special London correspondent on July 30 said the great International Chess Tournament for the championship has been won by Mr. Blackburne. This refers to the International Master Tourney of the newly reorganized British Chess Association in London, with total prizes of about £200, the first prize being of £80, the second of £50, the third of £10, the fourth of £25, and the fifth of £15—a much smaller affair than the last London International Tournament of 1883 in which the first second and third prizes were of the value of £300, £175, and £150. Although we are glad to hear that first honors have been secured by an Englishman (who it may be remembered won the first prise in the Berlin International Tourney, and the third prize in the London Tournament of 1883), still it must be borne in mind that Mr Blackburne—great genius and fine player as he is—has no claim whatever to the title of chess champion of the world. This fairly belongs to Herr Steinitz who has not only beaten Blackburne with consummate ease in set matches but has also so easily defeated Zukertort who beat Blackburne in a set match with a score of 7 to 2. And inasmuch as Steinitz has not competed in the present contest we are at a loss to understand how such a tournament as the one just concluded can be styled “The Great International Chess Tournament for the Championship” as the comparatively small prizes offered would not be a sufficient inducement even to many European professional players to enter, much less for the real chess champion (Steinitz)to cross the Atlantic in order to compete with players to whom he has repeatedly proved himself vastly superior. Blackburne is a Manchester man and about 46 years of age. He won the second prize in 1873 in the great Vienna tournament in which Steinitz took the first honors. The accompanying sketch of the British chess champion is true to the life.
