| Aug-25-05 | | SBC: Since TH Worrall died in 1878, either the date of this game is wrong or the opponent is his wife, Harriet Jona Worrall (1836-1928) who was a strong woman chess player. This could have been a simul. Although she was English, she lived primarily in Mexico City with her husband (and after his death), who was some sort of ambassador or minister to Mexico, from 1862-1884. It's possible she was visiting England in 1880 since her husand had recently died. Mrs. Worrall has the distinction of having played 2 games with Paul Morphy (at rook odds, I believe losing one drawing the other). TH Worrall also played Morphy in quite a few games. I haven't given it much thought, but it has occurred to me that they might be the only husband/wife to have been recorded as having played Morphy. |
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| Aug-25-05 | | Calli: <SBC> Good catch! It is Harriet Worrall according to NIC. |
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| Aug-25-05 | | SBC: <Calli>:
<It is Harriet Worrall according to NIC> I thought NIC stood for New In Chess?
Thanks for the verification.
<chessgames.com>
Please change this opponent from Thomas Herbert Worrall to Harriet Jona Worrall. You can add that bit of bio if you want. |
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| Aug-25-05 | | Calli: <SBC> Submitted the correction. Re: NIC - Yes, thats right. They should have a chess channel called NIC at Knights yuk, yuk, yuk :-) They don't have the game as a simul, but since its not an odds game, a simul would seem to be a certainty. |
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| Nov-13-06 | | Maatalkko: This couldn't have been Harriet Worrall playing, because in the note to Black's 25th move Blackburn writes "marching HIS best piece out of the field of battle." Unlikely that a man of Blackburne's era would get the gender pronoun wrong, especially given the rarity of female opponents at that time. |
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| Nov-14-06 | | Calli: <Maatalkko> Good point. I would like to verify that this is indeed what Blackburne said. Is this game in "Blackburne's Games of Chess"? Anyone? |
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| Jul-23-07 | | dovif: what is reply to Bf7? |
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Jul-23-07
 | | Gregor Samsa Mendel: 30 Qb8+ and mate next. |
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| Dec-14-07 | | staplerman: ??? Are you talking about this game? 29...Kf7 is an illegal move |
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| Nov-25-08 | | Calli: DBC: Now we can see the original publication of the game in "Blackburne's Games of Chess" http://books.google.com/books?id=HQ... The identity of the opponent is given as "Mr. Worrall". He is obviously not T. H. Worrall who died in 1878 nor Harriet who was definitely not a "Mr". The name should be corrected to simply "Worrall" with the first name unknown. |
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| Jul-11-12 | | e4 resigns: Fireside book of chess gave 3...c6 a ??
(I don't agree)
Nice punishment of pawn grabbing! |
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| Jun-16-13 | | Dr Esenville: This is Thomas Herbert Worrall. Therefore, the gamw should be called as follows: Joseph Henry Blackburne vs. Thomas Herbert Worrall. |
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| Jun-17-13 | | Calli: <Dr Esenville> He was dead for two years by the time this game was played. |
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Jun-17-13
 | | Phony Benoni: The correct name may be <G Worrall>. "The Chess Player's Chronicle", 10th November 1886, p.119-120, gives an account of a Blackburne simul held at the Atheneum Club in Manchester, one opponent being "G Worrall". "Chess Monthly", 1887, p.196, has an account of a match played by Atheneum Manchester, one player on the team being "G Worrall". Haven't yet found more particulars on this game or <G Worrall>. Way past my bedtime. |
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| Jun-17-13 | | thomastonk: <PhonyBenoni> Here are some results from Britsh newspapers on "G.Worrall". The "The Leeds Mercury" of November 20, 1886, presents a game from an 8-board blindfold exhibition at the (Manchester) Atheneum Club: Blackburne vs G.Worrall, a Vienna Opening with a few comments by Blackburne. It's the same game as in CPC 1886, 119-120. The "Manchester Times" of October 12, 1889 reports on the annual meeting of the Manchester Atheneum Club, which "was held last Monday, Mr. G. Worral, the retiring president, in the chair". One year later, the same newspaper lists him as treasurer of the club. He is often mentioned as a player for this club, or Manchester or Lancashire. The last time, I found his name was in December 1894, when he was absent from his team. |
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| Jun-18-13 | | Dr Esenville: <Calli> So, the date is wrong. How can you know that the game was played in the 1880? |
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| Jun-19-13 | | thomastonk: <Dr Esenville> The game is no. 167 on page 162 in Blackburne's book, and it is introduced as "One of twenty-one games played at Manchester in 1880." |
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| Jun-19-13 | | thomastonk: Four consecutive games in "Blackburne's Games of Chess" are introduced by "One of twenty-one games played simultaneously at Manchester in 1880.", games no. 166-169, pages 162-164, this one being no. 167.
(I forgot the word "simultaneously" above. Sorry.)
The same town, the same number of participants, the same year. So, I thought it could be of some help to look at the other opponents. The three other games are Blackburne vs Wilson, 1880, Blackburne / H Chapman vs Boulaye, 1880 and
Blackburne vs Schiffman, 1880, and all three have here Blackburne's sparse comments as in the book. I will not consider why Chapman is once given as an ally here, since this seems to be another challenge in its own, see Blackburne / Horace Chapman. He is not mentioned as player on the White pieces in the book. Boulaye, Schiffman, Wilson and Worral can be found in British newspapers and chess magazines as players from Manchester quite often. A newspaper report of April 1881 lists them as Mr. Schiffmann (sic), Mr. T.B. Wilson, Mr. J.G. Boulaye and Mr.G. Worrall on boards 3, 4, 10 and 13 of Manchester in a team match with Leeds. All four are also mentioned together on the occasion of a team match of Lancashire vs Yorkshire in January 1883. Three or two of them appear at many other occasions. Boulaye is only in 1881 "J.G.", later he is alway "I.G.". One time he is "Bonlaye". I found his name 1881, 1886, 1887, 1889-91. In 1896, the BCM reports on p 145 that there are two Boulayes in Manchester: one is I.G. Boulaye, the winner of a first prize in 1886-87, and the other one is his nephew G. Boulaye, the season's winner. This nephew also participates in a team match in 1898. Schiffman can also be found as "Schiffmann", "J. Schiffmann", and even as "Shefman" (a German Schiffmann sounds like an English Shefman). I found his name in 1881, 1882, and 1883. Wilson is almost always T.B. Wilson, and this man is the only one who has an entry in Gaige's "Chess Personalia": Thomas Bright Wilson, born 24-07-1843, died 28-11-1915, based on BCM 1957, p. 211-214. He appears throughout the 1880s. For July 1882, I have even an address: T.B. Wilson, 50, Market-Street, Manchester. However, there is one Rosenthal simul in 1884, where a "B.Wilson" participates, and in the same year in a team match Lancashire vs Yorkshire, two Wilsons play for Lancashire. Worrall is always G.Worrall. And that's good news, I think. |
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Jun-19-13
| | Phony Benoni: <thomastonk> In Blackburne / H Chapman vs Boulaye, 1880, surely it was Chapman and Boulaye consulting. It was not unusual for simul-givers to allow consultation. |
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| Jun-20-13 | | thomastonk: Hello <Phony Benoni>! Yes, consulting was usual, and Blackburne's book provides several examples thereof. But the four games from above are said to be played only by one man on the Black side. So, do you have another source for this game? |
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| Sep-30-20 | | YoungEd: Blackburne's notes are as expansive and illuminating as ever! |
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