Philipp Hirschfeld

    The better known first class players of the City of London Chess Club in the 1880s were George MacDonnell, Bernard Horwitz, James Mason, William Potter and Joseph H. Blackburne. Today we are going to meet a much lesser known but at the time a prominent club member, Philipp Hirschfeld. 

    Philipp Hirschfeld (October 2, 1840 0 October 4, 1896) was a German player and theoretician. In 1873 he took up permanent residence in London which explains his membership in the city’s chess club. At the club he was a frequent analysis partner of Johannes Zukertort. While residing in London he regularly lived a few months of the year in Berlin which is where he died. 

    He was, apparently, a far better player than we know! Chess metrics assigns him a highest ever rating of 2600 in 1865 and between 1862 and 1866, he was ranked #4 in the world 8 times, though it must be added that those lists contained very few players, 20 or less. 

    Hirschfeld was born in Konigsberg, Prussia, and came from an affluent background. He learned the game of chess as a child in Konigsberg and by the time he went to Berlin in 1859 to study, he was already a very strong player and theoretician. He was on the editorial department of the Deutschen Schachzeitung, where he published analysis of opening theory. 

    In 1863 Hirschfeld finished his studies and joined his father's business. In London, he founded the Konigsberg Tea Company, with branches in Konigsberg, Moscow and China. 

    Hirschfeld's profession left him no time for international tournaments, but on his business trips he met up with the best players of his time and occasionally contested matches with them. 

    In 1865 he drew a match with Ignaz von Kolisch and in 1865 he lost a match in Moscow against Sergey Urusov. Hirschfeld also played individual games against Steinitz, Lowenthal, Horwitz and De Vere. 

    According to the Chessmetrics website his best historical Elo rating was 2600, which he attained in October 1864. Between 1862 and 1866 he was ranked 4th in the world. 

    His opponent in the following game was Ignatz von Koliscj (1837-1889,52 years old). He was born in Pressburg (now Bratislava in what is modern-day Slovakia). 

    During the period 1859-1868, he was one of the top five or six players in the World. Chessmetrics ranks him the #1 player in the world several times between 1867-68. Kolisch is nit appreicated today, but he defeated Danieal Horwitz and Thomas Barnes and drew with Adolf Anderssen in matches in 1860. The following year he played Anderssen again, narrowly lost and drew Louis Paulsen in a match. In 1863, he challenged a retired Paul Morphy who declined to play. 

    Kolisch opened a bank in Vienna in 1871 and within ten years became a very wealthy man. He continued to support chess by financing the great tournaments.