Monday, September 16, 2019

Philip Richardson

Richardson in 1895
     Looking at Chessmetrics rating list a while back for the year 1901, I noticed the name of Philip Richardson who was number 13 on the list with an estimated rating of 2655. 
     Whoever heard of the London-born Philip Richardson (November 12, 1841 – September 29, 1920)? Research didn’t turn up much although John S. Hilbert has written a biography of him that was published in 2009. The book which contains 193 games is a pricey $44.95. 
     In the 1890s Richardson was considered one of Brooklyn’s strongest players. Originally from England, Richardson’s family settled in Newburgh, New York in 1852 before moving to Brooklyn two years later. His early interest in chess was the result Morphy’s popularity and most of his games were published early in his career with many of them appearing in the New York Clipper. The New York Clipper, also known as just The Clipper, was a weekly entertainment newspaper published in New York City from 1853 to 1924. It covered many topics, including circuses, dance, music, the outdoors, sports, and theater.
     Richardson, who also composed a few problems, was praised by George H. Mackenzie, the Scottish player who came to the US in 1863 and for 30 years was one of the best players in the country, when he wrote that Richardson was the most formidable opponent he met in the U.S. and sometime around 1880, Mackenzie gave Richardson the nickname of “the Stormy Petrel." The nickname doesn’t mean much to us, but, besides being a bird, the term “stormy petrel” is, according to Merriam-Webster, a) one fond of strife or b) a harbinger of trouble.
     Besides Mackenzie, in his International Chess Magazine, Steinitz also praised Richardson’s play for his tactical prowess. 
     Richardson had good scores against Eugene Delmar (+9 -8 =2), Samuel Lipschutz (+1 -1 =4), Sam Loyd (+2 0 =0 ) and James Mason (+5 -7 =1).
     Richardson and his brother owned a photography studio on Broadway in Brooklyn and given the necessity for sunlight for photography in that period, he would usually visit the clubs only when the weather was poor and he could not work. Although he was a founding member of the revived Brooklyn Chess Club in 1886 and most of his games were played there, he was also an honorary member of the Manhattan Chess Club which he often frequented. 
     The April 19, 1882 edition of the Journal of Indoor and Outdoor Amusements contained a brief sketch of Richardson. He was described as probably the “strongest of those American amateur players, who have never intruded themselves upon public notice by seeking reputation through display of their abilities.” The sketch continued: “He enjoys a national reputation as a player of the first rank, and...deservedly so.” 
     When Lipschutz and Richardson played their match in 1900, neither player was on the American team in the Anglo-American cable match of that year. Of course, there were no ratings in those days, but the estimated ratings according to Chessmetrics for the American team were: Pillsbury (2814) and Showalter (2664). They were followed by John F. Barry (2503), Albert B. Hodges (2555), Edward Hymes (2525), Hermann Voight (2580), Frank Marshall (2604), Samuel Bampton (2493), Charles Newman (2584) and Eugene Delmar (2444).
     Lipschutz’ rating was 2737 and Richardson’s was 2655, so clearly both players could have been included on the U.S. team. 

1 comment:

  1. First, I really enjoy your blog, especially the historical pieces. Concerning the "Stormy Petrel" nickname, Hilbert implies (page iii) that Mackenzie took the "stormy" part as a double meaning, ie, only showing up to play chess in bad weather and the full definition you give above. Great article!

    A. Holmer



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