Elijah Williams (chess player)
Elijah Williams (born 7 November or October 7, 1809 in Bristol, † September 8, 1854 in London ) was an English chess master.
Williams was a pharmacist, before dedicating himself exclusively to chess. He was first in his home-town club in Bristol professional player before he went to London and earned his livelihood in the Divan, the most prestigious chess club in the British capital, with chess.
Williams participated in the first international tournament in chess history part in London in 1851 and came third. On this occasion, he succeeded his teacher Howard Staunton sensational with 4.5 to 3.5 ( 4-3 = 1) to defeat. After the tournament Staunton called for revenge, and the two disputed a contest in which Staunton Williams pretended three wins and wanted to see the match as lost if Williams would come to three wins. At the score of 2-6 = 3 Staunton gave up the contest, because he ' could no longer endure the extremely long thought Williams. They played at that time still without chess clocks, and cooling-off periods of several hours for a single train were with Williams not uncommon.
Williams was also competitions with other masters: In 1846, he defeated Hugh Alexander Kennedy 4-2 ( 4-2 = 0) and 1852 Bernhard Horwitz 9.5 to 7.5 ( 5-3 = 9). He lost a match against Johann Jacob Loewenthal in 1851 with 7-9 ( 5-7 = 4). He also defeated Daniel Harrwitz against which it took three times with a total result of 6-21 ( 2-17 = 8).
The best historical Elo rating of Williams was calculated using the value 2529 for January 1852.
Williams is said to have played for some time as a hidden user of the time on the world by Johann Nepomuk Mälzel Chess Turk. He led chess headings in the Bath and Cheltenham Gazette and in The Field. In 1845 he was a collection of games played in Bristol in the club games out (Souvenir of the Bristol Chess Club ), as are a collection of games from the Divan, Horae Divananae, which appeared in London in 1852.
Elijah Williams died of cholera in a London hospital.
Works
- Souvenir of the Bristol Chess Club: Containing One Hundred Original Games of Chess (London 1845)