Adolf Żytogórski (or Adolph Zytogorski, , later known as John Hanstein) ( – 28 February 1882) was a Polish-British

chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to disti ...

master and translator.

Biography

Details of Zytogorski's early life are sparse. He is usually said to have been born in 1806 or 1807 based on his obituary in the ''

British Chess Magazine ''British Chess Magazine'' is the world's oldest chess journal in continuous publication. First published in January 1881, it has appeared at monthly intervals ever since. It is frequently known in the chess world as ''BCM''. The founder and ...

'', but according to chess historian Tim Harding, around 1811 or 1812 is most likely, based on his census records and death certificate. Despite being

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

, he gave his place of birth on census records as

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

, which was part of the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central-Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence, ...

at the time, leading Harding to speculate that he may have had one Polish and one

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

parent. Following the collapse of the Polish–Russian War in 1830–31 (

November Uprising The November Uprising (1830–31), also known as the Polish–Russian War 1830–31 or the Cadet Revolution, was an armed rebellion in the heartland of partitioned Poland against the Russian Empire. The uprising began on 29 November 1830 in W ...

), Zytogorski became a political refugee, and emigrated to England. His role in the uprising is unknown, but in 1837 he joined both the Union of Polish Emigration, and the

Polish Democratic Society The Polish Democratic Society ( pl, Towarzystwo Demokratyczne Polskie or TDP) was a radical constitutionalist political organization established in Paris by émigrés from the Kingdom of Poland in 1832. While not explicitly socialist with respect ...

. During

Nicholas I of Russia Nicholas I , group=pron ( – ) was List of Russian rulers, Emperor of Russia, Congress Poland, King of Congress Poland and Grand Duke of Finland. He was the third son of Paul I of Russia, Paul I and younger brother of his predecessor, Alexander I ...

's 1844 visit to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, Zytogorski and other exiles were offered an amnesty, but Zytogorski did not accept, and remained in England. From about 1850 he adopted the surname Hanstein (possibly his mother's maiden name), though he kept using the name Zytogorski for chess. Zytogorski died on 28 February 1882 in the

German Hospital, Dalston The German Hospital, Dalston, was a hospital in Dalston, East London. History The hospital was established in 1845 to offer free treatment to London’s then large German-speaking community which had a significant presence in the East End. The ...

Chess

Zytogorski was a frequent contributor to the ''

Chess Player's Chronicle The ''Chess Player's Chronicle'', founded by Howard Staunton and extant in 1841–56 and 1859–62, was the world's first successful English-language magazine devoted exclusively to chess. Various unrelated but identically or similarly named public ...

'', and in 1841 carried out a thorough analysis of the

Rook and bishop versus rook endgame The rook and bishop versus rook endgame is a chess endgame where one player has just a king, a rook, and a bishop, and the other player has just a king and a rook. This combination of is one of the most common pawnless chess endgames. It is gener ...

, including a challenge that four starting positions could always be won, including one said by

Giambattista Lolli Giambattista Lolli (1698 – 4 June 1769) was an Italian chess player and one of the most important chess theoreticians of his time. He is most famous for his book ''Osservazioni teorico-pratiche sopra il giuoco degli scacchi'' ( en, Theoretical- ...

to be a draw. Much of this work was included in

Howard Staunton Howard Staunton (April 1810 – 22 June 1874) was an English chess master who is generally regarded as the world's strongest player from 1843 to 1851, largely as a result of his 1843 victory over Pierre Charles Fournier de Saint-Am ...

's ''Chess-Players' Handbook'' (1847) with analysis by

Josef Kling Josef Kling (19 March 1811 – 1 December 1876), also found in English-language sources as Joseph Kling, was a German chess master and chess composer. He has been called "a pioneer of the modern style of chess." Although Kling was an expert on e ...

, who showed that there was an error in Zytogorski's logic. From 1859 to 1862, Zytogorski,

Ignatz Kolisch Baron Ignatz von Kolisch (6 April 1837 – 30 April 1889), also Baron Ignaz von Kolisch (German) or báró Kolisch Ignác ( Hungarian), was a merchant, journalist and chess master with Jewish roots. Kolisch was born into a Jewish family in Pres ...

, and

revived the ''Chess Player's Chronicle'', which had been discontinued by R. B. Brien in 1856. Zytogorski's role is not clear, but in 1861 it was reported that it would "henceforth be edited by Herr Kolisch conjointly with its late manager Mr. Zytogorski". Zytogorski won a match against Franciscus Janssens (6:4) in 1854, took second behind

Ernst Falkbeer Ernst Karl Falkbeer (June 27, 1819 – December 14, 1885) was an Austrian chess master and journalist. Life and chess career Falkbeer was born in Brünn, a town that in 1819 belonged to Habsburg Austria, and which today is known as Brno in the Cz ...

and ahead of Brien in 1855 (''Triangular''), and lost to Valentine Green (7:8) in 1856 (Zytogorski gave odds of pawn and move). He won at London 1855 ( Kling's Coffee House), played in semifinals at London 1856 (McDonnell Chess Club), and lost to

Ignaz von Kolisch Baron Ignatz von Kolisch (6 April 1837 – 30 April 1889), also Baron Ignaz von Kolisch (German) or báró Kolisch Ignác ( Hungarian), was a merchant, journalist and chess master with Jewish roots. Kolisch was born into a Jewish family in Pr ...

at Cambridge 1860 (semifinal).

Bibliography

As editor: * ''

'' (1859–1862) As translator: * ''Select Popular Tales from the German of Musaeus'' (1845) (anonymous) by

Johann Karl August Musäus Johann Karl August Musäus (29 March 1735 – 28 October 1787) was a popular German author and one of the first collectors of German folk stories, most celebrated for his ''Volksmärchen der Deutschen'' (1782–1787), a collection of German fairy ...

* ''The Enchanted Knights; or The Chronicle of the Three Sisters'' (1845) (anonymous) by Johann Karl August Musäus * ''The Nymph of the Well and The Barber's Ghost'' (1848) (as Adolphus Zytogorski) by Johann Karl August Musäus * ''Libussa, Duchess of Bohemia; also The Man Without a Name'' (1852) (as Adolphus Zytogorski, later reissued as J. T. Hanstein) by Johann Karl August Musäus * ''The Immaculate Conception'' (1857) (as J. F. Hanstein) * ''Oswald Dorn'' (1857) (as J. F. Hanstein) by

Carl Franz van der Velde Carl Franz van der Velde (27 September 1779 – 6 April 1824) was a German author of historical novels. He was born in Breslau, Silesia (now Wrocław, Poland) into a Huguenot family. His father was the ''Stempelrendant'' (stamp accountant) Johan ...

* ''

The Captain's Daughter ''The Captain's Daughter'' (russian: «Капитанская дочка», Kapitanskaya dochka) is a historical novel by the Russian writer Alexander Pushkin. It was first published in 1836 in the fourth issue of the literary journal ''Sovremen ...

'' (1859) (as J. F. Hanstein) by

Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...

* ''Popular Works of Musæus'' (1865) (as J. T. Hanstein) by Johann Karl August Musäus * ''The Chronicle of the Three Sisters, and Mute Love'' (1866) (as J. T. Hanstein) by Johann Karl August Musäus

Notes

References

External links