Ellen E. Gilbert (née Strong) (April 30, 1837 – February 12, 1900) was a strong 19th century

correspondence chess Correspondence chess is chess played by various forms of long-distance correspondence, traditionally through the postal system. Today it is usually played through a correspondence chess server, a public internet chess forum, or email. Less common ...

player, and one of the first significant women players in chess history. She became famous for her match victory against

George H. D. Gossip George Hatfeild Dingley Gossip (December 6, 1841 – May 11, 1907) was a minor American-English chess master and writer. He competed in chess tournaments between 1870 and 1895, playing against most of the world's leading players, but with ...

. Gossip, who had won the 1873–74 correspondence chess tournament of the ''

Chess-Players 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 publ ...

'', "was thought by some to be the strongest correspondence player known". Gilbert, playing for the United States in an 1879 correspondence chess match against England, won all four of her games against Gossip. This enabled the American team to win the match 27–23. Her victories, combined with her in 21 moves in one game, and mate in 35 moves in another, "caused a sensation in the chess world". Hooper, David and Whyld, Kenneth, ''The Oxford Companion to Chess'', Oxford University Press (2nd ed. 1992), p. 152. . She was hailed as "The Queen of Chess", and poems and at least one chess problem (with the pieces in the shape of a "Q") were composed in her honor. Her games were analyzed by

Wilhelm Steinitz William Steinitz (born Wilhelm Steinitz; May 14, 1836 – August 12, 1900) was an Austrian and, later, American chess player. From 1886 to 1894, he was the first official World Chess Champion. He was also a highly influential writer and che ...

, the first

World Champion A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

, who confirmed the accuracy of her analyses. Gossip responded gallantly, dedicating his book ''Theory of the Chess Openings'' to her. Unfortunately, this proved to be not only the high point of her chess career, but almost its end. Apart from playing one move in a "circulating game" in 1883, her victory against Gossip is the last known event in her career. Her obituary mentions "loss of sight" in "late years", and her vision may have already been declining when she played Gossip. She died on February 12, 1900, in Hartford, Connecticut.

Notable games

Gilbert vs. Gossip, England–United States correspondence chess match, 1879
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Nxe4 6. Re1 Nc5 7. Bxc6 dxc6 8. Nxe5 Be7 9. d4 Ne6 10. Be3 0-0 11. Nc3 f6 12. Nd3 f5 13. Ne2 Bd6 14. f4 b5? 15. Rc1 Bb7 16. c4 bxc4 17. Nc5 Bc8 18. Rxc4 Rb8 19. b3 Qf6 20. Qd3 Qg6 21. Ra4 Nxc5 22. dxc5 Be7 23. Nd4 Kh8 24. Qc2 Bh4 25. Bf2 Bxf2+ 26. Qxf2 Re8 27. Nf3 Bb7 28. Ne5 Qe6 29. Rc4 Rbd8 30. Rc3 Qf6 31. Rce3 Rf8 32. Qe2 Rd4 33. Qh5 g6 34. Qh6 Rdd8 35. Rh3 Qg7 (diagram) Gilbert now announced mate in 21: 36.Nxg6+ Kg8 37.Qxg7+ Kxg7 38.Nxf8 Rxf8 39.Re7+ Rf7 40.Rxh7+ Kxh7 41.Rxf7+ Kg6 42.Rxc7 Ba8 43.Ra7 Bb7 44.Rxb7 Kf6 45.h4 Kg6 46.Rc7 Kf6 47.Rxc6+ Ke7 48.h5 Kd7 49.Rg6 Ke7 50.c6 a5 51.c7 Kd7 52.h6 Kxc7 53.h7 a4 54.h8=Q axb3 55.Qh7+ Kd8 56.Rg8Chernev, p. 132.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gilbert, Ellen American female chess players 1837 births 1900 deaths 19th-century chess players People from Leverett, Massachusetts