Baron Ignatz von Kolisch (6 April 1837 – 30 April 1889), also Baron Ignaz von Kolisch (
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
) or báró Kolisch Ignác (
Hungarian), was a
merchant
A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...
,
journalist
A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...
and
chess master
A chess title is a title regulated by a chess governing body and bestowed upon players based on their performance and rank. Such titles are usually granted for life. The international chess governing body FIDE grants several titles, the most pres ...
with
Jewish roots.
Kolisch was born into a Jewish family in Pressburg. Both in business and as a chess player he was eminently successful. In his early years he moved to Vienna, then spent a year in Italy. In 1859 he arrived in Paris and in 1860-62 mostly sojourned in London. In summer 1862 he accompanied the Russian
Count Kushelev-Bezborodko to St. Petersburg, where he won a match against
Ilya Shumov. Later he moved to
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
and in 1869 to
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
. He became involved in banking and became a millionaire and chess patron, organizing and sponsoring important chess tournaments in the 1870s and 1880s. He founded the ''Wiener Börse-Syndikatskasse'' in 1869, and in 1873 established a commission house in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
; and by prudent management he acquired considerable wealth. In 1881 he received the title of baron from
Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen
Georg II, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen (2 April 1826 – 25 June 1914), was the penultimate Duke of Saxe-Meiningen, reigning from 1866 to 1914. For his support for his successful court theatre he was also known as the ''Theaterherzog'' (theatre duk ...
.
As a chess player, Kolisch soon became known for his brilliant and aggressive style, but he was not a frequent participant in tournaments. In 1860 he won the first prize at the international tournament held at
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. In 1861 he lost a match to
Adolf Anderssen
Karl Ernst Adolf Anderssen (July 6, 1818 – March 13, 1879)"Anderssen, Adolf" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th edn., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 385. was a German chess master. He won the great interna ...
, the strongest player of the day, by a score of 5–4. The same year, he drew a match with
Louis Paulsen
Louis Paulsen (15 January 1833 in Gut Nassengrund near Blomberg, Principality of Lippe – 18 August 1891) was a German chess player. In the 1860s and 1870s, he was among the top players in the world. He was a younger brother of Wilfried Pa ...
. In 1867 at the
Paris tournament he secured first place, defeating both
Szymon Winawer
Szymon Abramowicz Winawer (March 6, 1838 – November 29, 1919) was a Polish-Jewish chess player who won the German Chess Championship in 1883.
Tournament and match results
At the Paris 1867 tournament held at the Café de la Régence, his first ...
and
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 ...
.
Kolisch was the founder and editor-in-chief of the ''Wiener Allgemeine Zeitung'', to which, under the pseudonym "Ideka",
[Székely Dávid: Magyak irók álnevei a multban és jelenbe]
p.18 (Budapest, 1904) he contributed many
feuilleton
A ''feuilleton'' (; a diminutive of french: feuillet, the leaf of a book) was originally a kind of supplement attached to the political portion of French newspapers, consisting chiefly of non-political news and gossip, literature and art criti ...
s. The protagonist in the short story "The chessbaron" (A sakkbáró) by
Ferenc Móra
Ferenc Móra (19 July 1879 – 8 February 1934) was a Hungarian novelist, journalist, and museologist.
Life
Ferenc Móra was born in Kiskunfélegyháza, into a financially poor family. His father Márton Móra was a tailor, and his mother ...
is based on him. He died of kidney failure in 1889.
See also
*
List of Jewish chess players
Jews, Jewish players and Chess theory, theoreticians have long been involved in the game of chess and have significantly contributed to the development of chess, which has been described as the "Jewish National game". Chess gained po ...
References
* E. T. Blanchard, ''Examples of Chess Master-Play'', 1st series (transl. from the German of
Jean Dufresne
Jean Dufresne (14 February 1829 – 13 April 1893) was a German chess player and chess composer. He was a student of Adolf Anderssen, to whom he lost the "Evergreen game" in 1852.
Life
Dufresne was born and died in Berlin. The son of a wealthy J ...
), Index, New Barnet, 1893.
*
* F. Zavatarelli, ''Ignaz Kolisch. The Life and Chess Career'', McFarland, 2015.
External links
*
Hungarian chess players
Austrian chess players
Jewish chess players
Chess patrons
Hungarian Jews
Austrian Jews
1837 births
1889 deaths
Deaths from kidney failure
Sportspeople from Bratislava
19th-century philanthropists
19th-century chess players
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