Adolf Żytogórski (or Adolph Zytogorski, , later known as John Hanstein) ( – 28 February 1882) was a Polish-British chess 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'', 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, which was part of the Austrian Empire 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. During Nicholas I of Russia's 1844 visit to London, 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, London.

Chess

Zytogorski was a frequent contributor to the '' Chess Player's Chronicle'', 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 to be a draw. Much of this work was included in Howard Staunton's ''Chess-Players' Handbook'' (1847) with analysis by Josef Kling, who showed that there was an error in Zytogorski's logic. From 1859 to 1862, Zytogorski, Ignatz Kolisch, and Josef Kling 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 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: * '' Chess Player's Chronicle'' (1859–1862) As translator: * ''Select Popular Tales from the German of Musaeus'' (1845) (anonymous) by Johann Karl August Musäus * ''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

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