John Wisker (30 May 1846 in

Kingston upon Hull Kingston upon Hull, usually abbreviated to Hull, is a port city and unitary authority in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Estuary, inland from the North Sea and south-east ...

, England – 18 January 1884 in

Richmond, Victoria Richmond is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Yarra local government area. Richmond recorded a population of 28,587 at the 2021 census, with a medi ...

) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

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 ...

player and journalist. By 1870, he was one of the world's ten best chess players, and the second-best English-born player, behind only

Joseph Henry Blackburne Joseph Henry Blackburne (10 December 1841 – 1 September 1924) was a British chess player. Nicknamed "The Black Death", he dominated the British scene during the latter part of the 19th century. Blackburne learned the game at the relatively late ...

Biography

Born and educated at

Hull, England Kingston upon Hull, usually abbreviated to Hull, is a port city A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a ...

, Wisker moved to London in 1866 to become a reporter for the ''City Press'' and befriended

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 ...

. His proficiency at chess improved rapidly, and he won the 1870

British Chess Championship The British Chess Championships are organised by the English Chess Federation. The main tournament incorporates the British Championship, the English Chess Championships and the British Women's Chess Championship so it is possible, although it has ...

after a play-off against

Amos Burn Amos Burn (1848–1925) was an English chess player, one of the world's leading players at the end of the 19th century, and a chess writer. Burn was born on New Year's Eve, 1848, in Hull.Richard Forster, ''Amos Burn: A Chess Biography'', McFar ...

, ahead of Joseph H. Blackburne, the defending champion. He won again in 1872 after a play-off against the first British champion,

Cecil Valentine De Vere Cecil Valentine De Vere (14 February 1846 in London – 9 February 1875 in Torquay) was the winner of the first official British Chess Championship in 1866. He was born Valentine John Cecil De Vere Mathews in 1846. It is likely that he was th ...

. After this second victory, the British championship was not resumed until 1904. Wisker edited chess columns for ''

The Sporting Times ''The Sporting Times'' (founded 1865, ceased publication 1932) was a weekly British newspaper devoted chiefly to sport, and in particular to horse racing. It was informally known as ''The Pink 'Un'', as it was printed on salmon-coloured paper ...

'' and ''Land and Water''. From 1872 to 1876, Wisker was Secretary of the

British Chess Association The English Chess Federation (ECF) is the governing chess organisation in England. It is affiliated to FIDE. The ECF was formed in 2004 as one of the more localised successors to the British Chess Federation (BCF), an organisation founded in 1904. ...

and co-editor of '' The Chess Player's Chronicle''. Obituary of John Wisker, The Hull Quarterly, 15 April 1884

After learning that he had contracted

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

, Wisker emigrated to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

in the autumn of 1876 to try to regain his health. In Australia, he wrote a chess column for the ''Australasian''. In 1884, aged 37, Wisker died from

bronchitis Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (large and medium-sized airways) in the lungs that causes coughing. Bronchitis usually begins as an infection in the nose, ears, throat, or sinuses. The infection then makes its way down to the bronchi. ...

and tuberculosis in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. He is buried at the

Boroondara General Cemetery Boroondara General Cemetery, often referred to as Kew cemetery, is one of the oldest cemeteries in Victoria, Australia, created in the tradition of the Victorian garden cemetery. The cemetery, located in Kew, a suburb of Melbourne, is listed ...

.Boroondara General Cemetery: John Wisker
/ref>

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wisker, John 1846 births 1884 deaths 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis English chess players British chess writers Journalists from Kingston upon Hull English non-fiction writers Sportspeople from Kingston upon Hull English male non-fiction writers Chess players from the British Empire Colony of Victoria people Tuberculosis deaths in the British Empire Deaths from bronchitis