Louis-Charles Mahé de La Bourdonnais (1795 – December 1840) was a French

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 ...

, possibly the strongest player in the early 19th century.

Early life

La Bourdonnais was born on the island of

Réunion Réunion (; ; ; known as before 1848) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France. Part of the Mascarene Islands, it is located approximately east of the isl ...

in the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

in 1795. He was the grandson of

Bertrand-François Mahé de La Bourdonnais Bertrand-François Mahé, comte de La Bourdonnais (11 February 169910 November 1753) was a French Navy navy officer, officer and colonial administrator who was employed by the Louis XIV's East India Company, French East India Company. Biography ...

. He learned chess in 1814 and began to take the game seriously in 1818, regularly playing at the

Café de la Régence The Café de la Régence in Paris was an important European centre of chess in the 18th and 19th centuries. All important chess masters of the time played there. The Café's masters included, but are not limited to: * Paul Morphy * Françoi ...

. He took lessons from Jacques François Mouret, his first teacher, and within two years he became one of the best players of the ''Café''.

Chess career

La Bourdonnais was forced to earn his living as a professional chess player after squandering his fortune on ill-advised land deals. He played in an era before a

World Chess Championship The World Chess Championship is played to determine the world champion in chess. The current world champion is Gukesh Dommaraju, who defeated the previous champion Ding Liren in the World Chess Championship 2024, 2024 World Chess Championship. ...

was established, but was considered to be perhaps the strongest player in the world from 1821 — when he became able to beat his chess teacher Alexandre Deschapelles — until his death in 1840. The most famous match series in that time was the series against Alexander McDonnell in 1834. These matches of 85 games were analyzed by Kasparov in his book '' My Great Predecessors''.

Death

He died penniless in London on 13 December 1840, having been forced to sell all his possessions, including his clothes, to satisfy his creditors. George Walker arranged his burial a stone's throw from his old rival Alexander McDonnell at

Kensal Green Cemetery Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in the Kensal Green area of North Kensington in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in London, England. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in P ...

Notable games

Alexander McDonnell vs. Louis-Charles Mahé de La Bourdonnais, 16, London 1834, Sicilian Defense: Old Sicilian. Open (B32), 0–1
A game demonstrating the strength of pawns. Its end position is one of the most surprising in the history of chess.
Louis-Charles Mahé de La Bourdonnais vs. Alexander McDonnell, 3, London 1834, Queen's Gambit Accepted: Old Variation (D20), 1–0
La Bourdonnais punishes McDonnell's premature attack.

Notes

References

*''World chess champions'' by Edward G. Winter, editor. 1981

External links

Louis-Chales Mahe de la Bourdonnais at edochess.ca
* {{DEFAULTSORT:La Bourdonnais, Louis De 1795 births 1840 deaths 19th-century French chess players 19th-century French sportsmen Burials at Kensal Green Cemetery French chess players French expatriates in the United Kingdom People from Réunion of French descent Deaths from edema