Theophilus Augustus Thompson (April 21, 1855 - Oct 12, 1881) is the earliest documented

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

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 ...

expert recognized in the United States. In addition to competing in tournaments, he wrote a book ''Chess Problems: Either to Play and Mate'' published in 1873.

Early life

Thompson was born into slavery in

Frederick, Maryland Frederick is a city in and the county seat of Frederick County, Maryland. It is part of the Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan Area. Frederick has long been an important crossroads, located at the intersection of a major north–south Native ...

, as were his parents. After emancipation, in 1868, he worked as a house servant in

Carroll County, Maryland Carroll County is located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 172,891. Its county seat is Westminster. Carroll County is included in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is ...

, but returned to Frederick in 1870.

Career

In April 1872, Thompson witnessed the game for the first time, in a match between John K. Hanshew and another man. Hanshew, who was the publisher of ''The Maryland Chess Review'', gave Thompson a

chessboard A chessboard is a used to play chess. It consists of 64 squares, 8 rows by 8 columns, on which the chess pieces are placed. It is square in shape and uses two colours of squares, one light and one dark, in a chequered pattern. During play, the bo ...

and some

chess problem A chess problem, also called a chess composition, is a puzzle set by the composer using chess pieces on a chess board, which presents the solver with a particular task. For instance, a position may be given with the instruction that White is to ...

s to solve. Thompson showed an immediate ability to learn the game and master its rules. Thompson's fame grew and he competed in a number of

tournaments A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

. He gained lasting fame for his book of endgame positions: ''Chess Problems: Either to Play and Mate'' (1873). It was published by Orestes Brownson Jr., the editor of the ''Dubuque Chess Journal'', for whom Thompson also worked as a servant. Thompson faded into obscurity soon after gaining prominence with his book, and there is some uncertainty about the remainder of his life. The ''Dubuque Chess Journal'' closed in 1875 and Brownson Jr. died soon after, leaving Thompson without a job. In 1879, his mentor John K. Hanshew died of TB. Thompson infected himself with tuberculosis and suffered some years. When Hanshew had died, his health was so bad that he couldn't play competitive chess any longer. At Oct 12, 1881 Theophilus Thompson died of tuberculosis in his home town Frederick. The death notice was published in the local newspaper, the "Frederick Examiner". (Reference: The Chess Drum, notice from April 2020) The U.S. Chess Center in

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

hosts the Theophilus Thompson Chess Club in his honor on Saturday afternoons.

References

External links

''Chess Problems'' by Theophilus A. Thompson at Google Books

The games of Thompson at ChessGames.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Theophilus 1855 births 1881 deaths African-American chess players American chess players African-American sportsmen American chess writers American male non-fiction writers 19th-century American slaves People from Carroll County, Maryland People from Frederick, Maryland 20th-century African-American people