Dr. Benjamin I. Raphael (November 8, 1818 – March 17, 1880) was born in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

. He graduated from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with College admission ...

with a medical degree. His father taught him the game of

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 dist ...

. He would later visit New York and went to the New York Chess Club, held in Carlton House, and it was here that he was able to strengthen his game by playing more formidable opponents such as Col. Charles D. Mead,

Charles Stanley Charles Frazier Stanley (born 1932) is Pastor Emeritus of First Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, after serving as senior pastor for 49 years. He is the founder and president of In Touch Ministries, which widely broadcasts his sermons through t ...

, and James Thompson, who at first gave him the odds of a

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the G ...

Career

After three years' attendance at

New York Hospital Weill Cornell Medical Center (previously known as New York Hospital or Old New York Hospital or City Hospital) is a research hospital in New York City. It is part of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and the teaching hospital for Cornell University. ...

, having completed his medical studies there, he traveled to Europe where he practiced medicine at the La Charite hospital 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. ...

. While in Paris he frequented 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 ...

where he often had games with

Pierre Saint-Amant Pierre Charles Fournier de Saint-Amant (12 September 1800 – 29 October 1872) was a leading French chess master and an editor of the chess periodical ''Le Palamède''. He is best known for losing a match against Howard Staunton in 1843 that is o ...

and

Lionel Kieseritzky Lionel Adalbert Bagration Felix Kieseritzky (russian: Лионель Адальберт Багратион Феликс Кизерицкий; – ) was a Baltic German chess master and theoretician, famous for his contributions to chess theory, ...

. After returning to the United States he established himself in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana borde ...

, where he was a medical practitioner and lecturer at the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of ...

Chess organizer

In 1845 he took part in forming a chess club, which soon thereafter, together with the clubs of Lexington and Frankfort, had the merit of instituting the well-known tournaments which took place every year in Kentucky. He played two games by correspondence, alongside a Mr. Ballard, with the Lexington club, as well as several matches via

electric telegraph Electrical telegraphs were point-to-point text messaging systems, primarily used from the 1840s until the late 20th century. It was the first electrical telecommunications system and the most widely used of a number of early messaging system ...

with Frankfort, Cincinnati, Nashville, and other towns. In the spring of 1857 he moved to New York, where he enjoyed an extensive medical practice. That same year he played a casual game against the legendary

Paul Morphy Paul Charles Morphy (June 22, 1837 – July 10, 1884) was an American chess player. He is considered to have been the greatest chess master of his era and is often considered the unofficial World Chess Champion. A chess prodigy, he was ...

, albeit a losing effort.

Death and legacy

Dr. Raphael died in 1880. He was one of the participants in the 1st American Chess Congress played in 1857. He made it into the semi-finals, losing to

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 Pau ...

. In a match for third place he then lost to Theodor Lichtenhein, eventually finishing in the fourth position in the tournament.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Raphael, Benjamin American physicians 19th-century chess players 1818 births 1880 deaths

Career

Chess organizer

Death and legacy

See also

References