Paul Rudolf (or Rudolph) von Bilguer (21 September 1815 – 16 September 1840) was a German

chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...

master and chess theoretician from Ludwigslust in the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Bilguer, who was a lieutenant in the Prussian army, was sent to Berlin on a course, where he met the six gifted German players with whom he formed a group that became known as the ' Berlin Pleiades'. He resigned his commission and devoted his time to chess. He was considered to be the most brilliant of the 'Pleiades' and was a good blindfold player. (ISBN is for the second edition) To the modern chess world he is known above all as the co-author of the ''

Handbuch des Schachspiels ''Handbuch des Schachspiels'' (''Handbook of Chess'', often simply called the ''Handbuch'') is a chess book, first published in 1843 by Tassilo von Heydebrand und der Lasa. It was a comprehensive reference book on the game, and one of the most i ...

''. He died at age 24, probably of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

, before finishing the ''Handbuch'', but the work was completed by his friend Tassilo von Heydebrand und der Lasa, who gave primary credit to Bilguer. The ''Handbuch'' was for many years considered the definitive reference work on the game of chess, and on openings in particular. It was a precursor to later standard opening reference works such as '' Modern Chess Openings'' and '' Encyclopedia of Chess Openings''.

References

External links

*
Theory book on the Two Knights Game (1839) of Bilguer

Jeremy Spinrad, ''New Stories about Old Chess Players - Bilguer'', chesscafe.com, 2007
1815 births 1840 deaths People from Ludwigslust People from the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin German chess writers German male non-fiction writers 19th-century German chess players 19th-century German sportsmen 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis Tuberculosis deaths in Germany {{Germany-chess-bio-stub