McDonnell And Walker. Some Odds And Ends.

Last time I got into some stuff from the 1834 McDonnell - La Bourdonnais matches. Out of that a few things cropped up - plus a fine blog by my friend @kamalakanta followed shortly after. So, while they were in my head I threw this together, whilst enjoying a glass or two of English Porter, in honour of La Bourdonnais. ( Not a bad excuse, eh!!)

I hope it works and you enjoy the mixed bag on offer.

So, last time I mentioned the most famous game of the matches i.e. the famous 'Three Pawns Finish'.  It can be found all over the internet - often with the schoolboy error of an 'Alexander McDonnell' picture ( it ain't him!! ) I know it is somewhere in @kamalakanta's blogs.

The latest incarnation is in Julian Corfield's blog on this site, here.   https://www.chess.com/blog/JulianCorfield/julian-corfields-blog If you haven't seen it, go check it out! ( We finally worked out that I know his name from the world of correspondence chess - he was better than me!!  Great to have you along mate)

I mentioned that McDonnell had won a game from the matches along similar lines - much less known, but in my opinion a lot more interesting. ( I LOVE my chess battles, as some of you will know, and that game was a war. Imperfect, but magnificent)

Meanwhile my dear friend @kamalakanta had brought us another game from the 19th century. (His ability to put chess joy on the page has always inspired me, although I have long since stopped trying to emulate it) here. https://www.chess.com/blog/kamalakanta/anderssen-outplayed-by-g-neumann 

In the comments there I mentioned that I had been looking at another of the theoretical debates from the 1834 matches, which involved the opening from the game he posted. So let's give you the game I had just been looking at.

A fascinating game from start to finish - what fighters those guys were!! They were not the toughened professionals of today (who are well coached and have - by their early teens - played more games than many of the greats played in their entire careers. ) so you will find a lot of inaccuracies in their games, and a blunder or two. ( This game has a big double blunder, but that happens - ask Carlsen and Anand!!)

However they never died wondering, that's for sure.

By the way - although the notes to those two games are plentiful, I haven't computer checked them, so don't trust the analysis!!

NEXT!

I mentioned that the wonderful George Walker

had, in his Bell's Life in London column, given the last two known games of McDonnell. I posted the first game he gave, as it linked to the subject matter of the blog. Here is the second one. Frankly it's a terrible game, but of historical significance. Also in the same column is a bit of historical interest re. the Divan, so I kept that in!

Last time round our own chess history writer par excellence @batgirl commented on Walker's Bell's Life columns. Sadly I no longer have the mass of them that I once did ( I had to get a new computer recently and lost loads of stuff, including my George Thomas photo collection. ) but I had saved these in another folder for a possible article. Back then the McDonnell - La Bourdonnais matches were not the only big Anglo-French clash at the chessboard.

So, three of Walker's columns from different points of the St. Amant - Staunton match, in Paris, of 1843. I won't comment other than to say that I find them absolutely fascinating on a number of levels, and in a number of different ways.

Hopefully those who take the time to go through them will join in the fun of the comments section and give their thoughts, independent of mine.

The start of the match. Column published  Nov. 19th. 1843.

After Staunton's blistering start. Column dated Nov. 26th. 1843.

And from the end of the match. Publication date Dec. 24. 1843.

O.K. That's 'all' for today. I appreciate that there is a lot here, so hopefully you went through it all a bit at a time, or had a relaxing Sunday afternoon with a glass of Porter or two of your own whilst digesting it all. Hopefully you didn't just get bored and go watch the F1 or the cricket. ( Is there a little game involving India today!? Must go on twitter!!)

Take care everyone, and look after each other.