Hopeless Romantics: The Rivalry That Sparked Love for Attack
INTRODUCTION
When most people think of the Romantic Era of chess, they picture the brilliancies of Morphy or Anderssen. But the Romantic playstyle didn't appear out of nowhere. Long before those stars took the stage, there were lesser-celebrated pioneers who laid the foundations for the era of thrilling and beautiful attack that we know today.
In a series of matches, two pioneers, Louis-Charles Mahé de La Bourdonnais of France and Alexander McDonnell of Ireland, took a daring approach to the game, falling hopelessly in love with an all-out tactical attacking style in an age where these ideas did not yet define chess. In this blog, in honor of Valentine's Day, I will be taking a look at the matches that helped spark the beginning of Romantic chess, played between La Bourdonnais and McDonnell, and how they changed the chess world forever.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Louis-Charles Mahé de La Bourdonnais (quite the mouthful lol) was born in 1795 on the French-ruled island of Isle Bourbon (now called La Réunion). He learned chess in 1814 and began to take it seriously in 1818. He started playing often at the Café de la Régence, one of the most important early centers of chess in the world, and host to many legendary chess masters and games of the time. He trained and got stronger and quickly became one of the best regular players of the café, and not long after became widely regarded as the strongest player in the world. He was forced to earn his living as a professional chess player after he became penniless as a young adult.
Alexander McDonnell was born in 1798 in Belfast, the capital city of Northern Ireland. He worked as a merchant in the West Indies in his youth, and in 1820, he moved to London to take on a role of high power governing the Committee of West Indian Merchants. Unlike La Bourdonnais, McDonnell became extremely wealthy from his work. McDonnell had a strong passion for chess and trained in Britain under some of the strongest British masters. He soon overtook all of them and rose to the title of England's best player and one of the best in the world.
By 1834, anticipation had been building across Europe for a clash between La Bourdonnais and McDonnell. They were both atop the chess world, and since the World Champion title didn't yet exist, this would unofficially decide who was truly the best in the world. A series of matches was set to be held at the Westminster Chess Club in London, which McDonnell had helped found.
The scene was set, and in June, the first match kicked off. Right away, it became obvious that this was not a typical 19th-century chess match. Each game had fireworks, with striking offensive moves from the start. It was clear that something revolutionary was happening. Spectators gathered daily at the Chess Club to witness what had become quite a spectacle.
In the twenty-five-game first match, the two masters were even for the first few rounds, but La Bourdonnais dominated down the back stretch and ended up capturing a 16-5 win. La Bourdonnais's win in round twenty-two was a particularly great example of the attacking style and stunning sacrifices being played:
In the nine-game second match, McDonnell struck back, winning 5-4. Game one was very tactical and served as the turning point of the series:
The two masters' mannerisms couldn't have been more different off the chessboard. It is said that after each game, McDonnell would return to his room exhausted and spend many hours pacing back and forth anxiously. Meanwhile, La Bourdonnais would stay up late in the night, playing chess and drinking and smoking and gambling, even when he had a game to play against McDonnell in the morning. La Bourdonnais was also far more expressive and explosive when things weren't going his way in the game, while McDonnell remained reserved and showed little emotion. Through it all, it is reported that since La Bourdonnais knew no English and McDonnell knew no French, the only word exchanged between the two in the whole series of matches was "check!"
La Bourdonnais emerged victorious in each of the third, fourth, and fifth matches. He was letting it be known that he wanted to cement himself as the top player in the world, yet the games remained very sharp. Game sixteen of the fourth match is the most famous masterpiece of the series:
The sixth match appeared to be turning in McDonnell's favor as he looked to recover from the 4-1 deficit he faced in the series, but it was ultimately abandoned after La Bourdonnais was forced to return to France to deal with his financial troubles. Though both wanted to continue, they were never able to return to the match. The final score of the six-match series that featured a total of eighty-five games was 45 wins by La Bourdonnais, 27 by McDonnell, and 13 draws.
Unfortunately, both La Bourdonnais and McDonnell were gone too soon, dying not long after the conclusion of their epic series of matches. McDonnell died in September 1835, not even a year later, at just thirty-seven years old due to kidney inflammation. La Bourdonnais died in 1840 at age forty-three of complications from dropsy and following a stroke he suffered two years prior. Both were still at the peak of the chess world at the time of their passing.
However, the effects of their rivalry have endured. For the first time, matches at the highest level had displayed attacking ambition as the central concept of chess. It is also (unofficially) recognized as one of the first World Chess Championships. Although La Bourdonnais was the winner, the real winner was the game of chess itself because of the bold, attacking playstyle that the 1834 London matches popularized.
The games from the series were recorded and compiled by William Greenwood Walker in a book called A Selection of Games at Chess, Actually Played in London, by the Late Alexander McDonnell Esq, which was published in 1836. The games were then studied and spread all around the globe, and the desire for attacking chess spread right along with them.
For the next half-century, this attacking philosophy dominated chess at the elite level during what became known as the Romantic Era, influenced by the Romanticism movement of the time in the world. Players like Paul Morphy and Adolf Anderssen employed this style and took it to new heights, playing some of the most legendary games of all time, such as the Opera Game and the Immortal Game. Morphy openly praised the La Bourdonnais-McDonnell matches, considering them the finest examples of attacking chess. He studied and annotated many of them in his column in The New York Ledger.
Today, the attacking style from the Romantic Era lives on and continues to inspire top players.
This underrated series of matches revolutionized the way our great game is played. If not for the daring decisions and playstyle used by La Bourdonnais and McDonnell, attacking chess likely would not have dominated the 19th century, and its influence might still be diminished to this day. Because these two masters branched out from the style norm of their time and fell in love with attack, the Romantic Era was born, and the world got to see and experience the excitement and beauty of sharp offensive chess, a style that has lasted to modern times.
Per usual, I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments, and I wish you a great rest of your Valentine's Day! 💘
I hope you enjoyed this blog. Cya next time! 
