Boncourt (chess player)
Encyclopedia
Boncourt was one of the leading chess player in France in the years between 1820 and 1840.
's assertion that in 1839 Boncourt was about seventy years old. The date of death is given by Ludwig Bledow
, but, as explained later, it may be inaccurate.
Boncourt was a contemporary of Philidor
, he never played with the French master, who had since emigrated to England, but was initiated to chess by some of Philidor's students and in particular Carlier, Bernard and Leger who frequented the Café de la Régence
. Here, he probably met Kermul de Legall
, Philidor's teacher, who played assiduously at the Café de la Régence almost until the year of his death in 1794. He traveled around Europe, but he never visited London.
He was a civil servant, and chess was mostly a hobby for him. He played until a late age and, actually, he obtained his best results after he was sixty years old, when, taking advantage of being retired he could devote full time to chess. G. Walker in Chess and chess-players describes the French master as follows:
In 1818, for a brief period, he was the operator of the Turk
. At that time, he was not yet one of the best players in France. Furthermore, in the days when he was hidden inside the Automaton, he caught the flu and his performance was rather poor. While he was hiding inside the Turk, due to the flu, he was seized by coughing and the sound was perceived by the spectators, creating a certain embarrassment to Mälzel (the Turk owner). For this reason, Mälzel, subsequently, added some noisy gears to the Turk, which had no other purpose but to cover any noise that could come from the operator.
, St. Amant and Chamouillet, while the British lined up McDonnell
, Lewis
and Walker
and others.
In 1835, drew a match in Paris with Szén
. In 1839 he defeated Walker in a short match (+2-1). In 1840, he first defeat (19-16) St. Amant and then drew a match with Kieseritzky
.
Boncourt in the period between 1830 to 1840 was one of the strongest players in Europe. The magazine The Philidoran directed by G. Walker, in 1838 published a sort of ranking of the best players of the period divided by nationality; Boncourt is second in France behind De la Bourdonnais
and of the same strength of St. Amant. The web-site chessmetrics
places him third in the world after Staunton
and St. Amant in 1843, although the date can be wrong if, as suggested by Bledow, his year of death was 1840. The web-site Edo Historical Chess Ratings places him third in the world between 1839 and 1840 after Deschapelles
and de la Bourdonnais
.
He liked to play chess, which he considered essentially a hobby, but did not like studying theory; this fact was well known in Parisian circles. For this reason, as the above Walker's quotation indicates, he did not excel in the most theoretical parts of the game: the opening and the endgame.
As an example of Boncourt's play the following game played with Kieseritzky is reported. Punctuation
and the notes between square parenthesis come from analysis carried out with the chess engine FireBird 1.2, which indicates that Black's attack after Kieseritzky's mistake on move 21 is almost flawless.
Short biography
Although he was one of the leading players of his time, not much is known about his life. His first name remains unknown, and the dates of his birth and death can only be estimated. Rod Edwards gives 1765 as a reasonable birth date based on WalkerGeorge Walker (chess player)
George Walker was an English chess player and author of The Celebrated Analysis of A D Philidor , The Art of Chess-Play: A New Treatise on the Game of Chess , A Selection of Games at Chess played by Philidor , Chess Made Easy , and Chess Studies .In 1839 visited...
's assertion that in 1839 Boncourt was about seventy years old. The date of death is given by Ludwig Bledow
Ludwig Bledow
Dr Ludwig Erdmann Bledow was a German chess master and chess organizer ....
, but, as explained later, it may be inaccurate.
Boncourt was a contemporary of Philidor
François-André Danican Philidor
François-André Danican Philidor , often referred to as André Danican Philidor during his lifetime, was a French composer and chess player. He contributed to the early development of the opéra comique...
, he never played with the French master, who had since emigrated to England, but was initiated to chess by some of Philidor's students and in particular Carlier, Bernard and Leger who frequented the Café de la Régence
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' masters include, but are not limited to:* Paul Morphy...
. Here, he probably met Kermul de Legall
Legall de Kermeur
Legall de Kermeur was a French chess player.His name is variously written Kermur, Sire de Legalle, by Twiss, and Kermur and Kermuy, Sire de Legal, by others...
, Philidor's teacher, who played assiduously at the Café de la Régence almost until the year of his death in 1794. He traveled around Europe, but he never visited London.
He was a civil servant, and chess was mostly a hobby for him. He played until a late age and, actually, he obtained his best results after he was sixty years old, when, taking advantage of being retired he could devote full time to chess. G. Walker in Chess and chess-players describes the French master as follows:
“One, ancient of days, walks quietly across the floor, and hats are raised in token of respect at the coming in of M. Boncourt, the Nestor of the camp. Seventy years and more have passed over him; but their weight has not bowed down his light and even spirit. To the simplicity of the dove, as regards his dealings with the world, Boncourt unites, in chess, the veriest serpent guile. Inferior to none, save De la BourdonnaisLouis-Charles Mahé de La BourdonnaisLouis-Charles Mahé de La Bourdonnais was a French chess master, possibly the strongest player in the early 19th century.- Early life :...
, in skill, there breathes not the mortal more free from arrogance or vanity than our venerable professor. Attired in an old-fashioned frock-coat which sweeps the ground, with a vest of scarlet, or perchance grass-green, Boncourt placidly smoothes down his silver locks, as he drops mechanically into his seat before the chess-board. Eccentric in some of his habits, Boncourt in his old age keeps hours which render it difficult to secure him as an antagonist. He delights in dining at ten o'clock at night; and he'll then mate you till cock-crow. Having a comfortable pension as a retired government clerk, he takes the world as he finds it, and practices the true philosophy of resignation under every stroke of fate, whether in life or in chess. He receives beating better than any Frenchman of his day, shrugging up his shoulders and replacing the men, when defeated, with a nonchalance perfectly edifying. His favourite companion is a little dog; well known to the chess circle, and a frequent visitor at the Régence. Boncourt has never been in England, which, considering the present facilities of travelling, is remarkable; and evinces total disregard as to fame, whether present or posthumous.”
In 1818, for a brief period, he was the operator of the Turk
The Turk
The Turk, also known as the Mechanical Turk or Automaton Chess Player , was a fake chess-playing machine constructed in the late 18th century. From 1770 until its destruction by fire in 1854, it was exhibited by various owners as an automaton, though it was exposed in the early 1820s as an...
. At that time, he was not yet one of the best players in France. Furthermore, in the days when he was hidden inside the Automaton, he caught the flu and his performance was rather poor. While he was hiding inside the Turk, due to the flu, he was seized by coughing and the sound was perceived by the spectators, creating a certain embarrassment to Mälzel (the Turk owner). For this reason, Mälzel, subsequently, added some noisy gears to the Turk, which had no other purpose but to cover any noise that could come from the operator.
Trivia
As already mentioned the reputation of Boncourt consolidates after retirement when he could go more assiduously to the Café de la Regence. His little dog, who followed him everywhere, became as known as him among the chess players of the Café:
«Quel est ce petit chien qui entre en jappant, et va s'installer tout droit sur la banquette du fond? C'est le précurseur et l'ami de Boncourt, le grand vizir de la Régence. Joueur lent, serré, correct, mais froid, absorbé dans ses élucubrations, M. Boncourt a devancé son temps d'un demi-siècle; il eût été parfait de nos jours. Véritable automate, il parlait peu, ne riait jamais, gagnait toujours, et se relirait à minuit, quittant l'échiquier sans la plus légère apparence de fatigue ou d'émotion, empochant son argent et son chien.»
Chess career
In the period 1834-1836 is part of the Committee of the Paris Chess Club, who played the famous match by correspondence with the Westminster Chess Club. The others were AlexandreAaron Alexandre
Aaron Alexandre was a Jewish German–French–English chess player and writer.Aaron Alexandre, a Bavarian trained as a rabbi, arrived in France in 1793. Encouraged by the French Republic's policy of religious toleration, he became a French citizen. At first, he worked as a German teacher and as...
, St. Amant and Chamouillet, while the British lined up McDonnell
Alexander McDonnell
Alexander McDonnell was an Irish chess master, who contested a series of six matches with the world’s leading player Louis-Charles Mahé de La Bourdonnais in the summer of 1834.- Early life :...
, Lewis
William Lewis (chess player)
William Lewis was an English chess player and author, nowadays best known for the Lewis Countergambit and for being the first player ever to be described as a Grandmaster of the game..-Life and works:...
and Walker
George Walker (chess player)
George Walker was an English chess player and author of The Celebrated Analysis of A D Philidor , The Art of Chess-Play: A New Treatise on the Game of Chess , A Selection of Games at Chess played by Philidor , Chess Made Easy , and Chess Studies .In 1839 visited...
and others.
In 1835, drew a match in Paris with Szén
József Szén
József Szén was a Hungarian chess master.He obtained a law degree and later became the municipal archivist for the city of Pest. He often played in the café Worm of Pest, playing with any opponent for a stake of 20 Kreuzers. Very strong in the endgame, he was given the nickname of the Hungarian...
. In 1839 he defeated Walker in a short match (+2-1). In 1840, he first defeat (19-16) St. Amant and then drew a match with Kieseritzky
Lionel Kieseritzky
Lionel Adalbert Bagration Felix Kieseritzky was a 19th-century chess master, famous primarily for a game he lost against Adolf Anderssen, which because of its brilliance was named "The Immortal Game".-Early life:...
.
Boncourt in the period between 1830 to 1840 was one of the strongest players in Europe. The magazine The Philidoran directed by G. Walker, in 1838 published a sort of ranking of the best players of the period divided by nationality; Boncourt is second in France behind De la Bourdonnais
Louis-Charles Mahé de La Bourdonnais
Louis-Charles Mahé de La Bourdonnais was a French chess master, possibly the strongest player in the early 19th century.- Early life :...
and of the same strength of St. Amant. The web-site chessmetrics
Chessmetrics
Chessmetrics is a system for rating chess players devised by Jeff Sonas. It is intended as an improvement over the Elo rating system.-Implementation:...
places him third in the world after Staunton
Howard Staunton
Howard Staunton was an English chess master who is generally regarded as having been the world's strongest player from 1843 to 1851, largely as a result of his 1843 victory over Saint-Amant. He promoted a chess set of clearly distinguishable pieces of standardised shape—the Staunton pattern—that...
and St. Amant in 1843, although the date can be wrong if, as suggested by Bledow, his year of death was 1840. The web-site Edo Historical Chess Ratings places him third in the world between 1839 and 1840 after Deschapelles
Alexandre Deschapelles
Alexandre Deschapelles was a French chess player who, between the death of Philidor and the arrival of Louis de la Bourdonnais, was probably the strongest player in the world...
and de la Bourdonnais
Louis-Charles Mahé de La Bourdonnais
Louis-Charles Mahé de La Bourdonnais was a French chess master, possibly the strongest player in the early 19th century.- Early life :...
.
Style of play
G. Walker in Chess and chess-players (1850) describes Boncourt style of play in the following way:
“Boncourt's style of play is the correct, rather than the brilliant. Comparatively weak in the mechanical openings and endings, from never having looked at a chess-book in his life, Boncourt has no superior in the capacity of piercing through the intricacies of positions of intense difficulty. "In the twenty-five years I have played chess," said La Bourdonnais to me, "never did I see Boncourt commit an error in a crowded situation." His favourite début is the Giuoco PianoGiuoco PianoThe Giuoco Piano is a chess opening beginning with the moves:Common alternatives to 3...Bc5 include 3...Nf6 , 3...Be7 , or 3...d6 .-History:...
; in the early stages of which he almost invariably drives up his queen's knights' and queen's rooks' pawn two squares. I must add that Boncourt has not the usual rapidity of the French school; but is to the full as slow in digesting his chess calculations as 'nous autres' in the London Chess Club.”
He liked to play chess, which he considered essentially a hobby, but did not like studying theory; this fact was well known in Parisian circles. For this reason, as the above Walker's quotation indicates, he did not excel in the most theoretical parts of the game: the opening and the endgame.
As an example of Boncourt's play the following game played with Kieseritzky is reported. Punctuation
Punctuation (chess)
When annotating chess games, commentators frequently use question marks and exclamation points to denote a move as bad or good. The symbols normally used are "??", "?", "?!", "!?", "!", and "!!". The corresponding symbol is juxtaposed in the text immediately after the move When annotating chess...
and the notes between square parenthesis come from analysis carried out with the chess engine FireBird 1.2, which indicates that Black's attack after Kieseritzky's mistake on move 21 is almost flawless.
Kieseritzky - Boncourt
Paris, 1839
1.a3 e5 2.e4 Bc5 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 c6 5.Nf3 d6 6.d3 0–0 7.Ne2 d5 8.exd5 cxd5 9.Ba2 Nc6 10.b4 Bd6 11.Bb2 Bg4 12.Qd2 e4 13.Nfd4 Re8 14.0–0 Be5 15.Nxc6 bxc6 16.Bxe5 Rxe5 17.d4 Rh5 18.Nf4 Rh6 19.c4 Qd6 20.h3 g5 21.hxg4? [The reason of all white problems, according to Firebird 1.2] 21...Nxg4! 22.f3 e3 23.Qe1 gxf4 24.fxg4 f3 25.g3 f2+ 26.Rxf2 exf2+ [even faster was 26...Qxg3+ 27.Rg2 Qh3] 27.Qxf2 Rh3 28.Kg2 Qh6 29.Qf5 Rh2+ 30.Kf3 Qd2 0–1
External links
- Some of the games of Boncourt can be found at chessgames.com