Elijah Williams
Encyclopedia
Elijah Williams was an eminent British chess
player of the mid-19th century. The first president of the Clifton Chess Club, and publisher of a book of games from the Divan Club.
He was accused by British player Howard Staunton
of taking an average of 2½ hours per move during some matches, a strategy thought to cause opponents to lose their focus on the match, earning him the nickname of the Bristol Sloth. According to Staunton, following a particularly dilatory performance by Williams in the London 1851 tournament
, a 20 minute per turn time limit was adopted for standard play the next year. However other sources contradict this viewpoint and indeed it was not uncommon for Staunton to attribute his losses to the intolerable dilatory play of his opponents. Staunton is quoted as remarking while playing against Williams, "... Elijah, you're not just supposed to sit there – you're supposed to sit there and think!"
A musical tune "The Bristol Sloth" was composed by guitarist Leo Kottke
(who also applied the term 'sitzkrieg' in describing Williams' playing style).
Williams died in London.
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
player of the mid-19th century. The first president of the Clifton Chess Club, and publisher of a book of games from the Divan Club.
He was accused by British player Howard 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...
of taking an average of 2½ hours per move during some matches, a strategy thought to cause opponents to lose their focus on the match, earning him the nickname of the Bristol Sloth. According to Staunton, following a particularly dilatory performance by Williams in the London 1851 tournament
London 1851 chess tournament
right|thumb|[[Adolf Anderssen]] won both the London International Tournament and the rival London Club Tournament.London 1851 was the first international chess tournament. The tournament was conceived and organised by English player Howard Staunton, and marked the first time that the best chess...
, a 20 minute per turn time limit was adopted for standard play the next year. However other sources contradict this viewpoint and indeed it was not uncommon for Staunton to attribute his losses to the intolerable dilatory play of his opponents. Staunton is quoted as remarking while playing against Williams, "... Elijah, you're not just supposed to sit there – you're supposed to sit there and think!"
A musical tune "The Bristol Sloth" was composed by guitarist Leo Kottke
Leo Kottke
Leo Kottke is an acoustic guitarist. He is widely known for his innovative fingerpicking style, which draws on influences from blues, jazz, and folk music, and his syncopated, polyphonic melodies...
(who also applied the term 'sitzkrieg' in describing Williams' playing style).
Williams died in London.