Frederick Esling
Encyclopedia
Frederick Karl Esling was an Australian railway engineer and chess
master
.
, the replacement of the spans on the railway bridge over the Maribyrnong River, refurbishment of the Moorabool Viaduct, and the complicated lay-out of the tracks at the Flinders street station and yards. The new Maribyrnong Bridge which was built inside the old bridge without any interruption of the traffic was a fine piece of work that excited much interest in engineering circles. Esling resigned from his railway position in 1917 because he did not consider that in the matter of promotion he had been fairly treated.
Esling presided over the topping out ceremony on the Flinders Street Station
clock tower in 1909 when he laid the last brick and was presented with the ceremonial trowel. He published a number of technical papers, including one based on his work on the Flinders Street viaduct which identified a puzzling problem related to the horizontal forces due to braking, in combination with side forces from wind-pressure.
. He won the first Australian Chess Championship
by defeating George H. D. Gossip
in a match in 1886. Gossip, having emigrated
from England
to Melbourne
in 1885, issued a challenge the following year to any player in the Australian colonies to play him in a match for 20 pounds a side and the title of Australian champion. Esling, also a leading Melbourne player, accepted the challenge and won the first game, after which illness forced Gossip to forfeit the match. Esling finished second in the Second Australian Championship, a tournament
held at Adelaide 1887, with 7 out of 9 points, behind Henry Charlick
(7.5) but ahead of Gossip (6.5).
In 1895, Esling challenged Alfred Edward Noble Wallace of Sydney, the reigning Australian champion, to a match for the title. It was played in Melbourne between 8 June and 11 July, and aroused great interest. Wallace narrowly won, winning seven games and losing five, with four draws. In a letter published in The Sydney Mail
, he graciously wrote that "after the close fight we have had, I cannot as much as I would like to - think myself a better player than my late opponent, F.K. Esling, champion of Victoria".
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...
master
Chess master
A chess master is a chess player of such skill that he/she can usually beat chess experts, who themselves typically prevail against most amateurs. Among chess players, the term is often abbreviated to master, the meaning being clear from context....
.
Railway career
Esling was engineer-in-charge in the Way and Works branch of the Victorian Railways department, located at Flinders street. Among the many important works that Mr. Esling carried out were the building of the Flinders Street ViaductFlinders Street Viaduct
The Flinders Street Viaduct is a railway bridge in Melbourne, Australia. Made up of six tracks of varying ages, it links Flinders Street Station to Southern Cross Station and forms the main link between the eastern and western parts of the Victorian rail network.The viaduct takes a twisted path,...
, the replacement of the spans on the railway bridge over the Maribyrnong River, refurbishment of the Moorabool Viaduct, and the complicated lay-out of the tracks at the Flinders street station and yards. The new Maribyrnong Bridge which was built inside the old bridge without any interruption of the traffic was a fine piece of work that excited much interest in engineering circles. Esling resigned from his railway position in 1917 because he did not consider that in the matter of promotion he had been fairly treated.
Esling presided over the topping out ceremony on the Flinders Street Station
Flinders Street Station
Flinders Street Station is the central railway station of the suburban railway network of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is on the corner of Flinders and Swanston Streets next to the Yarra River in the heart of the city, stretching from Swanston Street to Queen Street and covering two city...
clock tower in 1909 when he laid the last brick and was presented with the ceremonial trowel. He published a number of technical papers, including one based on his work on the Flinders Street viaduct which identified a puzzling problem related to the horizontal forces due to braking, in combination with side forces from wind-pressure.
Chess Master
At the age of 18, Esling won an offhand game against Adolf AnderssenAdolf Anderssen
Karl Ernst Adolf Anderssen was a German chess master. He is considered to have been the world's leading chess player in the 1850s and 1860s...
. He won the first Australian Chess Championship
Australian Chess Championship
The Australian Chess Championship is a tournament organised by the Australian Chess Federation and held every two years. The tournament is usually restricted to Australian chess players, although exceptions have been made on occasion. The winner of the tournament holds the title of Australian Chess...
by defeating George H. D. Gossip
George H. D. Gossip
George Hatfeild Dingley Gossip was a minor American-English chess master and writer. He competed in chess tournaments between 1870 and 1895, playing against most of the world's leading players, but with only modest success. The writer G. H...
in a match in 1886. Gossip, having emigrated
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in 1885, issued a challenge the following year to any player in the Australian colonies to play him in a match for 20 pounds a side and the title of Australian champion. Esling, also a leading Melbourne player, accepted the challenge and won the first game, after which illness forced Gossip to forfeit the match. Esling finished second in the Second Australian Championship, a tournament
Chess tournament
A chess tournament is a series of chess games played competitively to determine a winning individual or team. Since the first international chess tournament in London, 1851, chess tournaments have become the standard form of chess competition among serious players.Today, the most recognized chess...
held at Adelaide 1887, with 7 out of 9 points, behind Henry Charlick
Henry Charlick
Henry Charlick was a leading Australian chess master in the 1880s. He won the second Australian Chess Championship at Adelaide 1887 with 7.5 points out of 9 games, ahead of reigning champion Frederick Karl Esling and George H. D. Gossip...
(7.5) but ahead of Gossip (6.5).
In 1895, Esling challenged Alfred Edward Noble Wallace of Sydney, the reigning Australian champion, to a match for the title. It was played in Melbourne between 8 June and 11 July, and aroused great interest. Wallace narrowly won, winning seven games and losing five, with four draws. In a letter published in The Sydney Mail
The Sydney Mail
The Sydney Mail was an Australian magazine published weekly in Sydney. The weekly edition of The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper, it ran from 1860 to 1938....
, he graciously wrote that "after the close fight we have had, I cannot as much as I would like to - think myself a better player than my late opponent, F.K. Esling, champion of Victoria".