Louis Paulsen
Encyclopedia
Louis Paulsen was a German
chess
player.
In 1860s and 1870s, he was among the top five players in the world. He was a younger brother of Wilfried Paulsen
.
Paulsen was one of the first players to challenge the notion that an attack could be constructed out of brilliance. He put forward the idea that any brilliant attack would have failed against correct defence. His ideas were grasped by Wilhelm Steinitz
, who declared that attack and defence have equal status, and particularly by Aron Nimzowitsch
, who listed Paulsen among his six greatest "purely defensive players". Paul Morphy
and Paulsen were early masters of the game and of blindfold chess
; they were capable of playing 10 blindfold games at the same time without any major errors. In 1862 Paulsen challenged Adolf Anderssen
for the world championship
. The eight-game match was a tie and Anderssen remained an unofficial world champion. Paulsen defeated Anderssen in matches in 1876 and 1877.
centre with two pawns on squares d6 and e6 for Black or d3 and e3 for White, often coupled with an open c-file. This restricted centre makes it difficult for the opponent to whip up a quick attack by advancing his centre. Paulsen pawns are the stalwart of the Paulsen Variation of the Sicilian Defence
.
is associated with Paulsen's name, as the Paulsen Attack: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Be3 Qf6 6. c3 Nge7 7. Bb5.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
chess
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.
In 1860s and 1870s, he was among the top five players in the world. He was a younger brother of Wilfried Paulsen
Wilfried Paulsen
Wilfried Paulsen was a German chess master, an elder brother of Louis Paulsen.He tied for 3rd-5th at Düsseldorf 1862 ; took 2nd, behind Lange, at Düsseldorf 1863 ; won at Cologne 1867 ; shared 3rd at Aachen...
.
Paulsen was one of the first players to challenge the notion that an attack could be constructed out of brilliance. He put forward the idea that any brilliant attack would have failed against correct defence. His ideas were grasped by Wilhelm Steinitz
Wilhelm Steinitz
Wilhelm Steinitz was an Austrian and then American chess player and the first undisputed world chess champion from 1886 to 1894. From the 1870s onwards, commentators have debated whether Steinitz was effectively the champion earlier...
, who declared that attack and defence have equal status, and particularly by Aron Nimzowitsch
Aron Nimzowitsch
Aron Nimzowitsch was a Russian-born Danish unofficial chess grandmaster and a very influential chess writer...
, who listed Paulsen among his six greatest "purely defensive players". Paul Morphy
Paul Morphy
Paul Charles Morphy was an American chess player. He is considered to have been the greatest chess master of his era and an unofficial World Chess Champion. He was a chess prodigy...
and Paulsen were early masters of the game and of blindfold chess
Blindfold chess
Blindfold chess is a form of chess play wherein the players do not see the positions of the pieces or touch them. This forces players to maintain a mental model of the positions of the pieces...
; they were capable of playing 10 blindfold games at the same time without any major errors. In 1862 Paulsen challenged Adolf Anderssen
Adolf 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...
for the world championship
World Chess Championship
The World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the board game chess. Men and women of any age are eligible to contest this title....
. The eight-game match was a tie and Anderssen remained an unofficial world champion. Paulsen defeated Anderssen in matches in 1876 and 1877.
Paulsen Pawns
Paulsen Pawns is a term coined by Nimzowitsch for a restricted pawnPawn (chess)
The pawn is the most numerous and weakest piece in the game of chess, historically representing infantry, or more particularly armed peasants or pikemen. Each player begins the game with eight pawns, one on each square of the rank immediately in front of the other pieces...
centre with two pawns on squares d6 and e6 for Black or d3 and e3 for White, often coupled with an open c-file. This restricted centre makes it difficult for the opponent to whip up a quick attack by advancing his centre. Paulsen pawns are the stalwart of the Paulsen Variation of the Sicilian Defence
Sicilian Defence
The Sicilian Defence is a chess opening that begins with the moves:The Sicilian is the most popular and best-scoring response to White's first move 1.e4...
.
Paulsen Attack in the Scotch Game
The move 7. Bb5 in the Scotch GameScotch Game
The Scotch Game is a chess opening that begins with the movesWhite aims to dominate the centre by exchanging his d-pawn for Black's e-pawn. Black usually plays 3...exd4, as he has no good way to maintain his pawn on e5...
is associated with Paulsen's name, as the Paulsen Attack: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Be3 Qf6 6. c3 Nge7 7. Bb5.