Theodor Lichtenhein
Encyclopedia
Theodor Lichtenhein (January 1829, Königsberg
– 19 May 1874, Chicago
) was an American chess
master.
Born at Königsberg, in East Prussia
, he learned chess at the age of 12, and six years afterwards, he was president of the Königsberg Chess Club. He studied at first for the medical profession, and afterwards entered the service of the Prussian army.
He came to the US in the November 1851 aboard the ship Henry Clay, and pretty much forgot about chess and devoted all his time to his mechantile wholesale business. Then in 1856, he joined the New York Chess Club and soon became its strongest member. In the 1st American Chess Congress
held in New York in 6 October – 10 November 1857, and won by Paul Morphy
, he bore off the third prize. He won against Charles Henry Stanley
(3 : 2) in 1st round, beat Frederick Perrin (3 : 0) in 2nd round, lost to Morphy (0.5 : 3.5) in semifinal, and beat Benjamin Raphael (3 : 0) in the 3rd place final.
Lichtenhein was elected the New York CC's president in 1858. He drew with Perrin (1 : 1) in a match New York vs. Brooklyn in 1860, and won a match against Hardman Philips Montgomery (7.5 : 2.5) at Philadelphia 1861. He served as a Major
in the 58th Regiment of New York Volunteers during the Civil War
, acting also as a correspondent for Frank Leslies' Illustrated Newspaper
.
Königsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...
– 19 May 1874, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
) was an American 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...
master.
Born at Königsberg, in East Prussia
East Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
, he learned chess at the age of 12, and six years afterwards, he was president of the Königsberg Chess Club. He studied at first for the medical profession, and afterwards entered the service of the Prussian army.
He came to the US in the November 1851 aboard the ship Henry Clay, and pretty much forgot about chess and devoted all his time to his mechantile wholesale business. Then in 1856, he joined the New York Chess Club and soon became its strongest member. In the 1st American Chess Congress
American Chess Congress
The American Chess Congress was a series of chess tournaments held in the United States, a predecessor to the current U.S. Chess Championship. It had nine editions, the first played in 1857 and the last in 1923.-First American Chess Congress :...
held in New York in 6 October – 10 November 1857, and won by 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...
, he bore off the third prize. He won against Charles Henry Stanley
Charles Stanley (chess player)
Charles Henry Stanley was the first chess champion of the United States. When the first-ever U.S. championship match took place in 1845, Stanley defeated Eugéne Rousseau of New Orleans and thus claimed the title....
(3 : 2) in 1st round, beat Frederick Perrin (3 : 0) in 2nd round, lost to Morphy (0.5 : 3.5) in semifinal, and beat Benjamin Raphael (3 : 0) in the 3rd place final.
Lichtenhein was elected the New York CC's president in 1858. He drew with Perrin (1 : 1) in a match New York vs. Brooklyn in 1860, and won a match against Hardman Philips Montgomery (7.5 : 2.5) at Philadelphia 1861. He served as a Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
in the 58th Regiment of New York Volunteers during the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, acting also as a correspondent for Frank Leslies' Illustrated Newspaper
Frank Leslie's Weekly
Frank Leslie's Weekly, later often known in short as Leslie's Weekly, was an American illustrated literary and news magazine founded in 1852 and continuing publication well into the 20th century. As implied by its name, it was published weekly, on Tuesdays. Its first editor was John Y. Foster...
.