William Wayte
Encyclopedia
William Wayte was a Church of England
clergyman and a British
chess
master. He was one of a group of ministers who played a prominent role in English chess in the late nineteenth century. Although little remembered today, according to Chessmetrics
he was the number 9 player in the world at his peak in 1878.
, England
on September 4, 1829. In 1850, he became a Craven Scholar and Brown's Medallist. In 1853, Wayte received his B.A.
and became a deacon. He also became an Assistant Master of Eton College
, a position he would hold until 1875. After becoming a priest in 1854 (Oxford), Wayte went on to receive his M.A.
in 1856. In 1862, he took on the position of Select Preacher at the University of Cambridge
.
In 1876, Wayte became a Professor of Greek
at the University College London
. He continued with his interest in Greek, editing the 5th edition of Plato's Protagoras
(1888), the 2nd edition of Demosthenes' Androtion
and Timocrates
(1893), and the Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities.
English chess. Other members of the group included Reverends George Alcock MacDonnell
, John Owen
, Charles Ranken
, Edmund Thorold, and Arthur Skipworth. Mike Fox and Richard James remark that, "The English parsons were a talented mob; presumably quiet country parishes in the nineteenth century gave one the leisure needed to become a star. Most of them played under an alias so that their parishioners wouldn't know what they were up to on those long weekends in London." Wayte's alias was "W.H.C."
Wayte played in a number of tournaments
in Britain between 1861 and 1893. In 1868, he finished second with 6.5 of 9 possible points, behind Rev. Thorold (8.5 points) at the 4th Counties Chess Association Congress in York
. In 1871, he again finished second with 6.5 of 9 possible points, behind Arthur Skipworth (7 points), at the 3rd British Chess Association Challenge Cup in Malvern
. In 1872, he finished third in the first-class section at the 8th Counties Chess Association Congress in Malvern with 10.5 of 14 possible points, behind Revs. Ranken (12 points) and Thorold (11.5 points). In 1873, he finished second with 7 of 9 possible points, behind Skipworth (8 points) at the 9th Counties Chess Association Congress in Bristol
.
In 1876, Wayte scored 9 of 12 possible points, tying for 2nd-4th, with James Minchin and Rev. Owen, behind Amos Burn
(11 points). In 1877, he defeated Minchin in a match held in London (11 wins, 1 draw, 7 losses). At London 1878, he won the Loewenthal Cup, scoring an undefeated 13 of 14 possible points in the double round robin event. At London 1879, he again won the Loewenthal Cup, scoring 9 of 12 possible points in a triple round robin format. With his chess career advancing, Wayte left his professor position at the University College London in 1879.
In 1881, he finished third in the 16th British Counties Chess Association Congress in Leamington
with 7 of 9 possible points, behind Revs. Ranken (8 points) and Owen (7.5 points). In 1884, he won the 19th Counties Chess Association tournament in Bath with 5 of 6 possible points, ahead of such strong players as Henry Bird and Rev. MacDonnell. In 1884, he defeated Rev. Thorold in a match held in London (7 wins, 4 draws, 5 losses).
On April 4, 1885, Wayte was featured in a cartoon by noted artist and illustrator Harry Furniss
in the magazine Punch
, a British
weekly magazine
of humour
and satire
. The cartoon featured a room with Wayte and other leading chess players. In the cartoon, Wayte was drawn with a massive head and beetling brow seated at a chess table facing leading chess player Johannes Zukertort
. By 1894, Wayte was considered a famous member of the Counties' Association. He wrote for the British Chess Magazine
, which as of 2009 is the world's oldest chess magazine in continuous publication.
Wayte died on May 3, 1898 in London, England.
, at his peak in June 1878 Wayte's play was equivalent to an Elo rating of 2571. At that time, and in four other months between February and June 1878, Chessmetrics calculates that Wayte was ranked number 9 in the world. His best single performance was at Bath 1884, where he scored 5 of 6 possible points (83%) against 2440-rated opposition, for a performance rating of 2582. Judged by modern standards, Wayte would likely be a Grandmaster. Today FIDE, the World Chess Federation, often awards that title to players with Elo ratings of 2500 and above.
, bishop
, and well-supported passed pawn
were often more than a match for a queen
. Fred Reinfeld
writes, "One can therefore imagine how delighted he was to pounce on this game as proof of his theory." Dr. Schmid-Wayte, Dresden
1880 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Bb4 6.e5? d5! 7.Bb5 Ne4 8.0-0 0-0 Here and on the next move, Reinfeld recommends that Black
play ...g5!, keeping the gambit pawn and making it difficult for White
to develop properly. 9.Ne2 Bg4 10.d3 Bc5+ 11.d4 Bb6 12.Bxf4 f6 13.c3 fxe5 14.Bxc6 bxc6 15.Nxe5 Bxe2 16.Qxe2 c5 17.Be3 cxd4 18.Rxf8+ Rxf8 19.Rf1? 19.cxd4 was correct, with a slight advantage to White according to Reinfeld. 19...dxe3! A strong queen sacrifice
. 20.Rxf8+ Rxf8 21.Nf3 g5! Threatening to dislodge the knight
with ...g4. Here, Steinitz analyzed 22.Nd4 c5! 23.Nb3 d4! 24.cxd4 cxd4 25.Nxd4 (or 25.Nc1 Rf2 26.Qc4+ Kg7 27.Nd3 Rf1+! 28.Kxf1 Nd2+ and wins) Bxd4 26.Qc4+ Rf7 27.Qxd4 e2 28.Qd8+ Kg7 29.Qd4+ Kh6 30.Qxe4 Rf1#. 22.h3 Ng3 23.Qe1 e2+ 24.Kh2 Nf1+ 25.Kh1 Be3! Threatening 26...Rxf3! 27.gxf3 Bd2! followed by queening the pawn. The pawn is immune from capture, since Qxe2 is met by Ng3+, forking White's king
and queen. 26.Qb1 Rxf3! 27.gxf3 Bf2 28.Qd3 Ng3+ 29.Kg2 e1(N)+! 30.Kxf2 Nxd3+ 31.Kxg3 Nxb2 0-1
Francis Wellmuth writes of the following game between two clergymen, "A surprise attack bowls Black over". Wayte-Ranken
, Edinburgh
1877 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5 5.Nf5!? g6 World Champion
Wilhelm Steinitz
later recommended 5...d5 6.Nxg7+ Kf8 7.Nh5 Qh4 8.Ng3 Nf6. Over a century after this game, World Champion Anatoly Karpov
played 5...d6 against Jan Timman
, with a similar idea. 6.Ne3 Nf6 7.Bd3 0-0 8.0-0 Re8 9.Nc3 Bd4 10.Ned5 Nxd5 11.Nxd5 d6 12.c3 Bg7 13.f4 Ne7 14.f5! gxf5 15.Bg5 fxe4 16.Bxe4 Qd7 17.Bxh7+ Kxh7 18.Qh5+ Kg8 19.Qxf7+ Kh8 20.Nf6! 1-0 For another game between these players, see Charles Ranken.
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
clergyman and a British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
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. He was one of a group of ministers who played a prominent role in English chess in the late nineteenth century. Although little remembered today, according to 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:...
he was the number 9 player in the world at his peak in 1878.
Education, religious and academic career
Wayte was born in CalneCalne
Calne is a town in Wiltshire, southwestern England. It is situated at the northwestern extremity of the North Wessex Downs hill range, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty....
, 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...
on September 4, 1829. In 1850, he became a Craven Scholar and Brown's Medallist. In 1853, Wayte received his B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
and became a deacon. He also became an Assistant Master of Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, a position he would hold until 1875. After becoming a priest in 1854 (Oxford), Wayte went on to receive his M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in 1856. In 1862, he took on the position of Select Preacher at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
.
In 1876, Wayte became a Professor of Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
at the University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
. He continued with his interest in Greek, editing the 5th edition of Plato's Protagoras
Protagoras (dialogue)
Protagoras is a dialogue of Plato. The traditional subtitle is "or the Sophists, probative". The main argument is between the elderly Protagoras, a celebrated sophist, and Socrates...
(1888), the 2nd edition of Demosthenes' Androtion
Against Androtion
Against Androtion was a speech composed by Demosthenes in which he accused Androtion of making an illegal proposal. The outcome of the trial is not known, but the punishment couldn't have been a severe one, since Androtion was still active in Athenian politics after the trial. -External...
and Timocrates
Against Timocrates
Against Timocrates was a speech given by Demosthenes in which he attacked a law introduced by Timocrates. Demosthenes claimed that this law would deprive Athens of a great deal of money.-External links:*...
(1893), and the Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities.
Chess career
Wayte was one of a group of reverends who played a prominent role in early Victorian EraVictorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
English chess. Other members of the group included Reverends George Alcock MacDonnell
George Alcock MacDonnell
George Alcock MacDonnell was an Irish chess master.He tied for 3rd-4th at London 1862 ,...
, John Owen
John Owen (chess player)
John Owen was an English vicar and strong amateur chess player.In 1858 he won a game against Paul Morphy, which led to a match between the two...
, Charles Ranken
Charles Ranken
Charles Edward Ranken was a Church of England clergyman and a minor British chess master. He co-founded and was the first president of the Oxford University Chess Club. He was also the editor of the Chess Player's Chronicle and a writer for the British Chess Magazine...
, Edmund Thorold, and Arthur Skipworth. Mike Fox and Richard James remark that, "The English parsons were a talented mob; presumably quiet country parishes in the nineteenth century gave one the leisure needed to become a star. Most of them played under an alias so that their parishioners wouldn't know what they were up to on those long weekends in London." Wayte's alias was "W.H.C."
Wayte played in a number of tournaments
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...
in Britain between 1861 and 1893. In 1868, he finished second with 6.5 of 9 possible points, behind Rev. Thorold (8.5 points) at the 4th Counties Chess Association Congress in York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
. In 1871, he again finished second with 6.5 of 9 possible points, behind Arthur Skipworth (7 points), at the 3rd British Chess Association Challenge Cup in Malvern
Malvern, Worcestershire
Malvern is a town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, governed by Malvern Town Council. As of the 2001 census it has a population of 28,749, and includes the historical settlement and commercial centre of Great Malvern on the steep eastern flank of the Malvern Hills, and the former...
. In 1872, he finished third in the first-class section at the 8th Counties Chess Association Congress in Malvern with 10.5 of 14 possible points, behind Revs. Ranken (12 points) and Thorold (11.5 points). In 1873, he finished second with 7 of 9 possible points, behind Skipworth (8 points) at the 9th Counties Chess Association Congress in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
.
In 1876, Wayte scored 9 of 12 possible points, tying for 2nd-4th, with James Minchin and Rev. Owen, behind Amos Burn
Amos Burn
Amos Burn was an English chess player, one of the world's leading players at the end of the 19th century, and a chess writer....
(11 points). In 1877, he defeated Minchin in a match held in London (11 wins, 1 draw, 7 losses). At London 1878, he won the Loewenthal Cup, scoring an undefeated 13 of 14 possible points in the double round robin event. At London 1879, he again won the Loewenthal Cup, scoring 9 of 12 possible points in a triple round robin format. With his chess career advancing, Wayte left his professor position at the University College London in 1879.
In 1881, he finished third in the 16th British Counties Chess Association Congress in Leamington
Leamington Spa
Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or Leamington or Leam to locals, is a spa town in central Warwickshire, England. Formerly known as Leamington Priors, its expansion began following the popularisation of the medicinal qualities of its water by Dr Kerr in 1784, and by Dr Lambe...
with 7 of 9 possible points, behind Revs. Ranken (8 points) and Owen (7.5 points). In 1884, he won the 19th Counties Chess Association tournament in Bath with 5 of 6 possible points, ahead of such strong players as Henry Bird and Rev. MacDonnell. In 1884, he defeated Rev. Thorold in a match held in London (7 wins, 4 draws, 5 losses).
On April 4, 1885, Wayte was featured in a cartoon by noted artist and illustrator Harry Furniss
Harry Furniss
Henry Furniss was an artist and illustrator, born in Wexford, Ireland. His father was English and his mother Scottish, Furniss identifying himself as English...
in the magazine Punch
Punch (magazine)
Punch, or the London Charivari was a British weekly magazine of humour and satire established in 1841 by Henry Mayhew and engraver Ebenezer Landells. Historically, it was most influential in the 1840s and 50s, when it helped to coin the term "cartoon" in its modern sense as a humorous illustration...
, a British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
weekly magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
of humour
Humour
Humour or humor is the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement...
and satire
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
. The cartoon featured a room with Wayte and other leading chess players. In the cartoon, Wayte was drawn with a massive head and beetling brow seated at a chess table facing leading chess player Johannes Zukertort
Johannes Zukertort
Johannes Hermann Zukertort was a leading chess master of German-Polish-Jewish origin. He was one of the leading world players for most of the 1870s and 1880s, and lost to Wilhelm Steinitz in the World Chess Championship 1886, which is generally seen as the first World Chess Championship match, he...
. By 1894, Wayte was considered a famous member of the Counties' Association. He wrote for the British Chess Magazine
British Chess Magazine
British Chess Magazine is the world's oldest chess magazine in continuous publication. First published in January 1881, it has appeared at monthly intervals ever since. It is frequently known in the chess world as BCM....
, which as of 2009 is the world's oldest chess magazine in continuous publication.
Wayte died on May 3, 1898 in London, England.
Chess strength
According to ChessmetricsChessmetrics
Chessmetrics is a system for rating chess players devised by Jeff Sonas. It is intended as an improvement over the Elo rating system.-Implementation:...
, at his peak in June 1878 Wayte's play was equivalent to an Elo rating of 2571. At that time, and in four other months between February and June 1878, Chessmetrics calculates that Wayte was ranked number 9 in the world. His best single performance was at Bath 1884, where he scored 5 of 6 possible points (83%) against 2440-rated opposition, for a performance rating of 2582. Judged by modern standards, Wayte would likely be a Grandmaster. Today FIDE, the World Chess Federation, often awards that title to players with Elo ratings of 2500 and above.
Notable games
Shortly before the following game, Steinitz had written that a rookRook (chess)
A rook is a piece in the strategy board game of chess. Formerly the piece was called the castle, tower, marquess, rector, and comes...
, bishop
Bishop (chess)
A bishop is a piece in the board game of chess. Each player begins the game with two bishops. One starts between the king's knight and the king, the other between the queen's knight and the queen...
, and well-supported passed pawn
Passed pawn
In chess, a passed pawn is a pawn with no opposing pawns to prevent it from advancing to the eighth rank, i.e. there are no opposing pawns in front of it on the same file nor on an adjacent file. A passed pawn is sometimes colloquially called a passer...
were often more than a match for a queen
Queen (chess)
The queen is the most powerful piece in the game of chess, able to move any number of squares vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. Each player starts the game with one queen, placed in the middle of the first rank next to the king. With the chessboard oriented correctly, the white queen starts...
. Fred Reinfeld
Fred Reinfeld
Fred Reinfeld was an American chess master and a prolific writer on chess and many other subjects, whose books are still read today.-Biography:...
writes, "One can therefore imagine how delighted he was to pounce on this game as proof of his theory." Dr. Schmid-Wayte, Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
1880 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Nc6 5.Nf3 Bb4 6.e5? d5! 7.Bb5 Ne4 8.0-0 0-0 Here and on the next move, Reinfeld recommends that Black
White and Black in chess
In chess, the player who moves first is referred to as "White" and the player who moves second is referred to as "Black". Similarly, the pieces that each conducts are called, respectively, "the white pieces" and "the black pieces". The pieces are often not literally white and black, but some...
play ...g5!, keeping the gambit pawn and making it difficult for White
White and Black in chess
In chess, the player who moves first is referred to as "White" and the player who moves second is referred to as "Black". Similarly, the pieces that each conducts are called, respectively, "the white pieces" and "the black pieces". The pieces are often not literally white and black, but some...
to develop properly. 9.Ne2 Bg4 10.d3 Bc5+ 11.d4 Bb6 12.Bxf4 f6 13.c3 fxe5 14.Bxc6 bxc6 15.Nxe5 Bxe2 16.Qxe2 c5 17.Be3 cxd4 18.Rxf8+ Rxf8 19.Rf1? 19.cxd4 was correct, with a slight advantage to White according to Reinfeld. 19...dxe3! A strong queen sacrifice
Queen sacrifice
In chess, a queen sacrifice is a move giving up a queen in return for tactical or positional compensation.-Queen sacrifice: real versus sham:...
. 20.Rxf8+ Rxf8 21.Nf3 g5! Threatening to dislodge the knight
Knight (chess)
The knight is a piece in the game of chess, representing a knight . It is normally represented by a horse's head and neck. Each player starts with two knights, which begin on the row closest to the player, one square from the corner...
with ...g4. Here, Steinitz analyzed 22.Nd4 c5! 23.Nb3 d4! 24.cxd4 cxd4 25.Nxd4 (or 25.Nc1 Rf2 26.Qc4+ Kg7 27.Nd3 Rf1+! 28.Kxf1 Nd2+ and wins) Bxd4 26.Qc4+ Rf7 27.Qxd4 e2 28.Qd8+ Kg7 29.Qd4+ Kh6 30.Qxe4 Rf1#. 22.h3 Ng3 23.Qe1 e2+ 24.Kh2 Nf1+ 25.Kh1 Be3! Threatening 26...Rxf3! 27.gxf3 Bd2! followed by queening the pawn. The pawn is immune from capture, since Qxe2 is met by Ng3+, forking White's king
King (chess)
In chess, the king is the most important piece. The object of the game is to trap the opponent's king so that its escape is not possible . If a player's king is threatened with capture, it is said to be in check, and the player must remove the threat of capture on the next move. If this cannot be...
and queen. 26.Qb1 Rxf3! 27.gxf3 Bf2 28.Qd3 Ng3+ 29.Kg2 e1(N)+! 30.Kxf2 Nxd3+ 31.Kxg3 Nxb2 0-1
Francis Wellmuth writes of the following game between two clergymen, "A surprise attack bowls Black over". Wayte-Ranken
Charles Ranken
Charles Edward Ranken was a Church of England clergyman and a minor British chess master. He co-founded and was the first president of the Oxford University Chess Club. He was also the editor of the Chess Player's Chronicle and a writer for the British Chess Magazine...
, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
1877 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5 5.Nf5!? g6 World Champion
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....
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...
later recommended 5...d5 6.Nxg7+ Kf8 7.Nh5 Qh4 8.Ng3 Nf6. Over a century after this game, World Champion Anatoly Karpov
Anatoly Karpov
Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov is a Russian chess grandmaster and former World Champion. He was the official world champion from 1975 to 1985 when he was defeated by Garry Kasparov. He played three matches against Kasparov for the title from 1986 to 1990, before becoming FIDE World Champion once...
played 5...d6 against Jan Timman
Jan Timman
Jan Timman is a Dutch chess Grandmaster who was one of the world's leading players from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. At the peak of his career he was considered to be the best non-Soviet player and was known as "The Best of the West"...
, with a similar idea. 6.Ne3 Nf6 7.Bd3 0-0 8.0-0 Re8 9.Nc3 Bd4 10.Ned5 Nxd5 11.Nxd5 d6 12.c3 Bg7 13.f4 Ne7 14.f5! gxf5 15.Bg5 fxe4 16.Bxe4 Qd7 17.Bxh7+ Kxh7 18.Qh5+ Kg8 19.Qxf7+ Kh8 20.Nf6! 1-0 For another game between these players, see Charles Ranken.