chess-The Oxford Companion to Chess - First Edition by David Hooper & Kenneth Whyld

2I2 MERAN VAzuATION
Mephnio in London. 1332
eniered no more .ompetilions. Mcphislo was
shoqd regularly lor aboul ten years, even having its
own club in l-ondon ar one 1ime. cuNsBERcras rhe
usual ope.aior bDt whc. Mcphisto tren1to Pans in
1889 il sas sorked by Jean Taubc.haus (1850
1919). Subsequently tbe machine Nas dismanlled.
No one succeeded in discovering how the automaton
was operared bul il was conpared favour
ably witb the pneumati.ally-opciatcd whist play
ing and.oid exhibned by lhe grear iltLsionnl
Maskclyne. This vas Pstcho, a he d and chesr
mounted on a glass pillar, obliousll, incapable oI
hiding rhe snallen child.
K. Whyid.'The English Devil', ardrr Clert
MERAN VARIAIION,68, onc of lhe main
variationsoirhe sEM-sGv DErEN.trothe ouEEN's
cAMsr Dc.lined. Black delays acceptance ol the
gambit pawn..apturing ivhen it sLils his own plans j
he seeks.clilepiayonthe queen\side. makinC an
exreoded 0anche(o ior hn [8br bishopwhich then
bca^ down on thc central squares. The id€a
originated in Ru$ia and was playcd.lor example,
in lhe gane Capablanca Bernstein, Moscos.
191,1i but ir cane inro iashion only after irs
adoption by nuBrNsrDN add rARrA(o*ER dunng
the Meran tou.namenl 1924.
MEREDI1E, a problem inwhich there are lrom 8
lo 12 nen including lhe kings on lhe board The
name originated in 1915 Nhen$eGooDcoMpaNroN
cH.ss PRoBr..M cr uB organizcd a.omposing tour
ney lor sucb problems in honour olthe American
tunposer William Meredilb (1835 1903).
MESTDL, ANDREW JONATHAN (1957 ),
EnCIish playei, Bntish Chanpio. 1976 and 1983,