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

BOURDONNAIS 47
DOTVINNIK VaRIATION. 81 , a ouE.N's cAMDrr was, in fact. the fourth gane ol thc lou.th matcb.
variation played in the game Floht-SlahlberS, Both players k.ep their opcnines NeU. Lewis had
Znrich 1934, Lvoured byiuNcr in 1941 and 19,12, trained McDondell while Bonrdoman had read
and subsequently taken up byBoflrNN!(i it be.amc Lewn\ books and written one ot his oNni yet
popula! aftcr it Nas played in rhe gamc Botlinnik McDo.nell\ failure ras in tan neasurecaused by
Deoker. radio march USSR v. USA, 1946. Also his poor judgeBenl ol position in the oPening
153 in the NrMzo TNDTAN DEFEN.L, as in the gane phase. G. WALGR, who was presenl, describcs
Bogoljubow Alekhinc, Bled 1931, and 196 in thc Bourdonnais as the n6t Plryer, though not
perhdt\ the mor mude{ ma bur d jullv feUus
leh.l ralkeJ anJ lruAh.d a '.
sood Jeal d inlrrvcl\.
BOIJRDONNAIS. LOUIS CHARLES DE LA ;hen Ni.ning, and swore lolerabtl round oa$s
( l7o5 1840). tor nearly 20 )eaR lhe mo\r iamou( . . . when late ran counler to his schemei. The
plaler r0 lhr wond. Born rn lle Bourhon (Ridn_ oatbs nay not have affeded hisopponent (acord
ion). vherc his grandfather had bccn Govemor, he ing to Walker nenberspoke the olher\ languagc)
Nas scnr rothe Lyc6e Henry Mn Panswbere, in but they nignl well bave been juslified by
1814, he learnt chess H€ began to rake tnc game McDonncll's slovness oi plar. Bou.donnais
se.iously in 1818, playing regularly at the caln Dr Dlaved fai ar hB hahit and su rhal he miAht
LA ricENcr and becoming a playcr oI the 6rsl rank ;,; -,-. r.* "a\ ,-" ," -*, rll ome^ ar halr a
qithin rso years. Around 1820 DLsctuPTLLES took crown a ga6e- and thus he would plat inlo the
Bourdonnais Io. a pupil. A visit to Paris by earl) huuF \pite ofn(xt da! ( match.
.o.HK\E in 1821 was rhe occasion lor a triangular Tha scnes 'n oI matchrs \dr a lanJmarl' in rhe
contesr, Deschapelles conceding pawn and trvo history of tbe gane, the fi6t imPofianl chss
moves to Cochrane and Bourdonnais who then conrest of nodem times. The ganes werc rccorded
selves met on even lcrns. There were l0hcscven and nrde allilable in bool lorm to a wide Public
rounds each of three games. eachplaye.conlribut and analysed by leading naslc,s to an exlent noi
iieonc napoleotr (a 20Ir sold piece) to a pool Ior prcvionsly known. Thc result was a Process that
cach round. When I saw three napoleons on the has continued ever sinc€: the iasbioning olopening
chess board. rccounls Bourdornak, 'l scnt to variations iiom aduat play ln the .rANs caMBrr
sork in carnesai he won six ol the seven Pools Rourdonnah inlroduced rhe LAs(En D$EN.r (26th
scoinrg +6 1 ag.insr Dcschapelles and +? 0 same) a.d rhe MoRpsy AnA.x (84th sane)r ro ihe
againsr Cochr.ne. A ycar or so laler Deschapelles trrDoNNELLDouBr,EcAirBrheinlrcduced the reply
retned Iron chcss and Bourdonnais beca,nc the 4 . . . d5, a nov€ that still holds ih owni and he
undisputed champion olFrance- rhcn the home oI madc other inProlenenk.
rhc world\ be players.
This rime ras rhe hsl Bourdonnais playedeven.
In the spnng ol 1825 Bourdonnan nade thc nrc1 In 1836 he mcl szEN, conceded odds ofpasn a.d
ol three visiis to England. There he played naoy rwo novcs and losr mor ganes than he Non. but
ganes asainst Lrwr, rvinning thc majority. and, hc heldhisoNnal oddsotpasD and move.gainsr
conccdingodds, deteating all orbeEhemet. There sArNr-^MANr and olhcr leading plale(. ln thc
too he lell in lovewitn an Englishgirl, Eljza Wlllcr same year Bourdon.ais becane editor of the
c.rdon, Nhom hc narned at shoreditch in Jnly. world\ 6ntchess nagazine ae Palahid. In lA3A
Fora timc ther lived in a chateau al St Milo with hc became ill.66t wirh a strokc lor which he wis
'6vcseruantsand twocarriagcs .In the early 1830s, lrequently bled lnd lalerwith dropsy foi *hich he
hoNever. Bourdonnais lost his lonune, bv neslecl was tapped evcry thr€e orlourweeksiandwhcn in
or speculalion. He $a! obliSed, with incrcasing the following year lhe larn Chcss CInb was
inse.unl]. ro r) to carn a livrne arches ThcnEt dhbanded his secrerary's salary (1,200Ir.) cesed
seriou\ (hallensr r. hn \uprema(l uame lrom abruptly. Unlble to play regnlarll on aeount of
MooNNELL, Engtand\ ben pLayer- and in 1834 hisillnesshecolldno longereamalivingandbitby
these lso nct at lhe Weshinster Chcss Club. bi1 hc sold hh books. his lurnirurc, and e,en his
In a srrugglc cxtending from Junc to Oct sn clothes. An offer ot enllo],ment at Sinpsor\
matchcs were piayed. Bourdonnan ron fie lirsr, Divan broughl him lo London in Nov. 1840.
+16:4 5,losrrhesecond,+4=0 5,sonlhcncxt Watched by largc c.osds he played in publi. for
thrce, +6=1 5, +8:? 3, +7=1 4. and was two days..oncedine pawn and lwo moles al halla
trailing +4-5 in thelasl barch whcn ir vas broken crown a gamei lhen hn illncss became too severe.
ofiorended.(Thisaccount.toralling+45=13 27. Walker, Iinding Bourdonnais and his trifc living in
is rhe nost sidely accepted version ol thc mat.h a garrct. la.ine bolheviction andstanarion,.aGed
resuxs.) Thc last match was piobabl, to be decided a fDnd. moved then 10 morc conloriable Pre
in lavour oflhe fr61to win cightganes, andsonc mises. and prolided mcdical aidibul{ithin thrcc
rcpo.rs suggest $ar it was unlinished; more weeks Bourdon.ah was dead. Belaledly (8 Dec.
plausible, nollcaston a@unt oirhe nccdto settle 1840) dre Riunion Island.uth.rities had granted
be1s, is thc exp lanalion givcn by Bourdonnais that hnn apensionoI3.000lr No money wasPaidnor
hc conceded his opponc.t th.ee games silrl. Thc sas rhe pension passcd lo his widow, Ior whon
games are connonly reierred to by rheir place in w,lker seroul to raise alund oM00. (Shc narricd
the senes: ior cxample, lhe t nous fifticth Came ! cloth mcr.hant. James Budse, in 1842.) Bour-