Hugh Alexander Kennedy
H. A. Kennedy
Full nameHugh Alexander Kennedy
CountryEngland
Born22 August 1809
Madras, British India
Died22 October 1878(1878-10-22) (aged 69)
Reading, England

Hugh Alexander Kennedy (22 August 1809 – 22 October 1878) was an English chess master[1] and writer.[2]

Chess career

Hugh Alexander Kennedy was born in Madras, British India in 1809.[3] He was a British army captain and leading London chess player. He established the first chess club in Brighton in 1842.[4] In 1844, he lost a match to Howard Staunton (3–8).[5] In 1845, he teamed up with Staunton in Portsmouth in two telegraph games (lost and drew) against a team of Henry Thomas Buckle, George Walker, William Davies Evans, Perigal, and Tuckett in London.[6][7] He lost a match to Elijah Williams (+2−4=0) in 1846 and lost a match to Edward Löwe (+6−7=1) in 1849, both in London.[8]

Kennedy played in the great international London 1851 chess tournament and finished in sixth place of the sixteen competitors. He knocked out Carl Mayet in round 1 with two wins. In round 2, he lost to Marmaduke Wyvill (+3−4=1). In round 3, he defeated James Mucklow with four wins. Finally, he lost to József Szén (+0−4=1).[9]

In 1862, Kennedy lost perhaps the first international telegraphic game, against Serafino Dubois.[10]

Kennedy died in Reading, England, in 1878.[1]

"Napoleon" game

In the story "Some Reminiscences of the Life of Augustus Fitzsnob, Esq." (inspired by Thackeray's The Book of Snobs), Kennedy gave the score of a chess game said to be played by Napoleon and Count Bertrand.[2] First published in 1860, it was later included in Waifs and Strays (2nd edition, 1876), a collection of Kennedy's writings.[2] It has been erroneously cited as a true Napoleon game many times since, although it is actually the score of a game between Kennedy and John Owen.[2]

This is the score given by Kennedy in the two-column notation that was common at the time,[11] and in modern algebraic notation.

"Napoleon vs. Bertrand"
abcdefgh
8
a8 black rook
c8 black bishop
d8 black king
g8 white bishop
h8 black rook
b7 black pawn
c7 black pawn
d7 black pawn
e7 black bishop
g7 black pawn
h7 black pawn
a5 black pawn
e5 white pawn
e4 white pawn
b3 white queen
a2 white pawn
g2 white pawn
h2 white pawn
a1 black queen
b1 white knight
c1 white bishop
f1 white rook
h1 white king
8
77
66
55
44
33
22
11
abcdefgh
White to move mates in 5
NapoleonBertrandAlgebraic notation
 1. P to K fourth 1. P to K fourth1. e4 e5
 2. Kt to K B third 2. Kt to Q B third2. Nf3 Nc6
 3. P to Q fourth 3. Kt takes P3. d4 Nxd4
 4. Kt takes Kt 4. P takes Kt4. Nxd4 exd4
 5. K B to Q B fourth 5. K B to Q B fourth5. Bc4 Bc5
 6. P to Q B third 6. Q to K second6. c3 Qe7
 7. Castles 7. Q to K fourth7. 0-0 Qe5
 8. P to K B fourth 8. P takes P (dis. check)8. f4 dxc3+
 9. K to R square 9. P takes P9. Kh1 cxb2
10. B takes K B P (check)10. K to Q square10. Bxf7+ Kd8
11. P takes Q11. P takes R (Queening)11. fxe5 bxa1=Q
12. B takes Kt12. K B to K second12. Bxg8 Be7
13. Q to Q Kt third13. P to Q R fourth *13. Qb3 a5
And Napoleon forces mate in five moves (see diagram)

* Kennedy writes of Black's thirteenth move: "This seems a courtier-like move on the part of Count Bertrand. He ought now have taken P at K fifth with Q, having the exchange and two Pawns in return for a formidable attack."

Writings

  • Kennedy, Captain H. A. (January 1860), "Some Reminiscences in the Life of Augustus Fitzsnob, Esq.", The Chess Monthly, vol. 4, pp. 1–11
  • Kennedy, Captain Hugh A. (1876), Waifs and Strays, Chiefly from the Chessboard (2nd ed.), London: W. W. Morgan

References

  1. 1 2 Gaige, Jeremy (1987), Chess Personalia, A Biobibliography, McFarland, p. 209, ISBN 0-7864-2353-6
  2. 1 2 3 4 Hooper, David; Whyld, Kenneth (1992), The Oxford Companion to Chess (2 ed.), Oxford University Press, p. 197, ISBN 0-19-280049-3
  3. ↑ "India, Births and Baptisms, 1786-1947," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FG48-1WL : accessed 22 February 2015), Hugh Alexander Kennedy, 02 Oct 1809; citing , reference v 11 p 225; FHL microfilm 521,839.
  4. ↑ Hoevestadt, Leo, The Brighton Chess Club: Introduction and Background to the Formation of the First Club, Carolus Chess. Other references give 1840 as the year of formation, including Eales, Richard (1985), Chess: The History of a Game, Batsford, p. 141, ISBN 0-7134-4607-2.
  5. ↑ Edo Ratings, Kennedy, H.A
  6. ↑ http://www.chesscafe.com/text/spinrad15.pdf
  7. ↑ The Kibitzer
  8. ↑ matches fino 1849
  9. ↑ 1851 London Tournament
  10. ↑ The chess games of Hugh Alexander Kennedy
  11. ↑ Waifs and Strays, p. 37

Further reading

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