London 1883 Chess Tournament
The London 1883 chess tournament was a strong chess tournament between most of the leading players of the day. It was won convincingly by Johannes Zukertort (22 points ouf of 26) ahead of Wilhelm Steinitz (19/26). The tournament established Zukertort as rivalling Steinitz to claim to be the best player in the world, and led to the World Chess Championship 1886 match between the two.
The tournament was also notable for the first use of the double-headed chess clock, manufactured by T.B. Wilson of Manchester.
A common story relates to an incident that occurred at the tournament banquet, when the St. George Chess Club President proposed a toast to the best chess player in the world and both Steinitz and Zukertort stood up at the same time to thank him. Research by Edward Winter suggests that this story has been embellished. |