Charles Edward Ranken (5 January 1828 – 12 April 1905) was a

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

clergyman and a minor

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to dist ...

master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...

. He co-founded and was the first

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

of the

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...

Chess Club. He was also the editor of the ''

Chess Player's Chronicle The ''Chess Player's Chronicle'', founded by Howard Staunton and extant in 1841–56 and 1859–62, was the world's first successful English-language magazine devoted exclusively to chess. Various unrelated but identically or similarly named publi ...

'' and a writer for the ''

British Chess Magazine ''British Chess Magazine'' is the world's oldest chess journal 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''. The founder an ...

''. Ranken is best known today as the co-author of ''Chess Openings Ancient and Modern'' (1889), one of the first important opening

treatise A treatise is a formal and systematic written discourse on some subject, generally longer and treating it in greater depth than an essay, and more concerned with investigating or exposing the principles of the subject and its conclusions." Tre ...

s in the

English language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the ...

Education and religious career

Ranken was born in Brislington, near

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, on 5 January 1828, son of Rev. Charles Ranken Sr. Jeremy Gaige, ''Chess Personalia: A Biobibliography'', McFarland, 1987, p. 347. . He learned chess at age 12, but first made a serious study of the game while attending

Wadham College Wadham College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located in the centre of Oxford, at the intersection of Broad Street and Parks Road. Wadham College was founded in 1610 by Dorothy W ...

in 1847–50. He particularly devoted himself to study of Howard Staunton's ''The Chess-Player's Handbook'' (1847), a book that he said "marked the beginning of a new era in English chess literature". In 1867, Ranken became

vicar A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pre ...

Sandford-on-Thames Sandford-on-Thames, also referred to as simply Sandford, is a village and Parish Council beside the River Thames in Oxfordshire just south of Oxford. The village is just west of the A4074 road between Oxford and Henley. Early history In 1086 ...

and lived at Oxford. He and Lord Randolph Churchill (

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...

's father) founded the Oxford University Chess Club in April 1869, with Ranken becoming its first president. In 1871, he resigned his vicarage and moved to Malvern, England, where he remained for the rest of his life.

Family

Ranken's wife, Louisa Jane, died on 10 February 1903. Census records reflect that she was born in

Pendleton, Greater Manchester Pendleton is a suburb and district of Salford, in the City of Salford, Greater Manchester, England, located from Manchester. The A6 dual carriageway skirts the east of the district. Historically in Lancashire, Pendleton experienced rapid urba ...

, was 14 years Ranken's junior, and that they married sometime between 1861 and 1871, and had at least three children: daughters Francis (born ''c.'' 1871) and Emily (born ''c.'' 1876), and son Herbert (born ''c.'' 1878). Ranken died at Malvern on 12 April 1905. His executors were named as Arthur William Ranken and Edward Ranken.

Chess tournament career

Ranken was a leading member of a group of clerics who played a prominent role in early

Victorian Era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...

English chess. William Ewart Napier, ''

Paul Morphy Paul Charles Morphy (June 22, 1837 – July 10, 1884) was an American chess player. He is considered to have been the greatest chess master of his era and is often considered the unofficial World Chess Champion. A chess prodigy, he was c ...

and the Golden Age of Chess'', David McKay, 1957, p. 20. In addition to Ranken, these included the Reverend

George Alcock MacDonnell George Alcock MacDonnell (16 August 1830 in Dublin – 3 June 1899 in London) was an Anglican clergyman as well as a chess master and writer. He tied for 3rd-4th at London 1862 (the 5th British Chess Congress, Adolf Anderssen won), won two match ...

, John Owen, William Wayte, 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." However, Philip Sergeant in his book ''A Century of British Chess'' writes that, "In chess he was one of the writing rather than the fighting clergy, and his delight lay most in analysis". Philip Sergeant, ''A Century of British Chess'', David McKay, 1934, p. 151. Despite Sergeant's characterization, Ranken played in a number of

tournaments A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

in Britain between 1851 and 1895. After leaving Oxford, he played in the provincial section of the great London 1851 tournament, finished second behind Samuel Boden. By 1859, the

ranked him the best English player outside London. He played in many congresses organized by the Counties Chess Association. His best result was in 1872, when he finished first in the first-class section at the 8th British Counties Chess Association Congress in Malvern with 12 of 14 possible points, ahead of Revs. Thorold (11.5 points) and Wayte (10.5 points).Fox & James, p. 19. He had another excellent performance in 1881, when he won the 16th British Counties Chess Association Congress in Leamington, scoring 8 of 9 possible points, ahead of Revs. Owen (7.5 points) and Wayte (7 points). In 1877, he won the Counties Chess Association handicap tournament at

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...

. At the 1883 London

Vizayanagaram Vizianagaram is a city and the headquarters of Vizianagaram district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is central Eastern Ghats, about west of the Bay of Bengal and north-northeast of Visakhapatnam. The city has a population of 228,02 ...

minor tournament, Ranken "started well but his health gave way after the first week". He still scored 17.5 of 25 possible points, tying for 5th–6th out of 26 players with George H. D. Gossip.Minchin, p. xxxi.Di Felice 2004, p. 89.

Curt von Bardeleben Curt Carl Alfred von Bardeleben (4 March 1861 – 31 January 1924) was a German chess master, journalist, and member of the German nobility. Biography Curt von Bardeleben started playing chess when he was ten years old and quickly developed into ...

won with 21.5 points;

Isidor Gunsberg Isidore ( ; also spelled Isador, Isadore and Isidor) is an English and French masculine given name. The name is derived from the Greek name ''Isídōros'' (Ἰσίδωρος) and can literally be translated to "gift of Isis." The name has survived ...

, who would narrowly lose an 1890–91

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

match to

Wilhelm Steinitz William Steinitz (born Wilhelm Steinitz; May 14, 1836 – August 12, 1900) was an Austrian and, later, American chess player. From 1886 to 1894, he was the first official World Chess Champion. He was also a highly influential writer and c ...

, finished fourth with 19 points. The strongest tournament in which Ranken played was the Master Tournament at Hereford 1885, an 11-player tournament that featured some of the world's leading players. Ranken scored 3 of 10 possible points, tying for 8th–10th with William Pollock and Thorold.

Joseph Henry Blackburne Joseph Henry Blackburne (10 December 1841 – 1 September 1924) was a British chess player. Nicknamed "The Black Death", he dominated the British scene during the latter part of the 19th century. Blackburne learned the game at the relatively late ...

won with 8 points, followed by Henry Bird and

Emil Schallopp Emil Schallopp (1 August 1843, Friesack, Germany – 9 April 1919, Berlin) was a German chess master and author. He became head of the shorthand department of the Reichstag. He wrote many books, including one on the Steinitz– Zukertort 188 ...

(7.5 points),

George Henry Mackenzie George Henry Mackenzie (24 March 1837, North Kessock, Scotland – 14 April 1891, New York City) was a Scottish-born American chess master. Biography Mackenzie was educated mainly in Aberdeen, at the Aberdeen Grammar School and the Marischal ...

(7 points), and Gunsberg and James Mason (5.5 points). Ranken also participated in several correspondence chess matches and took first place in the

British Chess Association The English Chess Federation (ECF) is the governing chess organisation in England. It is affiliated to FIDE. The ECF was formed in 2004 as one of the more localised successors to the British Chess Federation (BCF), an organisation founded in 1904. ...

's 1872 competition.ChessGames.com biography
/ref>

Chess writing

Ranken and Wayte assisted Skipworth, the chief editor, in writing ''The Chess Players' Quarterly Chronicle'', which was published in

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

from February 1868 to December 1871. Ranken was also a contributor to the similarly named ''The Chess Player's Chronicle'', whose editor-in-chief was J. Jenkin of

Helensburgh Helensburgh (; gd, Baile Eilidh) is an affluent coastal town on the north side of the Firth of Clyde in Scotland, situated at the mouth of the Gareloch. Historically in Dunbartonshire, it became part of Argyll and Bute following local gove ...

, which ran from January to March 1875 and was billed as a "monthly record of provincial chess" and published at

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

. It was revived in January 1876, with Ranken as its editor-in-chief, and ran until September 1880. In its pages in 1879, he analyzed 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bb5 a6 5.Bxc6, a favorable variation for

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

in the Four Knights Game, which was named the Ranken Variation after him. Ranken next became a member of the staff of the ''British Chess Magazine'' (''BCM''), which began publication in January 1881 under the editorship of John Watkinson. There, Ranken specialized in analysis of the opening, middlegame and

endgame Endgame, Endgames, End Game, End Games, or similar variations may refer to: Film * ''The End of the Game'' (1919 film) * ''The End of the Game'' (1975 film), short documentary U.S. film * ''Endgame'' (1983 film), 1983 Italian post-apocalyptic f ...

Harry Golombek Harry Golombek OBE (1 March 1911 – 7 January 1995) was a British chess player, chess author, and wartime codebreaker. He was three times British chess champion, in 1947, 1949, and 1955 and finished second in 1948. He was born in Lambeth to ...

, ''Golombek's Chess Encyclopedia'', 1977, p. 271. . For example, the March 1898 issue featured his analysis of the

Rice Gambit The Rice Gambit is a chess opening that arises from the King's Gambit Accepted. An offshoot of the Kieseritzky Gambit, it is characterized by the moves 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. h4 g4 5. Ne5 Nf6 6. Bc4 d5 7. exd5 Bd6 8. 0-0 (instead of th ...

. In 1897, the BCM published his article ''Chess Reminiscences in the Victorian Era'', in which he wrote, "With great defects he had great virtues; there was nothing mean, cringing, or small in his nature, and, taking him all in all, England never had a more worthy chess representative than

Howard Staunton Howard Staunton (April 1810 – 22 June 1874) was an English chess master who is generally regarded as the world's strongest player from 1843 to 1851, largely as a result of his 1843 victory over Pierre Charles Fournier de Saint-Ama ...

." Ranken is remembered today as the co-author, with Edward Freeborough, of the opening treatise ''Chess Openings Ancient and Modern'', a precursor of ''

Modern Chess Openings ''Modern Chess Openings'' (usually called ) is a reference book on chess openings, first published in 1911 by the British players Richard Clewin Griffith (1872–1955) and John Herbert White (1880–1920). The fifteenth edition was published in ...

''. The first edition of the book was published in 1889.Douglas A. Betts, ''An Annotated Bibliography of Works Published in the English Language, 1850-1968'', Moravian Chess Publishing House, 2005 (reprint of original book published by G.K. Hall and Co., 1974), p. 182, 184, 186, 191, 599. . Later editions were published in 1893, 1896, and 1910.Review of Chess Openings Ancient & Modern
Retrieved on 2 December 2008. It was one of the first opening books written in columnar form: columns of move-sequences thought to constitute best play, presented in chess notation and concluding with a symbol indicating the analyst's assessment of the final position (such as "equal", "White wins", or "advantage to Black").

Andrew Soltis Andrew Eden Soltis (born May 28, 1947) is an American chess grandmaster, author and columnist. He was inducted into the United States Chess Hall of Fame in September 2011. Chess career Soltis learned how the chess pieces moved at age 10 when he ...

, ''The wisest things ever said about chess'', Batsford, 2008, p. 190. . The book also set forth a number of general principles, many of which are still valid today. Even modern grandmasters study the book. Frank Brady wrote in his

biography A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or ...

World Champion A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

Bobby Fischer Robert James Fischer (March 9, 1943January 17, 2008) was an American chess grandmaster and the eleventh World Chess Champion. A chess prodigy, he won his first of a record eight US Championships at the age of 14. In 1964, he won with an 1 ...

that ''Chess Openings Ancient and Modern'' was one of the most heavily annotated books in Fischer's personal library. Fischer had pencilled in his own analyses of the

Scotch Game The Scotch Game, or Scotch Opening, is a chess opening that begins with the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 Nc6 :3. d4 Ercole del Rio, in his 1750 treatise ''Sopra il giuoco degli Scacchi, Osservazioni pratiche d’anonimo Autore Modenese'' ("On t ...

, Giuoco Piano,

Evans Gambit The Evans Gambit is a chess opening characterised by the moves: :1. e4 e5 :2. Nf3 Nc6 :3. Bc4 Bc5 :4. b4 The Evans Gambit is an aggressive line of the Giuoco Piano. White offers a pawn to divert the black bishop on c5. If Black accepts ...

, Bishop's Gambit, Danish Gambit, and other openings. Specifically referring to the analysis in ''Chess Openings Ancient and Modern'', Grandmaster Robert Byrne wrote in a 1991 ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' chess column, "Ingenious strategies and tactics were tried out in the old days, and if your opponent knows them and you don't, you are in for a pounding." Likewise Fischer, in his famous book ''

My 60 Memorable Games ''My 60 Memorable Games'' is a chess book by Bobby Fischer, first published in 1969. It is a collection of his games dating from the 1957 New Jersey Open to the 1967 Sousse Interzonal. Unlike many players' anthologies, which are often titled ''M ...

'', annotating an Evans Gambit that he had won against

Reuben Fine Reuben C. Fine (October 11, 1914 – March 26, 1993) was an American chess player, psychologist, university professor, and author of many books on both chess and psychology. He was one of the strongest chess players in the world from the mi ...

, cited analysis from the 1893 edition of ''Chess Openings Ancient and Modern'' as an improvement on Fine's ninth move.

Notable games

Savielly Tartakower and Julius du Mont call the following game, played in 1885 between William Wayte (playing White) and Ranken, "One of many fine games played between the two reverend gentlemen, but a particularly thrilling one."Dr. S. Tartakower and J. du Mont, ''500 Master Games of Modern Chess'', Dover, 1975, p. 194. .
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c3 Nf6 4.d4 Nxe4 5.d5 Bc5 !? A speculative

piece Piece or Pieces (not to be confused with peace) may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * Piece (chess), pieces deployed on a chessboard for playing the game of chess * ''Pieces'' (video game), a 1994 puzzle game for the Super NES * ...

sacrifice. Either 5...Ne7 or 5...Nb8 leads to equal play.

Nick de Firmian Nicholas Ernest de Firmian (born July 26, 1957) is an American chess player who received the FIDE title of Grandmaster (GM) in 1985. He is a three-time U.S. chess champion, winning in 1987 (with Joel Benjamin), 1995, and 1998. He also tied for ...

, ''Modern Chess Openings: MCO-15'', Random House Puzzles & Games, 2008, p. 136. . 6.dxc6 Bxf2+ 6...Nxf2 7.Qd5 is strong for

. 7.Ke2 d5!? Not mentioned in '' MCO-15'', which gives only 7...bxc6. ''MCO-15'' and Tartakower and du Mont agree that in that event 8.Qa4 f5 9.Nbd2 leaves Black with inadequate compensation for the sacrificed piece. 8.cxb7 Bxb7 9.Qa4+ c6 10.Nbd2 f5 11.Nxe4 fxe4 12.Kxf2 0-0 13.Be3 gxf3 14.g3 After 14.gxf3 e4, "White's troubles are only beginning". 14...Qc8 15.Bc5 Rf6 16.Rd1 a5 17.Rd2 Ba6 18.Bxa6 Qxa6 19.Re1 e4 20.a3 ? The immediate 20.b4 would leave White "better able to weather the storm". 20...Qc8 21.Kg1 Qh3 22.b4 Re8 23.Qxa5 h5 24.Qa6 h4 25.Qf1 Qg4 26.Qf2 Rg6 27.b5? The only possible defense was 27.Kh1 hxg3 Qxg3. Now

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

has a crushing attack. 27...hxg3 28.hxg3 28.Qxg3 Qf5 wins White's

queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

. 28...Rh6 29.Be3 Rh3 30.Bf4 Qh5 31.Qh2 Rxh2 32.Rxh2 Qg6 33.b6 e3 ! A deflecting sacrifice. 34.Rxe3 Rxe3 35.Bxe3 Qxg3+ 36.Kh1 Qe1+ 37.Bg1 Qxc3 and Black won. The same players in 1890 played another game with the same opening. It again featured speculative sacrificial play by Ranken, this time including a double rook sacrifice. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c3 Nf6 4.d4 d5 5.Bb5 Nxe4 ?! 6.Nex5 Bd7 7.Qb3 Nxe5 8.Qxd5! Qe7 9.Qxb7 Bxb5 10.Qxa8+ Kd7 11.dxe5 ?? Correct is 11.Qd5, keeping the advantage. Qxe5+ 12.Be3 Bc5! Sacrificing the second rook. 13.Qxh8 Nxf2! 14.Kd2 Bxe3+ 0-1

Yasser Seirawan Yasser Seirawan ( ar, ياسر سيروان; born March 24, 1960) is a Syrian-born American chess grandmaster and four-time United States champion. He won the World Junior Chess Championship in 1979. Seirawan is also a published chess author a ...

and Nikolay Minev, ''Take My Rooks'', International Chess Enterprises, 1991, pp. 62-63. . For another game between these players, see William Wayte.

References

External links

* * John S. Hilbert
Ranken and Correspondence Chess
(10 November 2005). Retrieved 12 December 2008. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ranken, Charles Edward 1828 births 1905 deaths English non-fiction writers British chess writers British chess players Chess theoreticians Alumni of Wadham College, Oxford 19th-century English Anglican priests English male non-fiction writers 19th-century chess players