William Henry Krause Pollock (21 February 1859 – 5 October 1896) was an English

chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...

master Master, master's or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles In education: *Master (college), head of a college *Master's degree, a postgraduate or sometimes undergraduate degree in the specified discipline *Schoolmaster or master, presiding office ...

, and a surgeon.

Early life

Pollock was born in

Cheltenham Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...

, England, the son of the Rev. William J. Pollock and Eliza Angelina Krause (daughter of Rev.

William Henry Krause William Henry Krause (1796–1852) was a Church of Ireland priest and noted preacher. Krause was born on the island of Saint Croix in the West Indies in 1796.''Evangelical Protestantism in Ulster Society 1740-1890'' By David Hampton, Myrtle Hull. ...

). He was educated at

Clifton College Clifton College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in the city of Bristol in South West England, founded in 1862 and offering both boarding school, boarding and day school for pupils aged 13–18. In its early years, unlike mo ...

. He studied

medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

in Dublin, Ireland, from 1880 to 1882, at which time he was a member of the Dublin Chess Club. In 1882, he became a licentiate of the

Royal College of Surgeons The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations ...

in Dublin. In the same year, his first published chess game and problem appeared in the Irish publication ''The Practical Farmer''. Edward Winter
''A Chess Idealist''
Accessed 21 February 2009. After receiving his medical licence, Pollock moved back to England and became a surgeon.

Chess career

Pollock tied for 1st–3rd in the B section at Bath 1884, scoring 7 points out of 10 games. In a stronger tournament, the British Chess Association Congress held at London 1885, he finished 4th with 10½/15, behind

Isidor Gunsberg Isidor Arthur Gunsberg (also spelled ''Günzberg'', ; 1 November 1854 – 2 May 1930) was a Hungarian chess player, best known for narrowly losing the 1891 World Chess Championship match to Wilhelm Steinitz. Biography Gunsberg began his caree ...

Henry Edward Bird Henry Edward Bird (14 July 1829A date of 1830 has been given, but baptismal records indicate 1829. – 11 April 1908) was an English chess player, author and accountant. He wrote the books ''Chess History and Reminiscences'' and ''An Analysis ...

and Anthony Guest. He tied for 8–10th in the Master Tournament at

Hereford Hereford ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of the ceremonial county of Herefordshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Wye and lies east of the border with Wales, north-west of Gloucester and south-west of Worcester. With ...

, scoring 3/10; Blackburne won, ahead of

Bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

and Schallop. In the British Chess Club Master Tourney (London 1886), he finished 5th of 8 players, scoring 3/7, behind Blackburne, Bird, Gunsberg, and

James Mason James Neville Mason (; 15 May 190927 July 1984) was an English actor. He achieved considerable success in British cinema before becoming a star in Hollywood. He was nominated for three Academy Awards, three Golden Globes (winning once) and two ...

.Di Felice, p. 99. In the 2nd British Chess Federation Championship, also held at London 1886, he finished 10th of 13 players (4½/12), but had the consolation of handing tournament winner Blackburne one of his two losses. At

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

1886, he finished 7th of 10 players (3/9), behind Burn, Schallopp, Gunsberg,

Johannes Zukertort Johannes Hermann Zukertort (; 7 September 1842 – 20 June 1888) was a Polish-born British-German chess master. He was one of the leading world players for most of the 1870s and 1880s, but lost to Wilhelm Steinitz in the World Chess Championship ...

, Bird, and

Jean Taubenhaus Jean (Jan) Taubenhaus (14 December 1850, in Warsaw – 14 September 1919, in Paris) was a Polish–born French chess master. Biography Taubenhaus was a foremost Warsaw chess player in late 1870s. In 1880, he settled in Paris. In the 4th internat ...

. He tied for 3rd–5th of 7 players (3/6) at Stamford 1887, won by Joseph Henry Blake. At London 1887, the 3rd British Chess Federation Congress, he finished 5th of 10 players (4/9), behind Burn, Gunsberg, Blackburne, and Zukertort. At

Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...

1888, the 4th British Chess Federation Championship, he tied with Bird for 9th–10th place out of 17 players (7/16); Gunsberg won. He tied for 5–6th of 10 players at London 1888 ( Simpson's Divan), also won by Gunsberg. Pollock returned to Ireland to win the Irish Chess Association Masters tournament at

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

1885 with 9 out of 10 points. He won

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

1886 (ahead of

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 ...

and

Amos Burn Amos Burn (31 December 1848 – 25 November 1925) was an English chess player, one of the world's leading players at the end of the 19th century, and a chess writer. Burn was born on New Year's Eve, 1848, in Hull.Richard Forster, ''Amos Burn: ...

) with a rare perfect score of 8–0. He took 2nd at Dublin 1889. In 1889, Pollock made the voyage to New York City to participate in the prestigious New York International Chess Tournament, the Sixth

American Chess Congress The American Chess Congress was a series of chess tournaments held in the United States, a predecessor to the current U.S. Chess Championship. It had nine editions, the first played in October 1857 and the last in August 1923. First American C ...

. One of the longest tournaments in history, this

double round robin A round-robin tournament or all-play-all tournament is a competition format in which each contestant meets every other participant, usually in turn.''Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged'' (1971, G. & ...

was intended to select a challenger for the

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 ...

title held by

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

. Pollock finished 11th out of 20 players;

Mikhail Chigorin Mikhail Ivanovich Chigorin (also ''Tchigorin''; ; – ) was a Russian chess player. He played two World Championship matches against Wilhelm Steinitz, losing both times. The last great player of the Romantic chess style, he also served as a ma ...

and

Max Weiss Miksa (Max) Weisz (21 July 1857 – 14 March 1927) was an Austrian chess player born in the Kingdom of Hungary. Weiss was born in Sereď. Moving to Vienna, he studied mathematics and physics at the university, and later taught those subjects. Wei ...

won. He later moved to

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

as the resident chess professional, and soon was writing a chess column for the '' Baltimore Sunday News'', as well as reports on American chess 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 and ...

''. In 1890, he won a match against Charles Moehle 7½–6½ in New York, took 2nd place at the

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

Chess Congress, and played in Chicago. He lost a match to Eugene Delmar 3–5 at Skaneateles 1891, shared 1st with Jackson Showalter but lost a playoff game at Lexington 1891. In 1892, he was

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

's secretary. At tournaments in New York in 1893, he tied for 4–5th, and tied for 9–11th in New York (

Emanuel Lasker Emanuel Lasker (; December 24, 1868 – January 11, 1941) was a German chess player, mathematician, and philosopher. He was the second World Chess Champion, holding the title for 27 years, from 1894 to 1921, the longest reign of any officially ...

won). In early 1895, he drew a match in Montreal against George H. D. Gossip, each player winning six games with five draws. This result was likely more satisfactory to Gossip than to Pollock, given Gossip's status as a perennial last-place finisher in major tournaments. Later that year, Pollock represented Canada at the famous

Hastings 1895 chess tournament The Hastings 1895 chess tournament was a round-robin tournament of chess conducted at the Brassey Institute in Hastings, England from 5 August to 2 September 1895. Hastings 1895 was arguably the strongest tournament in history at the time it occ ...

, won by

Harry Nelson Pillsbury Harry Nelson Pillsbury (December 5, 1872 – June 17, 1906) was a leading American chess player. At the age of 22, he won the Hastings 1895 chess tournament, one of the strongest tournaments of the time, but his illness and early death prevente ...

. Pollock took 19th (out of 22), including wins over the 4th and 5th-place finishers

Siegbert Tarrasch Siegbert Tarrasch (; 5 March 1862 – 17 February 1934) was a German chess player, considered to have been among the strongest players and most influential theoreticians of the late 19th and early 20th century. Life Tarrasch was born in Bresla ...

and

. Following the tournament, Pollock's health progressively deteriorated due to

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

. With James Mason, Pollock co-wrote his sole chess book: ''Games in the St. Petersburg Tournament, 1895–96'', which still stands today as the best source for coverage of this tournament. In August 1896, Pollock returned to England, where he died at his father's home in Clifton on 5 October 1896.

Notable games

Pollock won the for this scintillating victory over

, who tied for first at the great New York 1889 tournament, which was intended to select a challenger for the

title then held by

. Steinitz wrote of the game, "Mr. Pollock's play from the 17th move renders this game one of the finest monuments of chess ingenuity, and altogether it belongs to the most brilliant gems in the annals of practical play."Steinitz, p. 3. :1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.d3 b5 6.Bb3 Bc5 7.c3 d5 8.exd5 Nxd5 9.Qe2 0-0 10.Qe4 Be6 11.Nxe5 Nxe5 12.Qxe5 Nb4!? 13.0-0 13.Qxc5 Nxd3+ wins White's

queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

. After 13.cxb4 Bxb4+, 14.Nd2 (or 14.Bd2 or 14.Kf1) Bxb3 regains the sacrificed piece because of the threatened 15...Re8. In this line, the alternative 14.Kd1 Qxd3+ 15.Nd2 Bxb3+ 16.axb3 Rfe8 17.Qg3 Qe2+ 18.Kc2 Rad8 gives Black a murderous attack, e.g. 19...Qe6 20.Qf3 Rd4 21.Kb1 Red8 or 19.Qf4 Qd3+ 20.Kd1 Qxb3#.

Fred Reinfeld Fred Reinfeld (January 27, 1910 – May 29, 1964) was an American writer on chess and many other subjects. He was also a strong chess master, often among the top ten American players from the early 1930s to the early 1940s, as well as a colleg ...

, ''Great Brilliancy Prize Games of the Chess Masters'', Collier Books, 1961, p. 21. 13...Nxd3 White has a difficult game, for example 14.Qe2 Bxb3 15.axb3 Re8 16.Be3 Nxf2 14.Qh5 Bxb3 15.axb3 Re8 16.Nd2 Qe7! 17.b4 The natural 17.Nf3? would be met by 17...Nxf2! 18.Rxf2 Qe1+ 19.Nxe1 Rxe1#). 17...Bxf2+! 18.Kh1 18.Rxf2? loses to 18...Nxf2 19.Kxf2 Qe3+ 20.Kf1 Qe1#. 18...Qe1! 19.h3 (diagram) Nxc1 Steinitz wrote, "This sacrifice of the queen for no more than two pieces is based on a most profound and brilliant idea, such as has very rarely occurred in actual play." 20.Rxe1 Rxe1+ 21.Kh2 Bg1+ 22.Kg3 Re3+ 23.Kg4 After 23.Nf3, Black mates with 23...Ne2+ 24.Kg4 Re4+ 25.Kg5 Be3+ (or 25...f6+) 26.Kf5 Ng3#.Reinfeld 1961, p. 22. 23...Ne2 Threatening to win White's queen with 24...Rg3+ 25.Kf5 g6+. 24.Nf1 g6 25.Qd5 After 25.Qh6, Black wins with 25...Rae8!, e.g. 26.Nxe3 Bxe3 winning the queen, or 26.g3 R8e4+ 27.Kg5 Rxg3+ 28.Nxg3 Be3+ 29.Kf6 Re6#. 25...h5+ 26.Kg5 (diagram) Kg7!! A , offering to sacrifice either rook. 27.Nxe3 If 27.Qxa8, 27...f6+ 28.Kh4 Bf2+ 29.g3 Rxg3! 30.Nxg3 Bxg3#. 27.Qd7 is met by 27...Re5+ 28.Kh4 Kh6 threatening 29...g5#. 27...f6+ 28.Kh4 Bf2+ 29.g3 Bxg3# Pollock won the following game as Black against W. Haller at St. Louis in 1890.

wrote that this "sparkling little game shows him at his best."Fred Reinfeld, ''A Treasury of British Chess Masterpieces'', Bell Publishing Company, 1950, p. 38. :1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Nxe4 4.Nxe4 Allowing Black immediate , at least. The main line is 4.Qh5 Nd6 5.Bb3 (5.Qxe5+ Qe7 is equal), which may lead to wild complications after 5...Nc6!? (The quiet 5...Be7 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Nxe5 g6 8.Qe2 Nd4 9.Qd3 Nxb3 10.axb3 Nf5 11.0-0 d6 led to equality in

Anand Anand may refer to: People * Anand (name), a surname and given name (including a list of people with the name) * Anand (clan), a clan of an Indian caste * Anand (actor), Indian actor * Anand (Maoist), Indian communist * Anand (writer) (born 1936 ...

– Ivanchuk, Roquebrune 1992.) 6.Nb5! g6 7.Qf3 f5 8.Qd5 Qe7 9.Nxc7+ Kd8 10.Nxa8 b6, the so-called Frankenstein–Dracula Variation. 4...d5 5.Qh5? dxc4 6.Qxe5+ Be6 7.Nf3 White has played the

opening Opening may refer to: Types of openings * Hole * A title sequence or opening credits * Grand opening of a business or other institution * Inauguration * Keynote * Opening sentence * Opening sequence * Opening statement, a beginning statemen ...

weakly; here he could snatch a pawn with 7.Qb5+ Nc6 8.Qxb7, but 8...Bd5 would give Black a won game. 7...Nc6 8.Qf4 Nb4! 9.Kd1 Qd7 10.Re1 The immediate 10.b3 was better.Reinfeld 1950, p. 39. 10...0-0-0 11.b3 cxb3 12.axb3 (diagram) Nxc2! 13.Rxa7 13.Kxc2? Qd3+ mates next move. 13...Kb8 14.Ne5 Qb5 15.Nc3 (diagram) Bxb3! 16.Bb2 16.Nxb5? Nd4# 16...Nb4+ 17.Kc1 Qxe5! Steinitz wrote, "A charming termination to a beautifully played game."William Steinitz, '' International Chess Magazine'', February 1890, page 57. Irving Chernev noted that 17...Nd3+! would also have won. 18.Qxe5 Nd3+ 19.Kb1 Nxe5 20.Ra5 Nc4 21.Rb5 Nxd2+ 0–1

Notes

References

* Edward Winter (1998),
A Chess Idealist
'. * ''Pollock Memories'', Moravian Chess, 158 pages : A collection of games and problems by Mrs. F.F. Rowland of

Kingstown Kingstown is the capital and largest city of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The city, located on the main island of Saint Vincent, has the main port and the biggest commercial center of the islands. With a population of 12,909 (2012), K ...

, Ireland, dedicated to the life of William H. K. Pollock (1859–1896) (available online a
Pollock Memories: A Collection of Chess Games, Problems, &c., &c."> Pollock Memories: A Collection of Chess Games, Problems, &c., &c.
Google Books. Retrieved on 2009-02-21.) * * John S. Hilbert
Review of ''Pollock Memories''
Retrieved on 2009-02-21.

Books

* * Urcan, Olimpiu G.; Hilbert, John S. (2017). ''W. H. K. Pollock: A Chess Biography with 532 Games''. McFarland. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Pollock (Chess Player), William 1859 births People educated at Clifton College 1896 deaths 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis Sportspeople from Cheltenham 19th-century British chess players 19th-century English sportsmen Tuberculosis deaths in England