Chess in 1875
by Bill Wall
In Jan 1875, J.N. Maskelyn exhibited an automaton chess player called Psycho.
In 1875, George Gossip published THE CHESS-PLAYERS'S MANUAL, a 900 page opening book.
In 1875, the City of London Chess Magazine was published by W. N. Potter.
In 1875, Heinrich Wolf, an Austrian master, was born.
In 1875, Samuel Newham, England's leading provincial player, died.
In 1875, H.W.B. Gifford won the 3rd Netherlands Championship, held in Rotterdam.
In 1875, Prince Leopold, later Duke of Albany, was President of the Oxford University Chess Club.
In 1875, Anton Hoessler was born. He was the inventor of the Ingo rating system.
In 1875, George Jackson (1834-1919) won the 3rd Canadian championship, held in Ottawa.
On Feb 9, 1875, Cecil de Vere (ne Brown) died in Torquay, England at the age of 29. He was the winner of 1st British championship, in 1866.
On April 26, 1875, the 1st Italian championship was held in Rome. Pietro Seni took 1st place.
It was earlier reported that Paul Morphy had become insane (source: Atlanta Constitution, Nov 21, 1875) and was confined to an asylum (source: The York Daily, Nov 29, 1875). The New Orleans Republican responded, “Mr. Morphy can be seen on our streets any day, having given up chess-playing for the practice of law. He was never in better health, physically and mentally, than now, and the above news is calculated to surprise him and his friends.” (source: New York Times, Dec 1, 1875).
In December 1875, the first international correspondence match began between the USA and Canada. It lasted until 1877. The USA won 26 to 11.