Editing Chess Player's Chronicle

{{Short description|English-language magazine about chess}}
{{italic title}}
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|English-language]] [[magazine]] devoted exclusively to [[chess]]. Various unrelated but identically or similarly named publications were published until 1902.

[[Image:ChessOldDN.jpg|right|thumb|280px|Page from ''Chess Player's Chronicle'' in a style of [[descriptive notation]] ]]
The earliest chess magazine in any language was the French ''[[Le Palamède]]'', published in 1836–39 and 1842–47.<ref>[[H. J. R. Murray]], ''A History of Chess'', Oxford University Press, 1913, p. 886. {{ISBN|0-19-827403-3}}.</ref> In 1837 [[George Walker (chess player)|George Walker]] introduced an English-language magazine, the ''Philidorian'', that was devoted to "chess and other scientific games". Only six issues of it were published, and it expired in May 1838.<ref>[[Philip W. Sergeant]], ''A Century of British Chess'', David McKay, 1934, p. 44.</ref>

The ''Chess Player's Chronicle'' became the first successful English-language chess magazine.<ref name="KJO'C">Kevin J. O'Connell, writing in ''Golombek's Chess Encyclopedia'', p. 70.</ref> In 1840 or 1841 Staunton bought the fortnightly magazine ''The British Miscellany and Chess Player's Chronicle''.<ref name="Sunnucks">Anne Sunnucks, ''The Encyclopaedia of Chess'', St. Martin's Press, 1970, p. 72.</ref><ref>Staunton "started with the conduct of a fortnightly publication, ''The British Miscellany and Chess Player's Chronicle'', which in the same year he converted into a regular periodical devoted to the game ... under the name of ''The Chess Player's Chronicle''. Of this he was proprietor and editor from 1841 to 1854." [[Philip W. Sergeant]], ''A Century of British Chess'', David McKay, 1934, p. 50.</ref> In 1841 it became the ''Chess Player's Chronicle''.<ref name="KJO'C"/><ref>Murray, ''A History of Chess'', p. 886-87.</ref><ref>H.J.R. Murray, ''[[British Chess Magazine]]'', November 1908, [http://sbchess.sinfree.net/Staunton_BCM.html Howard Staunton, part I] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071208141521/http://sbchess.sinfree.net/Staunton_BCM.html |date=December 8, 2007 }}. Retrieved on 2008-12-10.</ref><ref>The transformation can be seen at [https://books.google.com/books?id=K3wEAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA1&dq=%22British+Miscellany%22 The British Miscellany and Chess Player's Chronicle]. Retrieved on 2008-12-10.</ref> In 1843, the ''Chess Player's Chronicle'' became a [[shilling]] monthly magazine.<ref name="Sunnucks"/><ref>Sergeant, pp. 50–51.</ref>

Staunton "made the inclusion of a large number of games by himself and other leading players of the day a special feature" of the magazine.<ref>Murray, ''A History of Chess'', p. 887.</ref> He also used the magazine as a forum for attacking others. For example, in an early issue, he included the following in "Notices to Correspondents":<ref>Sergeant, p. 51.</ref>
<blockquote>A Barrister, Temple.&mdash;Calls our attention to the ridiculous alteration of the [[Rules of chess|Laws of Chess]], by [[George Walker (chess player)|G. Walker]], in his ''New Treatise on Chess'', and asks, "Is it possible such absurdities are sanctioned by the London Chess Club?" The only sanction give to Walker's puerilities by the Committee is to laugh at them. His books on Chess are no authority except among the lowest class of players.</blockquote>

Staunton was the owner and editor of the magazine until the early 1850s,<ref>According to Murray, "Staunton was both owner and editor of this magazine from 1841-52." Murray, Howard Staunton, part I. As the following notes indicate, O'Connell and Sunnucks place the end date in 1854 rather than 1852.</ref> when he sold it to R.B. Brien.<ref>O'Connell states, "The proprietor and editor from 1841 to 1854 was Howard Staunton. ... In 1854 R. B. Brien took over the magazine". O'Connell, ''Golombek's Chess Encyclopedia'', p. 70.</ref><ref>Similarly, Sunnucks writes, "Staunton was the proprietor and editor of the magazine until the end of 1854, when he sold it to R. B. Brien." Sunnucks, p. 72.</ref> Brien became editor of the magazine, but was unable to continue its success and discontinued it in 1856 because of financial losses and his own illness.<ref name="KJO'C"/><ref name="Sunnucks"/> It reappeared in 1859 under the editorship of [[Ignatz Kolisch]], [[Adolf Zytogorski]], and [[Josef Kling]], but survived only until July 1862.<ref name="KJO'C"/><ref name="Sunnucks"/><ref>Murray's slightly different version of events is that, "Under Staunton's editorship the ''Chronicle'' was issued regularly until 1852; a new series lasted from 1853 to 1856, and a third series 1859-62." Murray, ''A History of Chess'', p. 887.</ref>

Thereafter, a number of magazines appeared with the same or similar name appeared.<ref>According to O'Connell, such magazines appeared from 1863 to 1867, 1868 to 1875, and 1877 to 1902. O'Connell, ''Golombek's Chess Encyclopedia'', p. 70.</ref><ref>According to Sunnucks, ''The Chess Players' Chronicle'' was published in [[London]] from February 1872 to December 1875, ''The Chess Player's Chronicle'' was published in [[Glasgow]] from January to March 1876, and ''The Chess Players' Chronicle'' was published first in Glasgow, then in London, from January 1877 to September 1880. Sunnucks, p. 72.</ref><ref>Other sources give other spellings. The title page of [[George H.D. Gossip|G. H. D. Gossip]] and [[S. Lipschütz]], ''The Chess-Player's Manual'' (3rd edition 1902), David McKay, states that Gossip won the 1873-74 [[correspondence chess]] tournament of the ''Chess-Players Chronicle''. Page 2 of G.H. Diggle, "The Master Who Never Was", [[British Chess Magazine]], January 1969 refers to a review of an 1879 book published in the ''Chess Players Chronicle''.</ref>
[[Arthur Skipworth]], assisted by [[William Wayte]] and [[Charles Ranken]], wrote ''The Chess Players' Quarterly Chronicle'', which was published in [[York]] from February 1868 to December 1871.<ref>Sergeant, pp. 151, 159.</ref> Skipworth, who had left [[Bilsdale]] for [[Tetford]] Rectory, and [[John Wisker]] became the editors of the new ''The Chess Players' Chronicle'' in February 1872.<ref>Sergeant 1934, p. 159.</ref> [[Johann Löwenthal]] began writing for it in 1873.<ref>Sergeant, p. 162.</ref> The magazine ran until 1875.<ref name="Sergeantp.168">Sergeant 1934, p. 168.</ref>

In January 1876, it was succeeded by ''The Chess Player's Chronicle'', whose editor-in-chief was J. Jenkin of [[Helensburgh]]. Its editorial staff consisted of Jenkin, Skipworth, Ranken, Wayte, and Andrew Hunter of [[Glasgow]]. Billed as a "monthly record of provincial chess", it was published at Glasgow, costing [[Sixpence (British coin)|sixpence]].<ref name="Sergeantp.168"/> Its short run under Jenkin's editorship was marked by [[xenophobia]]. The February issue stated that the West End Club had "cleared away the disturbing foreign element which whilom infected the [[Simpson's Divan|Divan]]" and referring to [[Wilhelm Steinitz]] as "the hot-headed little Austrian".<ref>Sergeant 1934, pp. 168-69.</ref> Its third and last issue was published in March.<ref name="Sergeantp.169">Sergeant 1934, p. 169.</ref>

The magazine reappeared in January 1877. It was now under Ranken's editorship, assisted by J. Crum, G. B. Fraser, Skipworth, and Wayte. The first issue apologized for "certain offensive statements and insinuations, seriously affecting the honour of some eminent players", and explained that some members of the present editorial staff had only contributed games and other inoffensive material to it in 1875.<ref name="Sergeantp.169"/> Ranken continued to edit the magazine until September 1880.<ref name="Sergeantp.169"/><ref>[[David Hooper (chess player)|David Hooper]] and [[Kenneth Whyld]], ''The Oxford  Companion to Chess'', Oxford University Press (2nd edition 1992), p. 332. {{ISBN|0-19-866164-9}}.</ref><ref>''Golombek's Chess Encyclopedia'', p. 271.</ref> In 1881, the title was enlarged to ''The Chess Player's Chronicle, and Journal of Indoor and Outdoor Sports'', and "the magazine's importance in the chess world was no longer the same".<ref name="Sergeantp.169"/>

None of these magazines compared in quality with what Staunton had achieved, and the success of the ''[[British Chess Magazine]]'', by the turn of the century a superior publication, put an end to the title in 1902.<ref name="KJO'C"/>
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==References==
{{reflist|2}}
*{{cite journal|title=Serial archives of ''Chess Player's Chronicle''|journal=British Miscellany, and Chess Player's Chronicle |date=1841 |url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/008697760}}
*{{cite book|title=Serial archives of ''Chess Player's Chronicle'' (2)|date=1868 |url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/008697761}}
*{{cite journal|title=Serial archives of ''Chess Player's Chronicle'' (3)|journal=Jan. 1881-Mar. 1888 Title Reads:chess Player's Chronicle and Journal of Indoor and Outdoor Amusements |date=1873 |url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/100486297}}

[[Category:Chess magazines published in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Chess in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Magazines established in 1841]]
[[Category:1841 in chess]]
[[Category:Magazines disestablished in 1862]]
[[Category:Defunct magazines published in the United Kingdom]]