Joseph Blackburne: 'the Black Death' of English chess

For more than forty years, one name dominated English chess and struck fear across the boards of Europe: Joseph Henry Blackburne, nicknamed “the Black Death.” A relentless attacker, a blindfold chess wizard, and a tireless ambassador of chess, Blackburne was one of the great figures of 19th-century chess.

Who Blackburne was

He was born on December 10, 1841 in Manchester. Curiously, he didn’t learn to play chess until age 18, after witnessing a blindfold exhibition by American genius Paul Morphy in 1858. He was so fascinated that he threw himself into learning the game, and soon discovered he had extraordinary natural talent.

His rise was meteoric: in a few years he went from beginner to one of the best players in the world, a rare case in chess history.

”The Black Death”

The nickname “the Black Death” played on his surname and his fearsome style: Blackburne was a relentless attacker, capable of demolishing any rival with spectacular combinations. When he sat down at the board, his opponents knew they faced a constant danger.

He won top-level tournaments, such as London 1876 and Berlin 1881, and remained in the world elite for decades. His play, aggressive and brilliant, was among the most spectacular of his time.

The ambassador of chess

Beyond his results, Blackburne was fundamental to the spread of chess in the British Isles. For more than half a century he toured the country giving simultaneous and blindfold exhibitions in clubs and halls in countless cities and towns.

These tours, which were his main source of income, brought competitive chess to entire generations of British enthusiasts. Blackburne was a spectacle in himself: playing blindfold against dozens of opponents at once had made him a celebrity. He kept competing until nearly 60 and retired after a lifetime devoted to the game. He died on September 1, 1924 in London.

His chess DNA

In our chess DNA system, Blackburne represents the profile of the relentless attacker: extreme aggression, brilliant tactics, and an exceptional calculation and visualization ability, demonstrated in his legendary blindfold games. If your GM twin is Blackburne, your strength lies in devastating attack and calculation; your play inspires the same respect — and fear — that “the Black Death” once did.

Keep exploring

• Paul Morphy, whose exhibition inspired him to learn chess
• Wilhelm Steinitz, the great positional rival of his era
• Adolf Anderssen, the other great Romantic attacker
• All players