Paul Rudolf von Bilguer

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Paul Rudolf von Bilguer

Paul Rudolf von Bilguer , also Paul Rudolph von Bilguer (born September 21, 1815 in Ludwigslust , † September 16, 1840 in Berlin ) was a German chess player . He became known in particular as the spiritual father and namesake of the Handbuch des Schachspiels , a standard work on chess theory, which was also called "the Bilguer".

origin

His father was the Mecklenburg colonel and city commander of Güstrow , Karl Ludwig (Louis) von Bilguer (1777-1858). The baptism entry in 1812 by August v. Bilguer calls his father "Captain Karl Ludwig von Bilguer". The same form of the father's name "Colonel Carl Ludwig von Bilguer" was also notarized in Güstrow in 1850 at the wedding of August von Bilguer. In 1840 a marriage entry of another daughter names him as "Lieutenant Colonel August Ludwig Carl von Bilguer" in Schwerin. His mother was Luise, b. von Hahn († 1838), a daughter of the farmer and landowner Otto (Conrad) von Hahn auf Dammerow and Charlottenthal. Paul Rudolf was the younger of two brothers of five siblings, including the later General of the Infantry (Alwin Albert) August (Carl) von Bilguer (born May 21, 1812 in Rostock; † July 27, 1894 in Schwerin).

Life

He received his training from 1829 at the grand ducal page institute in Schwerin , where he distinguished himself primarily in mathematics . At the insistence of his parents, he joined the Prussian 24th Infantry Regiment in Neu-Ruppin in 1833 as an officer candidate , which was commanded by the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin . From autumn 1837 he attended the war school in Berlin with the rank of lieutenant . In the same year he fell ill with tuberculosis and had to quit work in April 1839.

In any case, Bilguer was unsuitable for a military career; his main interests were chess and literature . Because of his short service, he did not receive a pension. In the summer of 1840 he became almost completely blind and after a short time succumbed to the aforementioned lung disease.

According to Tassilo von Heydebrand and the Lasa, Bilguer had “lively blue eyes, reddish hair and a strong beard”. Its appearance was recorded by a lithograph (based on an original picture made beforehand), which was printed in later editions of the manual named after him.

Berlin chess master

Paul Rudolf von Bilguer belonged to the Berlin Chess Society and joined the group of Berlin masters who were later referred to as the "Pleiades" after the seven stars. Its head was the older master Ludwig Bledow (see Berlin School ).

Bilguer had a reputation for being an excellent player, which is also confirmed by the chess games he received. His ability to play blind particularly attracted attention . Special mention was made of a simultaneous performance on March 19, 1840. Bilguer played a total of three games. Both blind games were won by him, but he lost the board game. This achievement, which was admired at the time, was clearly surpassed two decades later by Paul Morphy and Louis Paulsen .

Contribution to chess theory

Although he was considered a very gifted master, Bilguer's importance for the history of the game lies in the field of chess theory. In 1839 he published a seminal opening monograph under the title Das Zweispringerspiel im Nachzuge . Since then, the opening has also been known as the Prussian Defense , especially in Germany . But the name “two knights game” from Bilguer prevailed. In the book, the opening variants were tabulated and carefully annotated.

Finally, based on the scheme of his treatise on two knights, Bilguer drafted the plan for the manual of the game of chess . The new chess book, revolutionary in its conception, was published three years after his death under the editorship of his friend Tassilo von Heydebrand und der Lasa. Bilguer was identified as the author, and this posthumous honor was carried on in the later, thoroughly revised editions into the 20th century.

Works

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Church register Rostock (St. Johannis), birth and baptism entry or no. On p. 119
  2. ↑ Güstrow church book, marriage entry No. 46/1850
  3. ↑ The birthday was corrected in the church book from May 22nd to May 21st.
  4. ^ Tassilo von Heydebrand and the Lasa: Paul Rudolph v. Bilguer . In: Schachzeitung , May 1864, pp. 132–135.
personal data
SURNAME Bilguer, Paul Rudolf von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Bilguer, Paul Rudolph from
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German chess player
DATE OF BIRTH September 21, 1815
PLACE OF BIRTH Ludwigslust
DATE OF DEATH September 16, 1840
Place of death Berlin