Blackburne had described him as the best amateur chess-player in England

[Gerard Killoran]

I came across this claim in the following obituary, and if true he would be the best chess-player we've never heard of.

Suffolk and Essex Free Press - Wednesday 18 March 1908

A NOTABLE CHESS-PLAYER'S DEATH.

In our obituary column last week appeared I a notice of the interment of Mr. Isaac Bressy Smith, a commercial traveller, whose age was given as 83. The old gentleman's career was one which had some features of interest. We believe that he formerly travelled as agent for Kelly's Directory. Deceased was the son of a Post Captain of the Royal Navy, his father dying in 1871, after serving his country for thirty years in our "first line of defence." For about fifteen years since his father's death Mr. Smith had been receiving a certain sum from the Admiralty, and also one from the Naval Benevolent Society. But the principal point of interest about the old gentleman was his ardent love of, and his skill in, the game of chess. He used to say with pride that Blackburne had described him as the best amateur chess-player in England. However that may be, there was no disputing his knowledge of the game. He was, when in London, an old habitué of Simpson's, and was fond of telling stories of opponents, and like the old soldier in the "Deserted Village" who shouldered his crutch to show how fields were won, would place his pieces on the board to go again through the moves which had pierced or crushed his antagonists. He had many games with opponents in Sudbury, and they almost invariably fell victims to his knowledge of the openings or of his finesse in the endings. He was ever keen for a game. He was said to be related to Captain Cook, and to have the great explorer's sword in his possession, as well as other interesting relics. He played much chess when at Cambridge, and his portrait was presented to him by the members of the Club. Well educated and widely travelled, he was a good conversationalist. He never ceased to wear a tall silk hat, and his venerable figure will be missed from the streets of Sudbury.

Unfortunately, Isaac Bressy Smith doesn't seem to have left much of evidence behind to justify his claim. In September 1860, the East London Observer began a chess column edited by I. B. Smith - described as, 'A gentleman of considerable ability as a Chess-player' - but it didn't last beyond November of that year. As for Cambridge, the alumni database returns no results for an Isaac Smith during the 1840s when he might have been a student. As for being, 'an old habitué of Simpson's', is there any evidence he did more than eat roast dinner there?

I'm even beginning to suspect he wasn't related to Captain Cook.

[John Townsend]

There may be some truth in the claim to have been related to Captain Cook. I believe I.B.S. was a son of Captain John Smith, who, incidentally, translated some old chess works under the pseudonym of J. S. Bingham. (In 1867 Staunton remarked that J. S. Bingham's son had presented him with an unpublished version of Vida's Scacchia Ludus many years ago). This Captain John Smith seems to have been related slightly to Elizabeth Cook, the wife of Captain Cook, and he ended up with some of that famous explorer's naval possessions. When Captain J. S. died about 1836, Isaac Bressey Smith was named in his will (National Archives, PROB 11/1863), and he was left certain items, including his father's chess equipment and a share of his chess books.

What I don't follow is how the article obtained the date of death of 1871, since Captain John Smith died about 1836.

I.B.S. seems to have been a very keen chessplayer, as was his father, but I don't know of any reason to suppose he was particularly strong.

(Note: This post edited by JT to correct an inaccurate statement.)

[Gerard Killoran]

The Suffolk and Essex Free Press does give 1871 as the date of his father's death. Just a journalistic error I suppose.

[MJMcCready]

I'd be curious to know what that term is even meant to mean in those days exactly?

Of those who use the term 'amateur' I think P. W. Sargeant coined it far too often. Often using it for players considerably better than himself, even if they went on to be Champions of London, and came second in the British Championship more than once. I can't say for sure if it was also Sargeant but 1912 champion Griffiths was classified as an amateur too wasn't he?

[JustinHorton]

I think P. W. Sargeant coined it far too often

How would one do that?

[MJMcCready]

It's already been explained above.

[JustinHorton]

How many times do you think it possible to coin a term?

[MJMcCready]

I think your motives for posting on this site are often highly questionable. Why don't you read the text in question, see if you can establish an answer for yourself and look into what it might have meant to be 'an amateur player' at the time of writing, particularly to P. W. Sargeant, and whether his literary style and tone was indicative of a certain attitude or not? More gratifying than yet more one-upmanship would say.

[John Townsend]

Justin has made a fair point and doesn't deserve this abuse. To coin a term means to invent it (or something close to that), and you can only do that once.

[Gerard Killoran]

Also, there's nothing more gratifying than one-upmanship. For example, it's spelled P. W. Sergeant.

As for the British concept of the 'amateur', whole books have been written on the subject.

[John Townsend]

The Captain Cook Society has this webpage containing details of the will of Cook's wife and the various family relationships:

https://www.captaincooksociety.com/home ... ees-part-2

Curiously, it appears that Isaac Bressey Smith was related to Elizabeth Cook through both his parents, Captain John Smith and Ann Smith, as they were cousins.

[Gerard Killoran]

The Captain Cook Society has this webpage containing details of the will of Cook's wife and the various family relationships:

https://www.captaincooksociety.com/home ... ees-part-2

Curiously, it appears that Isaac Bressey Smith was related to Elizabeth Cook through both his parents, Captain John Smith and Ann Smith, as they were cousins.

...and Captain John Smith gave three of his sons the middle name of 'Cook'. As for Bressy or Bressey, I have no idea where that comes from.

[John Townsend]

"Bressey" seems to be the normal spelling. The only instance I know of "Bressy" as part of I.B.S.'s name is in the Suffolk and Essex Free Press article quoted at the start of this thread.

The spelling of "Bressey" is followed in a document referenced in the National Archives catalogue (ADM 73/344/85) regarding his admission to Greenwich Hospital School; it gives his date of birth as 22 April 1824 and date of baptism as 13 September 1826, at Stepney.

I don't know why I.B.S. was given the name Bressey. It's a surname, so it could be the name of a godfather, someone who married into the Smith family, or someone distinguished who the parents wanted to be associated with. One final thought: I recall seeing at least one reference to Captain John Smith with the middle initial of "B.", but I don't know if it stood for Bressey.

[John Clarke]

What puzzled me at first in all this was why IBS should have been getting money from the Admiralty and the Naval Benevolent Society for fifteen years after his father’s death. But once it’s clear Captain Smith died in 1836 (not, as the newspaper piece states, 1871), when IBS was only 12, it makes more sense.

Incidentally, if I remember correctly it was the father who, through a mistranslation from Italian, inadvertently originated the term “study” for a composed endgame position. (I can’t turn up the source for this, but it could well be John Roycroft’s masterwork, which I don’t have.)

[John Townsend]

Yes, John. The translation work of J. S. Bingham received severe criticism on page 336 of an article on Ponziani which appeared in The Chess World, 1867 (reprinted from American Chess Monthly). In particular, the work of Ponziani had been ascribed to Ercole del Rio.