Isidor Gunsberg (Hungary, 1854 – 1930) began his career as the player inside the chess automaton Mephisto but later became a chess professional. He moved to Great Britain in 1876, later becoming a British citizen.
Isidor Gunsberg was the first British citizen to play for the world championship , challenging Wilhelm Steinitz in 1890-91 in New York. He lost the match with 4 wins, 6 losses and 9 draws.
In match play, he defeated Henry Bird and Joseph Henry Blackburne and drew with Mikhail Chigorin. In 1916 he sued the Evening News for libel when they said that his chess column contained "blunders". He won the suit after the British High Court accepted a submission that in chess matters, eight oversights did not make a "blunder".
|