Johann Jacob Löwenthal (July 15, 1810 – July 24, 1876) was a 19th century professional chess master.
He was born in Budapest, the son of a merchant.
In his visit to New Orleans, Löwenthal played Paul Morphy on two separate occasions, losing a total of three games straight.
He was one of the first masters to play a match against Morphy after the latter´s arrival in England in 1858. Morphy won with a score of nine wins, three losses and two draws. "...I am convinced that I was vanquished by superior strength," Löwenthal said about the match, as reported by the Englishman Frederick Edge. No doubt aware that chess was Löwenthal´s only source of livelihood, and conscious to not be considered a professional player himself, Morphy after winning the match stakes of £100, presented Löwenthal with a gift of furniture valued at £120 for his new house.
Just days after being defeated by Morphy, Löwenthal had his greatest success by winning the British Chess Association Congress knockout tournament in Birmingham, England, August 27, 1858. His prize was £63.
In 1860 Löwenthal took advantage of Morphy´s extreme popularity to create a collection of the American master´s games titled Morphy´s Games of Chess. According to Morphy´s biographer David Lawson, Morphy was friendly to Löwenthal and therefore agreed to sign his name to material in the book, that was purported to be written by Morphy but in fact was not.
For a time, Löwenthal served as club secretary of the St. George´s Chess Club in London. He taught chess, and invented the first demonstration board. He helped organize an international tournament in 1862, and then published a tournament book.
Löwenthal lived into his sixties. When became ill in 1874 and could no longer financially support himself, a collection was taken up for him. Lord Randolph Churchill and many others contributed to the charity fund. Löwenthal died on July 24, 1876 at St. Leonards-on-Sea, near Hastings at the age of sixty-six.
Further reading
British Chess Magazine, 1926, pages 345-8, and 1976, pages 308-14
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