From 19th Century Chess by Bill Wall
All in London, except: United States (New York 1835, 1866, 1877, Cincinnati 1850), Australia (Sydney 1844, Ballarat 1856).
In 1820 (some sources say 1828), a tobacconist named Gliddon, opened a room in the rear of his shop, King Street, Covent Garden for chess. He supplied it with chess books and periodicals, chess sets, and chess boards and called it Gliddon’s Divan. In the 1840s, Howard Staunton played there nightly. Gliddon’s Divan was later renamed Kilpack’s.
In 1828, the Grand Cigar Divan (located at 100-101 Strand by the Savoy), a famous chess room in London, was founded by Samuel and Bernhard Ries. It later became a coffee house and a chess club (1836). The Grand Cigar Divan soon became recognized as the home of chess in England. The chess salon was in the room at Simpson’s Restaurant. It lasted until 1904 when Simpson’s was bought out by the Savoy Hotel group of companies.
In 1835, a Chess divan was formed by Mr. Saunders on Broadway, near Maiden Lane, in New York. It lasted until 1837.
In September 1836, the Westminster Chess Club left it old premises on Bedford Street and moved to the private apartments at Mr. Ries’ Grand Cigar Divan, in the Strand. Membership was 3 guineas per year. Its president was Benjamin Smith (1783-1860), a Member of Parliament. (source: Bell’s Life, Oct 9, 1836)
In October 1837, the Westminster Chess Club closed down. Chess players now gathered at Mr. Ries’ Grand Cigar Divan, in Strand, the only chess arena at the West-end of London. (source: Bell’s Life, Oct 15, 1837)
On December 22, 1839, the Westminster Chess Club at Spring Gardens was formerly dissolved after its first formation in 1833, as reported by the club secretary, Howard Staunton. It started out at Hutmann’s on Bedford Street, then moved to Ries’s Grand Cigar Divan, then to Hill’s Hotel on Spring Gardens. It finally moved to Charles Street, Waterloo Place. (source: Bell’s Life, Dec 22, 1839)
In January 1840, the Garrick Cigar Divan at No. 4, Little Russell Street, Covent Garden, was opened by John Henry Huttmann (also called Huttmann’s Chess and Cigar Divan and Mr. Huttmann’s Chess Soirees). Huttmann published every week a leaf containing a good chess problem and some gossip about the chess world. The Divan soon attracted some of the best London and provincial players. Huttmann published a single-sheet monthly called Curious Chess Problems and sent it to all the secretaries of chess clubs in the United Kingdom.
In 1841, chess was being played at W. Goode’s Chess Rooms and Cigar Divan, 39 (and 13) Ludgate Hill, London. (source: Bell’s Life, Jan 24, 1841)
In 1844, a chess club was formed at the Australian Cigar Divan in Sydney, Australia. Another club met at Lower George Street in Sydney.
In 1846, Henry Bird became a chess member of Simpson’s Divan. He was mentored by Samuel Standidge Boden (1826-1882).
In December 1847, Simpson’s Grand Divan Tavern, room at 101 The Strand, London, famous for chess, was founded by Mr. Ries. His “chess saloon” was the largest, most costly, and best appointed chess establishment in Europe.
In January 1849, Henry Thomas Buckle (1821-1862) won the Ries Divan (London) knockout chess contest. It was the first modern chess tourney. It was the first time the word “tournament” applied to a real tournament — England.
In June 1850, Jacob Löwenthal established a Cigar Divan in connection with a chess club for chess players in Cincinnati. Its president was E. Brooks.
On June 21, 1851, the Immortal Game, Anderssen-Kieseritzky, was played at the Simpson’s-in-the-Strand Divan. See The Immoral Game, by Bill Wall.
In 1852, Elijah Williams (1809-1854) published a book about The Divan. 150 games were included. The book was called Horae Divanianae.
On June 16, 1856, the Ballarat Chess Club was formed at Brun’s Cigar Divan in Australia.
In October, 1861, Louis Paulsen played 10 games simultaneously blindfolded at the Cigar Divan in the Strand in England. (source: Chess Player’s Chronicle, Vol. 20, 1861, p. 337)
On Mar 27, 1876, Blackburne won the London (cigar divan) tournament.
On June 20, 1888, Johannes Zukertort died in London of a cerebral hemorrhage after a chess game in a tournament at Simpson’s Divan. He was 45.
In 1895, Lasker moved back to England, this time as world chess champion. He first lived in London, where he was the resident master of the Divan Chess Association. He later moved to Manchester where he wrote a chess column for the local newspaper, gave lectures at the Manchester Chess Club, and performed simuls.
A Tourney at the Chess Divan. Tonight the opening games of the first tourney of the season will be played at the Chess Divan in Fulton avenue, corner of Pearl street, The first players are Horner and Thompson, and some interesting chess strategy may be expected… — Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Oct 29, 1866
Mr. Bird, the noted English chess player, has in press an excellent contribution to chess literature, in the form of a work on the chess openings, it being a critical and explanatory analysis of all the chess openings known to the game, the work being calculated for chess students of all degrees and culture. The book will be published at one dollar. Quite a controversy is in progress in the London chess journals in regard to the custom of playing for money at the chess divans and club rooms of the metropolis. Mr. Steinitz has taken up the cudgels against the “shilling a game” hangers on at the chess rooms. An interesting tourney is in progress at the rooms of the Chess Café, 49 Bowery. Mr. Bird is the manager of the tourney, but he is not in the lists. A grand tourney is on the tapis to take place at the Café Internationale, on Broadway. The Williamsburgh Philidor Club now have lively meetings at their chess rooms, No. 212 Graham avenue. The New York Chess Club – late the “Down Town Club” – meets daily at the Café Cosmopolitan, No. 1 Second avenue, New York. — Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Nov 6, 1877
| Divan tournaments Via Edo Historical Chess Rating, by Rod Edwards London, England 1849 Ries’ Divan tournament London, England 1856 (2) Ries’ Divan Handicap Tournament London, England 1876 (9) Simpson’s Divan Tournament London, England 1884 (9) Simpson’s Divan Handicap — Section A London, England 1884 (10) Simpson’s Divan Handicap — Section B London, England 1884 (11) Simpson’s Divan Handicap Play-off London, England 1888 (7) Simpson’s Divan Handicap Tournament London, England 1889 (1) Simpson’s Divan Handicap Tournament London, England 1890 (4) Simpson’s Divan Handicap London, England 1890 (5) Simpson’s Divan Handicap London, England 1891 (7) Simpson’s Divan Level Tourney — Summer London, England 1891 (8) Simpson’s Divan Level Tourney London, England 1894 (4) Simpson’s Divan Tournament London, England 1896 (4) Divan Chess Association — City of London Club Match London, England 1900 (2) Simpson’s Divan Tourney |