Joseph Blackburne
Joseph Henry Blackburne (Manchester, 10 December 1841 – London, 1 September 1924), nicknamed 'The Black Death', was the leading British chess Grandmaster during the later part of the 19th century.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/00/Joseph_Blackburne.jpg/200px-Joseph_Blackburne.jpg)
Blackburne learned the game at the relatively late age of 18 but quickly became a strong player. He went on to develop a professional chess career that spanned over 50 years. At one point he was the world's second most successful player, with a string of tournament victories behind him. Blackburne especially enjoyed giving simultaneous and blindfold displays around the country. Blackburne also annotated a collection of his own games (explained the moves),[1] and was a chess correspondent for a leading journal until his death.
- "For more than 20 years he was one of the first six players in the world, and for even longer the leading English-born player".[2]p42
Blackburne was fond of Scotch whisky, and often drank during a display. He once drank his opponent's glass, and said: "He left it en prise, and I took it en passant!" [3] Much loved, he was supported by subscriptions from his fans in his last years.