Henry Bird | |
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| Born | (1829-07-14)14 July 1829 Portsea, Portsmouth,Hampshire, England |
| Died | 11 April 1908(1908-04-11) (aged 78) London, England |
| Known for | Bird's opening |
Henry Edward Bird (14 July 1829[1] – 11 April 1908) was an Englishchess player, author and accountant. He wrote the booksChess History and Reminiscences andAn Analysis of Railways in the United Kingdom.
Although Bird was a practising accountant, not a professional chess player, it has been said that he "lived for chess, and would play anybody anywhere, any time, under any conditions."[2]
At age 21, Bird was invited to the first international tournament,London 1851. He also participated in tournaments held inVienna andNew York City. In 1858 he lost a match toPaul Morphy at age 28, yet he played high-level chess for another 50 years. In the New York tournament of 1876, Bird received the firstbrilliancy prize ever awarded, for his game againstJames Mason.[2]
In 1874 Bird proposed a newchess variant, which played on an 8×10 board and contained two new pieces:guard (combining the moves of therook andknight) andequerry (combining thebishop and knight). Bird's chess inspiredJosé Raúl Capablanca to create another chess variant,Capablanca Chess, which would ultimately differ from Bird's chess only by the starting position.
It was Bird who popularised thechess opening now calledBird's Opening (1.f4), as well asBird's Defence to theRuy Lopez (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nd4). Bird's Opening is considered sound, though not the best try for an opening advantage. Bird's Defence is regarded as slightly inferior, but "trappy".
