Louis Eichborn
Louis Eichborn | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1812 Breslau, Germany (present-day Wrocław, Poland) |
| Died | 1882-05-09 |
| Occupation(s) | Banker, chess enthusiast |
| Known for | Informal matches against Adolf Anderssen |
Louis Eichborn (1812 – 9 May 1882) was a banker and dedicated amateur chess enthusiast who engaged in informal matches against Adolf Anderssen, one of the foremost competitors of the 1850s. The majority of his known games, uncovered after his passing, consist of victories over Anderssen.
Life
Eichborn was a native and resident of Breslau, Germany (present-day Wrocław, Poland). With considerable wealth from banking and a passion for chess, he frequently challenged prominent local players, including Adolf Anderssen.
The best chess player ever?
Eichborn documented his strongest encounters with Anderssen—predominantly wins—in a personal notebook found after his death. These records were later published in Adolf Anderssen, der Altmeister Schachspielkunst by Gottschall in 1912.
During his lifetime, approximately 15 additional games against rivals such as Tassilo von Heydebrand und der Lasa, whom he also defeated, appeared in Deutsche Schachzeitung.
According to Chessgames.com, there are 34 recorded matches between Eichborn and Anderssen with the following outcomes:
- 1851-2: 9 victories, 1 draw, no defeats
- 1853: 9 wins, no draws, 1 loss
- 1854-5: 6 wins, no draws, 1 loss
- 1857-9: 6 wins, no draws, no losses
- Overall: 31 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses
Other references mention 29 wins along with two incomplete games.
If these records are complete, Eichborn’s results against a player of Anderssen’s caliber—who claimed victory at the inaugural international tournament in London, 1851—are remarkable. Although official ratings were not established at that time, retrospective analyses employing systems like Chessmetrics estimate Eichborn’s performance rating near 3000, exceeding those of chess greats such as Garry Kasparov (peak rating 2851) and Bobby Fischer (2785).
Nonetheless, these figures are probably unreliable due to partial data; the total number of Eichborn’s games and defeats against Anderssen remains uncertain. There is conjecture that some matches may have involved odds or that drawn games favored Eichborn. The scarcity of surviving games makes it challenging to conclusively evaluate his playing strength, but the evidence confirms he was a highly capable competitor.