Edo Historical Chess Ratings


World Champions by Edo Rating

If the world championship could be awarded retrospectively using Edo ratings (!?), the list would look like this one.

YearsEdo Rating World Champion
1820 - 1821      Deschapelles, A.L.H.L.
1822 - 1823      Deschapelles, A.L.H.L.   /   de la Bourdonnais, L.C.M.
1824 - 1828      de la Bourdonnais, L.C.M.   /   Deschapelles, A.L.H.L.
1829 - 1840      de la Bourdonnais, L.C.M.
1841      Staunton, H.   /   Deschapelles, A.L.H.L.
1842 - 1846      Staunton, H.
1847 - 1849      von der Lasa, T.
1850      Morphy, P.C.
1851      von der Lasa, T.
1852 - 1866      Morphy, P.C.
1867      Kolisch, I.
1868      Morphy, P.C.
1869 - 1889      Steinitz, W.
1890      Tarrasch, S.
1891      Lasker, Em.   /   Tarrasch, S.
1892 - 1904      Lasker, Em.
1905      Lasker, Em.   /   Maroczy, G.
1906 - 1911      Lasker, Em.


Note: Rating uncertainties are not taken into account in making this list. However, all players with ratings within 5 rating points of the highest rated player are considered essentially equal and share the championship (though they are still listed here with the highest first).

Observations:
  • Before 1820 we do not have sufficient information.
  • Deschapelles appears as late as 1841 because of his reappearance for brief matches with de Saint-Amant and Schulten in 1836 and 1842, and with Brooke Greville in 1846. Deschapelles played little chess after 1821 and de la Bourdonnais dominated, but the evidence of Deschapelles' brief reappearances is that he was still close in strength to de la Bourdonnais, at least at the odds games that he favoured, throughout the latter's career. Though Deschapelles' rating is uncertain, he appears to be even stronger than Staunton up to 1840.
  • Morphy appears as early as 1850 because of strong results in early matches with Rousseau and Lowenthal.
  • Morphy appears as late as 1868 because of his friendly matches with Maurian in 1869, for whom we have some independent rating evidence.
  • The appearance of Kolisch as 'world champion' in 1867 is mainly due to his phenomenal score at Paris 1867, where he significantly outplayed Neumann, Steinitz, Winawer and de Vere, all of whom were in the top 10 that year.
  • Interestingly, Anderssen never appears as Edo World Champion. He was always overshadowed by someone.

Back to main Edo rating page