Berthold Englisch

Chessmetrics Ranking: world number two for two months in 1881

Tournament Career: winner of two super-tournaments:

German Chess Congress 1879

Wiesbaden Chess Tournament 1880

Matches: Englisch vs Pillsbury: 0:0 (=5)

Why he deserved it:

Let’s go back to the nineteenth century! Berthold Englisch was an Austrian player who, according to historical rankings, was the world number two and one of the best in the world in the 1870s and 1880s. He won two strong tournaments – the first German Chess Congress in Leipzig ahead of the renowned Louis Paulsen and the tournament in Wiesbaden, where he shared victory with Blackburne and Schwarz, leaving behind Mason, Bird, Winawer, Paulsen, and others.

Not much is known about this player’s life. He worked as a stockbroker and died at the age of just forty-six.

Why he isn’t higher:

Winning two super-tournaments in the nineteenth century carries significant weight because there were far fewer such tournaments at the time than later. Englisch even left behind some big names in these victories. However, even in this era, there were players who won more and whose fame far surpassed the Austrian master.

He didn’t prove his qualities much in matches either; although he drew with Pillsbury, he clearly fell short against future world champion Lasker in 1890.

Best Game:

Berthold Englisch vs Siegbert Tarrasch

Hamburg 1885