Ignác Kolisch

Baron Ignaz von Kolisch, or Kolisch Ignác báró (April 6, 1837, Bratislava– April 30, 1889, Vienna) was a merchant, journalist, and chess master with jewish roots.

Kolisch was born into a Jewish family in Bratislava (Pozsony, Pressburg), Austrian Empire. Both in business and as a chess player he was eminently successful. In his early years he was the private secretary of the Russian Prince Urusov. Later he moved to Vienna and met Albert Salomon von Rothschild in 1868. He became involved in banking and became a millionaire and chess patron, organizing and sponsoring many chess tournaments in the 1870s and 1880s. He founded the "Wiener Börse-Syndikatskasse" in 1869, and in 1873 established a commission house in Paris; and by prudent management he acquired considerable wealth. In 1881 he was made a baron of the Austrian Empire.

As a chess-player Kolisch soon became known for his brilliant and aggressive style, but he was not a frequent participant in tournaments. In 1860 he won the first prize at the international tourney held at Cambridge, England; in 1861 he lost a match with Adolf Anderssen, the strongest player of the day, by one game only; the same year he drew a match with Louis Paulsen; and in 1867 at the Paris tournament he secured the leading position, defeating both Szymon Winawer and Wilhelm Steinitz.

Kolisch was the founder and editor-in-chief of the "Wiener Allgemeine Zeitung", to which, under the pseudonym "Ideka" (formed from the initials of his name), he contributed many feuilletons.

References

* E. T. Blanchard, "Examples of Chess Master-Play", 1st series (transl. from the German of Jean Dufresne), Index, New Barnet, 1893.
*citation
last1=Singer | first1=Isidore | author1-link=Isidore Singer
last2=Porter | first2=A.
year=1901–1906 | title=Jewish Encyclopedia
contribution= [http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=343&letter=K Kolisch, Baron Ignaz Von]
volume=7 | pages=547

External links

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