Is the Bowdler who played many games against Philidor the same person who gave
rise to the word bowdlerize (I believe because he printed a cleaned up version of
Shakespeare?). Some sites seem to indicate this, but I wanted to see if anyone
know for certain.

Jerry Spinrad

Subject: Is it the same Bowdler?

On 5 December 2003 (Jeremy Spinrad) asked in
Message-id:

Is the Bowdler who played many games against Philidor the same person who
gave
rise to the word bowdlerize (I believe because he printed a cleaned up
version of
Shakespeare?). Some sites seem to indicate this, but I wanted to see if
anyone
know for certain.

Jerry Spinrad


According to the excellent Italian reference work Dizionario Enciclopedio
degli Scachhi, Thomas Bowdler (1754-1825), "who gave rise to the word
bowdlerize," is the same Bowdler who played Philidor many times during the
period 1783-1789.
Bowdler was one of three opponents whom Philidor played blindfold in a
simultaneous exhibition in London on May 8, 1783. Bowdler's game ended in a
draw after 51 moves and lasted 1 hour and 45 minutes. Philidor played black in
all three games, one of which he gave odds of his f7 pawn, and won the other
two games.
Bowdler met Philidor again in a blindfold simul on May 28, 1783, and defeated
him. [Note: this game is not found in the Oxford Encyclopedia of Chess Games.]
Then in April 1788, Bowdler had the opportunity of playing Philidor again, but
this time Philidor spotted his f7 pawn and the move. In five games, all played
with the black pieces by Philidor, Bowdler scored 1 win, 2 losses and 2 draws.
The OEOCG also reports that Bowdler played Philidor in 1789, when Philidor once
again spotted his f7 pawn, but not the move, and won in 40 moves in a game that
started out 1. e4 Nh6?! 2. Bc4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf7.
Bowdler's games were included in the manuscripts of George Atwood (1745-1807),
an English player who also contested many games against Philidor and "recorded
the moves of games at a time when this was not customary" [The Oxford Companion
to Chess]. After Atwood died, these game scores and his manuscripts were passed
onto to his friend Joseph Wilson, "on whose library shelves, for many years,
they quietly slumbered."
After Wilson died in 1832, 15 manuscript volumes by Atwood were bought by
George Walker, who published "A Selection of Games of Chess" in 1835 and
included games by Bowdler.
Bowdler, by the way, was a frequent player at the chess club at the St. James
Strand. He was considered one of the strongest London players of his time.
A physician by profession, he became more famous, err...I mean infamous, by his
publishing in 1818 an expurgated edition of Shakespeare. Staunton, who was
later to publish his own unexpurgated annotated edition of Shakespeare, was
only 8 years old at the time. He must have been very familiar with Bowdler's
cleaned-up version of the great bard when he started studying Shakespeare in
school.

George Mirijanian

"Miriling" wrote in message
...
Subject: Is it the same Bowdler?

On 5 December 2003 (Jeremy Spinrad) asked in
Message-id:

Is the Bowdler who played many games against Philidor the same person who
gave
rise to the word bowdlerize (I believe because he printed a cleaned up
version of
Shakespeare?). Some sites seem to indicate this, but I wanted to see if
anyone
know for certain.

Jerry Spinrad


According to the excellent Italian reference work Dizionario Enciclopedio
degli Scachhi, Thomas Bowdler (1754-1825), "who gave rise to the word
bowdlerize," is the same Bowdler who played Philidor many times during the
period 1783-1789.
Bowdler was one of three opponents whom Philidor played blindfold in a
simultaneous exhibition in London on May 8, 1783. Bowdler's game ended in
a
draw after 51 moves and lasted 1 hour and 45 minutes. Philidor played
black in
all three games, one of which he gave odds of his f7 pawn, and won the
other
two games.
Bowdler met Philidor again in a blindfold simul on May 28, 1783, and
defeated
him. [Note: this game is not found in the Oxford Encyclopedia of Chess
Games.]
Then in April 1788, Bowdler had the opportunity of playing Philidor again,
but
this time Philidor spotted his f7 pawn and the move. In five games, all
played
with the black pieces by Philidor, Bowdler scored 1 win, 2 losses and 2
draws.
The OEOCG also reports that Bowdler played Philidor in 1789, when Philidor
once
again spotted his f7 pawn, but not the move, and won in 40 moves in a game
that
started out 1. e4 Nh6?! 2. Bc4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf7.
Bowdler's games were included in the manuscripts of George Atwood
(1745-1807),
an English player who also contested many games against Philidor and
"recorded
the moves of games at a time when this was not customary" [The Oxford
Companion
to Chess]. After Atwood died, these game scores and his manuscripts were
passed
onto to his friend Joseph Wilson, "on whose library shelves, for many
years,
they quietly slumbered."
After Wilson died in 1832, 15 manuscript volumes by Atwood were bought by
George Walker, who published "A Selection of Games of Chess" in 1835 and
included games by Bowdler.
Bowdler, by the way, was a frequent player at the chess club at the St.
James
Strand. He was considered one of the strongest London players of his time.
A physician by profession, he became more famous, err...I mean infamous,
by his
publishing in 1818 an expurgated edition of Shakespeare. Staunton, who was
later to publish his own unexpurgated annotated edition of Shakespeare,
was
only 8 years old at the time. He must have been very familiar with
Bowdler's
cleaned-up version of the great bard when he started studying Shakespeare
in
school.

George Mirijanian

Bowdler's record would have been better if he had ever been able to bring
himself to utter the word "mate."
--
Ian Burton
[Please Reply to Newsgroup]

the word Bowdlerize came from the Rev. Bowlder, who lived in England.
Danican Philidor lived in France, he was a musician.
I would have to check the life-spans of these two to envisage if they were
possible contemporaries. But I am sure Danican may have lived through the
turn of the 19th Century--living most of his productive life in the 18th
Century, while 'Bowlderize' is a term one associates with Victorian
England-- mid-nineteenth Century.
"Jeremy Spinrad" wrote in message
...
Is the Bowdler who played many games against Philidor the same person who
gave
rise to the word bowdlerize (I believe because he printed a cleaned up
version of
Shakespeare?). Some sites seem to indicate this, but I wanted to see if
anyone
know for certain.

Jerry Spinrad

marc margolies wrote:
the word Bowdlerize came from the Rev. Bowlder, who lived in England.
Danican Philidor lived in France, he was a musician.
I would have to check the life-spans of these two to envisage if they
were possible contemporaries.

Google tells me that that Philidor lived from 1726 to 1795 and Bowdler
from 1754 to 1825 (his infamous edition of Shakespeare was published in
1818).


Dave.

--
David Richerby Solar-Powered Radioactive Chicken
www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~davidr/ (TM): it's like a farm animal but
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it doesn't work in the dark!