James A. Leonard
Chess Player
1841 – 1862
Who was James A. Leonard?
James A. Leonard was a young American chess master, who grew up as a son of poor Irish immigrants in New York City. He learned to play chess at age 16 or 17. Before his 20th birthday, he was already famous for his fierce attacking play and prowess at blindfold chess, at which he played as many as ten games simultaneously.
In 1862, he fought for the Union in the American Civil War. He was captured, and while being held as a prisoner of war, died of dysentery before reaching his 21st birthday. Commentators have compared his promise, never realized, to that of American chess giants Paul Morphy and Harry Nelson Pillsbury.
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- Born
- Nov 6, 1841
Ireland - Also known as
- James Leonard
- Died
- Sep 26, 1862
Annapolis
Submitted
on July 23, 2013
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