Edo Ratings, Birch, J.A.

Birch, James

Ratings

Year	Rank	Edo	Dev.	Games
1855	157	1940	(120)	2
1856	175	1939	(118)	0
1857	185	1937	(115)	0
1858	201	1936	(113)	0
1859	226	1934	(109)	1
1860	238	1935	(107)	0
1861	245	1936	(104)	3
1862	249	1939	(102)	6
1863	242	1938	(103)	2
1864	262	1934	(107)	0
1865	285	1930	(110)	1
1866	327	1921	(115)	0
1867	319	1911	(119)	0
1868	345	1902	(123)	0
1869	357	1892	(126)	1

Rating table notes

Biographical data

Name: Birch, James A.

Born:

Died:

Notes:

Staunton gives his name as 'I.A. Birch' in the Illustrated London News of 4 Apr. 1863 (p.395), but it is given elsewhere as 'J. Birch' or 'James Birch'. I believe these are the same person, as 'I' was often used interchangably for 'J' as an initial in the 19th century. The middle initial 'A' also appears in the subscription list of the book of the Chess Association of Manchester meeting in 1857, and in Renette's biography of Paulsen, citing the Manchester Weekly Express and Guardian of 21 Dec. 1861. The Jun. 1853 issue of the Chess Player's Chronicle has 'James Bird' in error. There was also a 'Lee Birch' or 'Lea Birch' in Manchester, who was active at least from 1837 to 1853, and another 'James Birch' who played in Glasgow in the 1870s and was born in Manchester in 1841, but too young to have been the Manchester player of 1853.

References

Books

Chess Association, Manchester 1857 Report, page 40

Renette, Louis Paulsen, page 119

Whyld, English Tournaments, page 11

Periodicals

[CP], vol. 3, June 1853, page 322

[CPC], vol. 1, no. 6, June 1853, page 180

[CPC], vol. 3, no. 5, May 1855, page 176

[Era], vol. 18, no. 919, 4 May 1856, page 14

[Era], vol. 24, no. 1203, 13 Oct. 1861, page 13

[Era], vol. 24, no. 1214, 29 Dec. 1861, page 4

[ILN], vol. 22, no. 623, 21 May 1853, page 403

[ILN], vol. 28, no. 797, 3 May 1856, page 483

[ILN], vol. 30, no. 843, 7 Feb. 1857, page 124

[ILN], vol. 38, no. 1068, 5 Jan. 1861, page 23

[ILN], vol. 42, no. 1197, 4 Apr. 1863, page 395

[MWET], no. 736, 26 Apr. 1856, page 6

Web

Spinrad, Jeremy P. [Collected results, 1836-1863]

Tournament data

Liverpool 1855     Manchester - Liverpool Club Match

  Birch, J.A. - Sparke, M.     1.5 - 0.5

Manchester and Liverpool 1859     Manchester - Liverpool Telegraph Match

  Birch, J.A. - de Szabo, E.     0 - 1

Manchester 1861 (1)     Manchester Chess Club Tournament - 1st Class

  Birch, J.A. - Pindar, E.D.     0 - 3

Manchester 1862 (1)     Manchester Club Tournament

  Birch, J.A. - Perkins, G.     3 - 1

Manchester 1862 (2)     Manchester - Liverpool Club Match

  Birch, J.A. - Soul, J.     0.5 - 1.5

Liverpool 1863     Manchester - Liverpool Club Match

  Birch, J.A. - Schull, L.     0.5 - 1.5

Manchester 1865     Manchester - Liverpool Club Match

  Birch, J.A. - Soul, C.     0.5 - 0.5

Manchester 1869     Manchester - Liverpool Club Match

  Birch, J.A. - Soul, C.     0 - 1