TIME LINE 1850-1859

1850

EARLIEST RECORD OF BLINDFOLD PLAYING, BY J. HADDEN OF SCOTLAND.

IN ENGLAND, E. LORD STARTED PLAYING BLINDFOLD IN BIRMINGHAM DURING THE 1850s.

DURING THE 1850s THE PLAYERS IN GLASGOW, SCOTLAND, MET ACROSS THE GIANT BOARD IN THE OLD COLLEGE GROUNDS, USING RED AND WHITE PIECES WEIGHING 56LB (25KILOS) EACH.

1854

1/16- 20 CHAMPIONSHIP OF ENGLAND AND £60.

ROBERT MARTINS VS ALBERT BROWN at LONDON. WINNER TO BE THE FIRST TO 9 WINS, BUT BROWN RESIGNED AFTER MARTINS'S 6TH WIN.

MARTINS WINS TITLE.

A GIANT OUTDOOR BOARD WAS CONSTRUCTED IN THE PARK AT GREENOCK, SCOTLAND, SIMILAR TO THAT IN COLLEGE GREEN, GLASGOW.

1855

A.J. DRYSDALE ARRIVES IN AMERICA FROM SCOTLAND, TOURING AND PROCLAIMING HIMSELF AS AMERICAN CHAMPION. AFTER FOUR YEARS WITH NO CHALLENGERS, HE RETIRES "UNDEFEATED".

1858

12/21- A 30-GAME MATCH FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP OF SCOTLAND AND ENGLAND, PLUS £100 PER SIDE.

ROBERT MARTINS VS JOHN McKERROW 1-1-28 DRAWS at GLASGOW, SCOTLAND.

12/20-1/5/59 STAKE MATCH FOR £50

JOHN WAY VS HARPER COLTHERD 8-2-29 DRAWS at NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE.

JOHN DRUMMOND VS GEORGE BULLOCK 17-10 [NUMBER OF DRAWS UNSPECIFIED] at SHEFFIELD. FOR £50 A SIDE. THIS WAS ONE OF THE BEST PERFORMANCES AGAINST DRUMMOND.

DEC. STAKE MATCH FOR £50 A SIDE

JOHN DRUMMOND VS THOMAS HUDSON 9-4 AND NUMEROUS DRAWS at GLASGOW. TERMS WERE FIRST TO 9 WINS.

1859

6/14- 50-GAME MATCH FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP OF ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND.

ROBERT MARTINS VS JAMES WYLLIE 4-1-43 at EDINBURGH. THEIR FIRST MEETING.

MARTINS WINS TITLE.

11/28-12/10 50-GAME MATCH FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP OF ENGLAND AND £100 A SIDE.

ROBERT MARTINS VS JOHN McKERROW 10-6-30 at GLASGOW, SCOTLAND. McKERROW RESIGNED AFTER 46 GAMES.

MARTINS WINS TITLE.

THIS WAS THE FIRST OCCASION ON WHICH THE MATCH BOOK APPEARED IN PRINTED FORM, MANUSCRIPT COPIES HAVING BEEN CIRCULATED PREVIOUSLY.