József Szén was a Hungarian chess master

Chess master

A chess master is a chess player of such skill that he/she can usually beat chess experts, who themselves typically prevail against most amateurs. Among chess players, the term is often abbreviated to master, the meaning being clear from context....

.

He obtained a law degree and later became the municipal archivist for the city of Pest. He often played in the café Worm of Pest, playing with any opponent for a stake of 20 Kreuzers. Very strong in the endgame, he was given the nickname of the Hungarian Philidor

François-André Danican Philidor

François-André Danican Philidor , often referred to as André Danican Philidor during his lifetime, was a French composer and chess player. He contributed to the early development of the opéra comique...

. In 1836 Szén played a match in Paris with Louis-Charles Mahé de La Bourdonnais

Louis-Charles Mahé de La Bourdonnais

Louis-Charles Mahé de La Bourdonnais was a French chess master, possibly the strongest player in the early 19th century.- Early life :...

 in which La Bourdonnais gave him odds

Chess handicap

A handicap in chess is a way to enable a weaker player to have a chance of winning against a stronger one. There are many kinds of such handicaps, such as material odds, extra moves A handicap (or "odds") in chess is a way to enable a weaker player to have a chance of winning against a stronger...

 of pawn

Pawn (chess)

The pawn is the most numerous and weakest piece in the game of chess, historically representing infantry, or more particularly armed peasants or pikemen. Each player begins the game with eight pawns, one on each square of the rank immediately in front of the other pieces...

 and two moves. Szén won with 13 wins and 12 losses, and no draws

Draw (chess)

In chess, a draw is when a game ends in a tie. It is one of the possible outcomes of a game, along with a win for White and a win for Black . Usually, in tournaments a draw is worth a half point to each player, while a win is worth one point to the victor and none to the loser.For the most part,...

.

In 1839, Szén founded the Budapest Chess Club (Pesti Sakk-kor). In the same year, he lost a match to Karl Mayet

Karl Mayet

Carl Mayet was a German chess master.He was one of the most original of the Berlin Pleiades ....

 (+2 –3 =1) in Berlin. Between 1842 and 1846, he headed a Pest (Budapest) team of correspondence

Correspondence chess

Correspondence chess is chess played by various forms of long-distance correspondence, usually through a correspondence chess server, through email or by the postal system; less common methods which have been employed include fax and homing pigeon...

 players that beat a Paris team with two wins and no losses. The Hungarian team introduced the Hungarian Defense (1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Be7). The suppression of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848

Hungarian Revolution of 1848

The Hungarian Revolution of 1848 was one of many of the European Revolutions of 1848 and closely linked to other revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas...

 brought with it a ban on all club activities, including chess club

Chess club

A chess club is a club formed for the purpose of playing the board game of chess. Chess clubs provide for both informal games and timed games, often as part of an internal competition or in a league.-Organisation:...

s. The ban was in effect until 1864.

In 1836, he drew a match with Boncourt

Boncourt (chess player)

Boncourt was one of the leading chess player in France in the years between 1820 and 1840.-Short biography:Although he was one of the leading players of his time, not much is known about his life. His first name remains unknown, and the dates of his birth and death can only be estimated...

 http://www.vuse.vanderbilt.edu/~spin/chessmatches.html. Szén took fifth place at the world's first international chess tournament, London 1851

London 1851 chess tournament

right|thumb|[[Adolf Anderssen]] won both the London International Tournament and the rival London Club Tournament.London 1851 was the first international chess tournament. The tournament was conceived and organised by English player Howard Staunton, and marked the first time that the best chess...

. In the first round he beat Samuel Newham 2-0, then lost 2-4 to the tournament winner, Adolf Anderssen

Adolf Anderssen

Karl Ernst Adolf Anderssen was a German chess master. He is considered to have been the world's leading chess player in the 1850s and 1860s...

; in the third round he overcame Bernhard Horwitz

Bernhard Horwitz

Bernhard Horwitz was a German English chess master and chess writer.Horwitz was born in Neustrelitz, and went to school in Berlin, where he studied art. From 1837 to 1843, he was part of a group of German chess players known as "The Pleiades".He moved to London in 1845...

 4-0 and in the fourth round Hugh Alexander Kennedy

Hugh Alexander Kennedy

Hugh Alexander Kennedy was a British chess master.He was a former British army captain and leading London chess player. In 1844, he lost a match to Howard Staunton...

 by 4½-½. In 1852, he drew a match with Ernst Falkbeer

Ernst Falkbeer

Ernst Karl Falkbeer was an Austrian chess master and journalist.-Life and chess career:Born in Brno, Bohemia, Falkbeer moved to Vienna to study law, but ended up becoming a journalist...

 (+9 –9 =2) in Vienna. In 1853, he lost a match to Daniel Harrwitz

Daniel Harrwitz

Daniel Harrwitz was a Jewish German chess master.Harrwitz was born in Breslau in the Prussian Province of Silesia. He established his reputation in Paris, particularly as a player of blindfold games...

 (+1 –3 =1) in London.

See also

• Szén position - a defensive position in the rook and bishop versus rook endgame