# Philipp Hirschfeld > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Philipp_Hirschfeld > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Philipp_Hirschfeld.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philipp_Hirschfeld > Source revision: 1351400729 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|German chess player and theoretician (1840–1896)}} {{More citations needed|date=April 2026}} '''Philipp Hirschfeld''' (1 October 1840 – 4 October 1896) was a German [chess](/source/chess) player and theoretician.Egbert Meissenburg, ''Juden im Schachleben Deutschlands 1830-1930'' in ''Menora: Jahrbuch für deutsch-jüdische Geschichte 1996'' Hirschfeld was born in [Königsberg](/source/K%C3%B6nigsberg), [Prussia](/source/Prussia), and came from an affluent background. He learned the game of chess as a child in Königsberg, and by the time he went to [Berlin](/source/Berlin) in 1859 to study, he was already a very strong player and theoretician. He was in the editorial department of the [Deutschen Schachzeitung](/source/Deutsche_Schachzeitung), where he published analysis of opening theory. During his time in Berlin, he played matches with [Carl Mayet](/source/Carl_Mayet) and [Berthold Suhle](/source/Berthold_Suhle) (+0 -7 = 2) in 1860, and with [Adolf Anderssen](/source/Adolf_Anderssen) (+10, -14, =5) and [Gustav Neumann](/source/Gustav_Neumann) in 1861. In 1863 Hirschfeld finished his studies and joined his father's business. In [London](/source/London), he founded the Königsberg Tea Company, with branches in [Königsberg](/source/K%C3%B6nigsberg), [Moscow](/source/Moscow) and [China](/source/China). Hirschfeld's profession left him no time for international tournaments, but on his business trips he met up with the best players of his time and occasionally contested matches with them. In 1865 he drew a match with [Ignaz von Kolisch](/source/Ignaz_von_Kolisch) in [Paris](/source/Paris) 4-4 (+4, -4, =0), and in 1865 he lost a match in Moscow against [Sergey Urusov](/source/Sergey_Semyonovich_Urusov) 2-3 (+1, -2, =2). Hirschfeld also played individual games against [Wilhelm Steinitz](/source/Wilhelm_Steinitz), [Johann Jacob Löwenthal](/source/Johann_Jacob_L%C3%B6wenthal), [Bernhard Horwitz](/source/Bernhard_Horwitz) and [Cecil De Vere](/source/Cecil_De_Vere). In 1873 he took up permanent residence in London, where he was a frequent analysis partner of [Johannes Zukertort](/source/Johannes_Zukertort). From that time he regularly lived a few months of the year in Berlin. He died in 1896 in [Wannsee](/source/Wannsee), [Berlin](/source/Berlin). According to the [chessmetrics](/source/chessmetrics) website, his best historical Elo rating was 2600, which he attained in October 1864. Between 1862 and 1866 he was ranked 4th in the world. ==Further reading== *{{cite book | author=Renette, Hans and Zavatarelli, Fabrizio | title=Neumann, Hirschfeld and Suhle: 19th Century Berlin Chess Biographies With 711 Games | year=2018 | publisher= McFarland & Company | isbn=978-1476673790}} ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== *{{chessgames player|id=16010}} {{authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Hirschfeld, Philipp}} Category:1840 births Category:1896 deaths Category:Sportspeople from Königsberg Category:People from the Province of Prussia Category:19th-century German Jews Category:German chess writers Category:Jewish chess players Category:German male non-fiction writers Category:19th-century German chess players Category:19th-century German sportsmen Category:Sportspeople from the Kingdom of Prussia Category:19th-century German male writers --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Philipp Hirschfeld](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philipp_Hirschfeld) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philipp_Hirschfeld?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.