La Bourdonnais

Louis-Charles Mahé de La BourdonnaisHis name is rendered "Labourdonnais" in some sources. (1795–1840) was probably the world's best chess player around 1830.Hooper D. & Whyld K. 1996. The Oxford companion to chess, 2nd ed. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-280049-3 Born in Réunion, he followed Deschapelles as the top professional at the Café de la Régence, Paris. 

La Bourdonnais beat the British player Alexander McDonnell, who was the son of a doctor in Dublin. At this time McDonnell was based in London, and had taken chess lessons from William Lewis, the top London professional at the time. The two matches between La Bourdonnais and McDonnell were played at the Café de la Régence in 1834. This series was a total of 85 games.

Both men died soon afterwards, La Bourdonnais of dropsy.

He died penniless in London in December 1840.Crescendo of the virtuoso: spectacle, skill, and self-promotion in Paris during the Age of Revolution. Paul Metzner, Berkeley:  University of California Press,  c1998 1998. He was forced to sell his possessions, including his clothes, to pay his creditors. He is buried in Kensal Green Cemetery, London. Sergeant, Philip W. 1934. A century of British chess. David McKay, p39.

 References 

Category:French chess players
Category:1795 births
Category:1840 deaths
Category:People from Réunion