| Sam Loyd | |
|---|---|
| Born | Samuel Loyd January 30, 1841 Philadelphia, USA |
| Died | April 11, 1911 (aged 70) |
| Known for | Chess, Puzzles, Mathematical games |
Samuel Loyd (January 30, 1841 – April 10, 1911),[1] born in Philadelphia and raised in New York, was an American chess player, chess composer, puzzle author, and recreational mathematician.
As a chess composer, he authored a number of chess problems, often with interesting themes. At his peak, Loyd was one of the best chess players in the U.S., and was ranked 15th in the world, according to chessmetrics.com. His playing style was flawed, as he tried to create fantastic combinations over the board, rather than simplifying and going for the win.
He played in the strong Paris 1867 chess tournament (won by Ignatz von Kolisch) with little success, placing near the bottom of the field.
Following his death, his book Cyclopedia of 5000 Puzzles[2] was published (1914) by his son. His son, named after his father, dropped the "Jr" from his name and started publishing reprints of his father's puzzles.[3] Loyd was inducted into the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame.
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Loyd is widely acknowledged as one of America's great puzzle-writers and popularizers, often mentioned as the greatest—Martin Gardner calls him "America's greatest puzzler", and The Strand in 1898 dubbed him "the prince of puzzlers".
However, he is also known for lies and self-promotion, and criticized on these grounds—Martin Gardner's assessment continues "but also obviously a hustler", Canadian puzzler Mel Stover called Loyd "an old reprobate", and Matthew Costello calls him both "puzzledom's greatest celebrity...popularizer, genius," but also "huckster...and fast-talking snake oil salesman."[4]
Loyd claimed from 1891 until his death in 1911 that he invented the fifteen puzzle, for example writing in the Cyclopedia of Puzzles (published 1914), p. 235:
This is false—Loyd had nothing to do with the invention or popularity of the puzzle, and in any case the craze was in 1880, not the early 1870s:[5]
An enthusiast of Tangram puzzles, Loyd published a book of seven hundred unique Tangram designs and a fanciful history of the origin of the Tangram, which was, however, presented as true, and has been described as "Sam Loyd's Most Successful Hoax".[6]
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One of his best known chess problems is the following, called "Excelsior" by Loyd after the poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. White is to move and checkmate black in five moves against any defense:
Loyd bet a friend that he could not pick a piece that didn't give mate in the main line, and when it was published in 1861 it was with the stipulation that white mates with "the least likely piece or pawn".
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One of the most famous chess problems by Loyd. He wrote on this problem: "The originality of the problem is due to the White King being placed in absolute safety, and yet coming out on a reckless career, with no immediate threat and in the face of innumerable checks".[7]
Another of Loyd's notable puzzles was the "Trick Donkeys". It was based on a similar puzzle involving dogs published in 1857. In the problem, the solver must cut the drawing along the dotted lines and rearrange the three pieces so that the riders appear to be riding the donkeys.
This is one of Sam Loyd's most famous puzzles. Loyd's original instructions were to:
Start from that heart in the center and go three steps in a straight line in any one of the eight directions, north, south, east or west, or on the bias, as the ladies say, northeast, northwest, southeast or southwest. When you have gone three steps in a straight line, you will reach a square with a number on it, which indicates the second day's journey, as many steps as it tells, in a straight line in any of the eight directions. From this new point when reached, march on again according to the number indicated, and continue on, following the requirements of the numbers reached, until you come upon a square with a number which will carry you just one step beyond the border, when you are supposed to be out of the woods and can holler all you want, as you will have solved the puzzle.
First printed in the New York Journal and Advertiser, April 24, 1898 (as far as available evidence indicates).
The solution exists and can be found at details of Back from the Klondike puzzle.
