Isaac Rice - Biography

Isaac Leopold Rice (February 22, 1850 in Wachenheim, Bavaria – November 2, 1915) was a U.S. inventor and a chess patron and author.

Biography

Born in Germany, Rice emigrated to the United States in the second half of the 19th century to the USA. He was educated at the Central High School in Philadelphia. He graduated in 1880 from Columbia Law School with the degree of LL.B. In 1902 he received from Bates College the degree of LL.D. He practiced as an attorney specializing in corporate law and patents.

In 1899 Rice founded the Electric Boat Company in order to build to completion John Philip Holland's designs for the first United States Navy submarine, the "Holland VI". The Holland VI was purchased by the United States government on 11 April 1900 and commissioned for Navy service 12 October 1900 with the initial designation of and the subsequent designation of SS-1. This was the United States Navy's first submarine. This pioneering submarine was the catalyst in the creation of the Electric Boat Company founded on 7 February 1899. During World War I, Rice's company (Electric Boat) and its subsidiaries built 85 Navy submarines and 722 submarine chasers. Electric Boat is the parent company to General Dynamics Corporation and is this company's "Cold War" progeny.

Rice married Julia Hyneman Barnett in 1885. They had six children: Muriel, Dorothy, Isaac Leopold Jr., Marion, Marjorie and Julian.

Chess

An enthusiastic chess player, Rice invented the Rice Gambit and sponsored tournaments where the opening became the starting point of each game. Emanuel Lasker and Mikhail Chigorin were two of many players who contested these tournaments, with bonus prizes for white wins. In 1904 he formed the Rice Gambit Association which published a detailed analysis of the effects of the move.

Notable chess game

Rice played White in this game against Wordsworth Donisthorpe, played in London in 1892. 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 Be7 4.Bc4 Bh4+ 5.g3 fxg3 6.O-O d5 7.exd5 gxh2+ 8.Kh1 Bh3 9.Qe2+ Kf8 10.Rd1 Bg4 11.d4 Nf6 12.Nc3 Nh5 13.Ne4 f5 14.Rf1 "Fine repartee. If Black now take the knight, White recovers with advantage by 15 Nxh4+." Nd7 15.Qg2 Bf6 16.Neg5 Qe7 17.Ne6+ Kf7 18.Nfg5+ Bxg5 "A beautiful termination is here avoided if 18...Kg6 19 Qxg4 fxg4 20 Bd3+ Kh6 21 Nf7 mate." 19.Qxg4 Bxc1 20.Qxh5+ g6 21.Rxf5+ "White’s conduct of the attack is of high scientific order. This involves a well devised sacrifice of the exchange which we find sound in various intricate complications." Nf6 22.d6 "White’s play in the main deserves special marks of distinction." cxd6 23.Rxf6+ "Quite in keeping with the fine quality of the preceding train of moves on White’s part." Qxf6 24.Qd5 "White administers the quietus with this very clever stroke." b5 25.Qb7+ Qe7 26.Ng5+ Kf6 27.Ne4+ Qxe4+ 28.Qxe4 1-0 Annotations by World Champion Wilhelm Steinitz in the New York Tribune.

External links

• Short biography
• Morris view of Holland more widely accepted in our era at www.gdeb.com Isaac Leopold Rice is acknowledged at this site as a key player instrumental in the founding of John Philip Holland's company. Others who played key roles include:Elihu B. Frost, Frank Taylor Cable, Lawrence York Spear, and naval constructor, Arthur Leopold Busch.
• CorpWatch : General Dynamics at www.corpwatch.org Site covering the history of General Dynamics beginning with Electric Boat Company.
• Dutch Submarines: Bill of Complaint Electric Boat Company - J.P. Holland Ironic lawsuit filed by Isaac L. Rice and Electric Boat against John Philip Holland in October 1905.