G. Walker in Chess and chess-players[6] describes the French master as follows: One, ancient of days, walks quietly across the floor, and hats are raised in token of respect at the coming in of M. Boncourt, the Nestor of the camp.
Attired in an old-fashioned frock-coat which sweeps the ground, with a vest of scarlet, or perchance grass-green, Boncourt placidly smoothes down his silver locks, as he drops mechanically into his seat before the chess-board.
Having a comfortable pension as a retired government clerk, he takes the world as he finds it, and practices the true philosophy of resignation under every stroke of fate, whether in life or in chess.
His little dog, who followed him everywhere, became as known as him among the chess players of the Café:[9] «Quel est ce petit chien qui entre en jappant, et va s'installer tout droit sur la banquette du fond?
Joueur lent, serré, correct, mais froid, absorbé dans ses élucubrations, M. Boncourt a devancé son temps d'un demi-siècle; il eût été parfait de nos jours.
Véritable automate, il parlait peu, ne riait jamais, gagnait toujours, et se relirait à minuit, quittant l'échiquier sans la plus légère apparence de fatigue ou d'émotion, empochant son argent et son chien.»[10] In the period 1834-1836 is part of the Committee of the Paris Chess Club, who played the famous match by correspondence with the Westminster Chess Club.
The magazine The Philidoran directed by G. Walker, in 1838 published a sort of ranking of the best players of the period divided by nationality;[16] Boncourt is second in France behind De la Bourdonnais and of the same strength of St. Amant.
Comparatively weak in the mechanical openings and endings, from never having looked at a chess-book in his life, Boncourt has no superior in the capacity of piercing through the intricacies of positions of intense difficulty.
Punctuation and the notes between square parenthesis come from analysis carried out with the chess engine FireBird 1.2,[19] which indicates that Black's attack after Kieseritzky's mistake on move 21 is almost flawless.