Owen was born in
Marchington, and obtained his early schooling at
Repton School,
Derbyshire. In 1850 he graduated from
Trinity College, Cambridge, and received his
M.A. from Cambridge three years later. He was ordained by the
Church of England in 1851, and served as
perpetual curate of
Hooton, Cheshire from 1862 to his retirement in 1900. In 1858 he won a chess game against the young American master
Paul Morphy, the world's best player, who was then touring Europe. This led to a match between the two. Despite being given
odds of pawn and the move (meaning he started the game with an extra pawn and always moved first), Owen lost the match 6–1, never winning a game. His performance in the very strong
1862 London tournament, the first international
round-robin event (in which each participant plays every other) was more impressive. He finished third, ahead of future world champion
Wilhelm Steinitz, and was the only player to win against the eventual tournament winner,
Adolf Anderssen.
Louis Paulsen placed second. This result was arguably Owen's top lifetime chess achievement. Owen continued to play frequently and often successfully in British tournaments into the 1890s, and performed strongly in several matches against top British players, who were essentially chess professionals. He never competed outside the British Isles. He died in
Twickenham. ==Legacy==