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| Fred Crane |
The regiment had gone into service in May 1861, and participated in numerous Civil War battles (for the North) from the June 27, 1862 to April, 1865. It was disbanded in June, 1865. For reasons unknown, Crane was mustered out in Trenton on July 24, 1863, having served less than a month.
In 1908, Crane founded the New Jersey Dwelling Construction Company in Newark, New Jersey.
Beyond that, little is known of Crane except that he was active in New Jersey chess and besides being a businessman and chess player, he was also interested in astronomy and music. He had gained some prominence as a lecturer in astronomy and for at least 40 years he played the organ in different churches. In chess he was considered as simply "a good amateur"
So, what's his claim to fame in the chess world? He was called the Father of the Pocket Chess Set.
Crane was first led to making a pocket chess set by his own need for
one while traveling.
The idea of a pocket set wasn't an original one...a friend had previously given him a crude set made by D. Appleton & Company, a publishing company founded by Daniel Appleton, who opened a general store which included books. He published his first book in 1831. The company's publications gradually extended over the entire field of literature. It issued the works of contemporary scientists at moderate prices.
When in 1874 Robert H. Seymour, who was later to become the editor of a chess column in the Holyoke Transscript, an afternoon daily newspaper covering the city of Holyoke, Massachusetts, came to live at Lyons Farms, New Jersey the two became good friends.
They tried playing without sight of board as they traveled into New York City everyday. Eventually they found an old set to play on, but then realized that if they each had a set it would make playing a lot more convenient.
Finding no pocket sets for sale, Crane decided to make one for himself, which he did.
Leaving home on the horse car, then taking the train, then the ferry and sometimes walking up Liberty street from the ferry with boards in hand, they soon became known to commuters as the Chess Fiends.
One morning a gentleman sitting near them asked where he could get a pocket sets like they were using and Crane decided to make one for him.
The stranger turned out to be Dr. C. C. Moore, the noted problemist and publisher of The American Chess Journal.
Through Dr. Moore, Crane formed the acquaintance of the famous Samuel Loyd, the chess player, chess composer, puzzle author and recreational mathematician. Both Moore and Lord convinced Crane to make the miniature sets in numbers for sale which he did.
In a short time chess was seen on all commuter trains on the New Jersey Central Railroad. And, it was from this beginning that pocket chess sets came into use by players throughout the world.
Crane kept in his possession as a souvenir one of his sets that that had been carried and used by Loyd in his chess work. Crane was an ardent promoter of chess and served as president of the New Jersey State Association.
As an amateur, Crane counted it an honor to have been beaten by such Lasker, Steinitz, Blackburne and other stars of lesser magnitude.
Crane learned to play chess at the age of ten and the American Chess Bulletin described him as deporting himself quietly and "his antagonists never call for a clock to time his moves."
Beyond that, I could uncover no information on Crane...no dates of his birth and death, but one 1924 reference mentioned that among the veteran chess devotees of prominence was Fred W. C. Crane of Morristown, New Jersey who was in his 82nd year; that means he would have been born in 1842 and would have been 21 when he mustered into the New Jersey militia during the Civil War.
None of Crane's games survive, so he is one from the time period during which he produced his first pocket sets. The game was played in the 3rd American Chess Congress held in Chicago, Illinois from July 7th to the 16th, 1874.
Eight US players participated in the double round event by paying an entry fee of $20. That was a steep entry fee! In 1873 $20 was the equivalent of about $497 today.
What was significant about this tournament was that for the first time in an organized US tournament draws were not required to be replayed. George Mackenzie won his second title as well as the $225 (over $5,500 today) grand prize by finishing clear first.
Frederick Elder (1841-1919) was a well-known player and former journalist, who had bouts of mental illness. He eventually became institutionalized in the Wayne County Insane Asylum which is near Detroit.
He was relocated to Traverse City on April 9, 1918 and died on September 24, 1919 at the Traverse City State Hospital; the cause of death listed was arteriosclerosis. He was buried in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
His opponent, Frederick Bock (1822-1916) was born in Germany and was an actor who had been leading man of the Memphis Opera House.
White played very well and had a good game when he did something we all have done...he made a tiny little tactical oversight and lost an otherwise well played game.
Frederick H. Elder–Frederick Bock0–1D453rd American Congress, Chicago07.07.1874Stockfish 15
QGD Semi-Slav: Meran System 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.c3 c6 4.e3 f6 5.f3 e7 6.d3 0-0 7.0-0 dxc4 8.xc4 bd7 Nowadays it's known that black's best
move is 8...b5 8...b5 After this white does not have a chance to gain
space in the center with the advance e4. 9.d3 b4 10.e4 a6 9.e4
Black has tried a variety of moves here: 9...b5 (best), 9...Re8, 9...
c5, 9...Nb6 and 9...b6 b4 10.e5 d5 11.e2 f6 12.f4 12.exf6 7xf6 13.f4 was better because black is stuck with a weak e-Pawn 12...7b6 13.b3 a5 13...fxe5 equalizes after 14.xd5 exd5 15.xe5 d6 16.e1 c4 17.xc4 xf4 18.xf4 xf4 19.g3 14.d3 e7 Either 14...f5 blocking the
center or 14...Nxf4 were better. White is now slightly better. 15.d2
Or rather he would have been after 15.exf6 15.exf6 gxf6 16.xd5 xd5 17.d2 xd2 18.xd2 followed by Rfe1 15...xd2 16.xd2 fxe5
Giving himself a weak P on e6. Again, 16...f5 would have been better. 17.xe5 h4 This move accomplishes nothing because he has no prospects on the K-side.
Eliminating white's N with 17...Nxc4 was better better try. Note that black's
has a problem getting his B and R on a8 into play. 18.df3 h5 19.ae1
f4 As mentioned previously ...Nxc4 was a better alternative, but
he has no intention of playing that. Instead, he is going to try and work up
something on the K-side. 20.e4 bd5 21.e1 The R on f1 belongs here, not
the N! b5 22.d3 b7 23.d7 f7 24.c5 e8 25.e5 g4 26.e4 Aiming for
f3, which is not playable at once. 26.f3 h3+ 27.h1 xd4 Threatening ...
Qg1+ and ...Nf2#. 28.xh7+ xh7 29.c2+ g8 30.e4 f6 31.xb7 xb7 32.gxh3 and black is slightly better. 26...f5 27.f3 h4 28.d6 This juicy
looking fork lets black right back into the game! 28.g3 drives back
black's pieces and results in white getting an edge. h3+ 29.h1 e7 30.d6 xe5 31.dxe5 f8 and white has an excellent position. 32.a3 28...xe5
But this is not the way to equality. 28...h3+ remains equal. 29.gxh3 xd4+ 30.h1 xe5 31.xe8 f4 32.e4 xh3 33.d3 33.a3 A pass to show
black's threats. f2+ 34.xf2 34.g1 g5+ 35.g2 h3+ 36.h1 g1+ 37.xg1 f2# 34...xf2 Threatening ...Qf1# 35.d3 xe1+ wins 33...f2+ 34.xf2 xf2 35.g2 g5 36.f6+ gxf6 37.d8+ f7 38.d7+ draws 29.dxe5 e7 White has a good game if he plays 30.g3. Instead, he makes a fatal slip. 30.b1 Preserving his B makes sense except it's tactically
flawed. e2+ A couple of N hops picks up some material. 31.h1 g3+ 32.g1 xf1 33.xf1 xh2 and just like that black is the exchange and a P up. 34.d3 a6 35.e4 xe5 36.c5 e3+ 37.e2 f5+ 38.e4 xb2+ 39.f1 d4
White resigned. 0–1
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