One member of that illustrious group was John Cochrane of whom Walker proclaimed was the “most brilliant player he ever had the honor to look over or confront" and Howard Staunton eulogized Cochrane as “at once the most original and brilliant player of the day" and adding that "no collection of games would he complete without examples of (Cochrane’s) bold and subtle genius."
Of Cochrane the Marbh, 1878, American Chess Journal opined that posterity would confirm Walker’s opinion and that “Cochrane's games will remain to be admired (but not imitated)...”
John Cochrane (February 4, 1798 – March 2, 1878) was a a member of a distinguished Scottish family, noted chessplayer and lawyer of his day.
Cochrane was a midshipman in the Royal Navy and supposedly served aboard HMS Bellerophon when the ship transported Napoleon Bonaparte to Britain in 1815. The downsizing of the Navy after the end of the Napoleonic Wars ended his Naval career.
After serving in the Royal Navy, Cochrane became a barrister. While studying law, he became a very strong player and published a chess book that included what is now known as theoretician King's Gambit Accepted: Salvio, Cochrane Gambit (1.e4 es 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 g4 5. Ne5 Qh4+ 6.Kf1 f3).
Around this time he played against the French players
Louis-Charles Mahe de La Bourdonnais and Alexandre Deschapelles who were acknowledged to be Europe's strongest players at the time.
After a long tour of duty in India, he returned to the UK and beat everyone except Howard Staunton, whom he then helped to prepare for his victorious match against Pierre Charles Fournier de Saint-Amant which established Staunton as the world's leading player.
After that Cochrane returned to India where he became known as the "father of the Calcutta Bar” which was an association of barristers. While there he was also a leading member of the Calcutta Chess Club.
It was the club as well as Cochrane himself that made significant financial contributions to the first international chess tournament, London, 1851, which Staunton organized. It was a knockout tournament that was won by Adolf Anderssen who defeated Staunton in the semifinal rounf and Marmaduke Wyvill in the final round.
Cochrane continued to playing and to send games to the UK for publication. It was there that he introduced the Cochrane Gambit against the Petrov Defense (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nxf7).
When he returned to the UK for good, Cochrane played only casual games, practice law part time and wrote articles and books about law.
Here is a casual game he played against Deschapelles that is not especially flashy, nut the opening is a bit tricky as was the double Rook ending.
Alexandre Deschapelles (1780-1857) was born in Ville d'Avraym, France. He served under Napolean in the French Republican army. At the age of 14 he was in battle when a swing of a Prussian soldier sword Deschapelles’ right hand. Then defenseless a second blow slashed his face from ear to chin. After he fell to the ground he was trampled by the enemy’s horse. Somehow he survived and recovered. Thesaber wound to his face caused the phrenology enthusiasts of his era to suggest his cranial saber wounds were responsible for his amazing chess skill.
By the way, if 14 seems a bit young to be fighting in a military battle, it’s not a record! The 3 feet 1 inch tall John Gates enlisted as a drummer boy in the US Army’s 2nd Infantry at the age of 5!! That was in 1808. He re-enlisted at the age 14 14 in 1813. He got discharged in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1815, perhaps after the Battle of New Orleans.
Throughout the American Civil War, approximately 250,000-420,000 males under the age of 18 were involved in both Union and Confederate forces. It is estimated that 100,000 Union soldiers were 15 years of age or younger.
In more modern times, after Pearl Harbor in 1942, Calvin Graham lied about his age an enlisted in the US Navy at the age of 12. He was discharged after serving brig time for being AWOL not long after. Then after getting married, having a child and getting divorced, he joined the US Marine Corps at the age of 18. He received a medical discharge (back injury) 3 years later. In 1978, he was finall given an honorable discharge.
Back to Deschapelles. He was one of the strongest players of the world in the first half of the 19th century. In 1821, he overwhelmingly defeated Cochrane by a score of 6-1 in a match in which Cochrane received odds of a Pawn and two moves!
[Event "Casual game, Paris"]
[Site "Paris"]
[Date "1821.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "John Cochrane"]
[Black "Alexandre Deschapelles"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C44"]
[Annotator "Stocjfish 16"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "1821.??.??"]
{C44: Scotch Gambit} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 {[%mdl 32]} Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Bc4 {
With the Scotch Gambit, the scotch gambit white attempts to achieve an
attacking game.} Bc5 {Black can transpose into the Two Knights Defense with 4..
.Nf6} 5. Ng5 {Other possible moves are 5.O-O and 5.c3} Ne5 {Black does better
to play 5...Nh6 because white's next move give his the advantafge.} 6. Bxf7+
Nxf7 7. Nxf7 Bb4+ (7... Kxf7 {would land black in serious trouble.} 8. Qh5+ g6
9. Qxc5 {with a clear advantage.}) 8. c3 {The only correct move.} (8. Bd2 {
and it's white who is in serious trouble!} Bxd2+ 9. Qxd2 Kxf7 10. Qxd4 Ne7 {
Black is up a piece and hite has no attack.}) (8. Nd2 {is also bad.} Kxf7 9.
O-O Bxd2 10. Bxd2 h5 {Here, too, black is up a piece and white has no
compensation.}) 8... dxc3 9. bxc3 {White is clearly better, but black can at
least make a fight of it if he takes the N.} Bxc3+ (9... Kxf7 $16 10. cxb4 Nf6
11. O-O Re8 12. Nc3 d6 13. Bg5 Be6 {White is perhaps a bit better.. Cochet,C
(2071)-Martsynovskaya,M (2235) Val d'Isere 2004}) 10. Nxc3 $18 Kxf7 11. Qd5+
Kf8 12. Ba3+ d6 13. e5 {Black has reason to be concerend. His K is exposed and
white has three pieces developed.} Qg5 {The idea is not to discourage white
from castling, but to ease the defense by trading Qs after 14.exd6} 14. exd6 {
Even after allowing the trade of Qs white's position remains vastly superior.}
(14. O-O {is perfectly safe!} Bh3 {This does not work.} 15. Qf3+ Bf5 16. exd6 {
and white wins.}) 14... Qxd5 15. dxc7+ Kf7 16. Nxd5 Bd7 17. O-O Rc8 18. Bd6 Ke6
19. Bg3 Bc6 20. Rad1 {He could save the N with 20.Nb4, but the text allows an
exchange which brings him closer to victory.} Bxd5 21. Rfe1+ Kf6 22. Rxd5 Nh6
23. Ra5 Nf5 24. Rc5 Nxg3 25. hxg3 {[%mdl 4096] White has a won ending.} Kf7 26.
Rd1 $2 (26. Rf5+ $18 {was better.} Kg6 27. g4 Rhf8 28. Rxf8 Rxf8 29. Re7 Rc8
30. f4 Kf6 31. Rd7 {and wins}) 26... Rhe8 {Suddenly with his K cute off white
has considerable technical difficulties to overcome especially in a double R
ending.} 27. Rd6 Re7 {[%mdl 8192] This looks right since there is no way white
can save ti P, but it results in the loss of the game.} (27... Re6 {should
draw!} 28. Rd8 (28. Rxe6 Kxe6 {and the P falls.}) 28... Re8 {White simply
cannot exchange Rs and win, so...} 29. Rd2 Re7 30. Rdc2 Ke6 31. g4 Kd6 32. f4
Rexc7 33. Rxc7 Rxc7 34. Rxc7 Kxc7 {is a draw. For example...} 35. g5 Kd6 36. g4
b5 37. Kf2 b4 38. Ke3 Kd5 39. f5 a5 40. Kd3 a4 41. Kc2 Ke5 42. Kd3 h5 43. gxh5
Kxf5 44. h6 Kg6 45. hxg7 Kxg7 46. Kc4 b3 47. axb3 axb3 48. Kxb3) 28. Rf5+ {
Found it!} Ke8 29. Rd8+ $1 Rxd8 30. Rf8+ $1 {[%mdl 512]} Kxf8 31. cxd8=Q+ {
Black resigned. A simple, yet instructive game.} 1-0
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