Life in the Royal Navy when Evans served were the days of wooden ships and iron men. Life was a harsh, crowded a and highly disciplined existence. Sailors endured long, monotonous blockade duties, strict discipline often enforced with a whip.
The food was poor. They subsisted on a monotonous, high calorie diet designed for long term storage, primarily consisting of hardtack biscuits, salt-preserved beef or pork, oatmeal, dried peas and rum (aka grog). They also dined on food boiled in large cauldrons that producing staples like peas pudding and lob scouse, a stew of meat, biscuits and onions. On the plus side their pat was usually better thanthe Army’s.
This game was played in 1845, and it illustrates the style of the day which was characterized by the Romantic style, emphasizing quick, tactical, and attacking play rather than long term strategy.
Major highlights of the year 1845 included the first US chess championship match, the emergence of early American chess media, and publication of European chess analysis, including Howard Staunton’s The Chess Player's Chronicle.
Evans, best known today for the Evans Gambit, was born in Wales and learned to play chess in 1818 from a naval officer who first gave him Rook odds, but soon they were on equal terms.
Besides chess, Evans invented the tri-colored lighting on naval vessels to prevent collisions at night. For this invention, the British government awarded him financially and gave him a gold chronometer The Czar of Russia also awarded him financially.
His opponent in the following game was Pierre de Saint-Amamt (1800-1872) who was a regular player at the Cafe de la Regence and who had studied under Alexandre Deschapelles and Wilhelm Schlumberger. He served as editor of the editor of the chess periodical Le Palamede.
[Event "Casual game, London"]
[Site ""]
[Date "1843.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Captain William D. Evans"]
[Black "Pierre Saint Amant"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B22"]
[Annotator "Reckless"]
[PlyCount "47"]
[EventDate "1843.??.??"]
{B22: Sicilian} 1. e4 e5 2. c3 c5 {This transposes into what later became
known as the Alapin Variation of the Sicilian (1.e4 c5 2.c3) that is named
after the Russian player Semyon Alapin (1856-1923) who introduced it at the
end of the 19th century. It was a sideline, but was revived in the late 1960s
by Evgeny Sveshnikov and Evgeny Vasiukov. The transposition, however, (1.e4 c5
2.c3 e5?!) is one that is rarely seen in the Alapin and it is of questionable
worth.} 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. Bc4 Nf6 5. d4 cxd4 6. Ng5 (6. cxd4 Bb4+ 7. Nc3 exd4 8.
Nxd4 Nxe4 9. O-O Bxc3 10. bxc3 {is equal. Manukian,A (2196)-Gatterer,F (2167)
Titled Tue 2nd Aug Late chess.com INT 2022 (5)}) 6... d5 7. exd5 Nxd5 8. Nxf7 {
[%mdl 64] Played in the true Romantic style. There are a number of games in
the database, but games with this move is not one of them. It is, however, an
engine favorite!} (8. Qb3 Be6 9. Nxe6 fxe6 10. Qxb7 {Black is equal afyer 10...
Rc8. In Scerbin,D (2356)-Tersinsev,A (2011) Nalchik RUS, IPCA Ch 2014 he got
an inferior position and lost quickly after} Qc8 11. Ba6 Nde7 12. Qxc8+ Rxc8
13. Bxc8 Nxc8 14. Nd2 {and white is up the exchange.}) 8... Kxf7 9. Qf3+ {
Now on any move except the one played white regains the piece so Saint Amant
defends the N with his K.} Ke6 {Well played! The K is safe here and the
chances are quite equal.} 10. O-O {It would have been a bit better to make an
escape for the B with either 7,a4 or 7.a3} Na5 {Black is now slightly better,
but Evans has a clever retort.} 11. Bg5 {[%mdl 64] An attempt to divert the Q
from defending the N.} Qd6 (11... Qxg5 $2 {loses.} 12. Qxd5+ Ke7 13. Qxa5 Kf6 (
13... Bd7 14. Re1 Kf6 15. Qd5 Qf5 (15... Rb8 16. Qf7#) (15... Bc6 16. Qe6#) 16.
Qf7+ Kg5 {White is clearly better here, too.}) 14. h4 Qxh4 15. Qd5 Qf4 16. Nd2
Qf5 17. f4 {White is winning.}) (11... Qd7 $15 12. Bd3 Kd6 13. cxd4 Qe8) 12. g4
{[%mdl 8192] This is a gross blunder! The threat of 13.Qf5 is easily met.} Qd7
{But this is not the best way to do it.} (12... Qc6 {is much stronger.} 13. Bd3
Nf6 {Black is up a piece and his K is in no danger.}) 13. Bd3 Qf7 14. Bf5+ Kd6
15. cxd4 Bxf5 (15... exd4 {This careless move would lose...} 16. Qg3+ Kc6 17.
Rc1+ Bc5 (17... Kb6 18. Bd8+ Ka6 19. Bd3+ b5 20. Bxb5+ Kxb5 (20... Kb7) 21.
Qd3+ Kb4 22. Qa3+ Kb5 23. Qxa5#) 18. Be4 b6 19. b4 {wins}) 16. dxe5+ (16. gxf5
{was oly a bit better.} Nc6 17. dxe5+ Nxe5 {Black is a oiece up and with
careful play his K can elude all danger. Foe example...} 18. Bf4 Qxf5 19. Rd1
Ke7 20. Qxd5 Qxf4 21. Re1 Kf6) 16... Kxe5 {[%mdl 8192] A fatal error that
leaves his K exposed. He should have used the e-Pawn as a shield for his K and
played 16...Ke6. In that case he would have had a winning advantage.} 17. gxf5
{Evans has a clear win and finishes up with a relentless assault on black's
exposed K.} Nc6 {[%cal Oc6d4]} 18. Re1+ {[%mdl 32]} Kd6 {[%mdl 32]} 19. Re6+
Kc5 {Defending the B, but keeping the extra piece offers no salvation either.}
(19... Kc7 20. Qxd5 Qd7 21. Nc3 Qxd5 22. Nxd5+ Kd7 23. Rd1 {White is winning.
The threat is Nb6+} Re8 24. Ne7+ Kc7 25. Bf4+ Kb6 26. Nd5+ {wins the R.}) 20.
Be3+ Nxe3 21. Qxe3+ Kb5 22. Qd3+ Kb6 23. Qb3+ Kc7 {Black's Q is hanging.} 24.
Rxc6+ {[%mdl 576] Black resigned} 1-0
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