Where Did Pocket Chess Sets Come From?

Fred Crane

     On June 27, 1863 at Trenton, New Jersey, Fred W. C. Crane enlisted as a 1st Sergeant into H Company of New Jersey's 1st Militia Infantry. 

     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.

[Event "3rd American Congress, Chicago"] [Site ""] [Date "1874.07.07"] [Round "?"] [White "Frederick H. Elder"] [Black "Frederick Bock"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D45"] [Annotator "Stockfish 15"] [PlyCount "78"] [EventDate "1874.07.07"] {QGD Semi-Slav: Meran System} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. e3 Nf6 5. Nf3 Be7 6. Bd3 O-O 7. O-O dxc4 8. Bxc4 Nbd7 {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. Bd3 b4 10. Ne4 Ba6) 9. e4 { [%mdl 32] Black has tried a variety of moves here: 9...b5 (best), 9...Re8, 9... c5, 9...Nb6 and 9...b6} Bb4 10. e5 Nd5 11. Ne2 f6 12. Nf4 (12. exf6 N7xf6 13. Nf4 {was better because black is stuck with a weak e-Pawn}) 12... N7b6 13. Qb3 Ba5 (13... fxe5 {equalizes after} 14. Bxd5 exd5 15. Nxe5 Bd6 16. Re1 Nc4 17. Nxc4 Bxf4 18. Bxf4 Rxf4 19. Qg3) 14. Nd3 Qe7 {Either 14...f5 blocking the center or 14...Nxf4 were better. White is now slightly better.} 15. Bd2 { [%mdl 2048] Or rather he would have been after 15.exf6} (15. exf6 gxf6 16. Bxd5 Nxd5 17. Bd2 Bxd2 18. Nxd2 {followed by Rfe1}) 15... Bxd2 16. Nxd2 fxe5 { Giving himself a weak P on e6. Again, 16...f5 would have been better.} 17. Nxe5 Qh4 {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. Ndf3 Qh5 19. Rae1 { [%mdl 32]} Nf4 {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. Re4 Nbd5 21. Ne1 {The R on f1 belongs here, not the N!} b5 22. Bd3 Bb7 23. Nd7 Rf7 24. Nc5 Re8 25. Re5 Qg4 26. Ne4 {Aiming for f3, which is not playable at once.} (26. f3 Nh3+ 27. Kh1 Qxd4 {Threatening ... Qg1+ and ...Nf2#.} 28. Bxh7+ Kxh7 29. Qc2+ Kg8 30. Re4 Qf6 31. Nxb7 Rxb7 32. gxh3 {and black is slightly better.}) 26... Rf5 27. f3 Qh4 28. Nd6 {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.} Nh3+ 29. Kh1 Qe7 30. Nd6 Rxe5 31. dxe5 Rf8 {and white has an excellent position.} 32. Qa3) 28... Rxe5 { But this is not the way to equality.} (28... Nh3+ {remains equal.} 29. gxh3 Qxd4+ 30. Kh1 Rxe5 31. Nxe8 Nf4 32. Be4 Nxh3 33. Qd3 (33. a3 {A pass to show black's threats.} Nf2+ 34. Rxf2 (34. Kg1 Rg5+ 35. Ng2 Nh3+ 36. Kh1 Qg1+ 37. Rxg1 Nf2#) 34... Qxf2 {Threatening ...Qf1#} 35. Qd3 Qxe1+ {wins}) 33... Nf2+ 34. Rxf2 Qxf2 35. Ng2 Rg5 36. Nf6+ gxf6 37. Qd8+ Kf7 38. Qd7+ {draws}) 29. dxe5 Re7 {White has a good game if he plays 30.g3. Instead, he makes a fatal slip.} 30. Bb1 {[%mdl 8192] Preserving his B makes sense except it's tactically flawed.} Ne2+ {A couple of N hops picks up some material.} 31. Kh1 Ng3+ 32. Kg1 Nxf1 33. Kxf1 Qxh2 {and just like that black is the exchange and a P up.} 34. Qd3 Ba6 35. Ne4 Qxe5 36. Nc5 Ne3+ 37. Ke2 Nf5+ 38. Ne4 Qxb2+ 39. Kf1 Qd4 { White resigned.} 0-1