The chess games of Eugene Rousseau

Eugene Rousseau
Number of games in database: 61
Years covered: 1841 to 1867
Overall record: +13 -39 =9 (28.7%)*
   * Overall winning percentage = (wins+draws/2) / total games
      Based on games in the database; may be incomplete.

Repertoire Explorer
Most played openings
C50 Giuoco Piano (12 games)
D30 Queen's Gambit Declined (6 games)
C44 King's Pawn Game (5 games)
B21 Sicilian, 2.f4 and 2.d4 (5 games)
C52 Evans Gambit (4 games)
C01 French, Exchange (2 games)
C30 King's Gambit Declined (2 games)
C51 Evans Gambit (2 games)
C70 Ruy Lopez (2 games)
C62 Ruy Lopez, Old Steinitz Defense (2 games)

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EUGENE ROUSSEAU
(born 1810, died 1870) France (citizen of United States of America)

[what is this?]

Eugčne Rousseau was a distant relative to Jean Jacques Rousseau. In 1839, he lost a 100-game match to Lionel Adalbert Bagration Felix Kieseritsky at the Café de la Regeance. Rousseau came to the United States in 1841, settling in New Orleans. In 1841, he lost to John William Schulten in their first match in New Orleans (+10-11=0). In their second match in 1841, Rousseau defeated John William Schulten (+7-4=0). In 1842, he drew a match with B. Oliver (5.5-5.5). In 1843, Rousseau defeated John William Schulten in a match in New York (+13-8=0). With Ernest Morphy as his 2nd in December 1845, Rousseau played Charles Henry Stanley at the Sazerac Coffee House in New Orleans for a stake of $1,000, winner-take-all. It was the first organized chess event in the United States and the first chess event held for the purpose of recognizing the best player in the Unites States. The term “US Champion” did not exist at the time. The match was to be won by the first player to win 15 games, draws not counting. There was no time limit to the games. Rousseau lost the match (+8-15=8). Paul Morphy attended the match at the age of 8 and became interested in chess. In 1850, Rousseau lost a match with Johann Jacob Loewenthal (+0-5). In 1867, Rousseau played in an international tournament in Paris with 12 other players. He took last place with 4 points out of 23. The tournament was won by Ignatz Von Kolisch.

page 1 of 3; games 1-25 of 61

Game	Result	Moves	Year	Event/Locale	Opening
1. J Schulten vs E Rousseau	0-1	33	1841	New Orleans	C33 King's Gambit Accepted
2. E Rousseau vs Saint Amant	0-1	35	1842	Paris	B21 Sicilian, 2.f4 and 2.d4
3. Saint Amant vs E Rousseau	0-1	45	1842	Paris	C44 King's Pawn Game
4. Saint Amant vs E Rousseau	1-0	29	1843	Paris	C44 King's Pawn Game
5. E Rousseau vs Saint Amant	½-½	50	1843	Paris	B20 Sicilian
6. C Stanley vs E Rousseau	0-1	28	1845	New Orleans m ;HCL 34	C00 French Defense
7. E Rousseau vs C Stanley	½-½	60	1845	New Orleans m ;HCL 34	C64 Ruy Lopez, Classical
8. C Stanley vs E Rousseau	½-½	66	1845	New Orleans m ;HCL 34	B21 Sicilian, 2.f4 and 2.d4
9. E Rousseau vs C Stanley	½-½	58	1845	New Orleans m ;HCL 34	C01 French, Exchange
10. C Stanley vs E Rousseau	1-0	63	1845	New Orleans m ;HCL 34	C23 Bishop's Opening
11. E Rousseau vs C Stanley	1-0	37	1845	New Orleans m ;HCL 34	C44 King's Pawn Game
12. C Stanley vs E Rousseau	0-1	55	1845	New Orleans m ;HCL 34	C50 Giuoco Piano
13. E Rousseau vs C Stanley	0-1	55	1845	New Orleans m ;HCL 34	D30 Queen's Gambit Declined
14. C Stanley vs E Rousseau	1-0	49	1845	New Orleans m ;HCL 34	C50 Giuoco Piano
15. E Rousseau vs C Stanley	0-1	66	1845	New Orleans m ;HCL 34	C01 French, Exchange
16. C Stanley vs E Rousseau	0-1	54	1845	New Orleans m ;HCL 34	D30 Queen's Gambit Declined
17. E Rousseau vs C Stanley	0-1	18	1845	New Orleans m ;HCL 34	D30 Queen's Gambit Declined
18. C Stanley vs E Rousseau	1-0	36	1845	New Orleans m ;HCL 34	C50 Giuoco Piano
19. E Rousseau vs C Stanley	1-0	69	1845	New Orleans m ;HCL 34	C70 Ruy Lopez
20. C Stanley vs E Rousseau	½-½	48	1845	New Orleans m ;HCL 34	B40 Sicilian
21. E Rousseau vs C Stanley	0-1	37	1845	New Orleans m ;HCL 34	C44 King's Pawn Game
22. C Stanley vs E Rousseau	1-0	19	1845	New Orleans m ;HCL 34	B21 Sicilian, 2.f4 and 2.d4
23. E Rousseau vs C Stanley	½-½	50	1845	New Orleans m ;HCL 34	C53 Giuoco Piano
24. C Stanley vs E Rousseau	1-0	34	1845	New Orleans m ;HCL 34	C50 Giuoco Piano
25. E Rousseau vs C Stanley	1-0	40	1845	New Orleans m ;HCL 34	C70 Ruy Lopez


page 1 of 3; games 1-25 of 61

REFINE SEARCH: White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2) | Rousseau wins | Rousseau loses

Jun-27-05		Knight13: Eugčne Rousseau (c.1810 - c.1870) was a French chess master. He was the strongest chess player in New Orleans in the first half of the 1840s. In 1845 he played a match against the Englishman Charles Stanley for the title of chess champion of the US, the first contest ever for that title. The match was played for a stake of $1000. Rousseau lost the match (+8=8-15) and Stanley became the first US Champion. Rousseau's second in the match was Ernest Morphy, who took his eight-year-old nephew Paul Morphy along and allowed him to be present for the contests. Later, Paul was allowed to play Rousseau, and it became clear that Paul was a better player, despite his young age. In 1850 Johann Löwenthal paid a visit to New Orleans, and beat Rousseau five games straight. Against Winawer, he did better. He beat Winawer with black pieces in Paris in 1867 (moves given in Algebraic chess notation): 1. e4 e5 2. f4 Bc5 3. Nf3 d6 4. c3 Bg4 5. Bc4 Nd7 6. h3 Bxf3 7. Qxf3 Qe7 8. a4 a6 9. b4 Ba7 10. Na3 Ngf6 11. f5 c6 12. d3 h6 13. Nc2 Rd8 14. Be3 Bb8 15. O-O Nh7 16. Qg4 Qf8 17. h4 Ndf6 18. Qf3 Qe7 19. g4 d5 20. Bc5 Bd6 21. Bxd6 Qxd6 22. Bb3 O-O 23. Rad1 g5 24. Ne3 Kg7 25. h5 Rfe8 26. Rf2 Nf8 27. Rb2 b5 28. Ra2 d4 29. axb5 axb5 30. Nc2 Ra8 31. Rxa8 Rxa8 32. cxd4 exd4 33. Kg2 N8d7 34. Qf2 Nxg4 35. Qxd4+ Qxd4 36. Nxd4 Ne3+ 37. Kf3 Nxd1 38. Bxd1 Ne5+ 39. Ke3 Ra1 40. Be2 Rb1 41. Nf3 Nxf3 42. Bxf3 Rxb4 43. e5 c5 44. Bc6 Rb1 45. Ke4 b4 46. Kd5 b3 47. Kd6 b2 48. Ke7 Re1 49. f6+ Kg8 50. Be4 Rxe4 51. dxe4 b1=Q 52. Kd6 Qxe4 0-1 Rousseau died in 1870 at the age of sixty. --- Wikipedia

Oct-04-05		Astardis: He invented the Rousseau Gambit, reached after 1. e4 e5 2. Nf2 Nc6 3. Bc4 f5 Personally, I like to play it in speedy games. Only one of the games given above shows him playing his own gambit. Although I guess he used it on other occasions, as well.

Jan-27-06		BishopofBlunder: Anybody else notice that the first two games in the database took place 9 years prior to his birth?

Jan-22-07		wolfmaster: BishopofBlunder, I think that either Rousseau played those games later, or it was a no-name Rousseau that played those games before Eugene's time.

Jun-11-08		Karpova: Eugene Rousseau was born in St. Denis and his historical Elo was 2370.

Aug-04-09		Dredge Rivers: Any relation to Jean-Jacques?

Nov-18-12		Llawdogg: Yes, a distant relation.

Jan-16-13		thomastonk: The biography reports on three matches with John William Schulten in 1841 and 1843, respectively, and the results are those published by Charles Henry Stanley in the "New York Spirit of the Times" on June 21, 1845 on request of Rousseau. On July 5, 1845 Stanley reports in the same journal on a communication with Schulten, who claimed that he had only played one match with Rousseau. According to Schulten this match consisted of 21 games and he "succeeded by the odd game".

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C50		Giuoco Piano (12 games)
D30		Queen's Gambit Declined (6 games)
C44		King's Pawn Game (5 games)
B21		Sicilian, 2.f4 and 2.d4 (5 games)
C52		Evans Gambit (4 games)
C01		French, Exchange (2 games)
C30		King's Gambit Declined (2 games)
C51		Evans Gambit (2 games)
C70		Ruy Lopez (2 games)
C62		Ruy Lopez, Old Steinitz Defense (2 games)