Cochrane John (04.02.1798 – 02.01.1878)

Scottish barrister of the Middle Temple and a leading London player of the early 19th century. His sacrificial style did not serve him well when he visited France in 1821. He lost a match to La Bourdonnais and at odds of pawn and two moves, he lost a match to Deschapelles. In 1824 he run the game of the London Chess Club with the chess players from Edinburgh. It was a first in chess history correspondence match between clubs. In one of the games Londoners offered an opening, later called Scottish Gambit. Cochrane left England in 1824 and sailed to Indian for business. He remained there until his retirement in 1869. There he successfully played with Indian chess players. During 1841-1943 he returned to London on vacation and played over six hundred games with Staunton, losing the majority, but won one match with Saint-Amant (+6 = 1 – 4) in 1842. Cochrane made a contribution to the development of opening theory: he worked out gambit, called after his name. His attacking style was widely admired and his large contributions were important to the London 1851 tournament. He did a lot for chess in India as well. Major work: A Treatise on the Game of Chess (1822).