Jacob Henry Sarratt (1772-1819) Jacob Henry Sarratt, born in 1772, worked primarily as schoolmaster but was much better known for his advocations which, of course, included chess. After Philidor's death, Verdoni (along with Leger, Carlier and Bernard - all four who co-authored Traité Théorique et Pratique du jeu des Echecs par une Societé d' Amateurs) was considered one of the strongest players in the world, especially in England. Verdoni had taken Philidor's place as house professional at Parsloe's. He mentored Jacob Sarratt until he died in 1804. That year Sarratt became the house professional at the Salopian at Charing Cross in London and most of his contemporaries considered him London's strongest player. There he claimed the title of Professor of Chess while teaching chess at the price of a guinea per game. By any measure Surratt was not a particularly strong player, but he was able to maintain the illusion that he was by avoiding the stronger players as he lorded over his students who didn't know better. Sarratt's most important contributiion to chess was that he mentored William Lwewis who in turn mentored Alexander McDonnell. Surratt had a strange notion that chess culminated in the 16th century and that everything since then had been a step backwards. This odd notion had a positive side. Philidor was the darling of the English chess scene. Almost all books at that time were versions of, or at least based on, Philidor's book. Surratt at least kept open the possiblitly that there were ideas beyond those of Philidor. In 1808, true to his role as a teacher, Surratt published his Treatise on the Game of Chess, a book that mainly concentrated on direct attacks on the king which he lifted from the Modense writers. He translated several older writers whom he admired (though his translations are not consider particularly good): The Works of Damiano, Ruy Lopez and Salvio in 1813. The Works of Gianutio and Gustavus Selenus in 1817. In 1921 a posthumous edition of his Treatise, A New Treatise on the Game of Chess, was published. This copy covered the game of chess as a whole and was designed for the novice player. It also contained a 98 page analysis of the Muzio. In addition to his chess books, Surratt also published [i]History of Man in 1802, A New Picture of London[/i] in 1803 He translated Three Monks!!! from French in 1803 and Koenigsmark the Robber from German in 1803. His second wife, Elizabeth Camillia Dufour, was also a writer. In 1803 (before they were married, which was 1804), she published a novel called Aurora or the Mysterious Beauty. They were married the following year. His first wife had died in 1802 at the age of 18. Both his wives were from Jersey. Contrary to what one might expect, Sarratt has been described tall, lean and muscular and had even been a prize-fighter at one point. He had also breeded dogs for fighting. He was regarded as a very affable fellow and very well-read but with limited taste. William Hazlitt, in his essay On Coffee-House Politicians wrote: [Dr. Whittle] was once sitting where Sarratt was playing a game at chess without seeing the board... Sarratt, who was a man of various accomplishments, afterwards bared his arm to convince us of his muscular strength... Sarratt, the chess-player, was an extraordinary man. He had the same tenacious, epileptic faculty in other things that he had at chess, and could no more get any other ideas out of his mind than he could those of the figures on the board. He was a great reader, but had not the least taste. Indeed the violence of his memory tyrannised over and destroyed all power of selection. He could repeat [all] Ossian by heart, without knowing the best passage from the worst; and did not perceive he was tiring you to death by giving an account of the breed, education, and manners of fighting-dogs for hours together. The sense of reality quite superseded the distinction between the pleasurable and the painful. He was altogether a mechanical philosopher." Somewhere along the way there must have come about a complete reversal of his fortunes because Surratt died impoverished in 1819, leaving his wife destitute. But the resiliant Elizabeth Sarratt was able to support herself by giving chess lessons to the aristocracy of Paris. She must have been very well liked. In 1843 when she herself became old and unable to provide for herself, players from both England and France took up a fund to help her out. She lived until 1846. Some games by Jacob Henry Sarratt: [Event "Unknown"] [Site "Unknown"] [Date "1810.??.??"] [Result "0-1"] [White "J Sarratt"] [Black "NN"] 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. Bc4 g4 5. O-O gxf3 6. Qxf3 Bh6 7. c3 Nc6 8. d4 Qe7 9. e5 Nxe5 10. dxe5 Qc5+ 11. Kh1 Qxc4 12. Na3 Qc6 13. Qh5 Qg6 14. Qf3 Ne7 15. Nb5 Kd8 16. Bxf4 Bxf4 17. Qxf4 Rg8 18. Rf2 a6 19. Nd4 b6 20. g3 Bb7+ 21. Kg1 Rg7 22. Qf6 Ke8 23. Raf1 Bd5 24. b3 c5 25. c4 cxd4 26. cxd5 Nxd5 27. Qf3 Qc6 28. e6 dxe6 29. Re1 Rc8 30. Re5 Ne3 31. Rxe3 Qc1+ 32. Kg2 dxe3 33. Rf1 Qd2+ 34. Kh3 e2 35. Rf2 Qh6+ 36. Kg2 e1=N+ 37. Kh1 Nxf3 0-1 [Event "Unknown"] [Site "Unknown"] [Date "1810.??.??"] [Result "0-1"] [White "NN"] [Black "J Sarratt"] 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. Bc4 g4 5. O-O gxf3 6. Qxf3 Qe7 7. d4 Nc6 8. c3 Ne5 9. dxe5 Qc5+ 10. Kh1 Qxc4 11. Bxf4 Bh6 12. Nd2 Qe6 13. Nb3 d6 14. Nd4 Qg4 15. exd6 Qxf3 16. Rxf3 Bxf4 17. Rxf4 cxd6 18. Nb5 Ke7 19. Rd1 Be6 20. Nxd6 Rd8 21. e5 Nh6 22. c4 b6 23. b4 Rhg8 24. c5 Rg5 25. Re1 Nf5 26. h3 Ng3+ 27. Kh2 Bd5 28. Rf2 Rdg8 29. c6 Nf5 30. Nxf5+ Rxf5 31. Ree2 Rxf2 32. Rxf2 Bxg2 0-1 [Event "Unknown"] [Site "Unknown"] [Date "1810.??.??"] [Result "0-1"] [White "Unknown"] [Black "J Sarratt"] 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. Bc4 g4 5. O-O gxf3 6. Qxf3 Bh6 7. e5 Nc6 8. c3 Qe7 9. Qd5 Nxe5 10. Bb3 Nf6 11. Qb5 c6 12. Qe2 f3 13. gxf3 Rg8+ 14. Kh1 d5 15. Na3 Ng6 16. Qf2 Nf4 17. Re1 Be6 18. Qd4 Nh3 19. Qh4 Bg5 20. Qa4 Bxd2 21. Rf1 Qc5 22. Qd4 Qxd4 23. cxd4 Bxc1 24. Raxc1 Kd7 25. f4 Bg4 26. Rc3 Ne4 27. Rg3 Be2 28. Re1 Bf3+ 29. Rxf3 Nhf2+ 30. Rxf2 Nxf2# 0-1 [Event "Unknown"] [Site "Unknown"] [Date "1816.??.??"] [Result "1/2-1/2"] [White "J Sarratt"] [Black "W Lewis"] 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. Bc4 g4 5. Ne5 Qh4+ 6. Kf1 f3 7. g3 Qh3+ 8. Kf2 Qg2+ 9. Ke3 Bh6+ 10. Kd3 d5 11. Bxd5 c6 12. Bxf7+ Ke7 13. Qf1 Kf6 14. Bxg8 Kxe5 15. Bb3 Rd8+ 16. Kc3 Bg7 17. d3 Kd6+ 18. d4 Kc7 19. Bf4+ Kb6 20. e5 a5 21. Nd2 Ka7 22. Qxg2 fxg2 23. Rhg1 b5 24. Ne4 Bf5 25. Rae1 Na6 26. a3 c5 27. Nxc5 Rac8 28. Bf7 Nxc5 29. dxc5 Rxc5+ 30. Kb3 Rxc2 31. Rc1 Rdc8 32. Rxc2 Rxc2 33. Bd5 Re2 34. Rxg2 Re1 1/2-1/2 [Event "London"] [Site "London"] [Date "1818.??.??"] [Result "1-0"] [White "Sarratt"] [Black "NN"] 1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e3 b5 4. a4 Bd7 5. axb5 Bxb5 6. Nc3 Ba6 7. Qf3 c6 8. Rxa6 Nxa6 9. Qxc6+ Qd7 10. Qxa8+ Qd8 11. Qc6+ Qd7 12. Qxa6 1-0 [Event "Unknown"] [Site "Unknown"] [Date "1818.??.??"] [Result "1-0"] [White "J Sarratt"] [Black "NN"] 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. Bc4 Bg7 5. h4 h6 6. d4 d6 7. c3 c6 8. Qb3 Qe7 9. O-O b5 10. Bd3 g4 11. Nh2 Qxh4 12. Rxf4 Nf6 13. e5 Nd5 14. Rf1 g3 15. Nf3 Qh5 16. exd6 Bg4 17. Re1+ Kd7 18. Nbd2 Re8 19. Rxe8 Kxe8 20. Qd1 Nd7 21. Qe1+ Kf8 22. Qxg3 Re8 23. Ne4 Bxf3 24. Qxf3 Qxf3 25. gxf3 f5 26. Nc5 1-0 [Event "England"] [Site "England"] [Date "1818.??.??"] [Result "1-0"] [White "J Sarratt"] [Black "NN"] 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. Bc4 Bg7 5. h4 h6 6. d4 d6 7. c3 Bg4 8. Qb3 Bxf3 9. Bxf7+ Kf8 10. gxf3 b6 11. hxg5 hxg5 12. Rxh8 Bxh8 13. Bxg8 1-0 [Event "Unknown"] [Site "Unknown"] [Date "1818.??.??"] [Result "1-0"] [White "J Sarratt"] [Black "NN"] 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. Bc4 Bg7 5. h4 g4 6. Ng5 Nh6 7. d4 f6 8. Bxf4 fxg5 9. hxg5 Ng8 10. Qxg4 d5 11. Qh5+ Kf8 12. Bxd5 Qe7 13. O-O Bxd4+ 14. Be3+ Bf6 15. gxf6 Nxf6 16. Bh6+ Qg7 17. Qf7# 1-0 [Event "ENG"] [Site "ENG"] [Date "1818.??.??"] [Result "1-0"] [White "J Sarratt"] [Black "NN"] 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. Bc4 Bg7 5. h4 h6 6. d4 d6 7. c3 c6 8. Qb3 Qe7 9. O-O Nd7 10. hxg5 hxg5 11. Nxg5 Qxg5 12. Bxf7+ Kf8 13. Bxf4 Qh4 14. Bxd6+ Ne7 15. Bg6+ Nf6 16. Qf7# 1-0 [Event "Unknown"] [Site "Unknown"] [Date "1818.??.??"] [Result "1-0"] [White "J Sarratt"] [Black "NN"] 1. e4 e5 2. f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4. Bc4 Bg7 5. h4 h6 6. d4 d6 7. c3 c6 8. Qb3 Qe7 9. O-O b5 10. Bd3 Bb7 11. a4 a6 12. axb5 axb5 13. Rxa8 Bxa8 14. Qa3 Bb7 15. Qa7 Na6 16. hxg5 hxg5 17. Nxg5 Qxg5 18. Qxb7 Qh4 19. Qxc6+ Ke7 20. Bxf4 Qh1+ 21. Kf2 Qh4+ 22. g3 Qh2+ 23. Ke1 Qxb2 24. Bxd6+ Kd8 25. Qb6+ Kd7 26. Bxb5+ Ke6 27. d5# 1-0