New Orleans, LA, United States; 1 December 1845—26 December 1845
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 Wins
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Stanley 1 1 1 ½ 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 ½ ½ 1 0 0 1 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 0 ½ 1 1 1 15
Rousseau 0 0 0 ½ 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 ½ ½ 0 1 1 0 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 1 ½ 0 0 0 8
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Format: The winner of the first fifteen games to be declared the victor, draws not counting.
Time Control: None.
Prize: $1000 ($500 a side).
Introduction
Charles Henry Stanley was the unofficial United States' champion from 1845 when he defeated Eugene Rousseau in this match until 1857 when he was defeated by Paul Morphy.
Stanley was an English diplomat who came to the USA in 1843 and lived there until 1860. He also founded the American Chess Magazine in 1846.
Rousseau was a French master who emigrated in 1841 from France to the United States, settling in New Orleans.
This match was played for a stake of $1,000 at the New Orleans Chess Club, 1st-26th December 1845. $1,000 in 1845 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $34,418.68 (2021).
The first player to win 15 games would win the match. Games 1-18 with light notes may be found in Stanley's chess column in the <Spirit of the Times> starting in late December 1845 and continuing through January 1846 http://www.chessarch.com/excavation... or the timeline http://www.chessarch.com/excavation....
Stanley was in New Orleans for the match, so his column was being guest-edited. Soon after the match concluded, Stanley published a small booklet with all of the games, and this, along with the desire to move on to more current matters (his match with John William Schulten, for example), meant that Games 19-31 were not published in his column.
Although very young, Paul Morphy attended the match. His uncle, Ernest Morphy, was Rousseau's second.
Source
Thirty-One Games at Chess, Stanley, New Orleans 1846
Kibitzing
