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Cunningham
  
Number of games in database: 4
Years covered: 1856
Overall record: +3 -1 =0 (75.0%)*
   * Overall winning percentage = (wins+draws/2) / total games.


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CUNNINGHAM
United Kingdom

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 page 1 of 1; 4 games  PGN Download 
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
1. T Barnes vs Cunningham 0-1311856LondonC01 French, Exchange
2. Cunningham vs T Barnes  1-0521856LondonB20 Sicilian
3. Cunningham vs Loewenthal 1-0761856LondonC44 King's Pawn Game
4. Horwitz vs Cunningham 1-0521856LondonC53 Giuoco Piano
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2) | Cunningham wins | Cunningham loses  

Kibitzer's Corner
Aug-28-03
Premium Chessgames Member
  chessgames.com: Is this the same Cunningham that the Cunningham Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 Be7) was named after? Does anybody have a full name?
Aug-28-03  refutor: here's an article http://www.vistula.risp.pl/english/... i believe they list his name as "Alexander Cunningham"
Aug-28-03
Premium Chessgames Member
  chessgames.com: Thanks refutor, I think the conclusion is that the gambit is much older than the 1850's; it was discussed by Philidor et al.

<The Cunningham Gambit is first mentioned as the "Three Pawns' Gambit" by Capt. Bertin, whose little work was published in 1735. It has borne its present name since Stamma (1737, 1745) and Philidor (1749) who both refer to "its supposed inventor". ... There can be little question to which of the two Cunninghams this spirited opening is to be attributed. ... With Von der Lasa in the "Schachzeitung" and the "Handbuch" (ed. 6, p. 403), we regard it as certain that the credit of the invention belongs to the critic, Alexander Cunningham "of Block".>

So that still leaves the question, who is this fellow?

Jul-14-04  aw1988: My guess is some coffeehouse player of that time.
Jul-15-04  Lawrence: There were 2 Alexander Cunninghams, they were contemporary, and they predated Philidor. Nothing to do with this Cunningham, the one who played against Staunton and Morphy.

<chessgames's> quotation is part of http://www.astercity.net/~vistula/c... for anyone interested in finding out more about the inventor of the Cunningham Gambit.

Jun-08-05  arifattar: Whoever he was, certainly didn't believe in draws.
Dec-14-08  Karpova: <Lawrence: There were 2 Alexander Cunninghams, they were contemporary, and they predated Philidor. Nothing to do with this Cunningham, the one who played against Staunton and Morphy.>

Both Cunninghams were from Scotland, the first one lived from 1654 to 1737 and the second one from about 1655 to December 1730 (he died in 's-Gravenhage, the Netherlands).

This Cunningham might be Captain Cunningham (died 1866.12.16) or James G Cunningham (1838 to 1905) for example. <Chessgames.com>, are you sure that this player's forename was Alexander? http://db.mychess.com/ also has those games (even more) without giving a forename (except one game was played by a "J Cunningham").

Mar-23-14
Premium Chessgames Member
  Domdaniel: My niece, Isabelle Cunningham, is a keen chess player. But I don't think she invented the gambit.
Nov-17-21  mulde: My very compliments on your niece. Well, to investigate more about Mr. Al Cunningham, we easily can have a look in Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexa... "Alexander Cunningham of Block (1655–1730) was a Scottish jurist, and chess player. (...)"
Nov-17-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  Tabanus: "Captain J. Cunningham" in the newspapers. Harding has Capt. James Cunningham? I don't know where he has that from.

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