Online Museum of Checkers History

Greetings All !!!

We hope you have enjoyed the Shearer Exhibit ! If you would like to comment on the article, feel free to join the forum and post.

Best regards and thanx for visiting !!!

Jay

Greetings All,
I had written to Liam with the following..

"I was wondering about Shearer and Jordan's visit to America .
(Quoting from the exhibit text....)
"Henry and Richard Jordan, the world draughts champion were the only two members of the Scottish team to accept an invitation to play in America (1909 or prior). They were hosted by the Manhattan Chess Club and various American and Canadian draughts clubs came to play them. Jordan would take on the top man head to head, Henry would take on the rest simultaneously, himself blindfolded. "
I know of only two times Jordan visited America.....the Barker match, and the 1st GB/US IM.
The Jordan-Barker match book lists Jordan as being accompanied by Mr. Crookston.
There is no mention of Shearer accompanying the Scottish team in the 1st IM match book.
Perhaps Shearer did accompany the team,and it was at that time this took place. There may be some mention of this in DW....I'll have to take a look.
If not, this visit described by Ian must be something completely different, and is most interesting. I have never before heard of this story. "

Liam forwarded the e-mail to Mr. Shearer, and Mr. Shearer responded to me directly......


"Dear Jay

There are probably several inaccuracies in the story. Even the eldest of Henry's daughters - Mabel - was only 15 when he died so the potential for misunderstanding of parental history is large. However Mabel lived to be 98 sound in mind and she recalled a significant meeting. In 1922 when she was 11 Henry took her and Alice (8) to London where he was a freelance newspaper correspondent covering a major chess tournament. The younger two children remained with their mother in Dundee. She recalls meeting both Marshall and Capablanca who evidently knew Henry personally. Marshall brought her a doll dressed as an Indian squaw which was passed down the family for several years. Capablanca could only have met Henry previously in USA. Lizzie Shearer, Henry's wife also knew Richard Jordan's wife so the trip to USA must have figured in conversation some time.

Henry needed to impress upon Lizzie's family prior to them getting married that he was a man with prospects, and he bought the house they moved to in Dundee for £300 ($1440) cash, allegedly part of the proceeds of the USA venture. Lizzie's father was the master of the NZ Shipping Company's "Mataura". A clipper built by the same yard as the Cutty Sark but only 90% as big. This vessel sailed non-stop London to New Zealand via cape of Good Hope and back via Cape Horn. Such men were more celebrated than Concorde pilots today because they decided on the purchase of return cargo and thus the economic success of the trip. Henry was definitely marrying above his station. Incidentally steamships did not do away with sail immediately, especially on long distance voyages where refuelling was impossible. Also the clippers were fast. In 1901 a New York - Southampton White Star liner on a blue riband run making 11 knots was passed by the "Thermopylae" making 14 knots.

A current Scottish player advanced a theory why Jordan and then Shearer fell out with the Scottish draughts' establishment based in Glasgow, and why they were good friends. Jordan was a Catholic, and of Irish origin, the Glasgow men hard-line Protestants. Shearer was not particulary religious, and he agreed to help Jordan through his newspaper column get bookings for cash. As world champion to tour draughts clubs playing exhibition or challenge matches. Maybe the USA trip was a commercial venture. A world champion behaving as a professional in that way irritated the Scots association stalwarts. Shearer himself was overlooked for team selection following his siding with Jordan. It is possible explanation.

Henry Shearer covered as well the Hastings Chess tournament - also in 1922, and there Henry met Alexander, the English chess player who confirmed the meeting to me years later.

regards Ian"

Some very powerful and insightful thoughts !!!!

Regards

Jay

What a fascinating story and an excellent piece of draughts history.

Well done, Ian and Jay.

Regards -Liam.