Charles Henry Stanley, first US champion - a Turk-automaton operator

The following was found in Frank Leslie's illustrated newspaper, Mar 3, 1860, p. 217, describing a game played by the automaton - the Turk in 1845. The player Mr. C. H. S. could be no other but Charles Henry Stanley, the first chess champion of United States for the years 1845-1857, before Morphy, as he's described as "Mr C.H.S. -, who, by the way, in the meantime, after being the acknowledged chess champion of America for a lengthened period, had in his turn, in common with all other living players, succumbed to the superior prowess of our own Paul Morphy."

click image to enlarge

Then I've found the following in Chess Monthly, May 1861, p. 139

Interesting article and fine game.  

Should have put question marks in the title for if he is Charles Henry Stanley indeed, but I feel 99% sure according to what I've read. And I've liked the game too

Evening mate! Nice work! Stanley was indeed resident in the USA in 1845. The Knight maneuver N-c3-e2-g3, although first played, to my knowledge, by Staunton, was one of his favourite ideas. 

Carlton House was the centre of New York chess at the time I believe. Great to have you back posting. Cheers mate!👍

Hi simaginfan! Possibly this opening line was Staunton's. It's something I think I've seen in Ruy Lopez games. However Stanley used his knights pretty well and in the rest of the game!

Nice article and game. Thanks! I had never heard of him!

Thanks.  I wasn't aware Stanley ever acted as director (operator) of the Turk. 

This was the reconstructed Turk that Dr. John Kearsley Mitchell and company bought from Mr Ohl for $400 after Maezel's death.  The first showing of the rebuilt automaton was in 1840.  Maezel's old acquaintance, William F. Kummer was the director.  Lloyd P. Smith, and the son of one of Mitchell's investors and later a librarian at the Philadelphia Library company,  was the next director. There were very few exhibitions, mostly in private homes - the Turk had outlived its novelty- and the automaton was soon stored in Charles Wilson Peale's Chinese Museum (called that after its display of a large collection of Chinese art and artifacts collected  by Quaker Nathan Dunn. Dunn ran out of money and sold the building in 1841. Peale used it to display his paintings.) Occasionally Smith would act as director for special occasions.  So the Automaton was stored there sometime after 1842.  The Building and the Turk burned in 1854.