The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1858-10-16
Grlcft 4flistcIInlll'.
= TT = ~ '7''' ''TI77I z 'E1F'VT TV''T !
TMG American Chess king.

! "h AloTllhN. IS cINaJng an up~Nanplc sen
| saIion III Europe The relative rank of the
leading chess players OF the old world is as well
established as that of their liLclary or scieu-
tIil@ men. They have usually ATTAINED it by
a life time Of study and labor, and one shsft
year ago nothing could have seemed more I'M
likely to these gentlemen and their admirers
| than that youth from the new wo'ld whose
name they had never heard, should appear
amongst !htm alone and unhelnlded. and
boldly challenging then stoute,t paladins
| should transfer their hard earned laur.ls, al
most without IN elliott to his own brow.
| There is something in Alorphy's career so
! chvaillc, sc captivating TO the inauguration,
that we cannot torcbear the tribune of our adj
'nnatlun for the gifted champion, and the OK
preston of our p,de in the honor which he
| is conieTing upon our common country.
The game Of chess has been the lavorite
pas iimc-if we may apply that term to
! pursuit which so severely taxes the mental
powcrs--of intellectual persons the world
over for many centuries. Monarchs, warriors
and statesmen, artists and Swans, bellies and
blue stockings have alike yielded to its fasci
nations. II has its own special literature and
It's ron oil lilustrious names, its champions
laye crossed seas and mountains to find
worthy adversarics, and the ramcs of the
famous players Of different ages have become
| historical. None can attain the rank of a
first class chess player without intellectual
and moral qualities of superior order, and
many profound observers have not hesitatcd
to place it as a mode Of mental discipline on
a level with the study of mathematics.
The precise period Of the origin of
chess is not known, bnt it is undouht.
'dly Of great antiquity Trcati.s have bacn
! written 10 that II ,,nc
the Greeks at the siege of Troy, that it orgi-
rated severally with the IIudoos, the Chinese.
and the Egyptians. In support Of the last
| hypothesis some of the ancient monuments
Of that people have been cited, upon which
are depicted men playing game ersoma sort
or boaid covered with s,Ga,i movenhle i.-
ureS., 1t would seem, however. that this was
a game ioScmVhng draughtS or ChrQucrs, .and
| tie prevailing opinion is that chess in its
| present form Was invented by The Brahmins
some where about the fitch century and from
them INTRODUCED among the Ptrsians. the
Saraccns, the. Chinese. aud other oriental
nations. In a. ID. 500 we find it nracticcG
/ among The Greeks Of ConStan,npe. It is
! popularity supposed to have Jpcn introduced
to Western Europe 10y tie Crusaders. but
| there Is strong reason to believe that it WAS
kneNn in the Court of Charlc,naypc at
much earlier period. Among the rud, chival,
| y otth middle ages it was a favuritc Snort
aud frequently led 10 rough encounters in
strange contrast with the courtesy which has
| uInioImGIy distinguished cLcSs contests in
''''t '',"''' ''i''S' nus We read mat the
Great King Canule and Earl UIf were PLAYING
'SI'"e' ""cn inc N'nS iiS'sltd upon taking
u"' '"Nc move Wi''rh so Irrita'td he Eail
NAV w owe, ''''ca '''G cHeSS board lhlS icd
" M'"lSc "ct"e'n nan ana 'he hlng which
'"'',' 'A'n'' 'I%sIr"iIy Ter the POOR EaII, who
""S'e'd i''}"''" ~ tne N'"S orders early the
~ W." mug ",'"1, 'he tonqNeTor IN h'S
"'H"'6F years was ch'cNinattd hy The Prince
~ a"',It ana was 80 m"Gh iti'a'td at his
,'s,,"' '"l ne "!p"' t''c c"'"Snna'd over his
"i't'"'''>' 'I'o' anu 50 on IheNS Is honor
, e ,'''Su ~! ,nr ''' 81 printing the
,, I'oM PI'"''u "''" metal types III Eng
''' 'i,"''S' y" 'Hc game fhiS was
P,'''." ~ '" ''a"' 'a%'"n IN I'iE .FhIllp
-, W op"', a. an enthusiast u" lhe game.
i,' "''P'''cm II, "' MS 'ourt Inc l"auInG
P,"l''S " europe, al" nose who distinguish
',' ',y'">''''3 ~ vac CONNECTS were loaded "
,'i' E'"s '''' '"''"'S "'', gus. hnT 'opt
was .'' ""s '''ne ,no cheSS kIns at FhlIiPS
,.""', '"t was "'c''"ea 10 ray Gown his
''"''H al we 'g'' o. a young Italian, Leonar-
ais" famous prayer at Ihiip Court. There
Is no record Oh any enconntcr between Boi
an" he''1F"oo, thmo'Sh 'hey must have met
iH4UcntAy' VI "rarco, another allan, who
"""''H'''u soon "lS'r' contemporary writer
says: lie was at chcSS bravo who sought
III AL co''''rl'S some famous knight with
""o'' nc 'lf'ehl iiHii' ana break la2cc, and
ne '"uNd none ,, Whom he ana not overcome
ne famous fn'idor' who t!ourShcd about
,'ie na'1a't ana close OF the last century, has
c'' "chi'u "a nun an uhilVaIIed name as a-cheSs
payer towards the end OF his life, finding
no antagonist worthy OF contcnding with him
singly' he undertook and accomplished the
c%t'a2'dinary t'at CT playing three games
p''hdI"iatd simultaneously. This perform
arce' "hlch mas ever ben regarded as one Of
the most wonderful exhibitions Of human skill
ana memory on record, has never been rival-
ca uh'il "lth'n year or two past. But no
payer ,ha' ever lived excited in his day half
50 muci' curiosity and wonder as that famous
au'o'nation which was first exhibited at the
Court OF Maria Theresa in the year 1869, and
winch Tor forty or fifty years, amazed and
pcrpitN'd The curIhuS in all parts Of Europe
ana America. his was an ciligy of a Turk
seated liable or box which played with and
generally VanfWshed. all who were disposed
10 'fy IFS SKILL The solution of the mystery
"a n oh t,f