Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-10-13
From he Baltimore American.
The American Chess King.

pied sensation in Europe The relative rank
of the leading chess-players of the old world
is as well established as that of their literary
or scientific men. They have usually attained
it by life time of study and labor, and one
short year ago nothing could have seemed
more unlikely to these gentlemen and their
admirers than that. a youth from the new
world, whose name they had then never heard,
should appear amongst them alone and uu-
heralded, and boldly challenging their stout
est paladins should transfer their hard earned
laurels. almost without an effort, to his own
brow. There is something in Morphy's career
so chivalric. Sc captivating 10 the magma
ton. that we cannot torbear the tribute of
our admiration for the gifted champion. and
the expression of our pride in the honor which
he is comforting upon our common country.
The game of chess has been the fayorite
pastime-if we may apply that term to
pursuit which so severely taxes the mental
powers-of intellectual persons the world
over for many centuries. Monarchs, warriors
AMI statesmen. artists and Swans, bellies and
blue stockings, have alike yielded to its fas-
cinatiOnS. 1t has its own special literature
and its roll of illustriOus names, its cham
pons have crossed seas and mountains TO find
worthy advcrsares. and the names 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 a superior order, and
many profound observers have not hesitated
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, hut it is undoubtedly of great
antiduity Treatises have been written TO
prove that it was invented among the Greeks
at the siege of Troy, that it originated sew
orally with the HindoOs, the Chinese, and the
Egyptians. In support of the last hypothesis
some of the ancient monuments of that peo-
pie have been cited, upon which are depicted
men playing a game of some sort on board
covered with small movable figures. 1t
would seem, however, that this was game
resembling draughts or chcquers. and the
prevailing opinion is that chess in its present
form was invented by the Brahmns some
where about the fifth century, and from them
introduced among the Persians, the Saracens,
the Chinese and other oriental nations. In
A d. S02. we find it practiced among the
Greeks Of COnstantinOple. 1t is popularity
supposed to have been introduced to Western
Europe by the Crusaders. but there is strong
reason to believe that it was known in the
Court of Charlemagne at a much earlier
period. Among the rude chivalry of the
middle ages it was favOrite sport and fire.
quently led to rough encounters in strange
contrast with the courtesy which has uni
formly distinguished chess contests in more
modern times Thus we read that the great
King Canute and Earl INF were playing to-
gether when the King insisted upon taking
back a false move. which so irritated the Earl
that he overturned the chess board This led
TO a wraEg gle between him and the King which
ended rather tragically for the poor Earl,
who was dccapitated by the Kings orders
early the next morning. William the Con-
querOr in his younger years was check mated
by the Prince of France, and was so much
irritated at his defeat that he broke the chess
board over his antagonists head, and so on.
Chess is hOnorably associated with the art
of printing, the first book printed with metal
types in England being a treatise on the
game This was printed by William CaXtOn
in 1874. Philip II. of Spain was All enthusiast
in the game. He assembled at bis Court all
the leading players of Europe, and those who
distinguished themselves in the conflicts were
loaded by the King with hOnOrs and Gifts
Ruv Lopez was for n long time the chess
king at Phillips Court, but was destined to
lay down his laurels at the feet of young
Italian, Leonardo, of Cutri. PaolO BOi, anoth-
er Italian, was also IA famous player at Philips
Court. There is record of any encounter
between Boi and Leonardo, though they must
have met frequently. OF GraecO, another
Italian, who flOurishing soon after, cotem-
pOrary writer says: He was at chess
bravo who sought in all countries some
famous knight with whom he might fight and
break lance, and he found none whom he
did not overcome" The famous PhilidOr,
who fiourished about the middle and close of
the last century, has left behind him an I'M
rivalled name as a chess-player. Towards
the end of his life, finding no antagonist
worthy of contending with him singly. he
undertook and accomplished the extra Ordina-
nv feat of playing three games bllndtOlded
Simultaneously. This performance, which
has ever since been regarded one Of the
most wonderful exhibitions of human skill
and memory on record, has never been rivalled
until within a year or two past But no
player that ever lived excited in his day half
so much curiosity and wonder as that famous
automaton which was first exhibited at the
Court of Maria Theresa in the year 1869,
and which, for forty or fifty years, amazed
and perplcXed the curious in all parts of Eu-
rope and America. This was an etfigy of
Turk seated at table or box which played
with, and generally vanquished, all who were
disposed TO try its skill. The solution of the
mystery was very simple: skiltul player
was concealed in the box, who watched the
game and moved the autOmaton as became
necessary; and although the visible parts of
the box and the figure were full of cog wheels
and springs, these had no use except to
delude the spectator and to hide the conceal
ed operator The automaton was regarded
as a miracle of invention, but the greatest
proof of ingenuity in its proprietor is the fact
of his being able. for so many years to battle
the curiosity Of the crowds who thronged TO
inspect so wonderful a piece of mechanism
and were intent on discovering the mystery.
1t was construct, d by NJ. de Kempilen, an
Austrian courtier, who really possessed great
mechanical ingenuity, and contrived many
machines displaying a high inventive faculty.
Mr.. Morphy first became known to the pub
bile in this country by his brilliant perform
ances at the chess congress held in New York
a year ago when he vanqushed without diff
Guilty the most eminent players there assem-
bled. He Immediately put forth a challenge
TO Mr. Stanton considered the first English
player and as Mr.. Staunton rather cavalierly
declined to cross the Atlantic, Morphy, with
out more ado, started for England, where he
made his appearance in June last. Although
his name was known to chessplayers only to
a moderate extent, some curiosity existed to
see the boy who had been foolhardy enough
to challenge the great Staunton, who, by the
way. seemed in no hurry to enter the lists.
His modest and courteous demeanor soon
made him friends. Leading players one after
the other tried his skill;-he proved himself
f4ciLe prinoel,s among them. overthrowing them
with ease, and il was very soon manifest that
the Young stranger was indeed a prodigy.
His last exploit in England was nj the Birm-
ineham chess congress, in August. where he
played eight gdmes HiHafoLded at once, with eight
of The strongest players of England, aud beat
six of them, being beaten by one, and the
game being drawn by another! This casts
Phildors famous performance entirely in the
shade, and the phlegmatic Englishmen were
for once fairly electrified by it. The tardy
Staunton craving some weeks further delay.
as he well might. confessedy for the parpose
of practicing Mr.. MOrphy improves the inter
val by crossing the Channel and seeking out
Harwitz the great player of the Cafe de Re
gcnce. at Paris. The renown of the Ameri-
-. La LIZ Ills Tina nNInndnd ID Fran.