Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1858-11-23
By W. D. WALLACH,
THE GAME OF CHESS

ID
tiOn, and from its article We take the following
extracts:
The reason why chess has such an interest for
In!eiIectuai people s, that no game and no ma
chine yet invented is 50 various. complicated
and perfect, as this. This may seem startling
Prsposiuon, As lt Is certainly broad But Ii is
true, and may be proved by a single example
thousands OF games Of chess are recorded, and
tens OF millions played, ard tens of millions
VIII De played, and ye. no two games having
tnlrty moves Will ever be alike, Each player
sie down Eot only to new game for himself
Out TO new game among all that ever were
played The principle on which this depends
Is purely mathematical one, and arises from
the number Of changes which may be made out
oil gwen number OF pieces. Let us try, now.
10 get very slight idea, for it is only a slight
one Oh tne variety which it involves If per
son had before him q board with ten souares
and In each square a hole with a neg in ~ in
low many ways can he change those pegs? He
could change them more than three miIIion.
SIX hundred thousand times If now he can
change ten pegs nearly four millions of times.
now many times can he change the men in
ehess! Ihere are sixty-four squares in chess;
tnere are sixteen men with one or two move. in
Two directions; there are four that can make
fourteen moves each from their standpoint. and
from each new standpoint make fourteen more.
there are four pieces that can make at least
fourteen moves from any one point en- lines di-
agonal to the other four; there is ono piece
Tnlcn mas all the moves Of these last two. and
there Is one OF which the moves are reonIar,v =
irregular, and from the centre of the board q, n
MAKE thousands Of moves different from each
otner. Alter this enumeration of chess rnoves
we think no mathematician in his senses win
UNDERTAKE to solve the number Of combinations
~uicn ty may oe made Sutice 1t to say, that the
changes which may be made on pegs In their
roff
enumerate. Take sixty-fye squares and thou-
SANDS OF moves, and the computstion of changes
becomes impossible by any ordinary exertio6 OF
labor or skill. The combination of biIIiard,
dice or cards, are nothing in comparison with
eness. sucn ls the variety and compIexity of
this wonderful game.
Its perfection is almost IA remarkable For
thousand years Numerous minds have tried
10 improve this game. Bat it has never been
done. D'SN
We believe the pieces and moves remafn the
same tney were hundreds Of years ago. The
present names Of the pieces are significant Of
the feudal ages. But the names have ya-;sJ
and how old the game of chess ia wa canno;
pretend to say. Ii is claimed by the Arabians.
and generally believed to have Originated in
Persia or India, and is, without doubt. of ereat
antiquity. 1t would be a curious sight 10 look
down upon Joseph and Pharaoh PLAYING chess
let tney may have done so. More probably.
brilliant court Of Persia, whose art luxnries
mind.
Ihe knight is, by far, the most brilliant and
interesting piece Of the chess board. He ia 40
representative in his movements of the true
hnight OF the middle ages that we might easily
believe he was invented in the time of Richard
Occur de Lion. He has not the power of the
queen, the dignity of the king, the strength of
the castle, or the Jurisdiction of the bishop. but
ne exceeds them all in his variations and osI-
lAnt movements he is agile, quick, and ca
Vortlng, ike the trained warrior on a gallant
steed. MI Aorphy, and all the great chess
PIayss' nave made great use of the knight,
ana the most brilliant positions and stratagies
IN eness, have been achieved by the knight.
IN piaylrg chess, there have been a great
many remarkable players and teachers There
nase also been what may be called schools of
9nsss' which are dlstir gushed by the openings.
1 he most remarkable, and perhap the best, is
that Of PhillidOr. whC Sc reputation has NOT been
0bscursd, even by more remarkable nIavers
ms oP@nlng IS the common one o. the pa vn and
e!shoP' which opens fair field f,r after move
Ments. The most noted Italian school brirgs
out the knight the second move, attackisg The
opposite person, and compelling his defeps.
VITA the Knight. The Gambits, so much caIe-
SIeu; Vahd iOr the purpose OF amusement
only, the oest) depend SOlely on the pripeinle
Oi sacrificing person for position, in which
tsese games are precisely similar TO the battles
oil some great generals But the success of the
game depends wholly on the fact of surprising
anu uiSconcertlng your adversary by the vigor
OI your attack Hence, this is not safe against
great player We hear that Mr.. MOrphy has
pea'en All the Gsmbit players, while be lost
several games playing with Harwitz ON the old
pan. Ine Gambit games are delightful among
Ihends playing for amusement but are not
equal for the solid PhiIlidor opening.
some OF our austere mOralists NAV ask. cY,
t0HOI What is the use, Why should men
give SO many hours to chess? To this we shall
make two remarks First, mankind taN,t have
Rmusements. The wise man will not a,k
whether they shall have them, but whether
tney are OF an innocent and salutary kind ,
We grant that the best Of all play is to be found
In the woods and fields, romping with nature,
KISSING the winds, loving the trees, and be-
holding the unequalled glory of God, in the
surprising excellence Of HIS works We grant
this and wish that all might feel it, But this
Is not all There are seasons Of cold, days of
darkness, periods Of physical inabiIity-and
must VIC have no variety at these periods? Is
there nothing but talking and reading TO be
done! There will De indoor games; and chess
lS 50 lar superior, so elevated, refined and in
telleotual, compared with any and all others
that, among an intellectual people, it must
always have the highest rank. The great OBJ
Jecuon to chess IS that il is a sedentary game
leIuiring deep thought. Ibis is an objection ;
bat, on the other hand, ii is different kind Of
Thought from ordinary study, and has no tiBge
Of dissipation about il.
Chess Is also friend to some Of the moral
virtues Patience, prudence and tempersn nee
are all commended in chess. man would
have little chance in chess, who played il with
head muddled with wine or brandy, and al
most rs little who got out Of patience and out
Of temper. 1t demands a mind COOL calm and
temperate Ii was DIR. Franklin, we think,
who said to chess players, If you cannot get a
victory over your adversary, get one over Your
self"