Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-02-28
ANECDOTES OF CHESS.

AROyRl Winner-savinga bridegroom
-Exeitements of the GRme-Canute
and his AnfRgOnIsf-Ihe Priest's
Trick.
From the London society.[
Paul l., Emperor of Russia, travelling
as the Counte du Nord, visited the Cafe
de la Regence at the hour Of 4 in the after
noon, when the battles of the c~hess-board
were at their height Paul vent up to a
couple of eombatants and betted on a
difficult move. His stake was a louis.
He won, took his money, and retired.
Nothing hitherto had betrayed who he
was, until the exclamation of the waiter, |
to whom he gave all his winnings, attrac-
ted the attention of the company. For
this, and several other anecdotes, we are
indebted to NJ. Jean Gays learned and
instructive photographic de .Jeu DIES
Echecs.p
The following is stated to be Of doubt
full authority, which is a pity: One even
ing, whensRobespierre, already surrounded
with his halo of terror, was sitting in the
Cafe de la Regence. a young little exqui-
site entered the saloon, and unceremo-
niously installing himself at his table,
moved a man on the ehessboard which
stood in front of Robespierre, who re-
sponded to the move. The game went on
and was lost by the latter. They began a
second game, which he likewise lost. See
ing this, R~obespierre felt his honor en-
gagged, and inquired for what stake they
were playing. "For the head of a man"
the lad replied. al lave won it give it
me- Robespierre drew from his pocket
a sheet of paper and wrote an order to set
at liberty the Conte de R, then i'm
prisoned in the Concergeric. The smart
little dandy, it seems, was no other than
the Comics afiauced bride.
The excitement caused by chess is too
much for many peoples nerves to support
with impunitv. Tho Gar, John the ter
rible, died IN 1853, of an apoplectie fit,
while playing chess with one of his cour-
tiers. Lord Harvey, in No. 81 of the
Craftsman, says that although chess is not
usually played for a stake, nobody is in
different about winning or losing, and
that it is very rare for warm tempered
people ever to become good players.
CLANS Magnus, Archbishop of Upsala,
died in 1860, holds that hidden tendencies
to anger, Impotence, vanity, a%varice, and
other failings, are brought out by the game
of chess. and it is for that reason that the
mobiles of Gothland and Sweden, before
bestowing their daughters in marriage,
have the custom of trying, principally by
chess, the temper of the suitors who pre-
sent themselves. Some amateurs, of
nervous constitution, cannot sleep
after a hard-fought game; others
when the decisive move approaches, are
seized with feverish agitation. Some are
so impressed with the contest that next
day they could go over every move again.
Quintilian relates that Scavola, after
losing a game of chess, started for the
country. On the way he went over in his
head every move that had been made in
the game, and so discovered the error
which had caused his defeat. Hereturne ed
and found up his opponent, who ac-
knowledged the perfect accuracy of his
memory. As a precautionary measure,
to keeps their heads clear and their tenn
pers cool, Carrera, in his Advertisement"
recommends chess players to eatsparingly,
and to take aperient MEDICINE before sit
ting TO work in a serious contest
Defeats at chess are not easily either
forgotten or forgiven. Leonardo de Cutri
was poisoned at Calabria, by u rival, at
the age OF forty-six, while on a visit to the
Prince Bisignano. A Spanish nobleman,
who had for some time been in the habit
of playing with Phillip H., used to win
every game. One day, when their chess
playing had terminated in the customary
result, he perceived that the King was
excessively annoyed. If the fact took him
by surprise, his stock of common sense
must have been small. On reaching his
home, he said to his family, My dear
children, we may as well pack up and take
ourselves off at once. This is no longer q
place for us; for the King has fallen into
a violent rage because he cannot beat me
at chess"
Richer, monk of Sonones, in the " His
tory of his Abbey" relates that Ferraud,
Count of Flanders, always ill-treated his
wife when she played chess with him and
won. One sort of beating involved an
other. The battle of Bsuvines duly II,
l2I4l, was in consequence of a game that
ungallantly concluded, in which battle
the Count was made prisoner, brought to
Paris ironed hand and foot, and shut upin
the tower of the Louvre. The Countess
Jeanne (who was daughter of the En-
psror of Constantinople, and ward of
Philip Augustus) was consequently left
to govern his dominions MI her own way,
and to have her quiet game of chess with
a more suitable adversary.
One is unwilling to question King
Canute's m~agnanimity, after his famous
rebuke of his eourtiers; but his mind
seems to have been less proof against the
excitements of chess than the blandish-
ments of fattery. While playing with the
Count Ulf the King made a great mis-
take, in consequence of which the Count
took one of his knights. The King would
not allow this, but replaced the pieco, in
sisting that the COnnt should make 6 diff
ferent move. The latter got angry, upset
the chess-board and retired. "Ulf,u
shouted the King after him, you are a
coward, you run away"
The Count returned to the door, and
answered, 'You would have run away in
to the river Helga, in very different style,
if l had not come to your assistance when
the Swedes were beating you like a dog.
You did not call me a coward them.
With those words, he walked of; and the |
next day the King had him put to death.
An Italian village priest was in the
babit of playing with a neighbor who
never would allow himself to be beaten,
although he lost i've games out of six
To convince him that such really was the
case, the priest rang the alarm bell of his
parsonage, s%ummoning in that way his
pensioners, to make them umpiFes of the
dispute. AS the same trick was frequent
ly repeated, his flock got tired of the pro-
eeeding, and took no further notice of the
summons.
One day his house did catch fire. The
priest rang his alarm-bell in vain. Nobody
came; and when he complained he was
told that people could net leave their
household affairs for the sake of a trum-
perry game of chess. "Alasr he said,
this time l played chess with the fire,
and the fire has check-mated me"
The jealousies excited by chess have
often been accompanied by mystery. The
President Nicolai, who passed for the best
chess-player of his time in France, was
one day visited by a stranger who had
travelled sixty leagues Ia considerable
distance then to challenge him. The
chess-board was brought and Nicolai was
beaten. The unknown victer would
neither play a second game nor make
known who he was.
Finally, monkeys have been trained to
play chess-doubtless, in the same way as
1aarnad DiOc bova haan 4a1r0b4 70 sno1