Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1875-08-26
About Chess.Players.

About Chess-Players.
The fate Of great chess.players would
hardly lead one to adopt the profession,
if such it may be called, as a means Of
livelihood. Philidor died in exile and
poverty, Labourdonnais met his end lit
orally in a garnet, and Morphy's indis-
putably fine talents seem to have availed
him little in the struggle for wealth and
honors. Caissa is a jealous mistress and
they who love her must follow herfor her
self alone. 1t is much to be rsgretted that
more specimens of the play of Deschap-
pells were not preserved. Those we
have are unworthy of the foremost
player of his day, and we can only sigh
for the thousands OF parties he won
when in his prime. lie Breton (which
by the way was his true name) died pos
sessed of some little property. and so far
his fate was more happy than that of his
predecessor and successor to the first
hOnors of the ebon and silver field.
This exceptional wealth, however, was
the fruit OF his skill at whist. 1t gene
rally required an Astounding faith to
credit any assertion Of Deschappelles
concerning himself, but if he might be
believed bis capacity for acquiring
games of skill resulted from a'fortuity
neither agreeable nor likely to be re-
peated. A soldier in the grand army,
he was wounded in a cavalry charge, his
head cloven by a sabre, his right
hand severed at the wrist, and his body
generally trampled upon by the advanc-
ing and r%etreatiug squadron. Being
made of tough material, he survived, but
be ever after solemnly averred that the
%protruding portion of his brain was re.
versed in putting it back hastily, and to
this he owed his after-success 10 games
of skill. II learned chess" he was
wont to say 10 his inimitably gasconsd-
ing manner, "in three weeks; and since
that time | have neither advanced nor
retreated. / attained the premier force,
and l hold it yet. The way in which |
play is simple: | look neither to the
right nor to the left, | do not wish to at
tack nor defend; | wish to checkmate,
and | do ii" He learned trictracs, over,
threw the best players and abandoned
the game. Polish draughts, a most diff
cult and complicated game, he acquired,
he said in a week, soundly drubbed its
most'accomplished master, and said to
him on arising from the board: II have
looked into your little game; there is
nothing in it. At one time played in
the salon it has been kicked into
the an~te-chamber. My soul is
above the game of lackeys; !
shall never play it MORE 1t was a
sight to behold him at whist, gathering
and sorting the cards with his one hand.
He played mostly in the Cercle des
strangers, and though his partner might
be prince or noble his tongue was un-
sparing in the event of a misplay. That
he played his cards to some effect is evil
denced by his possession in his latter
days of the little desmesne to which
every Frenchman looks forward. There,
unsurpassed to his end in all that he I'M
dertook, he grew pumpkins and cucum
bers that were the despair of his neigh.
Dor agriculturist. Never we're cucumbers
so handsome, and, above all, so. straight,
and at last one e%nvious Jacques Bon
homme watched so closely the garden
that he detected M. ~Desehappelles IN
casing the infant vegetables in glass
cylinders. Losing a match with Lewis,
in which he gave the English player
pawn and move, he protested his desire
to play another, and Mr.. Papert visited
Paris to arrange the terms. He was un.
able to do so, and on his return he gave
his opinion of the FreDchman in a sem
tentious manner as follows: M. Des-
chappelles is the greatest chess player
in France; NJ. Deschappelles is the
greatest whist player in France; M.
Deschappelles is the greatest pumpin
grower in France; M. Deschappelles is
the greatest liar in France" When the
fame of Labourdonnais eliminated,
D~eschappelles ceased to visit the Cafe de
la Regeuee and gave up altogether seri-
u play.