The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1879-11-21
AN INTERNATIONAL CHESS CONGRESS-.



Proposal to hold one in New York city in
January,
The lovers of chess propose to hold
an international Congress in this city
in January, which they hope will rival
the famous tournaments held in Eu-
rope. Since the Paris Congress of last
year. the most brilliant and successful
ever held, there has been an earnest de-
sire among American friends of the
game to gather here a similar assem-
blage. During the past summer the
Manhattan Chess Club of this city has
considered carefully the feasibility of the
project. The indications were so ia
vorable to success that it was decided
that the Congress should be held here
this winter. a committee of manage
ment has been selected, of which w. L.
Miner, cx-Governor of Connecticut, is
a member, and Frederick Perrin is
president. The arrangements have not
yet been completed, but it is proposed
however, to hold a tournament of first
class players, beginning on Tuesday,
January 6, 1880, for which the first
prize will be probably not less than
$500. 1t is. hoped that sufficient funds
may be raised to increase this prize to
$1,000, and to offer several smaller
prizes in the same class, and also in
minor tournament for less skillful play
ers. A problem tournament open to
all the world will be another feature.
Prizes of 800, $50 and S25 will be of
fered for sets of four original and I'M
published problems, and special prize
of S25 will be given for the best single
nrnhlnnn In fho fa,
days before the close of the tourn-
ament Congress of delegates will
meet to take action upon a new chess
code.
This will be the fifth Chess Congress
held i'll this country. The first was as
sembled in this city in 1857, when Paul
Morphy first made his appearance. Be-
fore that there had been, perhaps, not
more than one i'll the world. Six years
before general Congress of players
had been held in London, which was
great success. The second American
Congress was in 1870, at Cleveland;
the third at Chicago in 1873, and the
last in Philadelphia in the centennial
year. They have been meanwhile very
frequent in Europe, and at the one held
last year in Paris two Americans COLI
tested Captain Mackenzie, the present
champion of this country, and James
Mason, who is now in London. The
American champion carried of the
fourth prize, and subsequently in pri-
vate play he defeated two who had re-
ceived higher prizes than that awarded
to him. In all the French tournaments
the government has furnished the priz-
es, which in the last contest amounted
to more than IL 900 frances. a
The proposal for an American Con-
gress has received the universal favor
of prominent chess players. Richard
a. Proctor, the distinguished English
astronomer, who is delivering course
of lectures in this city, is vice-president
of the British Chess Association, of
which Lord Lytton was. president.
Among the prominent players who are
expected to be present are j. Ii. Black
burne, the English champion; Henry
e. Bird, a fine English player, who was
here about two years ago; DR.. Zuker-
tort, of London, who took the first prize
at the Paris meeting last year; Henry
Hosmcr, of Chicago, and John S. Ryan
of this city. At the Congress at Lon
don in 1862 the British Association
adopted chess code which has been
adopted in all subsequent meetings. 1t
is said that this code is now made
quate to the existing conditions of the
game, and an effort will be made to
amend and improve it so as to adapt ii
to modern methods. In the English
code there are no rules for the compo-
sition of problems. Matches by tcle-
graph are played frequently now, and
a match is now going on between clubs
at Liverpool and Calcutta. There are
no formal rules governing these con-
tests. The Congress will be called
upon to supply these and other def
ciencies in the British codc.--N. Y.
Tribune.