Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1879-12-12
A true story.
CHESS VS.. BEEFSTEAK.
A nan wins n supply of Cigars bus
lOseu His Break fast Thereby.

nan wins n supply of Cigars bus
loses His Breakfast Thereby.
A few evenings since, two gentle
men, one professional chess player
and the other an amateur, met at a
well-known public resort in the vii
lage of WeStport, Conn.,, and after a
pleasant conversation, during which
the merits of certain local games
were discussed, chess was proposed
by the first named, to which the 9th
er assented, first asking his compan
ion what odds he proposed to offer,
and what the stake should be. In
reply the professional said, "The
stake shall be cigar, and | will give
Won the odds of a knight and the
first move" It was stipulated that
a piece if touched by the player must
be moved, and that moves ouce made
under no circumstances could be
changed or taken hack. The pro
fessiOnal in treating with his adver-
sary evidently felt that, with his
knowledge of chess be had "A sure
thing, and could safely rely on his
superior powers, the result of years
of experience, to carry him through
the most difficult complications into
which his adversary might have
hand in leading him. In agreeing to
the terms the amateur distrusted him
self and took occasion to hint the
likelihood of his ultimate defeat, yet
having a desire to add to his store of
chess knowledge by playing with a
good PLAYER he was willing to enter
into conflict with one who could nOl
easily be beaten. Pending the ad
iustment of preliminaries quite
crowd assembled, and many were
the speculations indulged as To what
might be the result of the contest.
The first game was opened with an
advance of the Queens pawn two
squares, by the amateur-a very
weak move unless the player knows
how to defend it. The lockers Oh
beheld, and winking at each other,
said, Now the professionals got
him." Subsequent moves for awhile
proved the partial truth of this, and
as one by one opposing forces were
marshalled on the board, all hearing
upon the most important strOngholds
of the amateur, that gentlemen's
hackers, 10th to relax confidence in
their friend, were compelled to ac-
knowledge that the network which
the professional was weaving, bid
fair to work complete annihilatiOn.
Suddenly, however, the amateur
moved an apparently obscure pawn
one square and by so doing uncover
ed Bishop which bore upon the pro-
fessionaPs King, and cried ckcck.
OF course he got out of check, but
l3the amateur followed his advantage
by bringing his Queen, the most
powerful piece on the board, to bear
on the King also, and again he cried
check, and before the astOnished pro-
fessional had time to recOnnoitre for
a new defense, his adversary declared
checkmate, and the end of the game.
The professional was of course sur
prised, but after it had subsidized pro-
posed to double the stake, giving
the same odds in the play. The
proposition was accepted, and the
amateur again won. -Four cigars
for the amateur! "Double or
quits" were now agreed on, and the
professional lost the third game.
Eight cigars for the amateur, who
continued to win until the score
marked eighty cigars to his credit.
The professional, now getting des-
perate, and anxious to teach the ap-
parently chess-ignorant, but exceed
ingly lucky amateur lesson, as well
as to retrieve his waning cigar for
tune and reputation. stumped that
person TO play one more game, at
the odds of one hundred cigars or
nothing. The amateur plead to be
excused on account of the lateness
of the hour, and promise he had
made his wife to be home early and
bring with him steak for breakfast.
Before another game could be finished
he said the meat shops would be
closed and he could therefore not
we'll tarry longer. However,in view
of the exigencies of the case, the sol
icitations of his partner and a desire
TO give that disgruntled parsonage a
chance to get partially even, in what
had thus far proved a very uneven
match, he consented. 1t was a con-
test in which each used his best en-
deavors SO succeed, but, strange to
say, the amateur again won. The
professional, routed and completely
demoralized, left the place mutter-
ing to himself something which
sounded like "Luck may now and
then enable an ignoramus to score
a victory, but brains and science
must triumph at last" Quietly he
stole into the street around the cor
ner, to friendly grocer's where he
invested the capital necessary to OBJ
tain one hundred and sixty cigars at
five cents each, and returning, hand
ed them to the amateur, who grace
fully received the same with thanks.
The small hours of morning had now
arrived and the contestents "home-
ward plodded their weary way" the
one to brood over his discontinue
and Ill fortune-the other to the
apartment where wife was waiting
and wondering when that husband
of hers would come, and whether he
would remember to make the pur-
chase she had charged him to be sure
to make. With one hundred and
sixty cigars inside his overcoat he
ascended the front steps of his dwell
ing, cautiously turned the night key
in the front door, noiselessly crept
up to his sleeping apartment, but 10
find that his efforts TO avoid disturb
ing his wife were uselessly exerted
as she had been awake all the while
After making the excuses usually
adopted on such occasions to show
the need of his prOtraeted absence,
he retired.
Next morning the wife was up
and stirring earlier than usual, as
our hero, who was unusually sleepy,
thought, and the bell which was