The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-08-06
THE ROYAL GAME OF CHESS
Some of the Players to Take Part in the
Contests of the National Tourney.
Team Matches of Experts from Different States
PrOpOsed-An AutomatOn That Vanquishes
the Most Skillful-Free-for-All Games.
The United States and the Indiana Chess

The United States and the Indiana Chess
associations will both meet at Hotel En-
glish, to-day. W. Cochran, of Cincinnati,
president of the national association, ar
rived yesterday at noon, and somewhat
later in the day Mai. J. b. Mulky, of
Bloomington, president of the Indiana
organization. met him at the hotel and be-
gan their acquaintance by visit to the
ball park 1--WE are liberal in our tenden-
cies," said Mr.. Cochran, an attorney by pro-
fession, to the reporter, land do not object
to baseball. which we consider next to
chess as diversion"
"Who are most addicted to chessfn he was
asked.
Attorneys and doctors, / find, are apt to
indulge in the game. playing for recreation.
1t is also a noticeable fact that many
Hebrews are fine players"
what is required to make good chess
playerw
'chess is study. In its nature 1T is like
mathematics, and to become acquainted
with the theory of the game and its various
openings a man would have to devote as
much time as he would to master algebra
or geometry. After the openings are
what might be termed the little tricks of
the game, it Will be found that in the mid
die play chess is almost wholly game OF
calculation as to the strength of position,
the legitimate outcome of line of play, and
whether piece or pawn IS better on
one square than on another the player
may have in view. These calculations are
not only on immediate moves that may be
made, but in view of the final ending of the
game. A mistake may be made in the open
ing or in the middle game without fatal re-
suits, unless it Is a serious one. but mis-
take at the end, which is purely matter
of calculation, Is almost invariably fatal:
The best players are those who understand
not only the openings, but are thorough
masters of the moves in a pawn-ending,
and who will bring about such positions
favorable to themselves MOrphy was es-
pecially strong in that and also great in
combinations which did away with the
enemy, smashing everything in the middle
game. Games which lead TO pawn-endings
are not regarded brilliant, and are not as
interesting as those resulting in a mate in
what might be termed the middle game, but
the skill of master is more apt TO be
shown in the former than in the latter"
A number of players to take part in the
United States Association tourney arrived
last night, and others will reach the city
to-day. Among those coming from Gin
cinnati, are Charles Miller, about
fifty-fve years old, recently retired from
business, and who won the Ohio State
championship last February; s. Euphrat.
II
at the last meeting of the United States
Chess Association; Rev. ID. w. Rhodes. rec
tor of the Church of Our Savior at Mt Au-
burn, who, it is suggested. should be made
ton; Mai w. II. Lowe, in the life insurance
business, who won the challenge cup at a
tourney in Pittsburg some time ago, and
came out second best in three different
free-fOr-all contests II. l.. BurgOyne. an
attorney; J. T. Won Hoene, noted as a com
poser of chess problems. and his brother, H.
H. Won Hoene, good player, and likewise
a problem-maker; Owen Evans, barely
twenty -One years old, who has demonstrate
ed his ability to play brilliant game: VIM.
Strunk, jr., student at the University of
Cincinnati, who Is about nineteen years
old. and was winner of the Ohio State free
for-all last winter; Charles +. Nordhof, q
real estate man, secretary OF the United
same city who may come are ;. Hall. of the
Chesapeake d Ohio, and Frank Miller, also
retired from business, brother of Charles.
Albert White, of New London, o., is also
expected to represent his State in the
tourney. He is about twenty years old, and
won the prize in the Ohio State free-fOr-all
in 1888 and was second best in the champion
ship tourney last February. A number of
players, it is said. will come from Dayton
and Toledo and, in addition. there will be a
good delegation from Kentucky: An Ohio
team will be made up to match that of In
diana, and a contest will probably be ar
ranged between Kentucky and Indiana
players, and perhaps, if time will allows be-
tween those of Kentucky and Ohio. 1t is
surmised there will be some surprises for a
number of elderly players, as it is not I'M
| likely that the younger gentlemen will
come out strong and walk away with some
of the prizes, as they have done in nearly
| every contest during the past four or five
| years
The free-for-all games are not as thor
| oughly understood as they should be. The
g SEA- f<>~r al g ,f3,
| opportunity for members of the association
| candidates for the championship honors
| to compare their powers and discover their
| relative strength. If thirty-twO players
| eide the tourney. In the first round the
matching is done by lot. In the ordinary
| play-and-drOp-Out tourney, those who lost
on the first round were barred from further
| play, but in the free-fOr-all of the United
| States Chess Association games losers in
| the first round are at the close of that
| round, and, at beginning of the second,
| matched against losers, while winners are
| put against winners. At the end of the
| second round those who have lost two games
| lost two, and those who have lost one
| against other losers of one, and those who
| have won two against other winners OF
| two. Thus the contest will be arranged at
| each successive round. the object being,
| after the first. to match players against
| each other with reference to their cOmpar-
| alive strength, as demonstrated by their
| play ND to that time. At the close of five
| rounds there will be one player who has
! lost no games, and only One and he
| will receive the S25 in gold Of
| fered as prize by Mr.. Cochran.
| There will be five players who will have
| lost one game each, ten players who will
| have lost two each. and a like number who
| will have lost three each; five players who
| will have lost four each, and one player
| who will not have won any game of the
| five played, provided all remain in the
| tourney until its conclusion. This plan is
| adopted from one formerly in use in the
| New jersey State association. In the old
| form of tourney the second best player
| might meet with the first best and be
| thrown out in the first round. If such a
thing should occur in this tourney his name
| would appear in the second rank. In the
| chess tourney of the British Chess AssOcia-
| ton of 1851, such players as Kieseritzky and
| Lewenthal were thrown out in the first
| round, and secured no prize, while num-
Der of players, their interiors in every re-
spect, by more lucky pairing succeeded in
becoming prize-winners. In the tourney to
begin to-day no such thing can happen.
Perhaps no better plan could be devised fol
| ascertaining in a brief series of games the
| Approximate merits of the players.
Among those to be here are VIM. Halter
| of ST. Louis, Mo-, and j. w. Showalter. OF
| GEORGETOWN, KY. Mr.. Halter is considered
| among players west of the Mississippi az
| inferior only to Max Judd, who is unable
| to attend. having recently given two
months of his time TO the sixth American