, 1889-07-17
A GREAT GAME OF CHESS.
THE YOUNG MAN WHO BEAT THE
PASHA FIFTY YEARS AGO.

Reminded the Turk Of Another and DIFF
ferent Kind of Contest-There Was but
One Man Who Could Play Such Chess
On a summer afternoon, almost fifty
years ago, Sulejmann Pasha, command
er-in-chief of the Egyptian artillery, sat
at coffee in "a cafe on the Nile terrace in
Cairo. At tables near him were many
soldiers who had helped him fight the
armies of Sultan Mahmud not many
months before. Several of them had
been with him in the battle of Nizib,
when ne routed the Turkish army under
Hafz Pasha and Col. Won Moltke, then
in the sultan's service. But SulejmAnn
Pasha was not thinking of the soldiers
about him. nor OF Hafiz Pasha, nor Col
Won Moltke, nor the great battle Of Nib.
His whole attention was concentrated
on a Chessboard before him
Sulejmann Pasha was a famous chess
player. In the first few weeks after his
return TO Cairo he had beaten dozens OF
times Ulema Reschid Aga, formerly the
champion chess player Of northern
Egypt He regarded his reputation as a
chess player as somewhat akin to his
reputation as a warrior. He considered
chess to DO prominently n soldiers
game, and never tired Of making elabor-
ate comparisons between strategy on the
chess board and strategy on the field OF
battle. Every afternoon he met Ulema
Reschid Aga at the cafe on the Nile ter.
race and beat him two or three games.
On this particular afternoon, almost
fifty years ago, Ulema Reschid Aga was
a little late in coming to his Waterloo,
r-l GYI...-., D..I. ...u L.-t--
liminary skirmish with himself while
awaiting his opponents arrival. His
diversion was interrupted by the appear.
ance on the terrace of a long, gaunt,
bony young stranger. The stranger
strobe right up to the pasha's table. and
after making a half military salute, said
so loudly that every one on the terrace
could hear:
"Pasha, l challenge you to n game OF
chess
All the officers IN the terrace sat quite
still and stared at the thin, pale young
man who stood before their great com-
mander. The pasha looked him over
curiously:
81 am at your service, =" was his answer,
after a long pause. "How high do you
usually playY'
Sometimes for nothing, sometimes fol
a great deaL You fix tho stakes, pasha.r
"Well, n hundred ducats will not be
too much"
The stranger nodded and sat down.
The lots were cast The game was be
gun. All the officers in the cafe left then
coffee to crowd around the players. The
first few moves convinced them that the
long, bony fingers OF tho stranger had
moved chess men many times before. Al
the end of twenty minutes the pasha's
eyes suddenly frightened and he smiled.
He had an invincible combination. lie
placed his queen before his opponent
queen. The officers began to grumble,
for they thought their commander had
lost his head. Only Reschid Aga, who
had In the meantime joined the crowd OF
spectators, looked happy. he had guessed
his friends combination, and he, too, wa
sure that it was invincible.
"He will take the queen" commented
the spectators, anxiously.
Then he will be checkmated In eight
moves" whispered bach Reschid Aga.
"And if he doesn't take herr"
HE will lose his own" said the ex.
champion, triumphantly.
The stranger moved a pawn. Sulej.
mann took his queen. The officers thought
it was all up with the gaunt young man,
and started back to their coffee. They
were called back, however, by the first
words the pasha's opponent had spoken
since he sat down to the table.
"Pasha, In twelve moves you win be
checkmated."
The interest of the pasha's friends be-
came intense. They counted each move
aloud. Observation-Disclosures the
pasha was already hard pressed. Five
Observation-Disclosures his men
were hemmed in on all sides. Ten-the
pasha tried In vain to break the blockade
by sacrificing his queen. Eleven-he
drew back his king into a corner. Twelve
and the stranger cried out: "Check.
mate"
There was dead silence, and all stared
at the pasha He Thought hard for sey-
eral minutes, without uttering a word.
Then he looked searohingly into the
strangers face and said:
Once before | have seen chess played
as you play it. Your strategy is not new
to me, although l cannot cope with it
The game that your playing reminds me
of was much finer thai this. 1t was
played with cavalry and infantry and
heavy artillery, till the ground shook
under our feet. The great chess player
from the north who was then against me
had $50, 900 men. In his hands they were
invincible. The mad and envious inter,
ference of Hafiz Pasha ruined his comb
nations, however, and gave us the game
The pasha stopped a moment to scru
tinize h strangers face. 1t was expires
s~ionless. Then he continued:
young man, you remind me Of that
great chess player from the north who
all but routed us at Nib, as you have
routed me here. Young man, only one
man in the world can play chess like
that. He is Col. Won Moltke."
"You have It," answered the ran
reaching the pasha his hand. ~ am
Aoltke. New York Sun
We're Twins
Johnny, are you older or younger thar
Jenniey'