Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-04-06

and have the reserve rights, received over
$4,000 from league clubs for the release OF
certain players who have developed s"t-
fc.ent ability to enter into league company.
CHESS, CHECKERS AND WHIST.
Notes Among the Players of Chess
Questions About the Championship.
1t is unfortunate that there should be any
serious differences of opinion among the
partisans of so harmless and peaceful
game as chess, which is supposed to be the
very embodiment Of calmness Just when
and how the factious feelings arose that led
to this condition of affairs is not clear, nor
very important, but the fact remains that
there is a section of the chess amateurs
composed of men who are not willing TO
accept the claims of the officials OF the
Washington Chess Club In regard to the
titles of local champion and the real value
of the Libbey cup trophy. which Is now the
object of third contest among some OF the
best players of the District. Mr.. d. A.
Uslna, formerly secretary of the club. says
to The Star that the statements In the Is
sue of last Saturday regarding the present
tourney were not wholly accurate, accord
ing to his views and those of some other
players. He says:
1.-The tourney began Wednesday, March
13, with seven entries, Messrs. IN. Dwight.
p O'Farrell. .. p. Hanna, F. B. Walker.
w. A. Gwyer, L. Tharp and L. Moisted.
While these gentlemen are undOuDtedly
str ong players, the idea that they represent
the chess strength of Washington Is little
short of ridiculous. They are all members
of the Washington Chess Club which mas
a membership of about one hundred. There
are in Washington several thousand chess
players. many of them of very great
strength. The Capital Bicycle Club num-
bers among it's members nearly as many
chess players as the Washington Chess
Club. the Cosmos Club nearly half as many
and so forth.
The strength of the Chess Club itself is
by no means represented: Messrs. Jas.
Patterson. F. A. Cooley, Andrew Geddes'
Jas. Hill. 1. Bermann, A. Behrend. J. p.
Macfarland. ]. s. Martin, jr., F. DuConin.
jackson and others should be in the con-
| test to make 1t fairly representative. In
the Capital Bicycle Club Messrs. G. M. Bar
| rick. Douglass. ]. NJ. Borden. D. y: Carr,
| Quackenbush. Rires, Wooten. Calver and
many others should be considered In this
matter. The Cosmos Club players have
| always had good reputation for chess
strength, but in the present contest are
conspicuous by their absence. Among them
Profs. Simon Newcomb, H. w. Wiley. b
e. Fernow. and Messrs. ]. b. Upper, J. B.
Marvin, E. A. Schwartz, w. Thoran. H.W.
Wilkinson and others would undoubtedly
prove dangerous in a championship contest
| There Is also the great army OF "hreside
amateurs not affiliated with any organi-
cation where chess is played. Among them
! may be mentioned Messrs. E. ]. Tibbetts.
Jacob Frech, Andrew Braid. c. o. Brown
! R. H. Goldsborough. A. Goldsborough. f.
| N. Southworth, Z. H. Wieman, David At
well. Maj. Won Hermann. s. G. Durham
and several hundred others. Not one OF
these is contesting in the Libbey contest.
"Chess in Washington has made great
Mr.. Usina. land the day has gone by in
| which a few amateurs or q single club
could decide the chess championship OF
Washington. The era Of snap judgments
| Is past. The winner Of the Libbey Cup
| tourney will no more be the champion Of
the District than he will be the champion
| of the world. The claim to the champion
ship made by the Libbey tourney is an In
| suit to every club where chess Is played
! and to every fireside amateur who does not
| care to enter tourney under auspices
| strange to him and an authority which he
does not recognize. By whom was the Lib
hey Cup tourney authorized 10 decide the
| city chess championship? Certainly not
| by the chess players of the District of Co
| lumbia. Even less so by the clubs of the
city. The conclusion is irresistible that the
| tourney players themselves have taken this
| opportunity to decide the championship in
| a tourney where the number OF strong
| players is extremely limited. The argu-
ment that because the tourney IS open to
| ALL the player winning secures clear title
| cannot stand for q moment Did Steintz
lose his claim to the championship when he
| in New York: By the subsequent chal-
| lenges of Gunsberg, Tschigorin and Lasker,
| II seems quite evident that the chess world
| at large considered his title as good as
ever whatever the tourney managers may
have thought. 1t must be quite clear to
every disinterested person that the winner
| contestants in which represent but a small
part Of the recognized strength of the Dis
trict, has demonstrated his superiority over
those players only with whom he has con.
| <o1 ND thof hat hn ho oCny nf
the failure of other players to enter"
Notwithstanding the antagonism that has
developed among those players who do not
fully acknowledge the value Of the tourney
as a test Of the local strength. that event
is progressing smoothly, with the final re-
suit still in doubt.
The first round Of the championship tour
nament will be concluded next week. The
result Of the fine practice the Libhey CUP
players have had in the two former tourna-
ments is shown in the greater accuracy
contest. The games have been exceeding.
ly close and interesting. as rule. This
is shown by the number of games standing
adjourned after four hours play Mr.
hand. with probably winning position ir
each Of them. Capt. O'Farrell now leads
the tournament. having thus far lost ne
games. his draw with Walker being the
only defect in his score. Mr.. Wright II
next, with one game lost. but his force:
are in had shape in his adjourned game
| with MI. hanna. walker IS InlrO, having
lost T.: games. Tharp, Gwyer and Molstat
are not far from the leaders. The tourna
nient is too young yet to make prediction!
as to the final result.
The minor tournament. now drawing to
close, In which Mr.. Patterson is the win
ner, has proven SO popular that another O
like character will be commenced almos
Immediately. This tournament is open t
all players, excepting only those who ar
competitors for the championship. and VIII
are, therefore. expected to enter the Lib
| hey Cup contest.
, At o'clock this afternoon most inter
, esting whist match was started in tn
, rooms of the Capital Bicycle Club. on 15tl
! street, between the New York city whis
: team and the Washington. This Is par
of the intercity whist tournament that ha
been in progress for some time betwee
= the crack players of Washington. Bait
t more, Philadelphia and New York. TIL
1 visiting team Is composed Of four player
5 from the Continental Whist Club and a
' many more from the Knickerbocker Clut
: and the local team is made up of the fol
!, | lowing players: Messrs. Wooten. Barricl
: Britton, Carr. W. S. Harlan, McComb, 1
!, L. Harlan and Fogg. The two teams ar