The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-03-31
PLAYING THE GREAT
GEN 4LEMAN'S GAME.
WONDERFUL THINGS DONE BY THE
CHAMPIONS OF CUE AND
IVORY.
MAKING DIFFICULT STROKES.
How THE Masses" Forces"
" GATHERS AND PULLING
SHOTS ARE GIVEN.
MAKING DIFFICULT STROKES.

Billiards has been written about so often
that the principles of the game seem to be
generally understood, and it would require
good-slzed book to give even a fair de-
scrlption of the various spreads" ''fol-
lows, masses" ''forces," "gathers," etc.
This article is intended merely to be gen.
eral discourse on the game, and particu-
larly on the greatest billiard players of the
age and some of the shots they make.
Jacob Schaefer and Frank G. Ives, re-
spectively the Wizard" and the "Young
Napoleon" of billiards, are in San Fran
cisco again. They have given two public
exhibitions at Metropolitan Hall and one
at the Olympic Club for the benefit of the
members and their lady friends. The re-
suit would seem to be that every one who
does not play the game is going to learn it,
and those who do play, with more or less
skill. are bent on improvement.
Without entering into discussion as to
the relative merits of the two players, it
may not be amiss to state that Ives. by
virtue of the result of his last match with
Schaefer, holds at present the title of
champion. Notwithstanding his defeat,
however, Schaefer is still regarded by
majority of billiard experts as the greatest
player that ever lived. Be that as it may,
h is mantle will undoubtedly fall on Ives,
as Slosson, "The Student" who formerly
TO rmed one of the "Great Trio" and
Vigneaux, the great French expert, have
pract IcaIIy reuired from the fight for cham
plonship laurels, while Sexton, Daily, Dion,
Wallace and Carter, although undoubtedly
experts, were never properly in the cham
pionship class. Ives is simply marvel of
accuracy and clear-headedness, and be-
tween him and Schaefer there is little to
choose. A match between them today
might be won by one, and tomorrow by
the other. Between ordinary players a
miscue or blunder might not make much
difference in the general result. Between
tn csc two it would result fatally if made at
critical point in the game. AS Schaefer
is generally supposed to have taught Ives
Ii Inat he knows in regard to the finer de-
tails of the game, and to have been his
mentor and guide in the formation of his
play, it is not surprising that they play
very much alike with the exception of
speed, Ives taking more time. He is by
means a slow player, but Schaefer never
appears to look more than once at a shot
before playing it. He is not careless, how
yer. No man can be careless and at the
same time be q perfect master of plain bill
Il aros, and also of every innovation intro
due ed into it for years, most, If not all, of
which were introduced simply for the pur-
p ose OF curbIng ability to play all night.
a case in point is the match he played
here couple of years ago with our then
local champion, McCleery. The match
was played in Metropolitan Hall, 5000
points up, in blocks of 1000 night, Nc
CT eery receiving odds of discount. The
result is well remembered. McCleery made
few points. Schaefer picked up his cue
and ran his first thousand without break.
He left the balls in perfect position, went
over and repeated the operation the sec
ond night, and on the third ran out the
last block and won the match. McCleery
might Just as well have been at home or
anywhere else, as he never had an oppor-
tunity of shooting after Schaefer got TO
work
To cast back little, and by way OF ex-
PLANTATION OF some OF the changes in the
game, 1t was just such runs as these that
led to the adoption of the various distances
of balk line and the champions game
People were tired of seeing the players get
the balls ION the rail. " work them down,
turn the corner" and SO on round and
round the table, with not single break in
the endless monotony. In a match straight
rail game it is not long before the balls, after
the most acc urate and delicate manipula-
ton, assume the position described in
figure 1 in the diagram below. Figures 2
and show other positions, very much the
same, into which they are susceptible of
being 'nursed" without materially iniur-
ing the players chances for big run, but
it is the intent to keep them always in the
position, approximately, as shown in figure
l. The ability to do this is in fact the very
backbone of straight billiards. Without it
no one can hope to be any more than an
average player. 1t is perhaps equally as
difficult to get them there as it is to keep
them there, but they often get into that
position through accident, luck or leave"
and it certainly cannot be maintained that
they will stay there from any of these
causes, for the fact is that they will not
They yearn to get away, and nothing but
the most tender coaxing and manipulation
in the proper way will prevent them from
getting away. Without that you make a
few points and, lol you have lost them.
Figure shows the balls at the corner