The herald., 1896-03-08
PROFESSIONAL CHESS PROFITS

Professional chess players, consider
ing the laborious nature of their work,
the character of mind and the long
preparatory study required, are prob
ably as ill paid as any kind of intel
lectual workers. The professional
chess player who earns by his play
more than decent modest living is
highly successful man. An expert
may be hired to run chess automaton
and play with all Corners at salary
less than some typewriters earn. There
are in all the world probably less than
half hundred highly skilled profess
sionsl chess players. The Hastings
convention brought together twenty
two, and the number was notable.
A few professional chess players are
men of means, but for the most part
the passion for the game leads the pro-
fessional player to put aside material
considerations in order to follow his
bent. Some OF the best known players
dress shabbily and live plainly. The
ablest and most successful usually exc
out their incomes made directly from
the game by writing on chess, discuss
ing problems, and the like. Books on
chess succeed one another rapidly, but
none has large sale. They are costly
to produce, and the stereotype plates
are of small value. The aggregate of
considerable prizes offered in chess
contests throughout the world amounts
in any one year to only few Thousand
dollars, and stake Of $1,000 is large
one. Amateurs, who far outnumber
the professionals, provide the purses
and meet the expenses of the match
games. st. Petersburg is an important
chess center, and there the travelling
expenses Of the professionals are made
up by the local clubs.
Professional chess players are rarely
men of liberal education and usually
men of one idea. Chess has been the
diversion of great and broad-minded
men, but it Is commonly the business
Of men devoted to one idea. The pro-
fessional chess player seems tireless in
the pursuit of the game. One whose
duty it was to play six hours day
with all comers at a place of amuse-
ment was accustomed to follow his
days work with two hours of labori-
GUS study OF special chess problems.
It was this spirit that made Paul Nor
ply Of New Orleans abandon prom
Using career at the bar and cling to the
game until his physician warned him
that he must give it up or lose his rea-
son.
Famous as chess has long been, there
are comparatively few really skilled
amateurs, and it is impossible to main
tain anywhere very large chess club.
One Of the largest in the world is in this
oifu vaf II ia MT n 1arOo oluh rom nm rod
with other successful clubs formed on
different lines. 1t is almost impossible
in this country to form q large chess
club on any but socially democratic
lines. Some Of the best amateur chess
players are mechanics, who would find
the atmosphere Of the ordinary social
club quite uncomfortable. There is q
strong contingent of good chess play
ers in the German quarter. They fire.
quent locally famous club, lodged in
an old house down Second avenue, but
known to chess experts the country
over.
There are some oddly-placed chess
experts in remote villages who come
to New York perhaps once q year, as to
the chess headquarters Of the country.
One such man is bank officer end
general factotum in q small border
state city. Although occupied with
Thousand business details he finds
time to conduct games by correspond
ence with European experts, to arrange
chess tournaments and write upon
chess. When he comes to New York
he busies himself among chess players
to the neglect of all his friends not
equally devoted to the game.-New
York Sun