Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1896-03-06
PROFESSIONAL CHESS PRoFn ).
The Pecuniary Rewards Small In View If
Demands on the Intellect.


Demands on the Intellect.
PROTEST. 1nal chess players, consider
ing the laborious nature of their work.
the character of mind, and the long pre-
paratory study required, are probably as
i'll paid as any kind of intellectual
workers. The professional chess player
who earns by his play more than a de-
cent modest living is d highly successful
man. An expert may be hired to run a
chess automatun and play with all
corners at a salary less thtN some type
writers earn. There are III all the world
probably less than half hundred high
ly skilled professional chess players
The Hastings convention brought to-
gether %, 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 profess
sioual player to put aside material con-
sideratiOns 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 discussing prob
lens, and the like. Books ON chess sue
coed 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 through
out the world amounts in any one year
to only few thousand dollars. and a
stake of 81 900 is IA large one. Amateurs,
who far ounumber 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 10y the local clubs.
Professional chess PLAYERS are rarely
men Of liberal education and usually
men of one idea. Chess has been the di-
version If great and broad minded men,
but it is commonly the business of men
devoted to one idea. The professional
chess player seems tirelc>s in the pursuit
of the game. One whose duty i IL, to
play six hours Il day with all cun,or~ AT
"A place of amusement was accu-i umcd
to follow his day work with two hours
of laburiou> study of special chess plob
lens 1t wa, this spirit that matte Paul
Morphy of New Orleans abandon a
promising career at the bar and cling to
the game until his physician warned
him that he must give it up or lose his
reason
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 III this
city, yet ii is not Il large clnb compared
with other successful clubs formed ON
different lines. 1t is almost impossible
i'll this country to form a large chess
club ON any hut 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
strong contingent of good chess players
III the German quarter. They frequent
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 OK
perts III remote villages who come to
New York perhaps once year, as to
the chess headquarters of the country.
One such man is a bank officer and gen
eral factutum in small border state
city. Although occupied with IA thou
sand business details he finds time t.
conduct games 10y correspondence with
European experts, 10 arrange chess tour
namentS and to write upon chess. When
he comes To New York, he bushes him.
self among chess players to the neglect
Of all his friends not equally devoted to
the game. New York Sun.