The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1896-02-21
PROFESSIONAL CHESS PROFITS.
Tho Pecuniary Rewards Small In View of
Demands ON the Intellect.


Demands ON the Intellect.
Professional chess players, consider
ing the laborious nature of their work,
the character of mind, and the long pre-
paratory study required, are probably as
Ill paid as any kind of Intellectual
workers. The professional chess player
who earns by his play more than de-
cent modest living Is highly successful
man. An expert may be hired to run a
chess automaton and play with all
corners at salary less than some type
writers earn. There are in 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
sional 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
NY WIlGID& Ou CuO6Oy ol6CuSoluR DIOU-
lens, and the like. Books on chess suo-
coed one another rapidly, but none has
a 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 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 di-
version of great and broad minded men,
but 1t is commonly the business of men
devoted to one idea The professional
chess player seems tireless in the pursuit
Of the game. One whose duty it was to
play six hours day with all Corners at
place Of amusement was accustomed
to follow his day. work with two hours
Of laborious study of special chess prob
lens. 1t was this spirit that made Paul
Morphy Of New Orleans abandon q
promising career at the bar and cling to
the game until his physician warned
him that he must give 1t 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 in this
CITY, yet it is not large club compared
with other successful clubs formed on
different lines. 1t is almost impossible
in this country to form 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
strong contingent Of good chess players
in the German quarter. They frequent
a 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 ex-
perts in remote villages who come to
New York perhaps once year, as to
the chess headquarters of the country.
One such man is bank officer and gen.
eral factotum in a small border state
city. Although occupied with thou
sand business details he finds time to
conduct games by correspondence with
European experts, to arrange chess tour
naments and to write upon chess. When
he comes to New York, he busies him
self among chess players to the neglect
Of all his friends not equally devoted to
the game.-New York Sun.