The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1896-01-29

day says Megargce in the Philadelphia
| Times, is Il great disappointment to the
| American devoteeS OF pawn and rook, anu
| bishop and knight, and king and queen.
| One month ago IL was predicted in this
| column that Pillsbury, in the pending con-
| test between the three greatest masters
| OF the realm of chess-Steinitz, Laskcr,
| and Tschigorin-w would prove the victor
| and that an American lad but % years
| of age would achieve an honor and dis
, tinction which princes might envy. As
| the contest was held in st. Petersburg, IL
was natural that the Russians should
make Tschigorin their favorite; but when
| the Yankee boy demonstrated his ability
| to defeat the Muscovite easily, Pillsbury
was made the favorite of the most import
| ant chess center in Europe.
In the nine games pa yed by Pillsbury in
the first half of the Russian tournament he
defeated Tschigorin in all three OF their
encounters; won two and one-half of their
three games from Lasker, but from Steinitz
he could not win at all, although American
champions contend that in each OF these
he had victory within his grasp. 1t really
appeared as though Steinitz WIS able 10
cast a spell over the genius Of his COM
petitor.
PILLSBURY-STEINIT SCHEME.
In play with Sieuitz Pillsbury's form
was so different from that which he dis
played when engaged with other cOmpeti-
tors and his nervousness was so apparent
that chess players will read with interest
an explanation given by Mr.. Elwel, a
wcll-Enown expert OF the brooklyn Chess
Club, of which the boy marvel is MEM
Der. Says he:
when Pillsbury returned from Lon
don learned that he had entered into
partnership with Stcinitz and had signed
articles of agreement for business, which
later, upon inquiry, discovered to be ut
terly impractiCable. The scheme Of Steinitz
was to secure the exclusive right to pub
lish the scores OF the games played at st.
Petersburg in all countries of the world
except Russia, and included, SO / hear
Steinitz claims, even the news as TO re-
suits and incidents of the play.
THE syndicate was To resell the news
and scores to all papers DESTROYS to pur-
chase the same, and no publication OF
news and scores from st. Petersburg was
to be permitted unless obtained from and
paid for to the syndicate. The work of
copying and anDotating names and ccm-
menting on the play was to be equally
shared and all profits divided.
ANY one of experience should have
known that chess scores of games played
in clubs cannot be copyrighted in America,
or the copyright enforced, and that even
if copyright should issue at Washington,
long before it would be granted its value
would be absolutely nil. because hundreds
of newspapers would already have printed
the scores.
But the most potent reason for not
undertaking such a scheme. which it seems
astounding should not have suggested it.
self, is that for antagonists who have TO
sit down and battle with their brains
against each other to expose their plans
in advance, by analysis. is not to be thought
of All the scores and analytical notes
sent here are in Pilsbury's handwriting
and in his style. And apparently he has
given himself away without reserve.
AMERICAN NEWSPAPERS TOO QUICK.
"As is well known. the news of the play
by cable and the scores by mali have been
furnished 10 the readers of newspapers here
with an almost startling promptness. But
it is not known that all this news and the
scores carefully copied out by Pillsbury and
splendidly analysed by him, at the cxpen-
diture of no small amount of mental force,
have also been coming here. and always far
oeii''u ''e i '. y. '"e ~.
papefs-so''le'i'iies us h'4'u DIS "eeA
pe.,nu
the gaines have been regularly forwarded
TO Pillsbury, and he must first have learned
~ a., an,iro f,i,,-o of bis an,.rnris. inst
os no was en,aripg IN tho fatal fourtb round
., ,h, ,o,-,o,ron, some Letters already
At hond chow how worried PiI,shurv WAS
nc 10 IN. ortcone of his business venture
=, ,,.,,ioh III, ,,, Iona h,d ;n,.as, odd 90 CON.
siderable n sum nf money
..Eyon ,,i,bort ,ronot,ry ,nxi.,,. ,,-r;,i,c
notes nm ,hoSs is =, ,orr,b,o bond;can nc
>,;asos md crrsborp 1o,rned IN Their coS,
at H,s,ing ,st summer. and 7 we'll r.,,e,,.
her PT,sbnrv saving to me that If he had
iournoIist,c ,,uties there no could nevar b,yo
won that tournament,
Thot is n sad exnlonotion but no ono hrt
n, i,,nroc,jcabe man a genius with I'm,
one idea woald for one moment, ina pine
that in This day of nexrspaner nro.r.se
the mails can comoe,e with the ,elepronhic
cable.
Tho s,orv does not end bere Tho nro.
fessional chess player is tireless in the
nprsujt of the craze that nossesses him. He
who vii, MAY six bo,rs n dov nee,ipg all
corners in = nublic tourney viii, follow thai
work with two hours, study of perplexinp
chess problems.
o
,a., W.. p.r "a -, L.,