The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-02-17
PROFESSIONAL CHESS PLAYERS.
The Poorest Paid of Any of the Intel
Iectual Workers.
From the New York Sun.

From the New York Sun.
Professional chess players, considering
the laborious nature of their work, the
character of mind, and the long prepara-
tory study required, are probably as ill
paid as any kind of intellectual workers.
The professional chess player who earns
by his play more than a decent, modest
living, is a highly successful man. An
expert may be hired to run a chess auto
maton and play with all corners at a
salary less than some typewriters earn.
There are in all the world probably less
than half a hundred highly skilled pro-
fessiOnal chess players. The Hastings
convention brought together twenty-five,
and the number was notable.
few professional chess players are
men of means but for the most part the
passion fer the game leads the profess
sional player to put aside material consid-
erauons in order to follow his bent Some
OF the best known players dress shabbily
and live plainly. The ablest and most sue
cessful usually exc out their incomes made
directly from the game by writing on
chess, discussing problems, and the like.
Books on chess succeed one another rap
idly, 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 con-
tests throughout the world amounts In
any one year TO only a few thousand dol
lars, and a stake of $1,000 is large one.
Amateurs, who far outnumber the profess
aonals, provide the purses and meet the
L.
burg is an important chess center, and
I there the travelling expenses of the pro-
fessionals are made up by the local clubs.
professional chess players are rarely
men of liberal education and usually men
of some idea. Chess has been the diver
sion of great and brOad-minded men, but
| Il is commonly the business of men de-
voted to one idea. The professional chess
player seems tireless in the pursuit of the
game. one whose duty it was to play six
hours a day with all corners at a place
of amusement was accustomed to follow
| his days work with two hours of labori-
Gus study or special chess problems. 1t
was this spirit that made Paul Morphy
of New Orleans abandon promising ca
reer at the bar and cling to the game
until his physicians warned him that he
must give il up or lose his reason.
Famous as chess has long been, there
are comparatively few really skilled anna
tours, and it Is impossible to maintain
anywhere a very large chess club. one
of the largest in the world is I'm this city,
yet it is not a large club, compared with
| other successful clubs formed on differ
| emit 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 eX-
pertS the country over.
There are some oddly placed chess ex-
perts in local villages who come to New
York perhaps once a year, as to the
chess headquarters of the country. one
such man is a bank officer and general
factotum in a small border state city. Al
though occupied with a thousand bust
ness details he finds time to conduct
games by correspondence with European
experts, to arrange chess tournaments ana
to 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 gamel