Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-04-27
IN CHESS CIRCLES.

The executive board of the local chess
club has accepted Lasker's terms for
one-day's exhibition of his chess powers
here. No time Is yet stated as to when he
Will commence his tour or be In this city,
but 1t will be In the near future.
The westerners are bound to Edo up the
easterners. it would seem, as the latest
score shows them to have won 9la games
to their opponents Az DR.. L. r. Lewis
of this city counts .in the score, having won
from Tarbel, Alton, ILL.,
The North and South of England are go
ing through the same performances cor
respondence mateh---the latter leading with
4s7s wins to 3s1s, with fourteen boards I'M
decided. .-i-.;.s -
In the match between the American and
English universities, Lane Of oxford Is
blind and conducts his game by feeling
the pieces.
Some weeks since The Star. in calling at
tention to the fact that the attempt to re-
duce drawn games to +. minimum in recent
international tournaments had been met
by the opposite OF success, called attention
first to the fact that drawn games were
actually increased ia number. and second,
to the more important fact that those who
are unfortunate enough to have drawn
games on their bands have their days of
rest cut out to the extent that these games
occur and are. therefore, handicapped in
the succeeding schednled games. Mr.. Ma
son, In his notes TO the SchIecter-C ;unsbcrg
game, reproduced in this column, includes
some remarks which are Incorporated here:
This and several other games in the tour
nament may be looked on as strong evil
dehce that the splitting of a draw into
quarters and the valuation Of q win at one
or only one-half, as chance determines has
little or nothing in it's favor. 1t leaves the
enterprising player no working margin.
q a4-iyl tho cte ~, - bAre
wrung 1t will be, If this system continues.
that those who draw will draw the more,
and many draw who never drew before"
The uneasiness about the correctness OF
the older method of scoring, allowing l for
a win . for a loss and 4 for a draw is
certainly based on limited view Of the
situation That view is this: Suppose a
tourney is just finished which Is to give
six prizes: now, If four individuals. for ex-
ample, take the first four and A and s tic
Tor the NTH and sixth places (he principle
being the same if they tie for first and sec
ond or any other places, ought not credit
be given for the strength of the PLAYERS
from whom the games Were Won? Suppose,
as an extreme case illustrating the Drfn-
ciple, that A won all his games from the
first four prize takers, and that b lost all
his to the same players; now from the par
tiai standpoint. is entitled to the fifth
prize for his wins from the heavy-weights
Now look at it from a broader point of
view. B has won four more games from
the tail-enders than A, and as merits above
the pivotal marks are exactly balanced by
dement's below it for A, so for 3 are these
conditions exactly reversed
The First Cable Match.
The first Of the cable Matches not being
one of the current series, is just about lost
sight of. 1t was played in March, 1898, be-
tween the Manhattan Club Of New Yorl,
and the British Club London. Its ending
was undesirable, the play being confined to
one day, in that out of the ten games
played but two were finished and they
were both draws, while the remaining
games were advanced hardly beyond the
opening stages. Mr.. Lasker was referee
and he suggested that without examina.
ton of the merits of the positions the
match be called a draw, and it was 40
agreed The first Of the present series be-
tween the Brooklyn and British clubs COM
menced the following year, and the i'm
petus to them was given at a dinner ten
dered Piilsbury on his return from winning
the Hastings tourney, when a cablegram
was received from Sir George Newnes
speaking Of the matter as proposed and
having his good wishes. The BROOKLYN
Eagle offered a small cup as a prize. hut
the cup offered by Sir George costing ssnO
was accepted, and has been battIed for
since. "
strong game from the Monte Carlo
tourney. Notes by Jas. Mason.