The sun., 1901-12-18
IN PRAIsE OF CHESS.
4 Philosophical but Pessiniistic Essay on
Great subject.

Great subject.
To THE EDITOR OF THE SUY--Sir. We have
| all heard how Talleyrand predicted miser-
able old age for tho youth who neglected
learning whist before the evil days had come.
| Tho phrase II rather good-for France.
| IL has that peculiar fiavorng of wicked levity
| which enables phrase TO go smoothly down a
| French throat But IL has nothing more. III
| he had said chess there would have been somo-
| thing in it. and then he might have thrown
| in the rest Of life we'll. In episrammatio
tartness, no doubt, IL would have lost con-
| sideraby. But IL would have come reason
| ably near tho truth, and that ought 10 count
| for something.
| In fact there Is nothin In tho way OF amuse-
| ment about which people throw into the sea
| such means OF pleasure as this same game OF
| chess. IL possesses all qualities which are
| good and none at all that are bad. II even
| combines fasclnations of opposite kinds,
| quality entirely special TO tself-for IL Is
| peaceful and the same time warlike. 1t Is
| light and yet profound. IL il manly and yet
womanly-you can play 1t by daylight and
| you can play II by gaslight. you can play IT in
| tho house, you can play II on the lawn; you
| can play il in n railway carriage; you can play
| IL with board and men or you can play 1t WITH
| out either. II costs nothing II is reputable.
| II is dgniAed and IL becomes all classes ana
| all ages OF life And il has a wealth that no
| other game can even approach. Its changes
| II not literally endless, are at all events past
| counting Their beauty is like Cloopatrn'si
Age cannot wl,her Ii nor custom stale
Its Infinite variety.
Yet in these United States. strange TO say.
| chess Is not very popular. There are tour
| naments which make plenty Of noise and
matches between clubs and wonderful eN-
hibitions OF blindfold chess: indeed, Mr..
| Pillsbury. the most marvellous OF all such
| exhibitors. con play from ten TO fifteen games
| OF chess. six or eight games OF checkers and
half a dozen games OF whist all at the same
| time. bindfolded and against strong players
| too. The writer has seen him do II. some
Of the checker players ranked as first rate
| but they lost their games But the circle
conserved by chess columns in weekly papers
! with square pictures and printed games Is
very narrow. TO the general reader they
| Speaking nationally. the state OF chess Is
| simply disgraceful. Columbia knows moth
! in feet are connected together as cause and
effect. for II she knew more about 1t she would
In a certain sense. OF course. it might be
said that every one plays chess in every
| sentleman's house you expect TO find board
History in his library Or sideboard IN his
dining room, and every one in the house
| plays. too PaterfamilIas plays. so do the
| they all play something which they call chess
and chess no doubt y Is, 60 iar as this.that
|
| chess men and they move them about on the
squares. But as for the real game: what they
row o IN a the OgTs TendeTon or Red Light district
has % the fighting Of Waterloo.
You sit down 20 play with q young gentle,
young lady supposed to speak French and
having get In pawn you ask Tor seoond
a family chorus in horror and wonder end
| with great difficulty you convince them that
tho demand is an equitable one and no IN.
| ..FsNtF TN NsTHtE nj
| dclu ,ions, especially about queenlng. casting,
stale mating-iakins pawns In passahtt .n, 70
be- Seu ike e Cessi9's @ % hurt past pa ali surgery"
| The editors OF chess masszines-to Judge
from their answers TO & eorrespSSndsn1srIr Sa nnsIu-
conn Connected @ @ NTH the laws la of nature and hEely
| Chess players may be- divided into two
What the sa,a9e ne man. Secondly 1hose Ss
! jeOtion may be made in the be ginning against
this division, as being rather arbitrary, y
eyeFy SF Os shade % Of mo for6e from the champion Of
the world down 20 nothing. varying by in
sensible degrees like day singing into night T.
d.iGg 4 SsJs Ss Ro' ss sss iss Iss
exampie socially into men who are not
gentlemen and men Who are. thou though ;,
zuiS iiti mind mi Nigh put il dssrreeabiy that
every shade l. TO be seen Every ono knows
that. practically the division Is useful ana
| chess players into two classes. only
| The player Of the flrst class gives the feel
ing OF Resistance to an sdversaryIn1o an AK
superior foroe. you may run into him and
| play lie knows tho lie Of the ground with
! IT. different pitfalls -quagmlres and foTtresses.
! His troops are drawn out 80 that they can
! flght without standing ia one another'- way.
. lia has u n tIfplllntitla I'un Tor the CQmDalgu
and holds tho thread Of II IA his hand 10 he
| eud u II fails he knows where It fails.
| deeper than his. and where he was outgen-
| sralled y more skill than hs own. he falls.
! ~ be fa!ls. with his eyes open ana his lace
| 10 the Zoe. as Athsuisn falls before spartan
| or spartan befor" lhrb1n
| Now, the player Of the second class falls
| not as Greek before Greek. but IA Persian
! b,lOrr Greek. Brave lac may be naturally,
! but De- doe, not know the ground and lis
| forces are uuwieldy. they arg always getting
! one another and shooting IN one anOther's
| fac' A detachment trying 10 advano. Is
! while uthrr- los" their way ~ grt surrounded
/ or cut - a. passes uf w'dg"d into impass-
| SSfr aud the Killing becomes murder IN
] your hand becomes weary as the hand Il
| David mighty man. and cieaVos 20 The sword
In abb ,ILsT game thi- would cure UsrN
| ~" Ilayrt who Was made milo" meat oi ~
| would luup b. had hrrn made minor meat
/ 81 arl would improve II Jones siwtN ~
] I. .-..- o., ,af ch,- 90 baseball D." oan s'aIo,ly
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