The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1902-07-03
WIRELESS CHESSAT SEA
Game Played When Liners
Were Eighty Miles Apart.
ONE PLAYER PITTED AGAINST SIX

Fcr Nearly Five Hours, Interrupts
ed by Business Talk With Lucania.
To play chess by wireless telegraph
! while the players sat In different ships
eighty miles apart was the eXpe-
rience of chess players who arrived
at New York the other day Oh the
Cunarder Campania and the American
liner st. Paul. Paul Ginther, an Eng
Hshman on tour of the United States.
was the champion on the Cunarder.
In midocean he played against party
of six on the Philadelphia. When the
game was interrupted at 6:30 p. m. Of
June 10 he was prepared to win in
three more moves, says the New York
Journal. On the Philadelphia a draw
was claimed
Gilman, the Marconi operator on the
Cunarder, has the credit of starting
this curious game He had heard that
Mr.. Ginther was al expert amateur.
He asked him If he would play man
on the Philadelphia in case a match
could be arranged and Mr.. Ginther
consented. The saloon voyagers heard
the Philadelphia was spoken.
Would the Philadelphia play chess?
1t would Bring out the chessboard
and place the men," was the instruction
from the American liner. No word
came as to who was to play on the
Philadelphia, but Mr.. Ginther took it
for granted that he was to be pitted
against a single player. He did not
know that half a dozen were to take
a hand in moving the pieces on the
Philadelphia chessboard.
It was just 2 p. N. when the game
began The ships were then some
eighty miles apart, the Campania to
the southwark and slightly leading her
rival. No effort was made to speed
either vessel. They were steaming
westward over a calm sea at about
eighteen knots an hour, and this speed
was kept up on both ships for the aft
ernoon
Mr.. Ginther placed his board in the
grand saloon of the Cunarder, and that
apartment speedily filed with adj
mirers of the game, anxious to look on
and mark the various moves. Mr.. Gin
Their gave warming when he began that
he wanted no advice; that he would
play his own game to the finish One
Of the stewards was placed at his dis
posal, and his moves were carried on
slips of paper to Operator Gilman,
who at once telegraphed them to the
Philadelphia. The answers, taken down
on slips of paper, were sent back to
Mr.. Ginther, who moved his oppo-
nent's piece to correspond with the tel
egraphed move.
The same order of things was OBJ
served on the Philadelphia. except that
the board was placed in the smoking
room, and six instead of one took part
In the play. Who these players were
It was impossible to ascertain the other
day on the American liner.
Operator Lindsay Of the Philadel-
phia, like his fellow operator on the
Cunarder, knew the game. and his mes
sages were exact transcripts of the
moves made on the ship. Around the
operating room on the American liner
the passengers stood twenty deep wait
ing the result Of each move made.
One Of the first efforts Of the se1tet
on the Philadelphia was to catch Gin
Their on the college mate trick" This
means to checkmate In three moves.
This the shrewd Ginther avoided, and
then he had to head off dozen trick
moves, while he gradually drew his
net about the players on the American
liner.
The game had reached critical
point for the Philadelphia players at
$50 p. m, when the dinner bell STOP
ped further playing. Messages and
promises to resume the game immedi-
ately after dinner were exchanged.
The pieces We're left on the two boards,
and on each ship a watch was placed
to see that no one meddled with them.
But the game was destined to end
there, for after dinner the Companies
sister ship Lucania, eastward bound,
spoke the Campania, and an exchange
Of business messages for half an hour
followed. The connection with the
Philadelphia had been lost by that
time, and it was never possible to re-
sumo it for the rest of the voyage.