New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-08-07
BROKEN DOWN BY CHESS.
Young PhiIadeIphian IN Sanatorium
an This City.

Suffering from acute nervousness caused, his
physician says, by loss of sleep and lack OF nour-
ishment, ]. Henry smythe. jr., nineteen years Old
was brought to this city on Tuesday from syracuse
by his father because he had refused TO stop
giving chess exhibitions. His father is the Rev
J. Henry Smythe, president Of the Sunshine PUB
fishing Company Of Philadelphia, of No. % North
Fourth-st Philadelphia. Young Smythe was
brought TO the Hotel Empire in this city, ana
from there was taken TO West Side sanatorium-
He is one of the most prominent young chess eA-
perts in the country. 1t is said that his condluon
not serious and that he will be taken to Atahuo
City to-day for rest
Smythe took part in the annual chess champion
ship tournament of the United States, which was
held in Syracuse last week. He did not win Inc
championship. but the experts all admired ms pay
and when the tournament was over the champion
challenged him TO play three games. Young Smythe
won the first two and the series. The champion,
according 70 the boys father, was chagrined by
this defeat, and challenged the boy to play him
twenty simultaneous games. The challenge was
accepted, and Smythe again won The Rev. Mr..
Smythe said yesterday:
Ny sons head turned by these victories ana
he began to give exhibitions at the request OF
different clubs and hotel managers He kept up
his good work and was praised every ~
seemed to turn his brain, for he woud S S up
the and figuring out where he made
his mistakes He ate little food. and the STRAIN
the hotel management where he was stopping
notified me that l had better go there at once. ,,
out chess problem. thought he was mercy
suffering from loss of sleep and brought him PACK
TO this city. That on Tuesday. On Wednes-
day thought he all right until | said some
thing about chess He Immediately began TO tax
irrationally, and said he going to communi-
North American" ! intercepted a telegram or
four hundred words that he had written 10 the
editor. When [ read the telegram became CON
WINGED that there something the matter with
his brain and called in DR.. Smith Bly, Jellite. or
No. 23 West Seventy -trst-st He at once SAID that
there was something radically wrong with the
boys brain, and that he needed immediate rest
He Is A
take him TO Atlantic City. His condition is not
dangerous and think he viii recover fully IN TWO
three weeks.
Mr.. Smythe refused to tell what sanatorlum his
son had been taken to- He explained the telegram
10 the editor of "The Philadelphia North Ameri-
can" by saying that it the chess editor Of that
paper who discovered" him. Young Smythe had
speedily solved a number of intricate problems
published in the paper and the editor took fancy
to him He invited the boy to play at the GaLnbit
Club, in Phia dephia. and Smythe beat al OF the
best players in the club. He then played twenty
Simultaneous games, and nearly all of them.
He was invited TO give a simultaneous exhibition
by the Chess and Checker Club of the University
Of PENNSYLVANIA, and did winning all of his
games. He also went to Princeton for similar
exhibition. and gave number of simultaneous
exhibitors in and about Philadelphia He
entered for the championship and, according to
his father. experts say he would have won the
championship had he not been nervous in the first
few days of play He had beaten everybody he
met before but he was awed by the big chess
PLAYERS His father says that he decisively beat
the national champion.