The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-11-14
ROYAL ROWS OVER CHESS.
Stories of Kings who Loved and Played
 the Game.


 the Game.
 If, as is reported in the papers, King Edward is developing an enthusiasm for chess, he is only following in the steps of many of his predecessors on the throne, including his namesake, the first Edward, who was almost as keen a fighter with castles and pawns as with his knights and squires at his back on the Scottish border. 1 His wife, too, was little less skilful at the game than her lord; indeed, on one occasion, when she gave him one Of his rare beattngs, he rewarded her with a present of a chess. board and men made of jasper and crystal. On one oc- casion his devotion to the game nearly cost him his life, for he had only just risen from the board when the centre stone of the ceiling fell on the very 1 spot where he had been sitting. l Whether or not players were more 1 irascible in those old days than now, it is a curious fact that chess was of- ten more stimulating to the royal tenn 1 pers than is golf in these latter days, and many game peacefully begun ended in broken heads. When Prince Henry--afterward Henry I-once paid a visit to the court of France, a chron- | icler tells us, The wan so much at cheese of Louis the Kings elders some, as he, growing into choller, call ed him Ia naughty name) and threw the cheese in his faces Henry takes up the cheese board and strake Louis with that force as drew blood, and had kill ed him had not his brother Robert come in the meane time and interposed him. selfe, whereupon they suddenly took horse and gat away
 1 King John in his younger days had similar experience, for a game of chess in which his opponent was one Fulk l Marine ended in royal row, during which Fulk gave the prince "so griev- ous a blowe as almost to slaie him on 1 the spot" John never forgot that blow or forgave his irascible opponent, and punished him when later he came to the throne by withholding his heritage -Whittington Castle-from him. i William the Conqueror more than once lost his temper over the game, and on at least one occasion with ser ious consequences. He was playing with the son of the King of France, when a dispute led to hot words and culmina- ed in William bringing down the board so heavily on his opponents head as to make him unconscious. Within an hour 1 Williams horse put a score of miles be- 1 tween his rider and the French court 1 Philip II of Spain could play chess amiably enough as long as he won-like so many of us-but woe to the .indis- erect player who checkmated' his maj esty; banishment from court was the least penalty he might expect. One of the most powerful grandces of Spain, after playing with the king, returned home and thus greeted his family: My children, we have nothing more to do at court. There we must henceforth expect no favor; the King is offended because I have won every game of chess"
 Napoleon the Great was an equally selfish and intolerant player. Once when he was playing with Eugene BeauIharnais and suddenly found him. self face to face with a checkmate, in fit of passion he swept board, pieces and all off the table. slapped his oppon- ent in the face and walked out of the room.
 In one case at least chess estranged a husband and wife and cost the husband dearly. Ferrand, Count of Flanders, was in the habit of playing with his countess, and was ungallant enough to win almost every game. This constant and almost inevitable defeat so disturb ed the lady that in time she conceived a positive hatred of her victor-to such an extent that when he was taken pris oner at the battle of Bouvines she re- fused point blank to take any steps to procure his release.
 Louis XIII of France was so infatu- ated with the game that wherever he went he was accompanied by his chess board and men, and invariably played if in his coach when he took his drives abroad. Charles I found it so fascinat- ing that he almost literally played it to the foot of the scaffold. and when once his game was interrupted by news that the Scots had decided to sell him to the Parliament he proceeded with his move as unruffied as if, instead of hearing his doom he had received a summons to dinner And when John Frederick, elector of Saxony, heard ov-