Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1905-09-22
HARRYNELSON
PILLSBURY
THE CHAMPION CHESS PLAYER
WHO WENT INSANE A FEW
WEEKS AGO.

American champion chess player, one
time champion of the world and prob
ably the most marvellous trick chess
player that ever lived, tried to COM
NIT suicide in Philadelphia during a
fit of insanity a few days ago, he only
fulfilled the fate which mas been that
of nearly all of the great masters of
the game, says the Chicago Chronicle
The tremendous mental strain which
they undergo in the grea, tournaments
and aided and abetted by excessive
use of stimulants TO keep them keyed
to the proper pitch, is too much for
the human brain, no matter how alb
normally brilliant.
For two or three years Harry Pills
bury had been in i'll health In the
International tournament of 1904. won
by Frank Marshall. of Brooklyn he
finished third. During the past win
ter he had been unable to play chess.
Years of excessive smoking had shat
tered his nervous system and made it
impossible for him to participate in
class tournaments Unable to follow
his profession, he was in much re-
duced circumstances He and his
wife, formerly Miss Bush. of Brook
Ign, had to move into rooms on the
fourth floor of boarding house.
A little over week ago his condi-
ton was so bad that he was sent to
the Presbyterian hospital in Philadel-
pha. He was operated upon and two
l.. co;J ,l l. %1,1xy
and he attempted to take his life by
jumping from the fourth story win
dow.
Learned Game in Youth.
Harry Pillsbury was born in Som
erville. Mass, in December, 1872, and
is therefore not yet 33 years old. At
the age of 16 Pillsbury had qualified
to enter Harvard college, but through
the stress of circumstances was COM
PEELED to choose a mercantile career.
To that end he had removed to BOS-
ton, where he devoted his leisure to
chess, at which he became so prof.
cient that he was not long in compel
ing on even terms with the best New
England players and finally defeated
them
In 1892 he went to New York.
The feats that have been perform
ed by the great chess players appear
to the ordinary mortal almost super
natural.
Imagine being pittei against a mind
that can visualize the positions of 81
pieces of ivory on as many squares
and every possible variation there
from, and. building one picture upon
another, can foretell not only the end
of the game, but the exact number
,&1,<
and as Marshall did in London, pro
coed to accomplish it in spite of al
an ordinary player and his pieces
can do to prevent. Just what this
means may be realized in view of the
computation that there are 31S,979
$4,000 ways of playing the first fou
moves on each side of the board. Ye
during the Cambridge Springs tour
nament Pillsbury took a hand in
game of whist and at the same time
played two games of chess and two
games of checkers without lOOkin:
at one of the four boards. Mr.. Pills
bury sat at the whist table with hi
back to the chess and checker board
and the moves of the players Thereon
were called out to him and withou
interrupting the whist game a momen
he would call back the name of hi
own piece which he wished move
in reply, specifying on which of tn
Ga squares it was to be placed. Il
this way he won the chess and checl
err games and helped to win the gam
of whist.
Played Score at once.
Pillsbury performed blindfOlded pla
seemingly with comparative ease. H
has played against as many as 20 di
ferent boards at one and the sam
time without seeing a single boar
and has won a large majority of tn
games. Seated with his back to tn
other players and constantly smOl
ing big cigar, he was apparent
able to visualize and to remember
different pictures. in each of whie
80 chessmen are being changed abOl
in an infinite variety of combination
At each of these boards sat an e
pert chess player with every facul
concentrated on his own game CARR
nothing for his neighbors' diffiCultie
bent only on battling the memory
the man at the end of the room, who!
mind recurs to his particular gan
only once in every % times. The
was seldom any hesitation on NJ
Pillsbury's part in recalling the pl
ture presented on any given boar
The referee called the number OF Il
board and the move made by the pla
er thereon and instantly the rep
came back from the master with
request for the move on the ne
board. Before Pillsbury's time t
record for blindfolded play was
games, played in two days by Zuk'
tort In Chicago, in 1900. Pillsbu
played 16 simultaneous blindfold
games in 4:55, winning ~. drawi
three and losing one.
OF course Pillsbury had systt
for memorizing the various gam
By courtesy he was allowed the fl
move on each board. So he resoly
the various boards into mental grou
In a ~ game circuit he would pr
ably group boards /, 4, and 10 toge
err Boards 2, 5, and II would &C
prise the second group. Thus
would need but three styles of op
ings on the IL boards. If the sta
ards or what are considered the b
replies were made on these OpeniI
he could make counter replies Il
would carry him several moves II
each game.
Great Feats Of Memory.
After that he would probably be
to subdivfde his groups, or if pl
er tried a special variation he wo