Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-18
GET SMALL REWARD
Chess Masters Are Not Well
Paid for Work.
CHESS CAFES SAVE GAME
Allow Masters to Exc Out Existence
and Also Increase Interest
Among Amateurs.

To read over the list of masters who
took part in the recent Breslau tourns-
ment would lead one conersant with
their regulations TO conclude that the
prizes offered must have been excep-
tionally generous to bring together such
a splendid array OF talent. The tourna-
ment lasted about twenty days: eighteen
masters, the cream OF the world. fought
for the nine prizes. Surely those prizes
must have been OF goodly weight. Well.
Rubinstein and Duras each got S4iS5o,
Teichmann, s23s: Schlechter and Tar
rasch. $i54.7o each; Marshall. $3.50.
Barasz. Breyer, Noises and Przepiorka
$2s.6s; the nine second column players
were thankful for the three meals a day
and lodging always accorded TO masters
In an international tournament.
When you read OF the noble disdain or
musicians. artists and poets for the goods
of this world. consider the lowly chess
master He needs no VOW TO practice
poverty. no boastful "Lart pour Tart
to convince that he follows his goddess
for love. OF all the millions who play
chess not over thirty five are of interna-
tlonal tournament caliber. In the whole
United States. for instance. We have just
four first-claSs masters. Marshall az
Brooklyn, Jaffe OF New YORK Chaies oc
Chicago. and Fox Of this city. and Mr.
Fox has retired from active practice. To
be a consistent prize winner requires an
amount OF study and perfection OF
memory. for even the brightest intellect,
almost Incredible. Duras. for instance
will play over from memory. on a wager.
any game called for. from any internal
tional tournament sine. lS.la The late
Harry Pillsbury could play many as
twenty-five simultaneous blindfold games.
and, against rrst-class amateurs would
win about twenty-five. This and other
featS accomplished by this master called
a StlnendolS tsNp of
DRY that many scientists would not credit
the newspaper accounts OF his exhibitions
and he WAS officially Investigator bv
the professors of Columbia I University,
with the result that they declared his
powers of memory to far exceed those Of
any OF the memory marvels of history.
How do these men livec They don't
they exist in the following manner: In
all the large cities of Europe there arr
many chess cafes" where the masters
sit all day and all night. playing for A
franc or mark per game against any
amateur who is willing to give up that
much for the pleasure of being beaten by
a master. Some few get a small amount
for editing chess columns and writing
chess books, and a very select few. such
as Lasker and Capablanca. have been
moderately successful as exhibitors.
To these chess cafes may be attributed
the great popularity OF the game in
Europe. There congregafe nightly the
masters and the near masters, the
would be's' and the has beens. all
fanatics. all ready to entertain the chance
visitor for very small consideration.
There the new variations are born and
the latest tournament is reviewed and the
mistakes of each game are feTreted out.
There the budding genius gains. through
ten thousand battles. the strength and
experience to break into the sacred circle
of the masters. There the tried veterans
relax and cast aside the superca utious
tournament style for those briliancies
which are the delight of the amateur.
, Here are two cafe games by Schlech-
ter, the draw master" and a blindfold
brilliancy by Pillsburs.