The San Francisco call., 1913-08-17
Chess or Checkerss
fBy E. w. G.y


fBy E. w. G.y
According to the checker editor of
the San Francisco Evening Post, a
chess enthusiast has been batting the
checker editor OF the Pittsburgh
Leader. Nothing is calculated to get
the goat Of our checker friends quick
er than the perfectly innocent query as
to why they waste their time at check
ers when they might be playing chess
Editor Kerr Of the Leader has offered
a prize for the best apology for check
ers. Now. checker players, conscious
that there would be not the slightest
point in this little joke II applied by
them to chess lovers, never give us a
chance to give reasons for the faith
within u.s. But Editor Hopewell of
the Post very entertainingly, in his
column of August 3, tells why he
prefers checkers:
have won three prizes myself in chess tour
game best by reason of its more subtle combina
ton and its democracy. Chess Is game that
rule OF kings 1t abounds in titles and arbi
trary distinctions In checkers every place is
created free and equal. man must win his
may disport himself in a manner that would be
considered cons improper for a bishop and the com.
pawns" in defense of king I have always
felt community of interest with those repub-
eans Of France In the days Of the Terro5 who
duIging in the 'aristocratic game OF chess,
Chess is the sport Of kings; checkers Is a
dom from tyranny and equality before the law.
Chess enthusiasts assert that their game. is
checkers; but this does not prove for it
greater depth 1T simply shows more waste.
Lincoln's Gettysburg address can be written on
a postal card; If Is the combination of profound
depths with simplicity that makes it great.
The words of the English language not
delivered be found In the dictionary; the
genius consists in combining them for the
language has a greater depth than the English
because 1T contains so many thousand more
words
That is beautiful and should be set
to music. or course, there can be no
serious comparison between the two
pastimes; but in the entire absence OF
logical arguments for the equality of
checkers the above is probably as able
an apology as Kerr is likely to receive
in the competition. Chess, we admit,
"fourished in Europe under the rule of
kings" and ages before that in the
dawn of history Probably 1t had it's
birth in India. 1t f1ourishes today not
only in republican France and Amer
lea, but all over the civilized world.
While the pieces in chess have aristo-
cratic titles, what's in a name? A
hIllS III ny dAy OlucI nduiC WOui0 4CdR
as crooked. Yes, the pawns typify the
common people" But is not every
pawn a potential queen, rook, knight
or bishop? In checkers the disks be-
gin as ..men'' and become kings"
What kind of a game is 1t in which
no provision Is made for the co-opera-
tion of the "last and best of all Gods
works"-Woman Probably the in
ventor OF checkers would be in sym
pathy with Millions churlish lament:
OH why did God create at last
This novelty on earth. this fair defect
of Nature, and not ill the world at once
With Angels, without feminine.
Readers Of this column will recall
the beautiful sonnet. THE Queen" by
Earl Simonson. printed recently. The
inventor of chess. as he carves the
first queen-woman," is pictured, with
prophetic vision, piercing the distant
future and seeing "the high road that
woman should pursue
Where and what is the literature of
checkers? Imagine poem inspired by
10-15. 23-18, 12--16, 26--23.
If the titled parasites during the
Terror played the "aristocratic game
of chess 1T was the best thing they
ever did and they were guillotined in
because Of it. Benjamin Franklin and
Thomas Paine, two sturdy democrats
played chess in Paris before and dur
ing the Revolution. But you never
hear the slightest mention of checkers
But, after ALL one must admire the
ingenuity of the inventor OF checkers.
1t is as IL a. man took pack OF play
ing cards, abolished all titles and ar
bitrary distinctions" by reducing all
the cards to two spots, and then pro-
ceeded to construct playable game!
Now, to get down to brass tacks, here
is the testimony of two of the fore
most checker experts in the United