New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-03-23
CHESS AMAZINGLY
POPULAR IN HAVANA
Excited Spectators Made Re-
cent Tournament Resemble
Day on Stock Exchange.
MAYOR IS AN ENTHUSIAST
Responsible for Big Approprla-
ton That Will Make Possible
Great Carnival Planned
for Next Winter.


the same as anywhere else in the world
things, after all. are somewhat different
in the Cuban metropolis Practically the
same men to be met in clubs in America
and Europe devoted to chess worship on
the shrine of caissa in Cuba. Still. it Is
done more energetically and enthusiastic
ally. Chess is much more popular there
than perhaps, in any other part of the
world
This is all the more surprising as there
are not found among the Latin races
many prominent chess players nowadays.
Some fifteen or twenty years back the
Cubans, while themselves being hard en-
gagged at the practice of the game, used
to arrange annual carnvals during mid
winter. and all the leading European and
American masters received invitations
for the purpose of playing matches ana
giving exhibitions in Havana. Then came
the fight for Cuban liberty, and chess.
like every other sport, had TO take back
seat.
Within the last few years Capablanca's
success. however. has again aroused &C
tivity, and those having the welfare OF
the game at heart have made great
strides in popularizing chess in cuba.
Unfortunately. the great projected New
York Havana chess congress ended In
fzze and when all hopes had gone OF
being able 10 bring about the great con-
test much regret was expressed by Ha-
vana chess officials. 1t was then thought
that another winter would have TO go by
without anything having been done Tor
chess.
When Cuba learned Of the great sue
cess Of the second annual national mas
ters' tourney in New York. the officials
az once made overtures to get team OF
the first six prize winners down 10 Cuba.
on learning that this could be done they
offered the sum OF $4,000, originally given
by the city treasury of Havana. for such
a contest. Within d few days matters
were settled. the team departed for Ha-
vana, where two additional Cuban eX-
ports joined the ring. and contest SINH
lar to the one successfully conducted III
this city was under way at Havana.
Readers Of The Tribune were duly in
formed from day to day of the results OF
the games, and they know that the Amer
lean champion. Marshall, carried away
the first prize Capablanca the second
Janowski the third. while Chaies and ku-
chk divided the fourth and fifth prizes.
From the scores of some OF the most in
tcresting games il was, on the other
hand. clearly shown that the standard of
the games was not high. and this circum-
stance is best explained by two factors.
The first was the excessive heat during
the hours of play, which should have been
either i'm the early morning hours or i'll
The evenings when the temperature is
much lower than in New York City in
summer. As il was, the games were
played between the hours from TO { in
the evening
The second disturbing element was the
enthusiasm OF the spectators, of which
there were fully eight hundred 10 a thou
sand on every day of play. They were so
excited and interested in the progress of
the games that they could not possibly
be kept in check. that is. they could not
he made to watch quietly. on the con-
irary. they expressed their views on the
run of the games pretty freely and in
.oud tones and at times there was a din
in the big hall OF the Atheneum. where
The latter part OF the tourney was PLAYED,
much akin TO the noise on tile New York
Stock Exchange.
Otherwise the tourney was great sue
cess i'm every way, and II Is believed that
the great chess carnival planned next win
ter for which the city will give $4,000
in prizes, will be still more successful,
seeing that the mistakes Of the first vent
ure can easily be avoided. 1t is not gen
orally known that this was really the first
International tournament ever played in
Havana. Many important matches have
been PLAYED there before, as. for instance,
between Steintz and Tschigorin, Tschi-
gorin and Gunsbelg, etc. but never was
an important tourney witnessed in the
cuban metropolis.
While the element OF luck is more evil
dent in tourney play than in matches, the
Havana people soon found out that tour
ney is much more interesting than
match. although the latin kind Of contests
rs more instructive. inasmuch as it tends
10 more advance the theory of the game.
Not a little of the success of the contest
is directly attributable 10 the press. All
the Havana papers published full reports,
and the daily morning and evening papers
We'd with each other in illustrations, half
tones, caricatures in pen and ink and
even in colored prints
Whether il would have been possible TO
carry out the project OF the last tourney
and the coming one next winter without
the help of the Mayor Of the city is doubt
full. Fortunately. however. the Mayor is
an enthusiastic chess player himself and
q man who believes in arranging many
festivals in Havana during the winter sea-
son I'm order 10 attract tourists from all
parts of the world. especially so from
the United States.
1t was the Mayor who suggested the
appropriation of 10000 from the city's
treasury for a grand carnival Of sports
and other entertainments. and from this
sun, $1,000 will be given TO chess. In fact,
Hartwig Cassel. of this CITY, who man.
aged the last tourney, has already been
engaged r. manage the chess end Of the
carnival next year. and work on il will
begin at once.
The Mayor of Havana is a highly cult
ured man, speaks English and French
fuently. and when ne outlined his scheme
Of the tourney for next year at the fare
well banquet given TO the players he did
so in English. He was daily visitor at
the games and always selected the par
ticuar board where the most interesting
game OF the day was in progress
The tournament will consist of minor
masters fixture with three Americans and