Evening journal., 1915-10-20
CHECKERS allied
TO national sport
Cracker-Box Game an Aid
TO Pitcher Christie
MathewSon
OWNER LANNlN
ALSO AN EXPERT

the Cotton building, Toledo, Ohio, one
FEBRUARY day in 1910 came upon a
. etrange scene. On opposite sides OF
table in the corner Of crowded
room two men sat facing each other
with bowed heads, lost in study The
nnectators were as silent as they. In
q smaller room adjoining sat an
other group, the members of which
now eazed anxiously through the
door or paced nervously up and down.
The two men at the table were
niavinr checker match for the
champfanship Of America. Each
move was recorded on a wall board.
The ewes OF one OF the spectators in
the ante-room, a portly, middle-aged
gentleman, seemed to seek this
hoard oftener than others eyes; he
seemed to give Il deeper study than
the rest. The name of this man was
I Iannin He was not then the
owner. president and treasurer OF the
Boston Red Sox. His career as a
baseball magnate had not begun. He
was known only as hotel owner and
n rich man.
He had personally backed one OF
the players in that checker match
and had come all the way from Bos-
ton 10 see him win. He had pro-
NOTED other checker matches, too,
and was known as a checker fan.
He had been the financial mainstay OF
the historic team match between
Great Britain and this country in
1908.
Mr.. Lannin's first interest in check
err began when he was is years old,
in small town In Massachusetts,.
4 He was soon able TO beat the cracker
8 hox philosophers in all the villages
round about. Since then his name
has become one to conjure with
81 among checker experts. He is the
7 patron saint Of the game For 20
X years he has been a member of the
famous Boston Checker Club and has
taken part in many club matches.
Christy Mathewson has often beer
spoken Of as the best checker playe
M IN baseball His claim TO the it'll
N viii now be disputed by Mr. Lannir
# Ny Lanniu thinks that checkers ha
M helped both MathewEon and himsel
IN other walks of life. "lt helped {
make Mathewson." he says, "one O
81 the hrainiest pitchers IN this cour
81 try
n Checkers as played by Mr.. Lannin
III
y the innocuous pastime most people re
s. gard IT, II Is a profound intellectual
study involving the highest efforts o
the analytical faculties. A whole Ii
brary has been written on the game
Il Is classed with chess and whist
Many people are fond of finding
analogies between checker playing
and military strategy. II would be
easier to find them between checker
playing and baseball, especially pitch
ing The value of checkers lies In
a the habits Of mind it induces. Take
4 Mathewson. for example How has
n the veteran been able to last 1s
a gruelnng years? A little analysis vii
AZ show that his peculiar qualities az
81 pitcher are the very qualities de
sd seloped in an expert checker player
M When an expert sits down 10
game Of checkers he has one ulti
mate object In view-to remove hi
opponents pieces from the board b,
lore all of his own are gone IT
sa knows that TO accomplish this h
|1 must have his mind an along on IN
12 end of the game, as we'll as on N
beginning or middle. To be sure I
W holds himself ready 10 take instai
advantage of any weakness shown I
l -. adversary. but he looks ahead
<# see "a this advantage viii be only
M temporary one that may get him in
difficulties later on. He does n
N play for the moment, but for q
III. game as a whole. lie learns cauti
H and tho need of conserving his
M sources.
M Moreover, he does not blaze away
M his opponents king row from the VI
z& start. rcsorting TO any means 10
Al man crowned and then trying to y
the whole game with that king.
Apdther words, he does not play a o
M iete game. He develops his men
81 9Aher, keeping them in positions
81 whfkh they support each other and
.vinA on the strength Of the VIII
'afheA than on the daring of one or
pieces. He plays l2-piece game
lie learns still other lessons OF str
81 srv.. If he develops a weakness 10
81 side of the board he learns to resort
"a farious tricks to lure his opponent
" attack the other side Thus he ga
"a time TO strengthen his weakness or
Ievelop a similar weakness in his
oonent
< The application of all this to pit.
~ ing IS obvious. A pitcher must sti
Il but 10 win, not one inning or four. I
whole game. He must have his mi
,n the ultimate object He must lea
T8 1aution and the necessity on conservi
ais strength. II ne starts out TO
VERY halter and ~blows up in the s.
nth, he is giving away TO the sa
temptation to which the checker pla
Wccumbs when he tries 10 begin W
ming his opponents pieces at his N
nr fourth move and finds that bv n
game his own pieces are scattered
shorn of strength. There are "ironn l
snd short route men IN baseball
as there are good openers and
snd-game players in checkers
Tn checker Dlaver who tries To
king at once and play a omen
game may be likened to the pitc
who tries to win a game all by I
self. without reliance on his te
mates On the other hand. the pitc
who doesn't care how often the ba
hit, so long as Il doesn't get a
from his helders. is using
cisely the same strategy as
checker player who makes his pi
support each other and plays a
man game
pitcher who enters a game
his support weakened IL one or