The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-03-12
BIC CUE CONTEST
Cannefax Will Match Skill With
Augie Kieckhefer.
Both Are Brilliant Stars at
Three-CuShiOn Game.

Chicago, March 1.-THE greatest
billiard SHOEMAKER in the world and
the most e-ratic player in the game
will meet when Augie Kieckhefer of
Chicago, worlds champion three
cushion expert, defends his title
against Bob Cannefax of st. Louis
here March IL, 10 and IA. Kieck-
hefer is known to billiard fans as the
most brilliant player developed in re-
cent years. one who practically dis
cards safety play and shoots at any
thing and everything Cannefax, on
the other hand, is considered re-
markable player, but unfortunately,
and then loses to. a mediocre player
the next
Kieckhefer and Cannefax are two
of the youngest billiard stars in the
country. The champion is 20 years
old and CannefaX is rs. Each has
come to the front rapidly and has had
more than one test in world cham
pionship events.
Kieckhefer began playing billiards
in Milwaukee when about IL years
old. In his first game he shot left
handed, for some unknown reason. as
he is right handed at everything else,
and since then has always been
southpaw when handling a cue. He
can shoot righthanded, however. and
frequently shifts to make a difficult
shot.
Kieckhefer's First Triumph.
In 1915 Kieckhefer won the inter-
state league title and repeated in
1916. Then he challenged Alfredo
De Orc, the Cuban, for the worlds
chal-- pionship. That match has gone
down into billiard history. for the
Cuban established a worlds record
by making $50 points in las innings
and gave Kieckhefer such a beating
that the youngster made no effort to
get revenge for two years.
The little billiard player-Ee's one
of the smallest in the country-hav-
ing learned from the De ORC match
that he was not yet of championship
caliber, dropped from the limelight.
to a certain extent. He practically
deserted championship events and de-
voted his time to practice. He moved
to Chicago, playing for that city in
the Interstate league, but was unable
to retain his league supremacy.
After a year, Kieckhefer decided
he was ready to tackle De Orc again.
But, in the meantime, De Orc had
lost the title. Kieckhefer wanted the
title, but, more than that he wanted
to win it from the man who had so
Inundated him-De Orc. So, he did
not challenge, but waited for De Orc
to regain the championship. ar;
De ORC Came Back. +rs
In the fall of 1917 De ORC re-
gained the title and Kie"Nhefer chal-'
Otis of New York. Fearing that De
ORC again would lose the champion
ship. Kieckhofer kept on practicing.
De ORC defeated Otis and agreed to.
meet Kieckhefer in Chicago February
6, Z and 8.
De Orc, for thirty-o one years a
holder of some kind of championship,
went into that match with his usual
tactics-wearing down his opponent.
At the end of the first nights play
De Orc led by eight points. Follow
ers of the game began to predict an
other overwhelming defeat for Kieck-
hefer. but they failed to reckon with
his greatest quality-his nerve. AS
one player expressed it. You can beat
Augie. but You can't make him quit
Kieckhefer didn't quit. He came
back the second night against De >Oro
and gave the greatest exhibition of
carom making ever seen in Chicago.
De Orc played safety repeatedly, but
Kieckhefer frequently broke thru
with phenomenal shots and gained a
viewpoint lead. On the final night
De ORC used every trick at his COM
mand, but Kieckhefer again came thru
with seemingly impossible shots and
won, so to 1926, giving De Orc one of
f1po ret lnf Of -