Trench and camp. [volume] (Augusta, Ga.) 1917-1919, 1918-05-08
Sports and Recreationa1 Activities at Camp
CHESS AND WAR
By Sgt. T. Elmer Moon
10th Ord. Depot Co,

traced to many peoples. The first
chronicle of game occurs in the Bible
when Adam sacrificed a rib, to get
a mate,
Pieces were first made from bone,
and shaped pebbles; then came wood
ebony, and our present-day boXwood
cards are nothing more than chess
men on paper. made to crafty tired
Partisan court
The first authentic record we have,
is from China, where the protot type of
our modern structure and technique
had it's foundation, and goes back as
far as 1000 years b. c. Japan @has a
modified form which is played on a
hundred squares (the Dutch game of
"Salta" is also played on the same
number of squares. and is an hybrid of
chess and checkers) then comes In
dia, where tn sacred white cow was
used as the symbol of that which
should be protected al all costs, Gu
riously-and logicalN-it had the
greatest range; unlike our king of to-
day which is restricted to one move in
any direction.
Then the merchants travelled east
ward, from the Hellas All Egypt,
and brought back exotic fruits and
cloths, so they also brought this pat
riarch of games, and by virtue of the
customs and conditions, peculiar to
their own country, made certain
changes in the positions and powers Of
the pieces and pawns
1t remained for Persia, long before
Omar camouflaged Fate in the guise
of the Grape; to give us our present
form of the great mental pastime. The
fable goes-A certain just king had
two sons. the elder who was to inherit
the throne was a capricious chap, who
| liked nothing so we'll as wine women
and song, he was an able fellow, but
would not settle down to this king
| business: all the wise men had
crack at him, but his ways could not be
changed now the younger son was
not very intelliger and was a crafty
guy, very domineering, and the people
were afraid that he would become the
ruler; however. the ~courtfool asked
, permission to ia e the young man in
hand everyone but the king laughed
at him, who, with much wisdom, and
not little sarcasm, observed that if
the philosophers couldn't do anything
with him, certainly fool could no no
less, nd babe him hit the high spots
on his errand
Now the sport liked games; so the
fool set to work making a checker
board and funny little pieces of wood;
enticed the prince into trying his hand,
and explained that it was a miniature
battlefield where the king stood in
background and directed his minions
in the fight; at each end he placed
his castles, and next to them each, a
knight on horseback (these things
the prince understood WELD now no
one should ge into battle without the
aid of Spiritual help, SO he placed next
he nd 1I
of an adroit queen is not to be de-
spised (even in fight, she sometimes
succeeds where a mans bravery would
not) so he placed her at the kings side,
in front of all these eight pieces, he put
one foot-soldier (paWn) each. To make
the contest interesting, he gave the
enemy the same number and positions
of men and pieces, right here you can
see tn eprinciple of modern warfare
the staff and line-the line without the
staff is helpless to carry on, and the
staff without the line is useless.
A general figures his fighting power
in terms of men and mobility (other
factors enter into the computation also,
such as morale, which is in direct ratio
to the righteousness of cause; and
stamina, which is enthusiasm to the
nth power, knowledge of the disposi-
ton and strength of the enemy and
terrain conditions) thus an excellent
analogy can be made between the dis
position and function of the chess
men, and actual battle conditions.
First, in the front line trenches, are
the pawns. or foot-soldiers defending
the more valuable pieces in their rear;
"a company of infantry runs out, PIX
4-protected by the big guns, imme-
diately the e..emy engages with them
PIX 4-blocking his further progress;
then a machine gun is brought up BIB
with it's deadly enfilaled fire; an
aeroplane scars over the lines XIX
B 3-and attacks the advanced COM
pany similarly. one flies out over
Whites vanguard defending; Kt.-
sand the enemy place machine gun
in shell hole-B-B 4, we attack his
defending company-Kt.K 3-and
he defends-Kt.-Q b "a supporting
company goes half way-P-Q 3-and
the enemy does likewise, under cover
of our infantry screen machine gun
gets the range on the enemy aeroplane
r 5-iS attacked nv SbarDShOOt-