Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-09-26
bRANDYW|NE CHESS
CLUB TO MEET
Membership Campaign to be In
augurated to Boom Organi-
zation.

The Rrandywine Chess Club will
open its season of i921-22 with meet
Ing in the Trinity Parish house, Della
ware avenue and Adams street, at 5
o'clock tomorrow evening. An invita-
tion 10 attend, is extended to all per-
cons Interested.
The Club last year was most sue
cessful. Not only did IT gain in menu
bership, but so much interest was dis
played that its officers anticipated an
enthusiastic series Of chess games and
tournaments during this coming fall
and winter months. There are ap-
proximately so men on the rolls, quite
a number OF whom are chemists in
the employ of the du Pont Company
and other corporations in Whining
ton and Claymont.
The rooms In Trinity parish house
have been provided for the use of the
Brandywine Chess Club through the
courtesy of the vestry OF Trinity
Protestant Episcopal Church and the
Rev. Frederick NJ. Kirl<us, rector. 1t
Ia the aim OF the club TO obtain per-
manent headquarters. if possible.
which may be used nightly for chess
In this connection. it is probable
that a membership campaign win be
begun within the next few weeks as
It Is known that there are numbers of
chess players in Wilmington and
vicinity who are not affiliated with any
such body. II IL can be arranged
another series Of games will he held
with chess players OF the University
OF Delaware. Newark. A chess match
played with the University men last
season was highly successful. Ii also
IS probable that exhibition games viii
bc staged 10y the club with noted ex-
pcrts such as Ruth. the Pennsylvania
state Champion. and Magee the prob
lem expert of Philadelphia, who play
ed in Wilmington under auspices OF
the organization last year.
Members Of the Brandywine Chess
Club who have been delving into the
origin and development OF chess. have
found that according to the Rev. Ber-
nard NJ. kaplan. of Montreal. Canada,
Asia. which is the cradle of man, is
also the cradle of the chess. The ex-
act place OF the birth Of chess is Hin
dustan. not Persia, as it had been
enormously maintained at one time.
A game strikingly similar to modern
chess was known to the Hindus nearly
5000 years ago. 1t was played on a
board OF 81 squares, but by four per-
sons. two against two. From Hin
dustan the game was introduced into
Persia and Arabia, where it has under
gone some notifications.
It was imported into Spain by the
Arabs in the eighth century, and he
came tho pastime of the educated
classes all over Europe, the Jews be-
ing among its strongest patrons. The
famous Hebrew scholar, Ibn Ezra, OF
the twelfth century, wrote a treatise
on the game. II is said the first book
that was printed was a work on chess
or all games of amusement chess is
regarded as the most intellectual
Notwithstanding the mental training
which IL involves, it is most fascinat
ing and never firing. 1t was Nose:
Mendelssohn who remarked that ches.
Is too intellectual TO be called a game
and too entertaining to be called {
science. Chess, like geometry, af.
fords excellent discipline for the mind
II strengthens not only the reasoning
powers Of the mind, but also tn,
faculty OF memory.
The chess player, while playing
has TO remember the positions of tn,
various pieces on the board, as tn,
student has to bear in mind all tn,
steps Of the theorem leading TO tn
conclusion. AS he game develops
~ assumes the charm Of an excitin.
plot in an interesting book.
Chess has also moral influence
Any one who plays chess viii, as
rule. be indifferent to diversion of
lower grade; and. again, chess, lil1
any other intellectual pursuit, re
quires a healthy mind as well as
healthy body.
The present officers of the Brandy
wine Chess Club are DIR. II. H. Morris
president; the Rev. Frederick N
kirkus. vice-president; DR.. A. w. Ker
ney, secretary and treasurer.