Evening star., 1924-11-29

Chess still holds its ancient OWE
against crossword puzzles, radio
poker. bridge and put and take" BY
the way, what has become Of tina,
spinning top, anyway?
Only a few days ago DR.. Harvey
w. Wiley, who is in the vicinity OF
80 years old. and proud of It, sue.
Washington chess players to defeat
Edward Lasker, champion.
This news was duly printed on the
sporting page at the time, but I play
It up here to call attention to chess
rather than to DIR. Wiley. And in this
placing Of emphasis upon the game
rather than the man, no one will
agree quicker than tho man who
made his name and that Of pure food
synonymous.
Pure food in FIVE letters" that
might be proper crossword puzzle
definition. The solution would be
wiley" Of course.
When a man can play a game for
as many years as the former chief of
the Bureau Of Chemistry has played
chess, and at his present age be the
only man OF 80 good players to win
a game from Ed Lasker. when the
latter IS playing the group stimuli
taneously. 1t speaks mighty we'll for
the interest and charm of the sport.
Chess. let It be recalled. Is almost
tho only purely intellectual game to
win a place for itself on the sport
ing page. whore sports Of the great
outdoors, such as base ball, foot ball,
golf and tennis, hold sway.
It has done this, not only because
OF the large stakes attending master
play, but also by reason OF the fact
that It's evolutions are picturesque
and charming, in the best sense of
those too often abused words. In
addition to being as picturesque. on
it's scale, as foot ball, the ancient
royal game Is charming in the sense
that a great painting possesses charm.
The Infinite combinations possible
on the choss board remind the mu-
sician OF great symphony, the
writer OF the colorful word combi-
nations OF Conrad, the basket ball
player OF the plays possible in his
favorite sport.
That Is why we may speak with
propr!ety and exactness OF the charm
OF chess. much as we talk OF the
charm OF beautiful women. For chess
Is as variable as a beauty, as stern
and relentless as n vampire, as cx-
citing as warfare itself.
II this seems a bit too much to
say, let me remind you that one of
the pilots Of the World War, who had
many victories to his credit In aerial
combat, went on record In the vera
cious Atlantic Monthly to the effect
that nothing in aviation gave him
quite the thrill Of a tense moment in
chess.
Those who feel that chess IS a bit
too high brow ought TO look into
it's possibilities out OF fairness to
themselves and TO game which is SO
old that no man positively knows its
origin.
Think OF a game 1000 years old. at
the very least, an intellectual diver
sion that has been played by men OF
all races and chimes down through the
ages,
Chess is not an Notwithstanding
that some clever man invented re-
Gently In order to put himself on
easy street, as the saying is-but has
a lineage more ancient than any king.
1t possesses an enormous literature,
a fact which appeals to those who
like books-and who does not? It
has a great history. It has power to
interest almost any one who will do
himself the service OF investigating IL.
You might think. then. there is 10
need for an appeal for the game at
this late date; but there Is. on ac-
count OF tho feeling among so many
that chess is too deep" q game Tor
them.
It is a great deal easier game than