Evening star., 1928-05-14

may profitably engage the attention OF
the ablest intellects. Those persons who
make light of the wooden puppets that
run over the surface Of the chessboard
should recollect that frame Of wires
strung with wooden balls was the fa-
miliar companion of the earliest mathe-
maticians; that the science of log
arithms was perfected by means of
wooden pegs and board pierced with
holes, and that Napoleon won his vic
tories before his battles were fought by
sticking his map of Europe full of pins
surmounted by divers colored balls of
sealing wax"
It will be seen that this chess pioneer
to think that u man may be pioneer
1900 years after thing Is invented
only claimed for chess that 1t Is SYM
bolical of war.
The writer of these first serious at
tempts to put chess on a rational basis
did not feel for All instant that chess
and war were analogous. There is too
wide divergence, he knew, between the
landscape and the checkered board. be-
tween armies of real men and the
wooden or ivory figures of the royal
game.
To continue with the preface: "'The
art of war; declared Napoleon, can be
comprehended only by the exhaustive
study and comparison of the campaigns
of the great captains In the same
way, by the study and comparison of
the recorded games of men who have
risen to eminence as chess players 1t
| is possible to discern a similarity i'll
their methods of calculation and pro-
Cedure, which, II properly comprehended
and reduced TO system, must become
available as the basis not only Of a
theory but OF the true theory Of chess
play, and to deduce from this system
certain principles whose truth and ap-
plicability must be universally obvious
at all times and in all circumstances Of
practice"
THE Minor Tactics" is filled with
such terms as Zines of force" "SalientS,' -
and so on. Army men familiar with
the discussion of the component parts
of an army will see that the author Is
doing his best to translate these terms
into terms of the cheSsboard.
The later volumes in the series ad-
vanced the theory, taking up strategy.
tactics and logiStics. The relative values
of localities, the value of forces and
the movements of forces are considered
from the standpoint of the handler of
the chess pieces, lowering over the
Typographical plane of the checkered
square divided into Ga smaller squares.
We hear much of the proper direc-
ton to be given lines of mobilization,
development, maneuver and operation,
of the values of objective planes. the
construction of strategic fronts. the To-
eating of the prime strategic point and
the exploitation of the various lines of
mobilization. development, maneuverS
and operation.
Even lesser and greater logicians are
considered. To cap the climax OF this
series of chess books. Mr. Young ended
with demonstration of the battle OF
Waterloo. showing (to his own salts
faction at leasD that that celebrated
conflict was fought as two good chess
players might have conducted mimic
encounter over the board.
1t is certain that mere study OF
these books will not make great chess
player, any more than attendance at
the War College will make great
general.
Yet chess is a great game, and any
definite plan of action helps. Those
who read The Minor Tactics" at least
have some idea of what they are about
to do when they sit down to play.
II Bourrienne could have read this
small book. he probably would not have
penned his doubt concerning the SINH
larity of chess and war.