The Washington times., 1938-01-25
CAPITAL CIT Y
.CHESSMEN FACE
PAUL MORPHYS
BY GINO SINH

OJ NAANO 0ANA4
Having hitched their wagon to
q star Of first magnitude, DR..
Emanuel Lasker, who recreateS
from profound delvings into philos-
ophy by playing the soundeSt chess
on record, Washington chessmen
are riding high, wide and with
out parachutes for the rest of the
season.
With the most colossal, stupen-
dous. magnificent tournament for
the District championship sched-
uled to detonate February 5, the
Rooseveltburg major rook and
pawn organizations, the Capital
City and the Paul Morphy clubs
are dishing up a swelegant 25 or
more board match at the Capital
City Chess Club den, come Satur-
day, weather man be hanged.
Promises have been extracted
from the C. C. C. Big Five
Henry A. Rousseau, j. A. Dubois,
Luis N. Ponce, D. C.. champion;
Donald H. Mugridge and Ernest
M. Knapp-to sit at the first five
boards.
Among those who will inhabit
c. c. c. chairs opposite the next
20 or so checkered tables are Philip
D. Smith, Howard S. Gay, Wat
son B. Mundelle, Edward M.
Weeks, Charles w. Stark, Harry E.
Glenn, Kenneth Stubbs, Thomas
M. wilkins, Frank A. Bolton,
Thomas Stevenson, David j. Guy,
Edward K. Lecke and M. K. Rose
dale. Half a dozen more fill out
the required quota by Thursday
Distinctly underdogs but deter
mined to take fat nips out the
c. c. C. cohorts before going down
to defeat are Max Kessler, Earl
w. Kunkel, Simon Naidel, ]. New.
field, j. L. Rubin, David Bard and
Vincent Saporito on the first roll
call for the Paul Morphy combina-
ton. Eighteen more are expected
to rally to the clubs banner by
Thursday.
HAS SOMETHING UP SLEEVES
KesSler, director of the club, has
several aces up his sleeves and a
few in the back of his collar.
Last June the C. C. C. and the
MorphyS tangled in a 19-board tus-
sic with the Hotel Gordoners com
ing off way on top, IA points to S.
Since then the Paul Morphys have
captured the metropolitan five.
men team crown, sweeping the five
matches in the schedule. The C, C.
c. boys weren't in. 1t wasn't one
Of the great achievements of chess
history but it was something. 1t
had its psychological effect.
The Paul Morphy is the old War
Department club under a new
monicker.
EATON ON SIDELINES
Both teams will lose a bit of
glitter because Vincent L. Eaton,
Washington's ace problemist, is
chess director of the C. C. C. and
also prominent member of the
Pail Morphy club, and is thereby
forced to assume a neutral stand.
However, he'll listen to the COM
plants with a sympathetic ear.
Blessed with oodles of tact and a
genial disposition he is the ideal
referee.
Passing up Salo Flohr, Czech
chess master, World Champion DR..
Alexander Alekhine, of Paris, will
defend his title against Jose Capa-
blanca, Of Cuba, but not until
1889. Alekhine recovered the
championship from DR.. Max
EuWe, of Amsterdam, several
months ago. The title-holder
hopes to face Flohr in 194l.
RISING STARS
In the meantime a dozen or so
players are battling to establish
themselves as challengers for the
good doctors diadem. The Lead.
er in the field Is youthful Sam
uel ReShevsky, U. S. champion.
Pressing close behind ReShevsky
are Paul KereS, Of Esthonia; Bo.
julgubow, Of Russia; v. Mikenas,
Of Lithuania, and Reuben Fine,
Arthur Dake, Israel Horowitz and
Isaac Kashdan, all Of the United
States.
Reshevsky and Fine are return
ing to the United States from an
European tour in February. Re
Shevsky won first prize in the an
nual masters tournament at Hast
ings, England, with Fine placing
fourth behind Keres and C. H. o.
Alexander, Of England.