CHESS. 



175 



g. Two bishops may win. 



7. A knight and a bishop may win. 



8. A rook against a knight makes a drawn game. 



9. A rook against a bishop makes a drawn game. 



10. A rook and a knight against a rook makes a drawn 

 game. 



11. A rook and a bishop against a rook may win. 



12. A rook and a bishop against a queen makes a 

 drawn game. 



13. A rook and a knight against a queen makes 

 drawn game. 



14>. A queen against a bishop and a knight may win. 



15. A queen against a rcok and two pawns makes a 

 drawn game. 



16. A rook against a bishop and two pawns makes 

 drawn game. 



17. A rook against a knight and two pawns makes a 

 drawn game. 



18. At all conclusions of games, when a player seems 

 not to know how to give the difficult check-mates, (as 

 that of a knight and bishop against a king, a rook and 

 a bishop against a rook, &c.) fifty moves on each side 

 must be appointed for the end of the game : these being 

 accomplished, it is to be reckoned a drawn game. 



The following short precepts, which have been drawn 

 up as a sort of manual by an experienced chess-player, 

 will be found of great advantage even to an experienced 

 player: 



Reflection! to be made nt Chess before moving any Piece. 



Consider, 1. Whether your piece will be defended by 

 another in its new position ; and still better, if defended 

 by two or more. 



2. Whether the adversary can immediately make an 

 attack upon it ; and if by a piece of inferior value, the 

 move is certainly a bad one, unless it be merely prepa- 

 ratory to another move. 



3. Consider carefully whether you place your piece, 

 so as to be either on the direct or oblique line with an- 

 other piece behind it, and open to attack ; which is ge- 

 nerally a bad position, because your adversary's rook, 

 queen, or bishop may then check both your pieces. This 

 observation, however, does not apply to the case, where 

 your two pieces guard each other ; but it applies with 

 peculiar force to the case of the king, and any other 

 piece at a distance from him, on account of the necessity 

 of immedfately removing the king from check. 



4. Consider well when you attack an enemy's piece, 

 whether you do not force it into a position more disad- 

 vantageous to yourself than that in which it was before. 



5. If possible, never move a piece till you have disco- 

 vered your adversary's intention in his last move. If you 

 are unable to do this, try to drive back the piece he has 

 last moved. 



6. Consider before moving, whether your adversary 

 can check your king ; and if so, how the check can be 

 removed, because the necessity of immediately doing 

 this may occasion you a loss, if you do not keep it al- 

 ways in view. 



7. Be particularly on your guard, when the game it 

 in such a situation, that you are exposed to a check by 

 ditcovery, cither by the adversary's moving a piece of 

 his own, or driving away one of yours ; for an over- 

 sight in such a situation will probably cost you the 

 game. 



8. When the adversary is intent on bringing up a piece 

 to the attack, prevent him if you can, by placing a pawn, 

 or other piece, so that his piece cannot be moved far- 

 ther, without being exposed to capture. 



9. Never move till you have explored every part of 

 the board, and the situation of every piece ; for over- 

 sight is the greatest danger you have to dread. 



The game of chess, being a miniature representation 

 of a battle, has been a favourite amusement in all ages, 

 with the greatest warriors and generals. The celebrated 

 Tamerlane was a great chess-player, and made use of a 

 board of a peculiar construction, having eleven squares 

 in breadth, and twelve in height, so as to form altoge- 

 ther 132 houses. We read that he was engaged at chess 

 during the decisive battle with Bajazet, in which that 

 emperor was defeated and taken prisoner ; and at another 

 time he was engaged at the same game, and in the very 

 act of giving check-mate with a rook, when he was in- 

 formed, that a son had just been born to him ; upo 

 which, to commemorate so remarkable a circumstance, 

 he resolved that his son should have the name of Schach- 

 rochk, or check by the rcok. Dr Hyde quotes an Ara- 

 bic history of the Saracens, in which it is said, that 

 when Al Mamcn's forces were carrying on the siege of 

 Bagdad with so much vigour, that it was on the point 

 of being taken by assault, the besieged caliph, Al Amin, 

 was engaged at chess with his freedman Kuthar. Being 

 warned of his danger, he exclaimed, " Let me alone, 

 for I eee check-mate against Kuthar !" Modern history 

 affords similar examples of the power of this game in en- 

 grossing the whole soul. John Frederic, Elector of 

 Saxony, having been taken prisoner by the Emperor 

 Charles V., was condemned to death. The decree was 

 intimated to him while he was engaged at chess with Er- 

 nest of Brunswick, his fellow prisoner. After a short 

 pause, and making some reflections on the irregularity 

 and injustice of the emperor's proceedings, he turned to 

 his antagonist, whom he challenged to finish the game. 

 He played with his usual ingenuity and attention ; and 

 having beat Ernest, expressed all the satisfaction that is 

 commonly felt on gaining such victories. He was not, 

 however, put to death, but set at liberty after five years 

 confinement. We are told, that Charles I. of England 

 was at chest, when news were brought of the resolution 

 of the Scots to sell him to the English ; but so little 

 was he disturbed by this alarming intelligence, that he 

 continued his game with the utmost composure ; so that 

 no one could have discovered that he had received infor- 

 mation of any thing remarkable. 



In the Chronicle of the Moorish Kings of Granada, 

 it is related, that, in 1396, Mehemed Balba, who had 

 seized the crown in prejudice of his elder brother Juzaf, 

 after a series of disasters, was killed by means of a poi- 

 soned vest, rinding his end at hand, he dispatched an 

 officer to the prison of his brother, with orders to put 

 him to death, lest his adherents should form any obstacle 

 to the accession of his own son. The officer found the 

 prince playing at chess with an alsaqui, or priest. Juzaf 

 begged hard for two hours respite, which was denied 

 him. At last, with gteat reluctance, the officer per- 

 mitted him to finish the game ( but before it was closed, 

 a messenger arrived with the news of the death of Me- 

 hemed, and the unanimous election of Juzaf to the 

 crown. 



The game of Chess seems to have been known at a 

 very early period in France, of which we have evidence 

 in an account, given by Carte the historian, of a chess- 

 rrfatch between Henry I., before his accession to the 

 throne of England, and Louis le Gros, son to Philip of 

 France, which took place at Philip's court in 1087. 

 Louis lost several games to Henry, and a considerable 

 sum of money, by which he was so much irritated, that 

 he threw the chess-men at Henry's head. Henry reta- 



Chess. 



