296 



♦ KNOW^LEDGE ♦ 



[July 1, 1886. 



selves around the late Howard Staunton, jealously guarding their 

 privileged position against the foreign intruder. 



Our foreigner, although he was not an Anarchist like his country- 

 man Most, was, nevertheless a thorough Democrat, who would 

 acknowledge no hereditarj' rights of any kind, and wished to have an 

 equal chance of competing with the favoured few for the sinecures 

 (?) in the chess press. But, like many other Democrats, our great 

 chess-player did not realise the fallacy of his particular belief. He 

 failed to see that what he considered an undue privilege was only 

 the formal recognition in that position, by consent, of those who had 

 proved themselves the strongest and fittest, in a very long and severe 

 contest. He forgot that when the possessors of these privileges 

 failed to represent the implied coiTesponding superiority, the bastions 

 and towers of their privileged fastness would fall, as did the walls 

 of Jericho, but not in consequence of furious blasts from democratic 

 trumpets, but by reason of their own weakness and decay. 



Equal chance of competition, forsooth ! Said the wolf to the lamb, 

 " May the best of us win." Our chess-player soon made his in- 

 fluence felt in the chess press. What wonder, then, that the multi- 

 tude of lambs combined against the wolf .' Self-interest bade the 

 clique of chess scribes oppose the intruding chess Hercules. 



Lest some unkindly reader should accuse me of being a cynic, I 

 hasten to say that I have a considerable amount of confidence in 

 the generosit}' and benevolence of mankind ; and although I must 

 uphold my opening statement, I will gladly admit, that an appeal 

 to, and trustful reliance in these qualities, will mostly subdue the 

 baser instincts of human nature. Like produces like. Our foreign 

 chess-player, unfortunately, was not nurtured in the sunshine of 

 affection, nor did he always know contentment, though living in 

 the land of plenty. What wonder, then, that in the struggle for 

 supremacy, he sometimes displayed a slight acerbity, together with 

 a too pronounced, but in his circumstances a very natural desire, to 

 win from his opponents, and to accumulate too eagerly sundry 

 small advantages. Needless to relate, these qualities did not appease 

 the chess editorial lambs. On the contrary, I am grieved to say 

 that our foreign chess-player met with but little charity. 



The just tribute to his prowess as a player was often <lenied to 

 him, causing an inordinate jealousy on his part to preserve his great 

 fame. Espying this sensitiveness of the man, some of his critics 

 deftly started a controversy calculated to wound his susceptibilities. 

 They declared that Morphy was the greatest chess-player that ever 

 lived— stronger than any that survived him. Our great chess- 

 player, with a short-sightedness most curious, fell an easy prey to 

 the enemy's tactics. He took up the challenge with avidity; thereby 

 furnishing to everyone who chose to avail himself of the undue 

 advantage, a ready weapon with which to inflict pain upon him. 

 Moreover, he laid himself seriously open to the charge of egotism. 

 He vainly believed that he would add lustre to his meritorious and 

 great achievements as a chess-player, by belittling the pla}' of his 

 supposed rival. 



This tactical error is all the more deplorable, because any logical 

 person will at once admit, that there cannot be any common basis 

 of comparison between a dead man and a living player ; there could 

 be no question of measuring strength between Morphy, then a mere 

 youth of twenty-two, and a player of more than double that age, 

 who had before him the example of Morphy's games, as well as the 

 experience of a whole generation of players, to guide his play, and 

 who, above all things, has himself enjoyed constant practice for 

 twenty-five years. It was unfair to the dead player to maintain his 

 play was weak, for was it not the best play of his time '.' It would 

 be equally unfair to the living player to say — not without some 

 show of reason — that if ilorphy could have lived he might have 

 eclipsed any one else. Who can tell ? who has a right to base an 

 opinion affecting any person upon a mere assumption ? No, tliere is 

 no common basis for such a comparison, as all the required logical 

 conditions are wanting. 



There is, however, one quality in both players, which may lead to 

 comparisons, although in my opinion comparisons are odious. My 

 excuse however for instituting such a comparison is, that the 

 living player himself lately gave undue prominence to this theme. 

 We may reasonably ask ourselves, when studying the play of both 

 these great masters, which games inspire us with most admiration 

 for the chess genius pure and simple, as distinguished from learned 

 ability and strength acquired by perseverance and practice. 



I will put all the enthusiasm I am capable of in my reply. Great 

 as is the genius for the game displayed by the living player, it is 

 surpassed in the games of Morphy, who is wrongly looked upon by his 

 great successor as a rival in fame. Morphy was a phenomenal 

 player, the like of whom had never been seen before. The play of 

 the living player is well known ; but by giving a few examples of 

 Morphy's style, taken at random, the reader, by refreshing his 

 admiration for brilliant play, will, I hope, all the more readily agree 

 with my conclusions about chess-players, dead and living. 



Position in a game between 

 Morphy and Bird after White's 

 seventeenth move. 



llnRPHY— Bl.iclv. 



BIRD— Wliit9. 



Black continued with 



R to Kt sq 

 17. Castles (QR) ~ '^ ' 

 IS. B X K 



10. P to B3 



20. 

 21. 

 22. 

 23. 



24. 



P to Kti 

 K to B2 

 K to Kt2 

 PxB 

 QxR 

 K to B2 



26. BxP 



RxBP ! 

 Q to QR6 I I 

 Q X RP 

 Q to RSCch) 

 d to R.i(ch) 

 B X KtP 

 RxP(ch) 

 Q X Q (ch) 

 P to Kfi 

 BtoB4(ch) 

 and wins. 



Position in a Game between 

 Morphy and an Amateur after 

 Black's twentieth move. 



.\MATi:UR-Blick. 



MOHPHY-Wbite. 

 White played 



21. R to K8 Qx R 



22. QxR! Q to K2 



23. Q X P (ch) Q X Q 



24. P to B6 and wins. 



Position after Black's nineteenth 

 move in a game played be- 

 tween Morphy and BusseroUes. 

 BUSSEROLLES-Black. 



I i 



I 





'^ 



5 J 



irOEPnY- White. 



White continued 



with 



Q to R5 

 Q to R4 

 K to B2 

 Q to R6 

 KxKt 

 B toK3 

 K to Q2 

 Kt y R 

 Resigns. 



Position in a game between 

 Morphy and Delannoy. 



DEL.iNNOY-Blacli. 



'l^' 





^i 



MORPHY— Wliite. 

 White continued with 



19. KR to K sq 



20, 

 21. 

 22. 

 23. 

 24. 



RxR 



R to K7 (ch) 

 Q X P (ch) 

 Q to Kt8 (ch) 

 B to R4 (ch) 



25. Q to B7. 



BxB 

 KxR 

 KxR 

 K to K sq. 

 K to K2 

 K to Q2 

 Mate. 



Contents of No. 8. 



TAKE 



The Uukuowab'.e. Bv Richard .\. 



Proctor 233 



The Story of Creation: a Plain 

 Acconnt of Evolution. Bv 



Edwarrt Clodd 23.5 



The Velocity of Li jht 237 



Science and Politics 240 



The Pleiades Photographed 243 



Indian Mvtbs. By ••Stella Occi- 



dens" ." 244 



Did Birds or Beasts come firat? 



By Oswald Dawson 245 



Plea.=ant Hours with the Micro- 

 scope. By Henry J. Slack .... 246 

 The Naturalist's Laboratory 247 



PAGE 



Americanisms. By Richard A. 



Proctor 249 



Amateur Photography 250 



Sometliing . about the Elephant .. 261 



Qossip By Richard A. Proctor . . 253 

 Photographic Study of Stella 



Spectra. Henry Draper ^lemo- 



rial . 266 



New Bootts to t)e Read (or avoided,^ 



—and Why 257 



Measurement of St liar Lustre 261 



The Face of the Sky for June 261 



Whist. By " Five ot Clubs " 262 



Our Ches's Column. By •'Me- 



phisto" 263 



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