Chess History And Reminiscences
The following notice of chess shortly after the death of
Dr. Zukertort, add materially to an increasing appreciation of
chess among the working classes, and help the good work on.
"THE WEEKLY DISPATCH," June 24th, 1888.
By the sudden death of Dr. Zukertort, last Wednesday morning,
the royal game of chess loses one of its most interesting and
brilliant exponents. This distinguished master was only forty-six,
and he has been cut off right in the middle of an interesting
tournament at the British Chess Club, in which he stood the best
chance of winning the first prize. Amongst his last conversations
was his arranging to play Blackburne on Saturday, the 23rd, and
Bird on Monday, the 25th. The extreme painfulness of Zukertort's
death to his friends cannot be estimated by the general public.
Famous cricketers and famous actors are applauded by those they
entertain or amuse. The chess master receives no applause; over
the board, however, he enters into conversation with amateurs,
and is rewarded by friendships that far outweigh the wildest
ephemeral outbursts of approval. The friendships so formed by
Zukertort have now been snapped, and his removal has caused, in
the words of the old player Bird, "a severe blank." Bird himself
is an interesting character. He is by far the oldest chess master,
does the chess correspondence for the Times, and is as well known
by his chess books as by his play. The game between him and
Zukertort in the tournament now in progress was looked forward to
with intense interest, for he and Zukertort were the leading
scorers, and the fight for the first prize would have centred in
this contest. A good feature in Bird's character is his disposition
to make acquaintances with working men. He has taught many of them
his "charming game," and has frequently been told afterwards
that it has been the means of saving them a few shillings every
week. This is easily understood, for a man that plays chess is
not likely to play "penny nap" nor to drink much four-ale. Such at
any rate, is Mr. Bird's theory; and he is just now endeavouring to
promote a scheme for the popularising of chess amongst the
industrial classes.
CHESS NOTES AND REFERENCES
THEORIES AS TO THE INVENTION OF CHESS
The honour of the invention of chess has been claimed, we are
told, by seven countries, China, India, Egypt, Greece, Assyria,
Persia and Arabia.
Capt. Kennedy, in one of his chess sketches observes, and Mr.
Staunton, in his Chess Player's Chronicle repeats the statement,
thus: "That this is as many countries as aforetime there were
cities in Greece, each of which, it is said, having peacefully
allowed Homer to starve during his life-time, started up after he
died in a fierce contention for the glory of having given him
birth.
My old friends, Capt. Kennedy and Mr. Staunton, no doubt,
used the words "starved" figuratively, for neglected by his country,
for myself, I really do not know whether Homer really was
neglected by his country or not.
------
TRADITIONS AS TO THE ORIGIN
The traditions of chess are numerous and conflicting, Zakaria
Yahya a writer of the tenth century in "The Delight of the
Intelligent in Description of Chess" referring to stories extant
and fables respecting its invention to that time remarks, "It
is said to have been played by Aristotle, by Yafet Ibn Nuh
(Japhet son of Noah) by Sam ben Nuh (Shem) by Solomon for the
loss of his son, and even by Adam when he grieved for Abel.
Aben Ezra, the famous Rabbi, interpreter, and expounder of
scripture, and who is said to have excelled in every branch of
knowledge, attributed the invention of chess to Moses. His
celebrated poem on chess, written about 1130 A.D., has been
translated into nearly all languages of the civilized globe,
into English by Dr. Thomas Hyde, Oxford, 1694.
The unknown Persian, author of the imperfect M.S. presented
by Major Price the eminent Orientalist, to the Asiatic Society,
and upon which N. Bland, Esq., mainly bases his admirable
treatise on Persian Chess, 1850, says--"Hermes, a Grecian
sage, invented chess, and that it was abridged and sent to
Persia in the sixth century of our era."
The famous Shahnama, by Firdausi, called the Homer of
Persia, and other Eastern manuscripts as well as the M.S. of the
Asiatic Society, give less ancient traditions of the adaption of
chess relating to the time of Alexander the Great and Indian
Kings, Fur, Poris, and Kaid; in one of these the reward of a grain
of corn doubled sixty-four times was stipulated for by the
philosopher, and the seeming insignificance of the demand
astonished and displeased the King, who wished to make a
substantial recognition worthy of his own greatness and power,
and it occasioned sneers and ridicule on the part of the King's
treasurer and accountant at Sassa's supposed lack of wisdom and
judgment. However, astonishment and chagrin succeeded before
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