STEINITZ AT SIMPSON'S

Otago Witness, Issue 2504, 19 March 1902, Page 58

STEINITZ AT SIMPSON'S

B-iion Yon Kolesch, in his "Remiiii->opnrr--i of Old England,' tells the following «-toiv of his firbt vi«it to the famous London ehe 5 "- resort

"My in-pt \i>it was to .Sin.pM'ii's Cjgai D>vap, the meeting plate of all aui.it cm s not belonging to v club Mr Buckle, tho celebrated English chess playri. ard autJior of

' The History of Civilisation, introduced me aftei a few noids of greeting to lind, Botlen, liorwitx, Khng, Campbell, Healy, and otLcr leader* of the mimeioiv* company alws.y-> piesent utthi- time. Steinitz, who rathtr chew the attention of the whole chess world to himself, sat in a corner engros-ed in a feeuous g4mf. Even at that time our countryman o" the Prague was a p!a3'er of the first rank, but, as ho was yet far distant from lejoicwp in such an excellent reputation as he attained latei , he was obliged for bare gain to engage 211 contests with amatenrs>, who demanded horn him great oddc. I was m time to witi'c=s one of the oddrst games which I ever had the opportunity of seeing. Steinitz had conceded to his opponent, a full-blooded country gentleman, the odd 1 ? of a knight, and had already won four games at 5s each. A pound sterling is a great sum when one ]i\ <-s fiom hand to mouth, and Steinitz would c< rtainly b?vo contented himself with these ie>-onant laurels if his opponent had not proposed to play a deciding game for hi' whole lo =«. Now, £2 are just twice as good as ±'1. but 0111 countiy gentleman had sitting at his side a much strong?! friend, who had the illegal liabn 01 wauling his neijrhbom at t\ciy inte idcd wrong iuo\c by a delicate kick. "For the =ake of peace, and m cider to malic his custom in the locality not impossible, Steinitz "had not shown thnt he knew of it, but it appeared to him too dangcious to expose the work of an afternoon to the possibilities of a stroke more or less Fucceisful. The Rnghshrnan, however, inflated upo;i it, and the decisive game b^gan. But Fortune boraetimes pla>s a treacherous ga'ne with even the best chess masters. John Bull deployed his forces with masterly precision, until at a. cc:tnm point Steinitz could sec clearly that if his opponent played h's bishop, the game was 11resistibly non for him And truly our Englishman "tretches out hi-i hand slowly and carefully m tins direction, and already he is about to let it down on the respectne piece, when BUiwUj lollwuis, en uis^ur.Uoii of lie Did-

mont, gives him under the table a well-timed kick. Quick as lightning, the hand draws back, and the frightened opponent, with his hand in the an, counts o\er the combination again. But the situation was too clear, the g.jm too visible, again the hand sinks, and in peii'Lt desp.nr Steinitz ngem deals, his enemy a foiciblc kick. Now h.-> commences _to iea-oii ak.ua nvd consider, but finally coming to ths conclusion that his stronger friend sees heic. a situation which had escaped him, he pipy? another piece, ..nd eventually lost the glXYliC'