Chess.

Manawatu Herald, 9 May 1893, Page 2

Chess.

> „ . ;'V-'.-' i .'tl. ?": : I if 1 "An ingenious and intellectual game* played by-two 1 - perßots * hiding at command sixteen 'piece's," upon a board divided into siity-loiijf^uftiares, . eight oq each ; of tfee't|pur'.B%Sj|' is the technical description of ,the game. An interesting account is- 'given Tty a 2 corresponden tof the Bristol Mercury about Chess in Thibet 1 afed^hin^,, it ' is gathered fi'oii'^l'ettet'frojit'jf^tner s Hue, who, says :— i )Ve,Jn^e^ at k Lang Ki-Tsoung a fex days 'p\ salut - j ary and agreeable repose.' .Prayers, walks, and some games of chess; contributed to the delights of 'those days 5 of leisure. The chessmen whicfi we used had been given us i, by ",:thf( r M&-. ? gent of Lha-Saa. (capital, qf^hifiet). The pieces were made of ivory, ' carved with some: qdj^cafly. The } Chinese, as is known,* are passion--1 ately fond, of chess,. but : theirfjjaine is very diiFerenfc fr;o.m ; Qv»rs., K The|Tartars and Thibetians likewise acquainted with chess, an^jsjpgglarly f enough, their che^sbpard^Ja, abso- ) lutely the aame as our o^n, ap.dfthe yules of the game are preciaely th«"

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Bame in every respect. What is still more surprising, Tartars and Thibet ians cry " chick " when they oheck a piece, and " mate " when the game is at an end. These expressions, which ace neither Thibetian or Mongol, ajre used by everyone, yet ho one can. explain their ovigin and true signification. The Thibetians and tho Tartars "Were not a little surprised when we told them that, in oar country, we said in the same way check and mate. It would be curious to unravel the archeology oi • the game of chess ; to seek its origic and progress amongst various nations, and. to explain its . introduction ink i Upper Asia with, the same rules and the same technical terms as we have in Europe, We have seen first rate . players among the Tartars. Thej play quickly and with less studj than Europeans, but the moves art not the less correct.} Chess is a game attributed t< Pahnedes 650 b.c., it no doubt ii Very ancient and seems to have beet ... known immeinorially in Hindostaa It passed into Persia thett int< Arabia. The Arabs : itttroduced il "in the eighth century into Spain r from which ; ty spread, over. Europe, " gama and j?Tay,e of cbess '' wa« , printed by Caxtdn in 1474* 1 The Autbmaton chess flayers have . at times excited much interest an< one was exhibited as far back a " 1769 in England, in 1878 an auto inaton chejss player was exhibited a ,the : Cvystal ; Palace. in 1873 buti turned out to be a great fraud as s 'boy was, concealed in the box.