INTOXICATING CHESS GAME

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIV, 7 January 1931, Page 2

INTOXICATING CHESS GAME

BOTTLES FOR PIECES A remarkable freak game of chess was played recently by., two Birmingham sportsman for a £SO bet. The game was played in the house of one of the contestants. The chess board was the black and white check lino-leum-covered floor, and the pieces were represented by bottles of various alcoholic drink. Bottles of beer replaced the pawns, the knights were pale brown sherry, the rooks burgundy, the bishops sparkling moselle, and the kings and queens rare vintage champagne. One of the conditions of the bet was that each player should drink each piece as he won it. The game lasted from 10.30 at night until the early hours of the morning. Both men are fair chess, players, and can take their liquor, and many side bets were wagered on the result. There was an early surprise when one of the players, a lover of burgundy, sacrificed two pawns and a . bishop for a rook. His opponent retaliated by making him take three pawns and a knight in quick succession. When the players came up for the next move it was evident that both were feeling the strain. After two more pawns had been lost the game steadied down, and each seemed anxious to present the other with minor pieces. Then it was discovered that some of the spectators had filched the king’s bishou’s pawn and emptied the black queen. After one of the players had knocked over a white rook and broken it, and his opponent had tried mate with a bishop and a knight, the match was abandoned without a decision.