The Exploits and Triumphs, in Europe, of Paul Morphy, the Chess Champion — John Shaqi
The Exploits and Triumphs, in Europe, of Paul Morphy, the Chess ChampionEdge, Frederick Milnes
History
The Exploits and Triumphs, in Europe, of Paul Morphy, the Chess Champion
Edge, Frederick Milnes
Chess; Morphy, Paul Charles, 1837-1884
The Club subsequently removed to the bottom of St. Martin's Lane, and
shortly broke up, McDonnell and others returning to the London Club,
whence they had migrated. A futile attempt was afterwards made to
establish a grand aristocratic silk and satin club in Waterloo Place, the
door of admission to which could only be opened with a golden key of ten
guineas. Here lots of every thing could be found except chess, and no
wonder, for the game does not find supporters, to any extent, among the
rich, depending mainly upon individuals to whom ten guineas are a
consideration. The club expired in twelve months. Caïssa thus lost her
last foothold at the West End, and Mr. Lewis henceforth virtually
abandoned the practice of chess.
The question has frequently been asked, whether and how Mr. Lewis played
Labourdonnais? They played together on three different occasions, _in all
seven games_, of which Labourdonnais won five and lost two. The first time
they met was at the house of Mr. Domitt, Hon. Sec. of the London Club, and
two Allgaier Gambits were played, each winning one. As they had just done
their duty to a very good dinner, and society was then divided into two,
three, and four bottle men, Labourdonnais remarked, "The victory is not
likely to be gained by the better player, but by him who carries his wine
best." This reminds me of a _bon mot_ of Mr. Boden. Somebody remarked in
his presence that two amateurs (whose names to mention "decency forbids")
were both drunk, though engaged in a match game: he replied--"Then the
best player will win."
After the conclusion of the two games, Messrs. Mercier, Bonfil and Domit,
particular friends of the English player, challenged Labourdonnais to play
Mr. Lewis a match of twenty-five games at £5 a game. This was rather too
bad, considering that Labourdonnais, to use his own words, was "without a
friend or a shilling in a foreign country;" but he laughed the challenge
away as a joke in his own witty manner, by saying that "in such case he
must be the best player who could offer to play for the highest stake," a
reply which so pleased a gentleman present, Mr. Brand, that he cried out,
"Labourdonnais shall play Lewis a match of 25 games at £10 a game, and I
will find his stakes." It is stated that Mr. Brand evinced considerable
ill-feeling towards Mr. Lewis, at the time, in consequence of the latter's
preferring a move recommended by Mr. Mercier in the match then pending
between the London and Edinburgh clubs, to one proposed by himself, and
perhaps this was the reason for his offering to back the Frenchman
against his own countryman. But Mr. Lewis's friends did not accept the
challenge, and the two champions confined their contests to five off-hand
games, which were played at the residences of Messrs. Bonfil and Mercier,
Lewis winning one and Labourdonnais four, so that the final result was:--
Labourdonnais, 5--Lewis, 2--Drawn, 0.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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