What is the chess? - Answers from 1927
Submitted by
cgs on Sat, 04/26/2008 at 11:08am.
As we will see this is a very difficult question for the chess-players. Were interesting replies for this question in the International Tournament in Budapest, 1926.
The philosopher Akiba Rubinstein stated: "The chess is the unique mental occupation where the half-educated man can reach to first place."
Richárd Réti who just than arrived from Moscow with his young, nice wife with daughter of well-known poet Sergey Gorodetzky in his way answered: "That, what is the chess? I don't know. Let you put a question to my wife!" The lady for this: "I don't know what is the chess. In our marriage is the most charming that I don't understand what is playing my husband."
Tartakower from Vienna describes perhaps unthinkingly: "The chess is a suitable tool to make oneself master of games of cards."
The opinion of lame Grünfeld: "The chess is an instrument with it's help one cripple can overtake two sound bodies."
Colle the elegant Belgian player answered not as a Belgian but a Parisian: "Chess, - ah, it is 'cherchez la femme'..."
The young Italian matador Monticelli replied: "The chess is a strange empire what still is waiting for own Mussolini!"
The Lettic Mattison who came from Riga with his natural bind asked: "The chess is a little independent republic."
Kostitsch the Serbian globe-trotter sent a tersely reply: "The chess is nothing else as the travel bureau of Thomas Cook."
The Hungarians: Vajda, Nagy, Steiner, Havasi were eyewitnesses on Tournament that millions of money were migrating into foreign pockets, they spoke unanimously: "The chess is a nacional misfortune."
Snosko-Borowsky who was last in Budapest replied indifferently: "The chess is that game where the first may be last, but le last never will be first."
Kmoch who has a pocket-book filled with articles and telegrams, more as his head with variants, declared in this way: "Chess? It is United Press."
And Yates who don't understands a word without English, described underneath of Kmoch declaration: "YES!"
(from chess-journal "Magyar Sakkvilág", March, 1927)
You can find the sketches or photos of Réti, Grünfeld, Monticelli, Mattison, dr.Vajda, dr. Nagy, Steiner, Havasi and Kmoch in my other blog.