To play chess well

From the February 1900 issue of the British Chess Magazine

Game Department

The Openings - A correspondent writes to us that he has carefully gone through Mr. Blackburne's lately published book [Mr. Blackburne's Games at Chess], and he finds that in nearly every game won by Mr. Blackburne, from weaker opponents, the loser had really a lost game, theoretically, somewhere about the tenth move in the game, and in many games even earlier. We cannot say whether this be so or not, as we have not had the leisure to play all the games over, but we incline to the belief that our correspondent's conclusion is pretty nearly correct. Our own experience is that at least 90 per cent of games played between experts and inexperienced amateurs are practically lost by the amateurs before they have made a dozen moves. To play chess well, a fair knowledge of the openings is absolutely essential. The chess player who tries to construct his game on a faulty opening, is like the architect who builds his edifice on a rotten foundation. Both are bound to collapse to well-directed pressure. Moral: look to your theory, and beware of the individual who ostentatiously tells you, as if it is something to be proud of, that he knows nothing of the openings. If you search him, it is more than likely you will find him possessed of a pocket edition of the chess openings, to which he refers much oftener than to his bible or prayer-book – Hereford Times