zanzibar: There has to be some legit history in there somewhere!Actually I thought the fire was important stuff, to the local history of Milwaukee anyways.
The original chess club morphed into a Whist Club, which I rarely, if ever, hear about in contemporary settings.
On the other hand, rummaging about in the old literature, I've noted a marked predilection of certain chess players for the game (similarly, there was oft in old-times an association between chess and checkers).
As an example of the parallels (see wiki ref below):
<In his autobiography, Harold Bauer: His Book, pianist Harold Bauer laments his inability to play well under pressure. "I suffered similarly whenever I played chess or whist, which excited me so terribly that I always had nightmares from the thought of how I might have played.">
On the other hand:
<“There are two classes of men; those who are content to yield to circumstances and who play whist; those who aim to control
circumstances, and who play Chess”
(Mortimer Collins)>
http://www.chess-poster.com/english...
And if I may quote from Mr. W. H. Leslie in <The Chess Player's Magazine, Vol 1 (1863) p96>:
<It is reported that Mr. Lewis [well known chess writer of the time] on his return to England made use of the following expressions: -- "I found M. Deschappelles the greatest Chess-player in France;
I found M. Deschappelles the greatest Billiard-player in France;
I found M. Deschappelles the greatest Whist-player in France;
I found M. Deschappelles the greatest liar in France!">
Pillsbury was know to simultaneously play a game of whist while playing multiple games of chess and checkers blindfolded.
Lasker occupied himself with the game apparently, and even considered it as a mathematical problem:
<The problem of determining the game theoretical value of single-suit whist was posed
in 1929 by the mathematician and chess world champion Emanuel Lasker [5, 6].>
http://www.emis.de/journals/EJC/Vol...
Whist (not to be confused with Whisht) apparently had its charms. According to wiki:
<Although the rules are extremely simple, there is enormous scope for scientific play.>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whist
The Russians apparently invented their own version of the game.
Ah, but back to the point. The morphed club organized one of the first national Whist tournaments in the USA. So it has at least that measure of fame, though perhaps a bit forgotten today.
Kibitzing
