Some chess players make more lively games than others, and
more interesting to watch, and it is curious what different styles
can be discerned in the play of the greatest masters of assumed
equal ability, a proof of the great versatility of the game;
Anderssen was remarkable for ingenuity and invention, Morphy for
intuitive genius and grace, Zukertort for scientific development
and Staunton, Buckle, Steinitz and Mason for patience, care and
power of utilizing to the utmost the smallest advantages winning
by hairs breadth merely. The above represent distinctive schools
at chess. Blackburne's play shews little resemblance to that of
Bird, Tarrasch and Tchigorin are quite different in style, the
former most learned and profound the latter most enterprising.
Lasker's play partakes somewhat of the characteristics of both,
Burn and Gunsberg have each a style of their own, and Mackenzie
was particularly grand and irresistible in his attacks, Bird is
sometimes called the best player of bad games and he often makes a
capital middle and splendid end game from an unscientific and
erratic beginning. One enthusiast observed that there were only
three parts of the game he could not play, viz., the beginning, the
middle and the end.
The following is an illustration of four styles of play; the reader
can supply real names to satisfy his own taste and imagination.
------