On Apr 23, 12:05 pm, (Chris Mattern) wrote:
In article .com,

help bot wrote:
On Apr 22, 10:54 am, Taylor Kingston wrote:

The match went D-D-D-D-W-D-D-D-D-W-W-D-D-W, so there were two
streaks of 4 draws in a row. Then, with the score 4-0 in Capa's favor,
Lasker resigned the match, even though it had been planned to last up
to 30 games, says Hannak. Besides feeling he had no chance to beat
Capablanca, Lasker found the Havana heat unendurable, in fact he was
hospitalized for some time after returning to Europe.

Whoa! If GM Lasker were physically incapacitated
while in Cuba, he would have been hospitalized there,

Unless, of course, the problem was the Cuban climate, and he had to
get away from it. No air conditioning back then.

Are you suggesting that the Atlantic Ocean had
air conditioning? (You see, back then one could
not fly a patient across quickly, but instead a long,
arduous journey by sea was required. This is the
very same journey which apparently laid low the
likes of Paul Morphy, among others). Maybe a
good keelhulling would cool the loser off quickly.

I say, these "chess match losers" are just about
the sickliest bunch I have ever discovered. It's
lucky they didn't all die from their multitudinous
illnesses. When I lose, I feel like I have failed;
like I do not understand the game quite as well as
I thought I did; but I seldom take ill, and very rarely
die over it.

-- doc bot

In article .com,
help bot wrote:
On Apr 23, 12:05 pm, (Chris Mattern) wrote:
In article .com,

help bot wrote:
On Apr 22, 10:54 am, Taylor Kingston wrote:

The match went D-D-D-D-W-D-D-D-D-W-W-D-D-W, so there were two
streaks of 4 draws in a row. Then, with the score 4-0 in Capa's favor,
Lasker resigned the match, even though it had been planned to last up
to 30 games, says Hannak. Besides feeling he had no chance to beat
Capablanca, Lasker found the Havana heat unendurable, in fact he was
hospitalized for some time after returning to Europe.

Whoa! If GM Lasker were physically incapacitated
while in Cuba, he would have been hospitalized there,

Unless, of course, the problem was the Cuban climate, and he had to
get away from it. No air conditioning back then.

Are you suggesting that the Atlantic Ocean had
air conditioning? (You see, back then one could
not fly a patient across quickly, but instead a long,
arduous journey by sea was required. This is the
very same journey which apparently laid low the
likes of Paul Morphy, among others). Maybe a
good keelhulling would cool the loser off quickly.

It would get cooler, on average, as the ship moved
north (not to mention that temperature extremes are
less extreme at sea, a general effect seen due to
the ocean performing as a heat sink). Perhaps it
wouldn't be *pleasant*, but there'd be the prospect
of relief at the end of it. Sometimes there aren't
any pleasant choices, just choices of different
discomfort. Finally, the big ocean liners of the
time weren't all that arduous if you didn't have to
go steerage. In First Class, it was in fact new
standards in luxury. I don't see choosing a trip
that has the prospect of relief at the end (not only
a cooler climate, but the relief of returning home)
as that unbelievable.

--
Christopher Mattern

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On Apr 24, 2:21 pm, (Chris Mattern) wrote:

It would get cooler, on average, as the ship moved
north

So, GM Lasker was not so ill that he needed
immediate relief? If this is so, and if all this cool
air was the answer, then why go into hospitalization
at all, except perhaps from *seasickness*?

Generally speaking, the last thing a doctor would
advise is a crossing of the ocean when already taken
ill. Close proximity to a hospital is fundamental. If
GM Lasker took a luxury liner, perhaps there was a
doctor on board.


(not to mention that temperature extremes are
less extreme at sea,

Come one -- Cuba is an island, right smack dab
in the middle of a sea. Havana is a sea port.

a general effect seen due to
the ocean performing as a heat sink).

Hmm. Maybe when I play at GetClub, if I were
to first lower my laptop into the Pacific in a
waterproof bag, the fans would not kick on.


Perhaps it
wouldn't be *pleasant*, but there'd be the prospect
of relief at the end of it.

And from launching until the end, there would be
the prospect of dying from alleged illness, with no
hospital in the mid-Atlantic. Add to this the
problem of constant rocking of the ship and the
sunlight which not only comes at you from every
side, but also is reflected from the surface of the
water. Again, if it were a luxury liner, things
would not be so rough.

Sometimes there aren't
any pleasant choices,

Well, for one thing he could have tackled the
Cuban back when he was very young, and not
so damned invincible! Not exactly a walkover
as with Frank Marshall, but a win nonetheless.
Afterward, GM Lasker could claim he had
already demonstrated his vast superiority, etc.,
while keeping busy with inferior challengers.

Another alternative is to be so gracious in one's
dealings (i.e. all match negotiations) as to merit a
rematch in a cooler climate, such as New York,
for instance. In this scenario, even a crushing
heat wave could be compensated for, in a sense.


just choices of different
discomfort. Finally, the big ocean liners of the
time weren't all that arduous if you didn't have to
go steerage.

Right. But tell this to all those chess players who so
desperately needed some excuse for a poor performance.


In First Class, it was in fact new
standards in luxury.

I hear the Titanic was not merely luxurious, but
afforded its passengers with a "cooling experience"
unrivaled before or since. (Poor passengers might
have to settle for a shipwreck while rounding Cape
Horn.)


I don't see choosing a trip
that has the prospect of relief at the end (not only
a cooler climate, but the relief of returning home)
as that unbelievable.

I see nothing wrong with taking the trip, with
cooling off, or with returning home. Where the
problem arises is in agreeing to play in Cuba,
but after failing to play well, utilizing it as an
excuse for one's failure. IMO, the evidence
would seem to support an alternative story. Mr.
Lasker was not likely above making up a story
to explain his failure. Placing the blame
elsewhere has in fact become quite a tradition
among chess players, especially the world
champions.

Take a good, hard look at the match negotiations
between world champion Lasker and his challenger.
IMO, it is crystal clear that one of these men is
utterly lacking in credibility, and credibility is all
that supports the excuse in question. Had all
non-Cuban spectators collapsed while watching
the match, things would be different.

In any case, GM Lasker's tournament record was
stellar. And his failure in a single match only
serves as a reminder to us that GM Capabalnca
was, just as claimed, a "genius".

-- help bot


-- help bot