Judge — December 1935 — page 14: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Café Boulevard “TF YOU want to see real chess you must go to the Café Boulevard on Fourteenth Street,” Julius had told me. “You go down there some afternoon and ask for the waiter; Gus’ll show you around.” A few days later I wandered down- town. Between a burlesque show and a shooting gallery I found a narrow stair- case | brass plate, venerable with patina, read “Café Boulevard.” I wondered how chess could be played to the accompani- ment of an electric organ and a barker. I found out, when I opened the door. The long narrow room contained two windows facing the street but they were hermetically sealed and covered with heavy curtains; dim electric bulbs strug- gled in vain against the cigar and cig- arette smoke. I walked up to a figure distinguished a vintage napkin hanging over his left arm and murmured “Gus?” His left hand declined my attempt at conversa- tion; Gus was watching a g of chess. After five minutes one of the players de cided to move and Gus was released. He turned to me: “Have you ever seen such a move?” he said. ling to an upper floor, where a I agreed that [I hadn't and mentioned Julius Warburg. So you're a friend of Mr. Warburg We haven't a but there'll be strong are you I told him that T had only come for a cup of coffee and a little kibitzing. He Ided understandi ie for you just now lenty in a while. How ly and waved me to a small table betwe ame ot jochle and a game of chess. lach and Mr. Pinkel whispered with awe in h voice, “Our two best players. Bardach once made a draw with Lasker.” “Do they often play together?” [ i when Gus brou it me a cup of “Every day from two to seve ther ears that little feller, said. or five years they play t nd for five y Krauss, kil The game was proceeding with an uninterrupted flow of sarcastic cor ments by Mr. Bardach and an occasional inarticulate grunt) by Mr. Pinkeles. When one of the players emphasized Nitze: the strength of a move by banging the i er would shake his sequence of consonants that sounded like tzs ... tas. His hands were clasping the handle of a heavy stick with his chin resting on his hands, A black velvet skull cap perched on the back of his head giving the whole figure the appearance rgovle, ' Mr. Pinkeles had just mated his comicbooks.com