preference over other games; Buckle called his patiently hard
contested games of three, four or five hours each a half-holiday
relief; Boden and Bird, two very young rising amateurs, then
approaching the highest prevailing force at the time would, to
Buckle's dismay, rattle off ten lively skirmishes in half the time
he took for one. The younger of the two aspirants became in
1849 a favourite opponent of the distinguished writer and historian
whom, however, he somewhat disconcerted at times by the rapidity
of his movements and once, and once only, the usually placid
Buckle falling into an early snare as he termed it; and emulating
Canute of old and Lord Stair in modern times got angry and
toppled over the pieces.

Colonel Stewart used frequently to play at chess with Lord
Stair who was very fond of the game; but an unexpected checkmate
used to put his Lordship into such a passion that he was
ready to throw a candlestick or anything else that was near him,
at his adversary: for which reason the Colonel always took care
to be on his feet to fly to the farthest corner of the room when he
said "Checkmate, my Lord."

In older times the narrative is silent as to the temper of
Charlemagne when he lost his wager game to Guerin de Montglave,
but Eastern annals, the historians of Timur, Gibbon and others tell
us that the great potentates of the East, Al Walid, Harun Ar
Rashid, Al Mamun and Tamerlane shewed no displeasure at being
beaten, but rather appreciated and rewarded the skill of their
opponents. They manifested, however, great indignation against
those who played deceitfully or attempted to flatter by allowing
themselves to be overplayed by their Monarchs.