ON CHESS
XVI - The Automaton Chess-Player - IV
DURING the exhibition of the Automaton Chess-Player in London under its new proprietor, M. Maelzel, the mysterious box, without which M. de Kempelen stated the automaton could not play, was no longer consulted. Maelzel held a lighted candle in the interior before playing, and then left the candle burning on an adjoining slab. The mode of exhibiting the interior of the chest, the winding up of the machinery, and some other minor circumstances, were carefully observed by several persons who endeavoured to prove the existence of a concealed confederate. None, however, were successful, until Mr. Willis, of Cambridge, a gentleman well known for his high scientific attainments, published his attempt to analyse the automaton chess-player. Taking advantage of just so much as was seen and heard at the exhibition, and with the assistance of numerous drawings, his reasonings amount to the following simple conclusion; that the man, who really played the chess automaton, was concealed in the chest.
We now proceed to lay before the reader an abstract of Mr. Willis's clever work.
At the commencement of the exhibition the spectators are shown the interior of the chest, which appears to be so occupied by pieces of machinery that the concealment of a human being seems impossible. When the movements of the automaton begin, the beholders, in the first moments of surprise, and in the absence of any ostensible living cause, naturally refer the effect to the mechanism which has been exhibited, because the movements immediately follow the familiar action and well-known sound of winding up clock-work, and are skilfully accompanied by the grating noise of moving wheels. But still there is no evidence that the concealed machinery exerts any influence on the arm of the automaton, or that the machinery is ever in motion at all. The machinery at rest is freely exposed: the chest is ostentatiously opened, and the semblance at least of wheels, and pulleys, and levers, is submitted to inspection without reserve; but when their reality should appear, and their connection with the automaton be made manifest, the doors are carefully closed and no further examination permitted. The glaring contradiction between the eager display on the one hand and studied concealment on the other can only be reconciled by considering the exhibition of the mechanism as a mere stratagem, calculated to distract the attention and mislead the judgment of the spectators. This opinion, too, receives further support from the undeviating mode of disclosing the interior of the chest: doors and drawers are opened in one uniform order, in which no variation had ever been observed. The mode, too, of winding up was sufficient to convince a skilful mechanist that the axis turned by the key was quite free and unconnected either with spring or weight, or any system of machinery.
In all machines requiring to be wound up two consequences are inseparable from their construction: the first is, that in winding up the machinery, the key is limited in the number of its revolutions; and the second is, that some relative proportion must be constantly maintained betwixt the winding up and the work performed, in order to enable the machine to continue its movements. Now these results are not observable in the chess-player; for the automaton, will sometimes execute sixty-three moves with only one winding up; at other times the exhibitor has been observed to repeat the winding up after seven moves, and even after three moves; and once probably from inadvertence without the intervention of a single move; whilst, in every other instance, the key appeared to perform the same number of revolutions; evincing thareby that the revolving axis was unconnected with machinery, except, perhaps a ratchet wheel and click, or some similar apparatus, to enable it to produce the necessary sounds, and consequently that the key, like that of a child's watch, might be turned whenever the purposes of the exhibition seemed to require it. All is now ready for the exhibition: the door A of the smaller division of the chest is opened, and a quantity of machinery is seen in so crowded a state that nothing can be seen far beyond the opening, and the visitor concludes that the whole cupboard is filled with similar machinery, and he is confirmed in this conclusion when the opposite door B (fig. 3) is also opened, a candle held to it, and the light is seen to glimmer among the wheel-work. The door B is then locked, and the screen I falls into its place at the same instant. This door B is made to close by its own weight, but is also locked because the head of the chess-player is soon to be placed behind it; and the chess-automaton would cease to be a mystery should this door fly open in wheeling the machine about the room. No notice is taken of this door being locked, because the keys are wanted for other locks.
We come now to examine the interior of the chest, and, by the assistance of several diagrams, the reader will have no difficulty in understanding how a human being was concealed within the machine, although it was apparently thrown completely open to public inspection before the automaton commenced play. The letters of reference apply to all the figures as well in this as in the preceding articles.
It will be first remarked that the drawer G (figs. 5 and 6,) does not, when closed, extend to the back of the chest, but leaves behind it an open space o, which is never seen by the spectators. The smaller division of the chest, the front door of which is seen open at A, (figs. 3 and 7,) is divided into two parts by a screen I, (fig. 3, where the reader is supposed to look down upon the internal arrangements,) movable upon a hinge and so constructed that it closes upon the machinery H, the same instant the door B is closed: this machinery H occupies the front part, and the hinder part K is empty but it communicates with the open space o behind the drawer. The back of the greater division of the chest is double, and the part P (fig. 6) moves on a joint at the upper part and forms, when raised, an opening s, (fig. 5,) between the two divisions of the chest, by carrying with it part of the partition B, which consists of cloth tightly stretched.
It will be seen that the body of the Turk is occupied by an inner trunk N, (figs. 5 and 6,) the interior of which is not exhibited. This trunk N communicates with the chest by an opening at T. Thus, by simply raising the false back, a connection is made between the two cupboards, the trunk N and the space o behind the drawer.
At U (fig. 4) is a sliding panel which is moved on one side; the chess-player is introduced before the company are admitted, and the panel moved into its place. The player raises the false back of the larger cupboard, and occupies the position represented in fig. 7, by the shaded figure. At U (fig. 4) is a sliding panel which is moved on one side;
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the chess-player is introduced before the company are admitted, and the panel moved into its place.
The player raises the false back of the larger cupboard, and occupies the position represented in fig. 7, by the shaded figure. All is now ready for the exhibition: the door A of the smaller division of the chest is opened, and a quantity of machinery is seen in so crowded a state that nothing can be seen far beyond the opening, and the visitor concludes that the whole cupboard is filled with similar machinery, and he is confirmed in this conclusion when the opposite door B (fig. 3) is also opened, a candle held to it, and the light is seen to glimmer among the wheel-work. The door B is then locked, and the screen I falls into its place at the same instant. This door B is made to close by its own weight, but is also locked because the head of the chess-player is soon to be placed behind it; and the chess-automaton would cease to be a mystery should this door fly open in wheeling the machine about the room. No notice is taken of this door being locked, because the keys are wanted for other locks.
The door B being secured and the screen I closed, the exhibitor, leaving the door A open, proceeds to open other parts of the machine. The drawer G is next opened for the apparent purpose of showing the chess-men, cushion, and counters, contained in it; but the real object is to give the player time to shift his position from that shown in fig. 7 to that seen in figs. 7 and 9, and to replace the false back and partition preparatory to the opening of the great cupboard. It will be seen that the body of the living player is now in the small compartment between the screen I (fig. 3) and the door B, both of which are closed, while his legs are contained in the open space o behind the drawer G, and thus the door A can be left open with impunity. The great cupboard being opened, a glance of the eye is sufficient to show that no person is concealed in it: and to make this more sure a lighted candle is held at a door which opens at the back. The doors ACC being left open, the chest is wheeled round to show the trunk of the figure; the door D (fig. 3) is opened, and the bunch of keys allowed to remain in it, probably to remove any suspicion which may have arisen by locking the door B. The drapery of the figure is then raised, and two doors, one in the trunk and the other in the thigh, opened; the chest is then wheeled round into its original position and the door closed. Meanwhile the concealed player withdraws his legs from behind the drawer, which he can do the more readily while it is left open.
In all this routine the spectator imagines that he has inspected the whole of the interior of the machine, and feels convinced that the parts not exposed are full of machinery: whereas several parts have not been shown at all, and even when all the doors except B are open, about one half of the chest is quite excluded from the sight.
The drawer G being pushed in and the doors A C C closed, the exhibitor occupies some time in adjusting the machinery at the back; during which the player assumes the position shown in a front view in fig. 10, and in profile in fig. 11. In this position his head being above the chess-board he sees through the waistcoat of the figure as easily as through a veil, all the pieces on the chess-board, and he can readily take up and put down a piece by means of a string communicating with the fingers of the figure. His right hand being within the chest is employed to keep in motion the wheel-work for producing the noise heard during the moves and to perform any other movements of the figure.
This solution by Mr. Willis, of the difficult problem of the chess-automaton is highly creditable to his sagacity, for, except in his extensive knowledge of mechanical science, he had no facilities of observation that did not belong to an ordinary spectator. We need not, therefore, be surprised that, when all the avenues to the interior of the chest were closed, Mr.Willis should fall into error respecting the mode by which the concealed player conducted the game; for, it must be obvious, that "the waistcoat of the figure" would afford a very inefficient concealment against the eyes and ears of numerous spectators, sharpened as they were by curiosity to the detection of the slightest motion or sound.
But whatever is deficient in Mr. Willis's account has been subsequently supplied by M. Mouret, who, for a long time, constituted the source of vitality of the chess- automaton: this information, together with whatever else we may have to say on the subject, will appear in our next and concluding article.
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Chess Archeology 
