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The Thinking Machine by Jacques Foutreu,
it was absolutely impossible. Twenty five chess

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masters from the world at large FOE, gathered in Boston for the annual Championships,

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unanimously declared it impossible. And unanimity
on any given point is an unusual

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mental condition for chess masters. Not
one would concede for an instant that it

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was within the range of human achievement. Some grew red in the face as

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they argued it. Others smiled loftily
and were silent. Still others dismissed the

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matter, in a word, as
wholly absurd. A casual remark by the

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distinguished scientist and logician, Professor Augustus
s. F X van Dusan provoked the

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discussion. He had in the past
aroused bitter disputes by some chance. Remark,

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in fact, had been once a
sort of controversial center of the sciences.

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It had been due to his modest
announcement of a startling and unorthodox hypothesis

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that he had been invited to vacate
the chair of philosophy in a great university.

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Later that university had felt honoured when
he accepted its degree of LD.

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For a score of years educational and
scientific institutions of the world had amused themselves

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by crowding degrees upon him. He
had initials that stood for things he couldn't

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pronounce, degrees from France, England, Russia, Germany, Italy, Sweden

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and Spain. These were expressed recognition
of the fact that his was the foremost

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brain in the sciences. The imprint
of his crabbed personality lay heavily on half

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a dozen of its branches. Finally, there came a time when argument was

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respectfully silent in the face of one
of his conclusions. The remark which had

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rayed the chess masters of the world
into so formidable and unanimous a descent,

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was made by Professor van Dusen in
the presence of three other gentlemen. Of

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note, one of these, doctor
Charles Elbert, happened to be a chess

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enthusiast. Chess is a shameless perversion
of the functions of the brain, was

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Professor van Duson's declaration, in his
perpetually irritated voice. It is a sheer

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waste of effort, greater because it
is possibly the most difficult of all fixed

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abstract problems. Of course, logic
will solve it. Logic will solve any

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problem, not most of them,
but any problem. A thorough understanding of

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its rules would enable anyone to defeature
greatest chess players. It would be inevitable,

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just as inevitable as that two and
two make four. Not sometimes,

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but all the time. I don't
know chess because I never do useless things.

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But I could take a few hours
of competent instruction and defeat a man

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who has devoted his life to it. His mind is cramped, bound down

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to the logic of chess. Mine
is not mine, employs logic in its

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widest scope. Doctor Elbert shook his
head vigorously. It is impossible, he

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asserted. Nothing is impossible, snapped
the scientist. The human mind can do

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anything. It is all we have
to lift us above the brute creation.

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For Heaven's sake, leave us that. The aggressive tone, the uncompromising egotism,

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brought a flush to Doctor Elbert's face. Professor Van Duson affected many persons

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that way, particularly those fellows savants, who themselves men of distinction had ideas

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of their own. Do you know
the purposes of chess? It's countless combinations?

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Asked doctor Albert. No was the
crabbed reply, I know nothing whatever

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of the game beyond the general purpose, which I understand to be to move

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certain pieces in certain directions to stop
an opponent from moving his king. Is

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that correct, yes, said Doctor
Albert slowly. But I never heard it

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stated just that way before. Then, if that is correct, I maintain

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that the true logician can defeat the
chess expert by the pure mechanical rules of

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logic. I'll take a few hours
some time acquaint myself with the moves of

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the pieces and defeat you to convince
you, Professor van Dusen glared savagely into

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the eyes of doctor Albert. Not
me, said doctor Albert. You say

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any one you, for instance,
might defeat the greatest chess player. Would

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you be willing to meet the greatest
chess player after you acquaint yourself with the

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game? Certainly, said the scientist. I have frequently found it necessary to

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make a fool of myself to convince
people. I'll do it again. This,

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then, was the acrimonious beginning of
the discussion, which aroused chess masters

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and brought open descent from eminent men
who had not dared for years to dispute

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any assertion by the distinguished Professor van
Dusen. It was arranged that at the

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conclusion of the championships, Professor van
Dusen should meet the winner. This happened

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to be Tchaikowski, the Russian,
who had been championed for half a dozen

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years. After this expected result of
the tournament, Hillsbury, a noted American

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master, spent a morning with profess
Sir van Dussin in the latter's modest apartments

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on Beacon Hill. He left there
with a sadly puzzled face. That afternoon,

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Professor van Dusen met the Russian champion. The newspapers had set a great

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deal about the affair, and hundreds
were present to witness the game. There

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was a little murmur of astonishment when
Professor van Duson appeared. He was slight,

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almost childlike in body, and his
thin shoulders seemed to droop beneath the

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weight of his enormous head. He
wore a number eight hat. His brow

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rose straight and dome like, and
a heavy shock of long yellow hair gave

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him almost a grotesque appearance. The
eyes were narrow slits of blue, squinting

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eternally through thick spectacles. The face
was small, clean shaven, drawn and

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white. With the pallor of the
student, His lips made a perfectly straight

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line. His hands were remarkable for
their whiteness, their flexibility, and for

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the length of the slender fingers.
One glance showed that physical development had never

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entered into the schedule of the scientists
fifty years of life. The Russian smiled

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as he sat down at the chest
table. He felt that he was humoring

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a crank. The other masters were
grouped nearby, curiously expectant. Professor van

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Dusan began the game, opening with
a queen's gambit. At his fifth move,

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made without the slightest hesitation, the
smile left the Russian's face. At

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the tenth the masters grew intensely eager. The Russian champion was playing for honor

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now. Professor van Duson's fourteenth move
was King's castle to Queen's four check.

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He announced after a long study of
the board, the Russian protected his king

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with a knight. Professor van Duson
noted the play, then leaned back in

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his chair with fingertips pressed together.
His eyes left the board and dreamily studied

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the ceiling. For at least ten
minutes. There was no sound, no

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movement. Then mate, in fifteen
moves, he said quietly. There was

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a quick gasp of astonishment. It
took the practiced eyes of the masters several

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minutes to verify the announcement, but
the Russian champion saw and leaned back in

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his chair, a little white and
dazed. He was not astonished. He

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was helplessly floundering in a maze of
incomprehensible things. Suddenly he arose and grasped

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the slender hand of his conqueror.
You have never played chess before, he

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asked. Never, mon dieu,
You are not a man. You are

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a brain, a machine, a
thinking machine. It's a child's game,

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said the scientist abruptly. There was
no note of exultation in his voice.

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It was still the irritable, impersonal
tone which was habitual. This then was

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Professor Augustus s f X van Dusen
pH d L d frs M D et

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cetera, et cetera, et cetera. And this is how he came to

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be known to the world at large
as the Thinking Machine. The Russian's phrase

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had been applied to the scientist as
a title by a newspaper reporter hutcheson hatch.

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It had stuck end of the thinking
machine and