He was not willingly played with; his manner of play was held
barbarous, but still they played, sometimes for large sums of
money; which, invariably winning, Soloviev readily laid down upon
the altar of his comrades' needs. But he steadfastly declined from
participation in competitions, which could have created for him
the position of a star in the world of chess: "There is in my
nature neither love for this nonsense, nor respect," he would say.
"I simply possess some sort of a mechanical ability of the mind,
some sort of a psychic deformity. Well, now, just as there are
lefties. And for that reason I've no professional self-respect,
nor pride at victory, nor spleen at losing."
Such was the generously built student Soloviev. And Nijeradze
filled the post of his closest comrade; which did not hinder them
both, however, from jeering at each other, disputing, and
swearing, from morning till night. God knows, wherewithal and how
the Georgian prince existed. He said of himself, that he possessed
the ability of a camel, of nourishing himself for the future, for
several weeks ahead; and then eating nothing for a month.
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