HBBM CAP 7 A //V DOUGEAO AMD THE 6 TAR PLAYERS OF THE /YAVAL ACADEMY O ' fOOTBALL SQUAD BILLIARDISTS PRACTICING FOR COMING TOURNAMENTS Prsfessionals Preparing for 14.1 Cham pionship Contest to in New Ycr'.t. The p-ofessional billiard season opened recently in Chicago, where George Sutton scored an easy victory over Jake Schaefer for the 15.2 balk line championship. The winner's deli cate touch was displayed in a remark able manner, and his run of 232 showed him to be in splendid form so early in the season. He averaged 33 1-5, running out his string in fif teen innings. Schaefer was sadly out of form and averaged exactly half of the points made by Sutton. The next big match will bring the same players together in a contest for the 18.1 title, now held by Schaefer. The game will also be played in Chicago soon. While Schaefer and Sutton are pre paring for their second match, plans are being perfected for a big tourna ment to he held in New York early in January. This will be at 14.1, a new style of game, and will be essentially rational, as foreign players will be barred. The 14.1 championship tourna ment will strike a medium between 18.1 and 18.2. The former is thought to be too tedious and long drawn out, while the latter is too speedy. Since the defeat of Vignaux and Cure there are no foreign players of note that would be of sufficient attraction to prove drawing cards, and for this rea son it is proposed to confine the en tries to Americans. George Slosson, Maurice Daly, Ora Morningstar and A. C. Cutler have entered the tourna ment, and George Sutton, Jake Schae fer and Willie Hoppe are expected to send their entries as soon as the plans are properly matured. It was intended to hold the tourna ment early in December, but this plan was abandoned on account of the Sut ton-Schaefer match at this time, and it is the intention of the promoters of the tournament to include every play er of note, so as to make it thoroughly representative. This will be the only professional tournament of note to be played in New York, but it promises to be the most important of the year. According to the plans, matches will be arranged so that each man will play one match with every other en trant. The games are to be played at Madison Square Garden concert hall, and to be 5