CHESS.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 10150, 24 September 1898, Page 2

CHESS.

Weekly Press and Referee."

The Canterbury Chess Club meets in the Chamber of Commerce, A.M.P. Buildings, every Tuesday and Friday from 7 p.m. to 10.30 p.m. Visitors are always welcome.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

Ikvicta, Dunedin.—Have arranged with one of our correspondents to play a correspondence game by postcard. He

will write you. Tyke, Nelson.—You can castle (1) if your king has not been moved (2) if he is not in check nor has to pass over or on to a square commanded by an adverse force. Chess Editors Evening Star, Otago Witness and N.Z. Field.—Slips received with

thanks. Clova.—Re Problem No. 609—You do not send the variations. What do you play in reply to 1. . . . Px B ? Problem No. 608.—The second solution

has been received from Invicta, Dunedin. Pkoblkm No. 609.—Correct solutions have

been received from J.H.8., Sybil and Gambit.

SOLUTION OF PROBLEM No. 609.

WHITE. BLACK. 1 B B 6 1 P B 3 or (a) 2 Q Q 3 2 Any move 3 Q mates accordingly. (a) 1 ... . IPx Bor (b) 2 Q X 3, eh 2 X Q 4 3 B B 7 mates. (b)l . . . . 1 KQ4 2887, eh 2KKS 3 Q B 2 mates.

PROBLEM NO. 611.

By Mrs W. J. Baird. BLACK.

WHITE. White to play and mate in three moves. Position of Pieces.—White—X on Q 8, B on X B sq., and Q R 7, Xt on X Xt 6, and X Xt 7, P on X Kb 3, and Q B 2. Black—X on Q3.PonK.-B 3, QB 5, and QKt4. Mate in three.

THE VIENNA TOURNAMENT.

A brilliant and interesting game played in this Congress:— Queen's Pawn Opening. WHITE. BLACK. (A. Halprin.) (A. Burn.) IPQ4 IPQ4 2KtKB3 2 K6KB3 3PK3 - ', 3P84 4 PQ.Kt3 ~ ■ '•■" 4. BKtS SBKt2 ,; SPK3 6BQ3(a) ' 6KtB3 7.QKCQ2 • 78Q3 8 Castles 8 Castles 9 P B 4 9 QK2 10 RRsq ~ IOQRQsq(b) 11 B P x P (c) 11 Xt Xt 5 12BKtsq " 12BTxP 13-BxT " 13PK4 148Kt2 •• 14QKtxQP 15 P KB 3 158R4 16PKKt4(d) 168Kt3 17Kt84 ! 178Q84 18QK2 18 PKS 19 X Xt X 5 19 Xt Q 2 20 KtxKt " 20 RxKt 21 Kt.K5 21 RB2 22 X Xt 2 (c) 22 B Q 3 23RxR(f) 23 ,- R £*- 24KtxB(g). 25Q84 25QQ3 26 RRsq 26 RxP„ch(h) 27KxR 27QKt6, oh 28 KB sol' •' 28Q86,ch 29 X Xt sq ..29 Q x X P, eh 30 KBsq. ~ 30 QB6, eh 31 KKtsq 31 Q Xt 6, eh 32 KBsq " 32Q86, eh 33 KKtsq • 33 PK 6 (i) 34 R R 2 (j) 34 Q Q 8, oh 35KKt2 35 PK7 36 RRsq 36 QxR, eh 37KxR . 37 PKB=Q oh 38 KKt2 38 Q Xt 6, eh 39 X B sq 39 Q B 6, eh 40 KKfcsq 40 B Xt 3, eh 41 B Q 4 41 Q Q 8, eh 42 X Xt 2 42- Q x Q B 43QxQ «3*xQ 44 B X 4 44 Xt B 6 45 B x Q Xt P 45 Xt x P 46-BQS, eh v 46 KBsq 47 X B 3 47 Ktß 6 48884 48£Kt4 49KKt3 49KK2 50K83 50 P X R 3 51 BKtB 51 K.Q.5 52884 52K84 53887 53KKt5 54 BKtB 54 PQR4 55 B B 7 55 B B 4 Resigns. (a) 6. B X 2 should be played, especially so in this case, It will be seen that in the manner in which White continued he had eventually to dislodge this B, with P X R 3 and P£ Xt 4, ruining his position altogether. (b) 10. . . KR Q Sq, and to occupy the Q B file with the Q R, would he correct here. In the end the X R proved more powerful at X B sq. This, however, is only accidental, as it could not have been foreseen now, except by inspiration. (c) Intending to close up the Q file, but overlooking Black's ready reply of 11. . . Xt Xt 5, attacking the baaiy-placed B at Q 3. (d> Suicidal, but he has already the inferior game. (c) The last series of moves were all forced, and so is the text move to a certain extent, as he feels the necessity of protectting the X R P with R X R sq. (f) Perhaps he might have tried to get rid of Black's powerful X B with 23. Xt B 4 at once. (g) Opening the X B file gives Black the opportunity -of the following brilliancy. Xt B 4 would. still have been comparatively better. (h) This powerful sacrifice, leading to a forced win, entitles this game to compete with a fair chance of success for the" brilliancy prize. The sacrifice is perfectly sound. (i) The repetition of moves enabled Black to gain time for this final manoeuvre. (j) If-34. Q'.B sq, then 34. . . PK 7; 35. Q xQ, Pto X B—Q, eh, and wins. The ending is full of beautiful variations, which we leave the reader to examine. Black wins by force.

CANTERBURY v OAMARU.

Those engaged in the telegraphic chess match had very, hard luck on Saturday evening, for on assembling at the Clvrb room it was found that communication with the Oamaru Chess Club could not be got. ,The telegraphist could get. the Oamaru telegraph office, bnt his efforts to speak with the Chess Club's room were unavailing, and later on he could not even get the Oaiftaru telegraph office. After trying for over- two hours it was decided to transmit the moves between the two telegraph offices and send

them to and fro with messengers. Mr Keys, j the operator, *did everything within the re- ; sources of a telegraphist, but without avail. With only two hours to play, and the necessarily slow process of carrying the moves backwards and forwards, very utile prograas

was made, three or four moves being the average number made at each board. This ' was sufficient, however, to advance two games almost to a winning point. At hoard 8, Mr Burn* pushed his advantage against Mr Clutten. the Christchurch player, %vith such force that he appears to have a won game- Mr Maling's game also went to the bad, and his opponent should soon win. Both these games should bej won by the Southerners. Against this ' the game at board 3 is in favour of Christchurch, Mr Milner having gained a very powerful attack. At board 2 Mr Andersen, the local player, has lost a pawn, but at board 4 Mr Smith has recovered from the attack of the Oamaru man and retains the pawn advantage. All the other games are apparently quite even, and most of them are in a very open state. The match will be resumed next Saturday, and efforts will be made to start earlier than the time hitherto fixed— 7 o'clock.

TOUCH AND MOVE.

The Dunedin Evening Star, after reproducing the letter from one of our correspondents on the evil practice of retracting moves, says: —The Canterbury Club is not the only club where this rule is practically obsolete, 'ine same thing obtains elsewhere. The remedy, of course, rests with the club members insisting upon the observance of the "touch-and-move" rule. It may be pleaded as an excuse that iv friendly or practice matches a rigorous enforcement of this rule is unnecessary, but to move first and look afterwards can liardly be called practice, as it does not strengthen the player in the most necessary of all faculties in chess playing, that of perception. "Look before you leap" should be vigorously insisted upon in all chess clubs. Just imagine this leniency extended to any other sport or pastime; how absurd it would appear. Then why not in its application to chess? Fancy a cricketer caught out begging pardon—he did not intend to make such a bad stroke. Absurd? Yes, of course it is; so is the touch and not move.

NOTES.

Chess players who never solve problems neglect the best means of acquiring a keen eye for mating positions, which are frequently passed over in actual play simply because bhe players have no idea of their possible occurrence. —Montreal Witness. Mr W, H. Jonas, of Sydney*, <*4_we an exhibition of simultaneous play at the St. George's Chess Club, Kogarah, on Saturday, August 13th. Playing fourteen boards (one opponent playing two) he won all fourteen games. Among his opponents was the champion of the club, Mr Hiles. An excellent performance! The eleventh international chess tournament of the German Schachbundi was com-, menced on August lsb, at Cologne, Germany. The players are William Steinitz, J. W. Showalter, New York; Rudolph Charousek, Buda Pesth; M. Tchigorin, and E. Schiffers, St. Petersburg; C. Schlechter, Vienna ; A. Cohn, Berlin; W. Pafiel, Leinberg; H. yon Gottschall, Posen; Heinrichsen, Cologne; A. Burn, London; Alex. Frtz, Darmstadt; E. Schallop, Berlin; A. Alibin, Vienna; J. Berber, Gratzs The tournament is in one round, hours of play 9 to 1 and 4 to 8, fifteen moves an hour, six days a week. The prize fund aggregates ■ about $850.

The American Chess Magazine, says: — "Harry N. Pillsbury's playing in t£e Vienna Tournament stamps him as the coming champion, the step beyond Mr Lasker being seemingly but a short one. The World's Chanipionship is a title which all Americana will feel is now justly due to our greatest player, and it is to be hoped that the time is l not far distant when there will be an opportunity to bring it across the ocean again."

In an old number of the Bristol Mercury a correspondent pointg out that the pleas; ure of solving a chess problem is usually in direct proportion to its difficulty. • Occasionally one meets with an elegant position, the solution of which comes 'Tike a flash." -" Tht probability is that after it has been admired for a moment it .will be thrown aside and forgotten. The case is different with a problem which to elegance adds difficulty and complexity. The solver has the satisfaction of mastering wliat is hard, and the effect of the study which is necessary is to make him keenly alive to the beauties of ' ~ the strategy by which the mates are effected., Ar first sight the positioji may appear'to' be -meaningless and chaotic. As the an-, aiysis proceeds, however, chaos is gradually leduced to order, the force and value of each, yiece is clearly apprehended, and eventually the composer's ideas are fully grasped a_id appreciated.