OVER THE CHESS BOARD.

Evening Star, Issue 10339, 12 June 1897, Page 1 (Supplement)

OVER THE CHESS BOARD.

[OONDOCIKD BY J. W. MnXOB, B.SC.J Solution of Problem No. 823. Key move: B'KtS. " R.G.C."-Solutions Nos. 223 and 284 correct. "O.B."—You have overlooked one of Black's replica. PROBLEM No. 225. Sam. Loto. Black 5 pieces.

White 6 piece*. White to play and mate in two moves.

END GAME STUDY. M. A. TaoiTZKV, of Dorogobouge, in ' La Strategie.' Black 6 pieces.

White U piece*. White, playing first, wins. SOLUTION. White. Black. I White. Black. IPxQP P x'P I 5 B-K B 8 Any 28-KRC P moves 6 K-R6 Any 3 Kt-K B 6 Any 7 B-K Kt 7 mate. 4 K-Kt 5 Auy I CHESS GOSSIP. The Otago Chess Club annual tournament is just commencing. There are thirty-one entrants, who are split into two divisions of fifteen and sixteen names raipeotively. Each division is divided into three classes, and all members in a division play one game eaoh on level terms, the highest scorer in each class to receive a prize. The first class "A" division consists of Messrs R. A. Cleland, J. Edwards, J. Mouat, 0. Balk, and W. Warsaw.

The Sydney (N.S. W.) clubs are, according to all accounts, draped in mourning, and the voice of lamentation is heard in the haunts of Cai'ssa. If any prophet had foretold that ten Sydney warriors would emerge from their contest with Victoria minus nine and a-half scalps he would have been laughed to scorn. But the unexpected happened, and Victoria won nine out of ten games. The only Sydney man who managed to escape defeat was rewarded the day after the matoh with a paper belt. An Eastern potentate was once attacked by a neighboring chief of about equal strength to himself. His soldiers consisted i of " castlc3" (patricians and plebeians), and when the enemy made its appearance the 'potentate ordered his plebeian soldiers to disperse them. " But," said his auxious [ private seoretary, " the foe is very nuniei rous, your warriors will be cut down ; would I it not be better to send the whole of the army, [so as to attack them on both flanks ?" The .Monarch replied : " In that case I may lose | some of high caste. It matters not if I lose Lthe low casteß; we can easily annihilate the | enemy when we think proper." Shortly [after startling information was brought iu ! to tho effect that all the soldiers sent to [fight had fallen in battle after a stubborn resistance, that the castle was surrounded, 'and his Trime Ministers taken prisoners. Moral: When you go to war do not trust to chance, but put all your forces into action. In the Frenoh defence, Lasker thinks that the German attack of I White. ■ Black. I White. Black. 'IP-K4 P-K3 3Q-Ktß3 KKt-B3 l 2 P-Q 4 PQ 4 | 4 P-K 5, etc

is very difficult to meet, and he recommends Black to play p x p as soon as White brings out his Q Kt. Buckle's Love of Chess.—Buckle's powerful mental temperanient naturally gave him a tendency to intellectual pastimes, and, always thorough and practical in all he undertook, not contented with mediocrity eveu in his diversions. His superlative skill at chess was but a subsidiary form of his most remarkable intellect. At twenty he was recognised by chess experts as quite one of themselves, and the marvel is how he ever found time enough from his tremendous literary energy, and the ever-present need with him of mental relaxation, to attain such a position in the chess world. He turned to chess for relaxation. He says it was a not infrequent custom of his to indulge in a seven and even a nine hours' sitting. And to this man of feeble physical power this was relaxation ! Most of the Continental masters he met dutinghiß Continental travels. With Home players of the first water and calibre he frequently played: Staunton, Captain Kennedy, Howitz, and Bird. In 1851 he took part in the great chess tournament, in wbieh most of the important national experts played. The winner of this tourney was Mr Anderson, then at his best, with whom Buckle afterwards played a series of fifteen games, and won by a majority of one game. During these days of ohess Buckle worked as usual at his book, 'The History of Civilisation,' until one o'clock, and then went to the wellknown ohess resort, the divan, where he had an excellent reputation for uniform fairness and philanthropic demeanor. Whether winning or losing, he was a pleasant adversary, sitting quietly before the board smoking his cigar and pursuing his game with inflexible steadiness. 'People's Journal' (Scotland). Chess and Longevity.—Steinitz says that the average length of life or general devotee of ohess is the Highest in comparison to any other class of men whose duration of life has been systematically subjected to statistical observation. Professor Church, in an article entitled * Games-of the Far East' in the ' Badminton Magazine,' writes : Chess is played in Korea with some important variations from the form followed in the West. The most important of these is the presence of an additional piece, the p'au or cannon. The equivalents for the pieces common to both games are general (king), counsellor (queen), chariot (rook), elephant (bishop), horse (knight), foot soldier (pawn). In the centre on each side of the board is a " camp," with nine squares, and furnished with diagonal lines. The king and queen (to use the names familiar to our ears) are confined to these enclosures. The king has the privi-lege'-bf checking his rival across the board, if no piece intervenes between them. He has also another privilege, and one of a very peculiar kind. If he is the only piece of bis side remaining, and cannot move without incurring checkmate, he is allowed to stay where he is and turn over. But to exercise either of these privileges is almost tantamount to confessing defeat. The player who has used his king to check the king of his antagonist cannot win the game ; at the best he can only draw it, while the solitary monarch who turns over is clearly in a desperate position. The ohessmen do not show the picturesque forms to which we are accustomed. They are draughtsman, their rank and powers being indicated by their size. On the other, hand the men at backgammon have something like the shape of our ohess queen. The game of draughts seems not to be known. In Praise of Chess.—lt is one of the characteristics of ohess that it takes firm root in every soil where it is once established. It found its keen and zealous votaries, not only in the splendid palaoes of Ghosroes, of Harun, and of Timur, bat in the rude and

primitive tents of the pastoral Calmuc, the roving Tartar, and the Bedouin Arab. We are not aware of a tingle instance of Any people worthy of the name and designation of human beings that onse got a knowledge of this mimic warfare and afterwards either forgot or neglected so attractive an acquisition. From the luxurious court of Byzantium, to the sterile rocks of the Hebrides, and the ice-bound region of the Ultinu Thnle, the game appears to have spread with the rapidity of light, and to have flourished with rigor, without ever losing ground, for nearly the space, of a millennium.—Staunton. ' "

CHESS IN ENGL&ND. The following is one of three simultaneous consultation games played by Mr J. H. Blackburne (White) at the Hastings Chess Club :-

Black announced mate in seven movea-m. NOTES. a There is a very fine consultation game on record, played, we believe, in 1881 at Berlin, Mr Blackburne being one of the defending players, in which p-k kt 3—the solid King's Fianchetto—resulted very favorably for the defence. Players of a more nimble style prefer to rely on kt-b 3 in connection with b-kt 5 ch, castles, r-k sq, and p-q 1/which leads to a very rapid development of the black pieces. A good specimen of the play on these lines will be found in the 23rd game of the match Tchigorin v. Gunsberg. 4 b-k 2 was adopted on the advice of Mr Chesher, who says of this move: " I have played it many times in correspondence and otherwise, always successfully. I find it gives all the advantages of kt-b 3 without its disadvantages." The comparative effectiveness of all these defences clearly shows that the opening is weak and the attack without substance. 6 A rather premature attack; 8 B-K 3isto be preferred. c Black makes a very good useof the time gained through the abortive move of 8 B-K R 6. d The object of this move was presumably to prevent p-q 4 ; the retardation of the Q P is the only objection we can urge against the 4 b-k 2 defence. e Black's superior development begins to tell. It is always a precarious device, especially for the first player to have a pawn which, as in this case, hampers the action of three Pieces—namely, of the K Kt, the KB, and the Q. The chance of doing good by the advance of the K Kt P was too remote. If White had played 1G Kt-B 3 with a view of reaching the promising square on R 4 with the Kt, Black would have replied with 17kt-k5, bringing about an exchange of the minor Pieces, rather in his favor; for nfter 16 kt-k 5; 17 Kt x Kt, b x kt, Black threatens b x kt, followed by r x b. In any case the open file for the rooks would be of great service to him. /18 P-Q R 3 wa3 requisite in order to prevent kt-kt 5. 3 Better late than never. White had, however, no really satisfactory measure to oppose to Black's attack. If 19 PR 3, then 19 kt x b p puts White in a losing position. hj Black threatens mate in two by kt x b. White might have attempted 22 B-Q 3. i It is characteristic of White's play that he plays for an attack to the last. j For what is it worth * £ Black has consistently played a strong game all through. / Perseverance worthy of a better cause. m4l K-K 3, rx p ch; 42 K-Q 4, bb 3 ch; 43 K-Q 5, q-kt 4 ch; 44 K-K 6, r-k 8 ch ; 45 B x R, r-k Hch ; 46 Q-R 4, rx q ch; 47 KB 7, q-k sq mate. —' St. James's Budget.'

CENTRE GAMBIT. White. Black. White. Black. 1 P-KU P-K/. 22 R x Kt-A QxR 8 P-QU PxP 23 R-Qsq Q-QB4 3 QxP Kt-Q B 3 24 B-Q 3 PR 4 4 Q-K3 B-K2-« 25 B x B KxB 5 Q-Kt B 3 Kt-B3 26 Q-Kt 3 B-B 3 6 B-K 2 Castles 27 Q-Kt 6 ch K-R eq 7 Q-Kt 3 P-Q3 28 B Q 2 -i Q-Q Kt 4 8 B-K R 8-6 Kt-Ksq 29 P-B 3 P-H5 9 P-K R 4 K-R wi 30 B x P j P-R 6 ! 10 B-K Kt 6 P-B3 31 P Q Kt 4 P-B 7 11 B-K 3 P-B 4-c 32 K Q 2 Q-Q 4 ch 12 Castles Kt-B 3 ;« K -15 2 QxR ch-i 13 PxP BxP 31 KxQ P-R 8=Q 14 B-KB4-d Q-Q 2 ch 15 PR 5 P-K R 3 35 B-Bsq QxP 16 P-R 3 e B-R2 36 P-R 61 Q-Q c ch 17 Q-R8 Q-K3 37 B»Q 2 K-R 8 ch IS B-Q 2/ Kt-QKt5 38 K-K2 Q-B 5 ch 19 Kt-R 3 j7 Kt x P ch 39 K-B2 B-R5ch SO Kt x Kt Q x Kt 40 P-Kt 3 Q-B 8 ch 21 B-B 3 Kt-Q 4 !