OVER THE CHESS BOARD.

Evening Star, Issue 11511, 30 March 1901, Page 2

OVER THE CHESS BOARD.

[CoxnTTCTUD bt R. M. Baikd.] [All communications should be addressed “Chess Editor, ‘Star’ Office.” Games, gable endings, original problems, and; all local information specially welcomed.! The Otago Chess Club meet every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday evening, at 7.50, in their rooms, Liverpool street. ■ CHESS IN LONDON. A smart skirmish played, at Simpson’s Divan, London ; . Ruy Lopez. , White Black (Amateur). (L. Van Vliet). 1. P-K 4 1. P-K 4. , 2. Kt-K B 5 .. 2. Kt-Q B 3 3. B-Kt 5 3. P-B 4 . ; 4. Casties 4. P x P , 5. B x Kt 5. QPIB 6. Ktx P 6. Q-Q 5 7. Kt-Kt 4 7. P-K R 4 8. Kt-K 3 8. Kt-B 3 9. P-K B 4 9. B-K Kt 5 . 10. Q-K sq 10. Castles 11. K-E sq 11. B-Q B 4 12. P-B 3 12..Q-Q,6 13. Kt x B 13. PxKt 14. P-K Kt 3 Position for White’s 14th move:— Black (L. Van Vliet). , v ■

White (Amateur). Black announced mate in five moves as follows; ’ ■ 14 14. Q-B 6 ch! 15. E x Q 15. E x P ch 16. E x E 16. E-E sq ch 17. K-Kt 2 17. P x E ch 18. K-B sq 18. E-E 8 mate, SIMULTANEOUS CHESS. Messrs Lasker and Maroczy gave a display of blindfold and simultaneous chess at Basingstoke recently. Mr Lasker won all his games against six amateurs blindfold. Mr Maroczy played twenty-eight games simultaneously, and won all but two, which Mr Lasker adjudicated as drawn. As an example of careful plajl after a hopeless beginning we append oho of the latter games. The wielder of the black forces was a clever boy of sixteen years, J. E. C. Liddell, who is a member of Uncle Toby’s Dicky Bird Society, Mr Liddell;has matriculated at the London University, and is tho holder of the three years' county, scholarship for Hampshire, which is, wc think, altogether a very promising record. Game No. 987. White Black (Herr Maroczy). (Mr J. E. C. Liddell). 1. P-Q B 4 (a) 1. P-Q B 4 (b) 2. P-K 3 (c) 2. Kt-Q B 3 3. P-Q 4 3. P-K 3 4. Kt-Q B 3 (d) 4, KtK B 5 5. Kt-K B 3 5. B-K 2 (e) 6. P-Q 5 6. Q Kt-Kt 7. P-Q 6 7. B-B 8. P-K 4 8. P-K E 3 9. P-K 5 0. Kt-K 2 10. B-Q 3 ({) 10. P-K Kt 3 11. Kt-K 4 11. B-K Kt 2 ■ 12. Castles 12. P-QKt.3 13. P-Q Kt 3 13. Q B-Kt 2 14. B-Q Kt 2 14. Kt-Q B 3 15. E-Q B 15. E-Q B 16. Q-K 2 16. Kt-Q Kt 5 , 17. B-Q Kt 17. Q B x Kt 18. Q x B 18. K Kt-Kt 4 19. Q-K 2 191 Kt x Kt ch . 20. Q x Kt 20. Kt-B 3 (g) 21. Q-K Kt 3 21. Q-Kt 4 22. P-K B 4 22. Q, x Q 13. P x Q 23. P-K E 4 24. B-K 4 24. Castles liS. B-K B 3 , 23. Kt-QKh 5 26. Q E-Q 28. Kt-B 7 27. K-Q 2 27. Kt-K 6. • 28. E-K 28. Kt-K B 4 29. P-K Kt 4 , 29. Kt-E 5 ■' , 30. P x P ‘ 30. Kt x B.ch 31. P x Kt 31. P x P 32. E-K Kt 2(h) 32. K-E 2 33. P-K B 5 53. E-K Kt 34. P-B 6 34. B-E 3 35. K R-K 2 35. ExEeh 36. Adjudicated draw. (a) In his match against St. Atnaut in 1543 Staunton adopted, this opening'in six games, with a result of two wins, two' losses," and two draws. Seeing that he won. the match 'by eleven to six and four draws, it" is a fair inference that the opening is notspecially strong. Probably 'the simultaneous player adopted it for the sake of variety. ’ ‘ (b) Staunton considered this the best reply, but P-Q 4 or P-K 3 may be played. (c) Q Kt-B 5 is usual. (d) By transposition the game has now, become an ordinary queens gambit declined. (e) A wasted move, resulting in a very cramped position for Black; -' i ■ (f) A simultaneous player must of necessity sometimes overlook the strongest continuations. Here P-Q E3, compelling Kt-E-3 and subsequent inactivity, would have given White a splendid game. If 10 Kt-B 3 ; 11 Kt-Kt 5 wins the queen. - , , (g) Black Has got skilfully put of a very difficult position. (hj) E-K E 2 is, of course, ..the correct move, but White prefers to lay a trap, into which his wily opponent did not fall. By advancing his EBP, and then K P, White would, of .course, win the bishop and have a won gainer but Black is too wide-awake to,-permit thi5,..... COREESPONDENCB; CHESS. ... A brilhant little game playedjh^theldprrcs-' ppndencs match now" proceeding; between the Newcastle Chess Club and’ Fcrthshif<f>4-' 3 T ; . . While. - . «■„ , Black S; (A.rT- Jficholls;,’ i' ii ..(llrjßaUiingali f Newcastle). .. > J 'J H 1. P-K 4 " ' " 'l. P-K 4 : i ’ .2. Kt-K B 3 . ,2. Kt-QJ3. 3 'i : 3! B-Kt 5 .l.Kt-B 3 ' 5 ’■ 41 Castles- •' 4; Kt s P i, ■ I 5. P-Q .4 ,> -5. B-K 2 ? 6-. Q-K 2 , - ‘ ,6. Kt-Q. 3, ■ I ! 7. B x Kt- • ’7, KtPsß ’■ ; ii 8. Px P ' ' 8. Kl-Kt'2 ; ; 9: Kt-Q 4 : i : ~9. Castles -- 10; E-Q ; 10. Q-K, (a) 11. Kt-Q B 3 (b) 11. B-B 4 (c) r 12! B-B‘4 (d>' ■ ' 1 12'.'8-Kt : 3 13. Kt-K 4 -13. , K-E (c) 14i KhK'B s!' ' "14; P-Q 4(0 '' • 15. Kt x P ■ 15. K x Kt 16. Kt-B 6 ■ 16.,5Q-K;3. 17. ,Q-E5 (g) . 17. Kesigns. : (a) All boolf: po..far. , ... f : I (b) E-Q is usually hero to prevent Blick playing 11 ,P-Q 4or P-B 3. White, howeycr, prefers to get on with his attack. I r (e) An injudicious move.' When White has played II E-K, Black’s best reply is B-B E'4, ibutintho present, case,.with the white rook; at (queen square, Black sbould hava played either ;P--Q.4 ! or.P-^3.., opportumty eventuaujr' 6ori;s the’game, for White gives him no time to make an^ndg.

or P-Q‘4 hß“loses’-a»pawn~and remains very weak.for-the.end'gaino.:--. - i'Ojt'll .’ 1 (o) Advancing Q .E.is weak, but it appears to. be-Black’s only, chance of'making a fight; r ('f)■Toq.late-. TYWtVa. last ha/!f dtedjlwbVes to the j n 'J,: -( : L 4 fhelqlltnrihffgame wDI - be appreciated By h'difiirers of-brilliancy. The. score is taken from the December- number of '■ ‘SachovoiListy ’:— 'ws. ,v. ’."ft-r. .).* > • -i;*'. Centre Gambit. ; : . 'Whlld ’ • Black (M. J.•JTtacek).' ■■ (M; 0. Duras). ■ > . T- P-K 4 •- l. P-IC 4 : .2. PiQ 4 ‘ J 2. Px‘P 3. Qx P 3! Kt-Q B3 ' ’ 4. Q-K 3 •• 4, P-Q 3 -- '' , 5. KbQ B 3 ’si B-K- 2 m > ■6. B,Q 2 ■. 6. P-K B 4 7. Castles . -7. Kt-B 3 - - ' 8. P-K It 5 8. Px p, ~., .. O. Kt.xP ' 9. Ki-xRt-' ‘V.: 1 • 10. Qx Kt . ; ,JO. ■-Castles ! “ - 11. B-Q 3 , U. P-B Kt 3 : ' 13. P-K B-4 ■ ; ■ 13. R-E sq i : 14. Q-B 3 , 14. Kt-Q 5 -. ■ ; 15. Q-Kt 5 ■ 15. B-K5 T6. P-B; 5 16. B'xQBP. , 17. P x,P - 17- P x P 18. P-Kt 5 18. B-R aq , :: . 19.i Bx.P' 19. R-K 7 ' 20. Q-B 4" . • ; 20. Q-K 2 21. Q-R 6 21. R-K B sq , 22; B-Q B3» ~ '' ' ‘ Pcsitioii after.White’s 22nd" move;— Black (M. O. DnraS), ' ’

...... While (M. J..Vitacek), . ' 22. ' 221. Q-K 6*eh .. 1 23. B-Q 2 23. Q x.B eh! ! . 24. Ex Q 24. E-B Beh . 25. E-Q sq . 25. Kt-Kt 6 eh! 26. P x Kt 26, B x' T? mate. OTAGO CHESS CLUB. : r • annuaYebpoet. ~ . Your Committee have: , much pleasure in presenting to you the seventeenth annual report of the Qtago- Chess, Club. ~The principal items of - interest .are as, follow: —Tw6 telegraph matches were played.' : The' first was against, Timaru, when fourteen boards were played, and we werd victors) tbe'seores being: Otago Club 10i . points, and the Timaru Club 3£ points.' In the: second, match, against Bamijru, the latter won, the score being; tago 4 ; points, f and , Oamaru ; 6 point?. On account of - .unavoidable delay the . championship has not yet been decided. The handicap tourney resulted ‘as followsE. A. Cleland 1, D. Forsyth'2, J. 3, W. H. Allen 4, G-, ;d: Wright 5. Mr Cleland has therefore won the Th'rop trophy, with an aggregate for three years of ; 13 points—lo points being the number required to win it. Messrs E. A. Cleland .and J. Edwards .-represented the club at the, New Zealand Congress, held at Wellington last Easter, when the former tied for third prize. The Cohgrets this year will be held in Christchurch during Easter. The thanks of the. club are due to ine ( following gentlemen for presenting prizesMr Warsaw (two prizes), Mr Barclay, and Mr Johnstone. Thanks, too, are . due to Messrs J. Mouat and E. M. Baird for conducting the chess columns in tho ‘Otago Witness’ and- the ‘ Evening Star • respectively. .Or Stenhonso and Mr A. E. Barclay, (in place of Mr E. A. "Cleland, resigned)-have been elected vice-presidents of the. New Zealand Chess Association for Otago. The membership is satisfactory, though not quite as; high as. in former years,lend; therefore members are 'requested to make ah effort to increase it, cHess notes; An article in a contemporary on - National Style in Problem-Composition’ concludes as follows;—“ The .German excels in depth and beauty, 'as. ' the ' Englishman in constructive skill, arid, the AnjenCiu ih 'wit and .sharpness ■pfridea, and it’ is impossible' to compare the .'merits o'f these" divergent characteristics; ‘they, defy comparison.!: -Bach in a limited degree "is necessary to the finest problems, but each can be overdone, bccauae.only antagonistic ; if any one be too closely followed it will almost surely be to the: sacrifice of the others- - The German attains marvellous profounditicß to- the- sacrifice of accuracy. ’ The Englishman gives up depth and sharpness cf idea for perfection in construction, and the American throws away artistic beauty and constructive elegance-to obtain pretty ideas and humorous situations.” - :