CHESS CONGRESS

Evening Star, Issue 18159, 27 December 1922, Page 8

CHESS CONGRESS

FIBST DAY OF TOURNAMENT. The Chess Congress opened at Christchurch yesterday with fourteen entrants for the championship, including Dunlop, the holder. Tho first round of the dominion tournament resulted as follows; — Fihl beat Fribcrg. Dunlop beat Buchan. Coombs beat M’Crca. Sovcrne beat Roberts. . Stevens beat Anderson.' Rolling drew with Hicks. DETAILS OF PLAY. M’Crea v. Coombs. —M’Crea offered a Queen Bishop’s Gambit, which Coombs declined. The iatter early missed queens knight, but M’Crea, in supporting bis knight, planned a diagonal attack with a bfeliop and queen. Coombs had seemingly a safe,.defenco, but M’Crea failed to make positions, Coombs checked with a queen knight. A series of exchanges evened np positions, but Coombs checked with a queen at queen knight’s fifth. M’Crea interposed with a queen, which Coombs changed off, obtaining a position to win a pawn. Coombs eventually won a second pawn, and after a protracted end game scored a win.

Scvonie v. Roberts. —Roberts played Petroff Defence against Severne, and early in the game played bishop to queen knight’s fifth, and exchanged a bishop for a knight. In reply to Severno’s advance of queen’s pawn Roberts moved a support from his lung bishop’s pawn, thus allowing Severne to make a few exchanges and win an unsupported pawn. Slack play followed on each side, but Severne ultimately won Roberts’s king’s pawn with two pawns up. Severne slowly wore down Roberts’s defence, and scored a victory on move 44. Friberg v. Pihl. —The former opened with the King Lopez, Pihl making the Morphy Defence. At move 12 Pihl brought his king knight to king knight’s fourth, and instituted a fine attack. In a series of exchanges, following upon Friberg’s defence, Pihl changed off a knight, opening Friberg’s king knight’s file, and combining rooks and queen built up a strong position. The advance of his king’s pawn added to Friberg’s difficulties, out of which he managed to come with even pieces. Pihl then made a fine series of knight moves, which made his attack irresistible. After the loss of a rook and a knight Friberg resigned. Stevens v. Anderson, —Stevens adopted King Bishop’s Gambit, which Anderson accepted. The latter checked with a queen at rook fifth, preventing Stevens from castling. Early exchanges of two minor pieces and queens left Stevens with a strong pawn centre, supported by two bishops. A very hard middle game saw Stevens gradually advancing his strong centre pawns, against which Anderson worked up a knight and rook combination. The end, however, came suddenly when Anderson, seeing Stevens’s reply to his weak move, resigned on move 39. Buchan v. Dunlop.—This was Queen Bishop’s Gambit, in the development of which Dunlop failed to free his queen’s bishop. Buchan by delaying castling built up a promising attack- Dunlop was able to provide a defence, but an exchange of ajinor pieces gave Buchan a chance to castle and thus continue his attack with queen and rook upon king knight’s pawn. Dunlop’s counter-attack on the queen's side proved a safe defence. At move 26 Dunlop offered a pawn, threatening to win a piece, but at this stage Buchan played rather weakly, enabling Dunlop to win a bishop. Dunlop then doubled his rooks, and making a sacrifice of a rook for a pawn, forced mate m four moves.