CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP

Evening Star, Issue 18161, 29 December 1922, Page 3

CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP

THIRD AND FOURTH ROUNDS,

The position at the end of the fourth round of the chess championship in Christchurch was as under i —•

THIIID ROUND PLAY. Miller v. Roberts.—Roberts played the Falkbeer Counter-Gambit in reply to Miller’s King Bishop’s Gambit, and, changing off a knight at bishop's third, left Miller s king very exposed. Roberts checked with the queen at rook’s fifth, and, following up with a strong, kniglff move, won the exchange—a rook for a knight. Miller made his king secure, and, having won tlio advanced bishop’s pawn, set up a strong attack on the queen's side, securing tne advantage of two pawns. In the exchanges Roberts managed to double Miller’s pawns on the queen rook’s file. Miller strove hard to force a win, but Roberts gave up the exchange to reduce Miller’s pawn force, and ho played so sound a defence' that Miller had to be content with a draw. Pihn v. Stevens.—This game was the Queen’s Gambit Declined. Stevens played a pawn to queen bishop’s fourth, and advanced the pawn another square. Pihl threatened to dislodge this pawn, and Stevens made a weak move, offering an exchange of a knight for a bishop. Pihl, taking advantage of this, gained a pawn, and obtained a strong passed pawn at queen’s .fifth. With queens and minor pieces exchanged a great end game was fought, Pihl ultimately passing _ the queen’s pawn on to a queening position, when Stevens resigned. Buchan v. Coombs.—Buchan played the Queen Bishop’s Gambit, which his opponent declined. The opening was a skirmish of queen side pawns, in which Coombs advanced his queen knights and queen bishop’s pawns, the latter being well supported. At bishop’s sixth Buchan could not dislodge these without sacrifice, so he worked up an attack in the centre. Coombs endeavored to win a rook for a knight, but miscalculated the exchanges, and came out of it with a minor piece down. His good plan position should have helped him to victory, but he failed to keep hack Buchan’s bishop attack, which picked off Coombs’s dangerous pawns. Buchan played the ending very well, and with two bishops supporting the advance of his bishop’s pawn he broke down Coombs’s defence and forced him to resign. Dunlop v. M’Crea.—This game also was the Queen’s Gambit opening, in which M’Crea prematurely advanced the queen bishop’s pawn, with tne result that Dunlop won the pawn. This proved to be the winning factor, for Dunlop, after an exchange of queens and three minor pifees, pushed on the queen side pawns to support his attack, with rooks doubled on his queen’s file. M’Crea put up a stubborn defence, hut Dunlop’s superior position enabled him to win a piece, after which M’Crea resigned. Hicks v. Severne.—Hicks again played the Scotch game, and changed off knights. Severne, in retaking and opening up the knight’s file, had a chance of breaking up Hicks's queen side pawn. He attacked, however, on the king’s side, against which Hicks set up a counter-attack. In this Hicks was able to change off queens and double another set of Severne’s pawns on the king knight’s file. Exchanges of rooks and minor pieces closed the middle game, leaving Hicks with much the better pawn position in the end game. Severne failed to provide a reply to Hicks’s thirtyseventh move, which practically gave the victory to the latter. Having lost a pawn, and seeing no chance of blocking Hicks’s plan for queening, Severne decided to resign. FOURTH ROUND PLAY. Anderson and Coombs.—Anderson played the Vienna Gambit, which Coombs accepted. Anderson obtained a good development, dislodging Coombs’s king’s knight, and from the exchanges regained the gambit pawn. Coombs castled on the queen’s side, and Anderson immediately transferred his attack to that quarter. This proved formidable, and Coombs failed to see its strength. Anderson was able to push on the queen’s knight pawn, ultimately queening it at rook s eighth. With two queens Anderson was able at move 46 to force Coombs’s resignation. Stevens and Buchan.—Buchan declined the ICing’s Gambit offered by Stevens. There was little development in the rapid opening, four minor pieces being exchanged up to the eighth move, Buchan, at move 15, captured Stevens’s queen’s pawn, and built up a promising attack. To save the situation Stevens was forced to give up a rook for a knight, and although Re strove hard to make a counter-attack ho failed to make it effective, and as a consequence Buchan was able further to harass Stevens’s pieces, and he finally won his bishop and forced his resignation on move 53. Hicks and Miller, —This was a Queen’s Gambit Declined, in which Hicks adopted the Fiauchotto development for both his bishops. It was a lively opening, giving free movement to the pieces. In the struggle for position Miller changed off queens and won the king’s pawn, which had been thereby left unsupported. Hicks regained the pawn, and a few moves later prettily forced Miller’s rook and bishop, the rook having to be given for the knight as mate was threatened. Hicks captured another pawn, and, gradually wearing down his opponent’s defence, won the game on move 60. Dunlop and Pihl.—The opening was an irregular Queen’s Pawn game, Pihl seeming to get the better of the development, authough his two queen side pawns were isolated. An early exchange of queens by Pihl prevented Dunlop from castling, and by a further exchange of minor pieces Pihl opened up Dunlop’s king side pawns. He later changed off a rook for a rook, threatening to win a pawn. This Dunlop defended, and by skilful play outmanoeuvred Pihl in the end game, winning two pawns and pushing on a pawn to queen. Pihl thereupon resigned.

d 0$ d e .c 0 W o'9 i-! t-> <3 ft Dunlop 4 __ 1 4 Anderson d ' Buchan 2 1 1 m Hicks — Sevcrne , ... 9. 2 1 1 2' Pihl 2 — A Stevens 2 1 2 M'Creft 1 2 — 1 2 Coombs 1 1 1 Miller ... 2 Roberts i 1 2 Kollinj; i — 4 2 Gyles ... — — — 4