CHESS

Evening Star, Issue 21630, 27 January 1934, Page 19

CHESS

[Conducted by D.H.H.] The Ot.go Club meets for play at the room* Allbell Buildings, S uart street, every Monday Wednesday, und Saturday evening, at /.SO o’clock Visitors are cordially invited to attend, and b* ringing up 22-640 arrangements could bt» mad« for p game any afternoon and evening, as th« rooms are open to both club members and visitors at any time TO CORRESPONDENTS. F.K.K. (Wellington) .—lnteresting letter received. Regret bad news in later letter, and hope soon to hear that both invalids are progressing favourably. A.W.P. (Kelburn). —Thanks for information. T.R. (Kelso).—Problem 2,170: 1 R ,4, KtK 7; 2 Q-Q 5. Kt must move and be captured by R, and Q mates. Hope to hear from you in future. E.A.LoP. (Invercargill).—Will be pleased to publish games. A.O.G. (Christchurch).—Thanks for kind offer, which X will be pleased to partly accept. Will give details later on. CORRECT SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS. 2,173: .T.J.M. (Musselburgh), T.J.W. (St. Kilda), E.A.LeP. (Invercargill), R.S.M‘D. (Roslyn), J.S.M.L. (Dunedin), W.A.M. (Dunedin), J.A.C. (Mornington), A.B. (Roslyn), W.J.S. (Balclutha). 2,174: E.A.LeP (Invercargill), R.S.M'D. (Roslyn), J.S.M.L. (Dunedin), J.A.C. (Mornington); A.E. (Roslyn), W.J.S. (Balclvtba), W.A.M. (Dunedin). SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS.2,173: B-K Kt 4. 2,174: Q-Kt 2. PROBLEM No. 2,175. [By A. Ellerman.] Black, 9 pieces.

. White, 11 pieces. White to play and mate in two moves. 4R3; 2rp3b; 3pß2r; Kt3klPl; K2ktKtqPl; 2PP3p; 7B; 7Q.—‘Times’ Weekly Edition. PROBLEM No. 2,176. [By Rev. G. Dobbs.] Black, 2 pieces.

White, 5 pieces. Mate in three. R 7; 5K2; lßkp4; 8; 8; 8; P4Q2; 8. / END GAME. [By Vittorio de Barbieri.] Black, 6 pieces.

White, 6 pieces. White to move and win. CONGRESS GAME. Round 9. A. W. Gyles (Wellington) v. P. K. Kelling (Wellington). —Queen’s Gambit Declined. — 1 Kt-K B 3 P-Q 4 2 P-Q 4 Kt-K B 3 3 P-B 4 P-K 3 4 Kt-B 3 P-B 3 5P x P'. BP x P (a) 6 B-Kt 5 B-K 2 7 P-K 3 Castles 8 B-Q 3 P-K R 3 . 9 B-R 4 Kt-B 3 10 R-Q B 1 B-Q 2 11 Kt-K 5 Kt xKt (b) 12 P x Kt Kt-K 1 13 B-Kt 3 B-Q B 3 (c) 14 Castles P-K Kt 3 15 Kt-K 2 P-K R 4 (d) 16 P-K R 3 K-Kt 2 17 Kt-Q 4 B-Q 2 18 P-B 4 R-B 1 19 Q-K 2 P-B 4 (e) 20 Px- Pep Kt x P 21 Q R-Q L....K-B 2 22 Kt-B 3 R-K Kt 1 (f) 23 Kt-K 5 eh K-Kt 2 24 Kt x P K-R 3 25 Kt x B Q x Kt 26 B-R 4 Q-B 2 27 B-Kt 5 eh K-Kt 2 28 R-B 3 P-R 3 29 R-Kt 3 Kt-K 5 30 B x Kt P x B 31 Q-Q 2 B-B 3 32 B-R 4 oh K-R 2 33 R x R K x R 34 Q-R 5 B-Q 4 35 P-Q Kt 3 R-B 7 (g) 36 Q-Q Bch K-R 2 (h) 37 B-B 6 Q-Kt 1 38 Q-K 7ch K-Kt 3 39 P-K Kt 4 (i) P x P 40 P x P R x P 41 B-K 5 K-R 3 (k) 42 Q-R 4ch Resigns (1). Notes by Mr Kelling. (a) K P x P would have given Black a freer game, ■ v (b) The position resulting from this exchange favours White. B-K 1, followed by Kt-Q 2, seems preferable. (c) Eoss of time. Either R-B 1 or B-K R 5 would be better. (d) K-Kt 2 at once would be better than the text move. (e) Not satisfactory, but Black now has a difficult game. (f) Losing a pawn. Why not Kt-K 5 at this stage P (gl Black has not time for this sortie, as the sequel shows. (h) K-Kt 2 would have provided better resistance. (i) This strong move is a winner (vide note k). (k) Black would- lose his queen if he now played Q-B 2! (11 As (ho queen effects a cross-cut mate on R 5.

QUEEN’S GAMBIT. White, H. St. John-Brooks; Black, A. E. Rose. 1 PrQ B 4 Kt-K R 3 2 Kt-Q B 3 P-K Kt 3 3 P-Q 4 P-Q 4 (a) 4 P-K 3 (b) B-Kt 2 5 Kt-B 3 Kt-B 3 (c) 6 Q-Kt 3 P-K 3 7PxP P x P 8 B-Kt 5 Castles 9 B x Kt...!..P x B 10 B-Q 2 B-B 4 (d) 11 Kt-K 5 Kt-K 5 (e) 12 Kt x Q B P Q-Kt 4 (f) 13 Q x P Q x Kt P 14 Castles (g) K R-K 1 (h) 15 Kt-K 7 ch! K-B 1 16 Kt x B P x Kt 17 K R-t 1 Q-E 6 18 Kt x Kt P x Kt ' 19 B-Kt 4ch Resigns (i). (a) The Gruenfcld Defence preventing White’s P-K 4, and turning the opening into a sort of Queen’s Gambit. (b) Not good is P x P, Kt x P; 5 P-K 4, Kt x Kt; 6 P x Kt, P-Q B 4! Black’s K B becomes an archbishop on Kt 2. (c) This Kt is better developed, after preparation, on Q 2, (d) B-K 3 would give Black more chances, I think. (e) A good attempt at counter-attack. (f) After JKt X B; 13 K X Kt, Black loses the Q P, and the temporary inconvenience of the White K is hardly compensation. (g) A badly-needed resource in a critical position. (h) A bluff by Kt x Kt, hoping for 15 Q x Q, Kt-K 7 mate, would not come off by correspondence. Yet, I believe that Kt x Kt is pretty good; if 15 B x Kt, then B-K 5 (not, of course, QxQ; 16 Kt-K 7 ch); 16 Kt-K 7 ch, K-R 1, 17 Q-Kt 3, Q x B P; while 15 P x Kt, B-K 5, ought to ■ yield Black a win, by subsequent R-Kt 1. After the text-move Black falls to pieces. (i) K-Kt 1; 20 Q-K Kt 5, and mate can be delayed for only a few moves. A PECULIAR POSITION. ) The. following position occurred , in the championship of the Western States of America: —White (Fine) :K on K Kt 2; Q on KR 3; R’s on Kl, KR 1; B’s on Q 2, 3; Kt on Q B 3; P’s on Q R 2, Q Kt 2. Q 4. Black: K on K B 2.; Qon Q 3; R’s on Q R 1, K 1: B on K 2; Kt on K B 3; P’s on Q R 2, Q Kt 3, Q 4, K 3, K Kt 3, K R 2. A queer set-out; the White K, though denuded of his P’s, is perfectly safe, whereas the Black K—well, see what Reuben Fine, the eighteen-year-old star, does to him. 1 Jtt-Kt 5 Q-Q 2 2 Kt-B 7! Q x Kt 3QxK Pch K-Kt 2 4 R x P ch! K x R If Kt x R, 5 Q x Kt P ch, etc. . 5 Q-B 7ch K-R 1 6 R-K R 1 ch Resigns. CHESS AT ODDS. Game 7. King’s Bishop Opening. Remove Queen’s Rook. 1 P-K 4 P-K 4 2 B-Q B 4 Kt-K B 3 3 P-Q 3 This tamo continuation can be answered with:— 3 P-Q 4 4 P x P B-Q 3 Game 8. Centro Gambit. Remove White Queen’s Rook. 1 P-K 4 P-K 4 2 P-Q 4 Px P 3 P-Q B 3 If White had played 3 Kt-K B 3 Black could reply 3... P-Q 4, with an open game. If White tried 3 B-Q B 4 then 3... Kt-K B 3 would transpose into game 6 (published last week). I ; 3 P-Q 4 Much safer than 3... P x B P, which would be likely to lead to trouble. The game now should proceed:— 4 P-K 5 P x P. 5 Kt x P B-Q Kt 5 6 Q-R 4ch Kt-Q B 3 7 B-Q Kt 5 BxKt ch 8 P x B B-Q 2 This variant has been given at length, as an odds receiver may be puzzled with the move 4 P-K 5. The examples that have been published deal with the most important tries, at the odds of a rook. They will furnish the novice with a method of repelling all the dangerous attacks. Never mind how the odds gives chaff 1 or tries to allure his opponent into his pet variation, but tho odds receiver should stick to the texts supplied, and although he will not necessarily win the game it will help him to steer clear of most of the pitfalls in the openings. NOTES ON THE OPENINGS. (For Young Students.)\ —Queen’s Gambit (Continued). — Modern players usually decline the Queen’s Gambit with 2...P-K 3. All other ways of refusing tho Gambit are. obsolete. Black can also try a counter-demonstration, 2.. 4, called “ The Queen’s Pawn Counter Gambit,” to which reference will be made later. After 1 P-Q 4, P-Q 4; 2 P-Q B 4, P-K 3. the variations then become numerous. They admit of countless transpositions. Games. usually proceed 3 Kt-Q B 3, Kt-K B 3. The following is one specimen of this favourite line of play:— 1 P-Q 4, P-Q 4; 2 P-Q B 4, P-K 3; 3 Kt-Q B ’3, Kt-K B 3; 4 B-K Kt 5, B-K 2; 5 P-K 3, Castles; 6 Kt-K B 3, P-Q Kt 3; 7 R-Q B 1, B-Kt 2; 8 P x P, P x P; 9 B-Q 3, Q Kt-Q 2; 10 Castles, P-Q B 4. This series of moves, often arrived at by various transpositions, lias been called “ the Pillsbury set position.” It is an excellent example of the soundness of the Gambit, and leaves White with a nice attacking game. “ The Queen’s Pawn Counter-Gambit ” is an invention of the twentieth century. It is named from 1 P-Q 4, P-Q 4; 2 P-Q B 4, P-K 4. The masters have experimented with it in several important tourneys, but a fatal objection to the venture is it either loses a pawn for Black or wastes too much time. A good variation is 3 P x K P, P-Q 5; 4 Kt-K B 3. Kt-Q B 3; 5 Q Kt-Q 2; and whether Black proceeds 5...8-K Kt 5 of 5.. QKt 5, White gets a little the best of it with 6 Kt-Q Kt 3 or 6 P-Q R 3. These moves have done much to restrain the practice of this happy counter-gambit. OTAGO CHESS CLUB A meeting of the committee of the Otago Chess Club was held last Wednesday evening, and was attended by 'Messrs R. Watt (chairman), G. D. Wright, T. M. Gillies, J. S. M. Lawson, R. M’Dermid, D. Harris Hastings, and W. Herbert (hop. secretary). A vote of sympathy was accorded to the president of the club (Mr J. A. M’Dermott) m his recent accident, and general satisfaction was expressed when it was reported that he was out of the hospital and progressing favourably. : A discussion took place upon a tentative proposal by the New Zealand Chess Association that £lO of the trophy fund, 1 which is being refunded to the major clubs, as owing to Lord Bledisloe’s generosity tho money is no longer required, should bo set apart for a trophy to be played for by the South Island minor clubs, similar to the Blackburne Cup played for by the minor clubs in the North Island. It was decided that owing to the fact that there was only one minor club in the South Island in full. activity that the association be asked to" divide the amount (£4O) amongst the major clubs who had subscribed this amount.

The Secretary reported that he had received from Mr J. A. Alexander, of Rawhiti street, Anderson’s Bay, a valuable set of travelling chessmen and a collapsible board as a club trophy. The secretary was instructed to convey to the donor the hearty thanks of the committee for his generous action. It was decided to hold a special meeting of the members of the club on February 5 to consider a notice of motion by Mr J. M. S. Lawson that the date of the end of the club’s financial year be altered from March 31 to February 28. ’ The Hon. Secretary submitted an in* tensive report on the finances of the recent congress, which showed that, in all probability, there would be a small credit balance when all the accounts had been adjusted This information was considered very satisfactory, and pleasure was also expressed in the fact, (hat the congress had been a great success from every point of •view.

NOTES. The tournament of ten players in Paris ended in an easy victory for Alekhine, who scored 7 wins and 2 draws. Tartakova was second with 6 points, and Baratz and Lilienthal followed with 6£ each.— B.C. Magazine.’ . . , , A national masters’ tournament played recently in Vienna was won by I. Fuss, with a score of 8 out of 10. Podhorzer was second with 6*. and Robitsek next with 6. Botvinnik has again won the Pan-Russia championship at Leningrad with 14 points, AlatorzefE being second 13. points, and Lisitzin. Lovenpisch, and Rabmovitch third, 12 points each. • It seems probable that the match Isaac Kashdan and F. J. Marshall for the championship of the United States and a purse of 5,000 dollars will be played next April. Referring to the remarks published last week re the refusal of the Soviet Government to allow its players to take part in international chess, the-‘B.C. Magazine is responsible for the statement that the Soviet political agreement has reawakened hopes of the visit of some of the new Russian chess * stars * to the. States in the not too distant future.” It is to be hoped, that this is correct, as then there will bo a possibility of Botvinnik meeting Alekhine, Kashdan, Flohr, and Fine.