CHESS

Evening Star, Issue 22276, 29 February 1936, Page 4

CHESS

(Conducted by D.H.H.] The Olago Cluh meets for play at the rooms, Allhell Buildings, Stuart street, every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday evening at ".30 o'clock. Visitors are cordially invited to attend, and by ringing up 2'2-Mfi arrangements could be made for a game any afternoon and evening, as the rooms arc open to both club members and visitors at eny lime. TO CORRESPONDENTS. (We invite communications on all matters conearning chess Solutions of problems, games, and analyse* will receive out attention, and if _of sufficient merit will be inserted. All communications to be addressed “ ChcSs Editor, ’’ 4 Evening -Star.’] F.K.K. (Wellington).—Thanks for usual budget. A.W.P. (Kelimru). —Cuttings to hand. R.M.S. (Kaikorai). —Thanks for explanation. Have another look at 2,392. King (Tiraaru). —Your opinion of 2,392 is shared by the majority of solvers. CORRECT SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS. 2.389. King (Timaru). 2.390. King (Timaru). 2.391. J.J.M. (Musselburgh), T.J.W. (St. Kilda), A.E. (Koslyn), J.A.C. (Morniugton), J.E.D. (Dunedin), R.M’D. (Roslyn), W.A.M. (Dunedin), A.A. (Wakari Hospital), R.M.S. (Kaikorai), A.J.M'C. (Mornington), King (Timaru), E.A.L. (Invercargl2 392.—A.E. (Roslyn), J.J.M. (Musselburgh), J.A.C. (Morniugton), J.E.D. (Dunedin), R.M’D. (Roslyn), W.A.M. (Dunedin), A J. M'D. (Mornington), King (Timaru). End Game.— J.A.C. (Mornington), SOLUTION TO PROBLEMS. ■ 2,389: Q-Kt 4. 2,390: K-R 2. SOLUTION TO END GAME. Ki-B 3 ch, K-Kt 7; 1 K-Q 3 (discovered ch). K x P; Q-Kt 7 ch, Q-Kb 5; Q-Q 5 ch, K-Kt, 7; Q-Kt 2 ch, K-B 8; Q-B 1 ch, K-Kt 7; Q-Kt ch, ICR 6; Q-R 2 mates. PROBLEM 2,393. (By P. P. Blake.) Fourth commendation in the British Chess Federation’s Tourney, Two-raovo Section. Black, 10 pieces.

White, 8 pieces. While to play and mate in two moves. Xq2ktbbK; 6pl; 8; lpsp; 6PI; IKtlkrS; 2RIKt3; ktBB4Q. PROBLEM 2,394. (By P. F. Blake.) Black, 10 pieces.

While, 8 pieces. White to play and mate in three moves. IbktS; 2kt2Ktlb; 2p5; lpp3pl; 3pk3; P4RPQ; P 7; 2KKt4. END GAME. (A study by Bchling.) 8; 8; p 7; kqßs; 6pK; 1P1K14; P3P3; 8. Black, 4 pieces. White 6. White to play and win. — 44 Dutch Defence.” — (From a local tourney at Warsaw.) White, Glucksbcrg; Black, Najdorf. 1 P-Q 4 P-K B 4 2 P-Q B 4 Kt-K B 3 3 Kt-Q B 3 P-K 3. 4 Kt-B 3 P-Q 4 5 P-K 3 (a) P-B 3 6 B-Q 3 B-Q 3 7 Castles Castles 8 Kt-K 2 (b) Q Kt-Q 2 9 Kt-Kt 5 (e) B x P ch 10 K-R 1 Kt-Kt 5 11 P-B 4 (d) Q-K 1 12 P-K Kt 3 Q-R 4 13 K-Kt 2 B-Kt 8! 14 Kt x B (e) Q-R 7 ch 15 K-B 3 P-K 4 (f) 16 Q P x P Q Kt x P ch 17 P x Kt Kt x P ch 18 K-B 4 Kt-Kt 3 ch 19 K-B 3 P-B 5 20 Kt P x P (g) B-Kt 5 ch (h) 21 K x B Kt-K 4 ch 22 P x Kt P-K R 4 (mate (i) (a) The QB should first be developed on B 4. Evidently Black cannot do himself any good by P x P. (b) Supine tactics. Kt-K 5 should be played. (c) An error. (d) If Kt x K P, clearly Q-B 5 wins—i.o., 12 P-K Kt 3 B x P ch, 13 K-Kt 2 Q-R 7 ch, 14 K-B 3 Kt-K 4 ch, 15 P x Kt Kt x P mate. (e) K x B allows mate at once, and R x B mate in two (f) Beginning to develop his Q B! (g) Or B x Kt B-Kt 5 ch, 21 K x B Q x P ch, 22 K-R 5 P x B ch, 23 K x P B-B 3 ch, 24 K-R 5 R-R 3 mate.

(h) The E is fully developed, (i) Very amusing. White is four minor pieces to the good, hut his crown is in pawn. A GOOD WIN FOR FLOUR. —" Indian Defence.” — White, S. Flohr; Black, G. Koltanowski. 1 P-Q 4 Kt-K B 3 2 P-Q B 4 P-Q B 3 3 Kt-K B 3 P-K Kt 3 4 Kt-B 3 B-Kt 2 5 P-K 4 P-Q 3 6 P-K R 3 P-K R 3 7 B-K 3 Castles 8 Q-Q 2 (a) K-B 2 9 Castles Q-B 4 10 P-K Kt 4 Kt-Kt 1 11 B-Q 3 P-K 4 12 Q R-Kt 1 Kt-K 2 13 P-K R 4 R-R 1 14 B-Kt 1 (c) Kt-B 3 15 Kt-K 1 P-Q B 4 16 P-Q 5 B-J 2 17 P-K B 4 P-B 3 18 P-B 5 K-Kt 1 19 P-Kt 5 (d) RP x P 20 R P x P K-B 2 21PxBP K B x B P 22 B-K Kt 5 R x B 23 R x R R-R 1 24 R x R B x R 25 Q-R 2 (e) Resigns. (a) Bettor, wc think, than 8 B-K 2 (sec Tartakowcr v. Koltanowski). (h) Black could have played 11 Ki-B 5 with, perhaps, a slight advantage over the move played. , , ~ , (c) There can be no doubt that White is playing well. . . ... (d) White has now the wmnnlg position. (e) Koltanowski is probably the best Belgian player. Also good at blindfold chess. NEW ZEALAND CHESS CONGRESSES. —Section Play v. Elimination. The notices of motion, which upon the motions of Messis J. C. M'Crea and Hardy, will come before the Now Zealand Chess Association’s Council’s meeting m March, principally relate to the limitation of entries in the championship tourney and establishing the minor and ladies’ tourneys on a sound basis. The question ot whether it is bettor lo lotain the old system of section play, when necessary, or establish elimination of surplus entries over 14, relegating the eliminated players to the minor is a vexed one amongst the affiliated club and the leading Dominion players. The present elimination board. consisting of five prominent Wellington players, has piomulgated a. very long and comprehensive circular, giving what, in its opinion, are mam arguments for the adoption of Messrs M’Crea and Hardy’s proposals, to the effect that the championship tourney should be confined to 14 players (or should this be 15?) and other entrants allowed to compete in minor tourney if they so desire. The eighteenth clause in this four-page circular sums up their views as follows: 44 The old system was quite competent ui the early days of New Zealand chess, when good players were comparatively few (and not all of these cared to enter a congress), travelling not at all the easy, every-day matter it has since become, and congresses were usually attended by six to twelve players. To-day these conditions have entirely changed, and an orderly policy of reorganisation and expansion by classifying players and putting them into tourneys, according to their playing strength, is urgently needed. This has been commenced, successfully on the whole, in the 1935-36 congress; a start has been made along new and progressive lines, and what is now necessary is for clubs lo give their delegates clear instructions to proceed along these lines, when there will soon be evident such an awakened interest in chess that the annual congress will take its rightful place as an event of national interest and importance.” Mr Fedor K. Kelling, who has attended and been officially connected with_ congresses for the last 34 years, is the principal opponent of the proposed change of the present system.' Ho has issued two circulars to the affiliated clubs, and his main arguments are set out in the following clauses of his main circular, the sentences _in inverted commas being extracts from the Elimination Board circular; 44 A player has been known to lose ms first three" games and' yet come second in the championship. If section play had been in force that player would have been eliminated.” This was news to me. In icply to my inquiries I was told that the late R. J, Barnes was; the player, who started oft with three losses. This is, however incorrect, as he only had two losses at the end of round 4. Now, what do you think of that kind of propaganda? And, in any case, what right have the eliminators to assume that R. J. Barnes would have been in the same section as the three competitors who defeated him? 44 Section play is vexatious and harassing to both finalists ana those eliminated.” Well, I have on some occasions got into the finals, and my success never vexed or harassed me. “Very frequently sections are drawn up in great haste shortly before play begins, and are consequently very unequal in strength.” There is no need foi faulty division of competitors into sections, but it often happens that a competitor s showing is markedly better than what was expected of him. “At a Dunedin Congress Messrs Purdy, Gvles, Davies, and Severne were all eliminated.” That was because the 18 competitors were divided into two lots of nine, with only eight in the finals, instead of three lots of six with 12 in the finals. T eliminators are evidently aware of this (vide par. 9 of their circular). “ Several _ attempts have been made to hold a minor congress, but entirely without success. VVo certainly failed in 1923-24 but on what other occasion has the N.Z.C.A. invited entries for a minor tourney and abandoned the project for lack ot sufficient entries? 44 So far three New Zealanders in all have entered for Australian Congresses. Well, I can think of four without looking up records—viz., Hookham, Brocklebank, Davies, and Dunlop. There is no doubt that the supporters of the proposed change are apparently in the majority, and it seems likely that, with some minor alterations, Mr M’Crea’s proposals will be carried. The proposals to place the minor tourney on a sound basis will undoubtedly a strong factor in favour of the alteration proposed. However, there exists in at least two major clubs strong dissatisfaction with the action of the Elimination Board, at the last congress. In one case a player who_ Was eliminated had been champion of his club for three years, and won the minor tourney with only one loss. Another player in the first instance was eliminated, but, owing to the fact that another club member was prevented from attending, did compete, and tied for third place in the championship tourney. Also it was felt that, to say the least, it was not right or proper that the final decision should have rested with nye Wellington players, who did hot eliminate any of the empire city’s entrants, one of whom only won one game. It is, however, understood that at the council meeting proposals will be tabled by two of the southern clubs to alter the rules as far as the Elimination Board is concerned, and endeavour to have equal personal representation from at least the four major clubs. The final decision will rest with the delegates attending the meeting, and it is to be hoped that some attention will be paid to the opinions of senior members, who have borne the beat and burden of past congresses, but who, if defeated, will undoubtedly fall in cheerfully with the new proposals and work as hard as ever for the game and the good management of future congresses, which it is hoped will be as successful as the 44 which preceded last year’s one, where, when necessary, section play was adopted. THE HASTINGS TOURNAMENT, 1955-36. Tha premier tournament in the Hastings Christmas Congress was won by the 21-ycar-old American master, Rueben Fine, who went through without a loss, defeating S. Flohr and drawing with S. Tartakowcr. Fine’s play is enterprising and imaginative, and great things may be expected of him in the near future. In the teams tournament at Warsaw he scored only 9 out of 17 games; but proved himself very hard to beat by drawing with Alekhine, Horn*, Tartakowcr, Stahlbcrg, Kercs, and Mikenas. He has evidently since then accustomed himself to playing for a win against what he would probably call the big shots.’-’

NOTES. World’s Championship.—We did hear a rumour that Euwe intended, it lie won, to place the control of the world title in the hands o£ the F.1.D.E.; but now there conies another to the effect that a return match has been arranged with Alekhine, to be played in June this year. If the first statement is not just a figment of some reporter's imagination, and if Euwe can retain the title in the return match, all will be well; but otherwise, we fear, there is a sorry outlook for F.I.D.E. control. According to the latest number of the ‘ British Chess Magazine,’ it is proposed to hold a big centenary chess congress in New Zealand in 1910, at which overseas players of international repute will be invited to compete. This proposal was brought up by the Auckland C.C. at the September meeting of the N.Z.C.A. Council, but was overlooked in the summary of proceedings published in this and other columns*