CHESS At Wellington.—

Evening Star, Issue 22631, 24 April 1937, Page 6

CHESS

At Wellington.—

[Conducted by D.H.H.] fhe Otago LK*b meets for play at the rooms, CaoUcl EuilJmgs, Piinces street, every Monday, Wednesday, ud Sa'urday evening at 7.30 o’clock. Visitors cordially invited to attend, and by ringing up 22-6*o arrangements may be made for a game apv alternoon o** evening as tin rooms arc open to both club members and visitors at any lime. TO CORRESPONDENTS. (We invite communications on all matters concerning chess. Solutions of problems,' games, and analysis will rccf'ive our attention, and if of sufficient mcit will be inserted. All communications'lo be additsscd “Chess Editor," ‘Evening Star.’] H.J.C. (Wellington).—Thanks for Australian clippings. A.W.P, (Kelburn).—Obliged for cuttings. P.K.K. (Wellington).—Thanks for northern information. A.O.G. (Christchurch). —Results to hand; I appreciate remarks. S.H. (Christchurch).—Much obliged for cuttings, etc. Lajos Steiner.—Thanks for original problems. J.L.H. (Wellington).—Thanks for letter and cuttings. CORRECT SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS. 2,509: King. (Timaru). 2,510: King (Timaru). 2,511: J.J.M.- (Musselburgh), J.E.D, (Dunedin), R.M‘D. (Roslyn), A.J.M'D. (Mornington), T..T.W. (St. Kilda), J.A.C, (Mornington), E.A.L. (Invercargill), King (Timarn), A.E. (Roslyn), W.A.M. (Dunedin). 2,512: R.M'D. (ißoslyn), A.J.M'D. (Mornington), J.A.C. (Mornington), E.A.L. (Invercargill), King (Timaru), A.E. (Roslyn), W.A.M. (Dunedin), A.J.M’D. (Mornington). SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS, 2.511: Q-R 6. 2,512; Q-Q 1. PROBLEM 2,513. (By Lajos Stoner.) Black, 5 pieces.

White, 5 pieces. Mate in two. IBbIB2KJBI 7 k | 6 p 1 | 8 3rktlEl| 7 Kt 1 8 . PROBLEM 2,514. (By Lajos Steiner.)

Black, 10 pieces,

White, 13 pieces. , , Mate in throe, rIB3EI|pPIp 1 E Kt K | P k 6 I 3P2BllpKtPlp3lP2P2pl Irsb| 3 Q 4. PLAYED IN THE VICTOEIAN CHAMPIONSHIP. —English Opening.— A brevity between first and third prize winners. White, W. F. Coultas; Black, C. G. Watson. 1 P-Q B 4 P-K B 4 2 N-Q B 3 N-K B 3 3 P-Q N 3 (a) P-Q 3 4 P-B 4 (b) P-K 4 5 P-Q 3 B-K 2 , 6 N-B 3 N-B 3 7'N-Q 5 (o) Nx N 8 P x N......N-N 5 9 P-K 4 (d) P x B P 10 P-Q E 3 (e) B-B 3 11 E-Q N 1 N-E 7! 12 Q-B 2 N-B 6 13 E-N 2 Castles 14 P-K 5 B-E 5 ch 15 N x B Q x N ch 16 Q-B 2 QxQ ch 17 K x Q (f) N-Q 8 ch White resigns. ' —Notes by G. H. Hastings.— (a) Stronger was 3 N-K B 3, followed by P-K N 3, etc. (b) Waste of time, as it docs not prevent ...P-K 4. A king's fmachetto was called for. (c) P-K N 3! etc. (d) Disastrous. Simply P x P, then P-K 4, with a good game. ((e) A better chance was 10 B-N 2, and if 10 ...B-B 3; 11 B x B, Q x B; 12 K-B 1. The rest is elementary to Watson. (t) The rook should have recaptured, but White’s game is still virtually hopeless after 17 ...P x P— ‘ A. 0. Eeview.’

QUEEN’S GAMBIT ACCEPTED. (From the Nottingham Tournament.) White, Lasker; Black, Eeshevsky. X P-Q 4 P-Q 4 2 P-Q B 4 P x P (a) 3 Kt-K B 3 Kt-K B 3 4 P-K 3 P-K 3 5 B x P P-B 4 6 Kt-B 3 (b) P-Q E 3 7 Castles P-Q Kt 4 8 B-Q 3 P x P . 9 P x P (c) B-Kt 2 10 B-Kt 5 B-K 2 11 Q-K 2 Castles 12 Q E-Q 1 (d) Q Kt-Q 2 13 Kt-K 5 Kt-Q 4! 14 B-B 1 (e) Kt x Q Kt 15 P x Kt Kt-B 3 16 P-Q R 4 Q-Q 4 IV Kt-B 3 (f) K E-B 1 18 B-Kt 2 Kt-K 5 19 R-B 1 (g) Kt-Kt 4 20 P x P (h) P x P 21 BxKt P (i) .Kt xKt ch 22 P x Kt Q-Kt 4 ch 23 Resigns (j). (a) A dozen years ago the acceptance of this gambit would not be found in one match game out of a thousand. The second move in a standard opening is still in question! (b) Modern practice inclines to castles, reserving the option of Q 2 for the Kt. (c) Kt x P is out of drawing, K 5 being 'his square for a K side attack, as a counter to Black’s advantage on other wing. (d) In order to play Kt-K 5. (e) The logical move; but now his Q side weakness becomes accentuated. (f) Confesses failure of his K side prospects. If P-B 3, probably P-Kt 5; 18 B-Kt 2, P x P, leaving White’s Q P as a permanent weakness.

(g) Exchanges would accentuate his bad Q side P’s.

(h) Dr Lasker thinks he can win a valuable P. The defensive Kt-Q 1 fails against Kt-R 6 ch; 21 K-E 1, Kt-B 5; 22 Q-Kt 4 (Q-B 3, Q x Q; 23 P x Q, Kt x B), B-Q 3 :>r P-Kl 4, with great advantage. (i) Losing at once, but the game is untenable. (j) K-R 1 Q-Kt 5, and the Black Q is lost. —‘ Observer.’ STEINER’S VISIT. On April 15 Mr Steiner gave bis final exhibition of simultaneous play against 21 boards, the final results being 18 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss. The loss was to R. M’Dcrmid (champion of the Otago Chess Club) and the draws to ,1. B. Dunlop (four times New Zealand champion) and W. Lang (cx-cbam-pion, 0.C.C.). Through an oversight (ho name of Mr R. Rotting was omitted from the. list of those who drew his game against Mr Steiner in the second simultaneous exhibition. The total tally of Mr Steiner’s simultaneous matches in'Dunedin is;—

Before the play commenced, Mr J. J. Marlow (president), on behalf of the members of the club and visitors, thanked Mr Steiner for his visit, which he was certain would bo of the greatest benefit to the game in Dunedin, and also, ho was sure, would be the means of aitmeiing new members to the club. The Otago Chess Club was out to popularise the game, and was always keen to welcome local and other visiting players, whether or not they were members of the club. He could assure Mr Steiner that one and all had appreciated his play and lectures, and also the fact that he had been so easy to please and had unreservedly placed his services in the hands of the committee. He hoped that the remainder of his world tour would bo both successful and enjoyable, and one and all wished him good health and good luck. Mr Steiner in a few words thanked Mr Marlow for his good wishes and appreciative speech. Ho could assure them that he had thoroughly enjoyed his stay in Dunedin, even if the weather had not been of the best. Everyone had done their best to make his stay a pleasant one, and he would always retain happy memories of his visit to their beautiful town. At the conclusion of the games hearty cheers were given for’Mr Steiner, individual farewells were tendered,, and the players had their games autographed by the Hungarian master. Mr Steiner, who left for Christchurch the following morning, was farewclled by the president and principal officers of the club’ at the railway station. , , ■ To sum up, Mr Lajos Steiner’s visit to Dunedin was in every way successful. Both through his exhibitions of play and his lecture, etc., his large audiences had learned a good deal. Personally, ho had shown that not only was he capable as far as chess was concerned, but had . a vast knowledge of world affairs and enjoyed friendly discussions. Opportunities were availed of to show him as much as possible of the city, its industries, and its surroundings. It was unanimously agreed by the elder members of the local club that ho is the ablest chess player that has visited the Dominion, and all chess players and enthusiasts wish him good luck, health, and a happy termination of his tour.

Mr Steiner arrived in Wellington last Saturday, and in tlje evening opened his season with an exhibition of simultaneous play against 59 opponents.* (Surely a. record for New .Zealand chess!). There were a large nurdbe? of spectators present. Before' 1 play was started, Mr A. T. Craven (chairman of the New, Zealand' Chess Association) formally introduced the mayor (Mr T. C. A. Hislop), who said it gave him great pleasure to extend a very hearty welcome to Mr Steiner. Tho occasion was a memorable one, and he thought that the association was to be congratulated on securing a visit from a mister of such high repute. Mr Steiner belonged to the small and select group of grand masters, and his tour of the Dominion should assist the leading New Zealand experts to develop still further their game and raise the standard of our play. He was pleased to learn that chess was being enthusiastically taken up in the Wellington Technical College and other schools, as it was advantageous to mental development, while the spread of the game would, it had been claimed, assist in making for a more philosophical outlook on life. He trusted that Mr Steiner would greatly enjoy his present tour, and that he would take away good impressions of New Zealand.

Mr. Steiner’s actual playing time was a little under five hours, so that, on an_ average, he was only able to devote five minutes to each game. In view of this, and the fact that his opponents included several of Wellington’s leading players, his final tally —43 wins, 10 draws, and only 6 losses—was remarkably good. His losses were to G. P; Anderson, J. Otto, - P. Vincent, K. Boyer, B. J. Dyer, and C. Clemas (Masterton). Draws were scored by Mrs J. I. Goldsmith and A. W. Gyles, O. Goldsmith, W. A. Fisher, J. C. M’Crea, W. M’Clure, V. Blazek, R. S. Kent, V. Minenkoff, and J. 1,. Hardy. This is Hardy’s third draw against Mr Steiner. ' The rapidity with which Mr Steiner made his moves and accurately summed up the large number of positions that confronted him was a revelation to the spectators and players, who also appreciated nis quiet and unassuming manner. At the conclusion of this marathon performance Mr F.. K. Kelling (president of the league) extended heartiest congratulations to Mr Steiner —Own correspondent. CHESS MASTERS. The following article consists of extracts from Mr Lajos Steiner’s broadcast at 4YA Dunedin, and is published with his permission : Chess has now been played for many, many hundred years. There always have been players who distinguished, themselves by being superior to their surrounding. Their superiority has been mostly due to their inborn ability, which enabled them to play a partly good game without a conscious knowledge of the game. But chess, to produce a real master, had to wait until the eighteenth century. Philidor, a French musician, preceding his epoch by nearly a century, was the first player who discovered strategical movements in chess. He stood head and shoulders above his fellow chess players. Never before or since has there been such superiority. He never lost a game and could give his nearest rivals pawn and move without the danger of being defeated in a series of match games. The secret of his success was that ho played chess consciously. He was the first player in the world who discovered the importance of a pawn or pawns in general. I am greatly reminded of his stratagem and early knowledge of modern warfare by the remnants and reconstructed plans of early Maori forts here. These fortifications are not ridiculous even now. The same way the ideas of Philidor cannot bo ridiculed and the opening bearing his name is still played even now. The development of chess took quite a different path from what ho suggested. They went on fighting with sword against sword, relying on their personal ability to dispose of danger when danger is there. They thought it as a dishonour to forbear danger. One of the most sparkling opponents to Philidor’s ideas was Paul Murphy, an American youth who came like a comet to the chess world, and was almost as superior to his epoch a little before the half-mark of the nineteenth century as Philidor in. his time. He beat everybody who was brave enough to face him in serious contests. He always led an open battle. He did not object to sacrificing a pawn or even more valuable pieces to obtain freedom for his remaining pieces. At the right moment his genius always found combinations. His sparkling games have always delighted and enraptured the chess public. He, however, retired from chess entirely after a few years. (To bo continued.)

OBITUARY. We regret having to record the death, on April 16, of Mr James Crow, who was one of the oldest members of the Otago Chess Club. Mr Crow was on the committee for many years, but could never bo persuaded to take higher office. He was one of the oldest chess players in the Dominion, if not the oldest. In 1877 he was a cadet in the Lawrence, and learnt his chess from Mr Menzies, a keen chess lover, who was an operator in tho office. Mr Crow witnessed in that year the first telegraphic chess match played in New Zealand, Mr Menzies beihg the operator. Tho match was against five Dunedin players, who won the majority of games. Mr Crow was a very regular attendee on club nights, and a liberal contributor to any subscription list, as well as occasionally presenting prizes to be competed for. The funeral took place on April 17, and sho Otago Chess Club was represented by its five senior members —Messrs O. Balk (club patron), J. J. Marlow (president). and ox-Prosidents J. H. F. Hamel, D Harris Hastings, and G. D. Wright. The sincere sympathy not only of club members, but also of the Athemeum players (Mr Crow often playing there) is extended to Miss Crow and her brothers in their sad bereavement. BRITISH CORRESPONDENCE ASSOCIATION. Results: — Handicap Tourney.—A. T. Scott (2) 2, W O. Jensen (41 0; A. Howe (21 1, T. Jordan (2) 0; A. Howe (2) 1, T. W. Symons v. South Island Match.—J. R. M’lntosh (N. 1.) 1, F. H. Grant (5.1. l 0; J Sexton (N. 1.) 1, N. S. Travers (5.1.) 0; J. B- Gumming (S.T.I J. H. Cooper IN I 1 i - E. Jackson (N. 1.) 1, C. J. Munn (5.1.) 0; J. I. Hellish (5.1.) 1, A. L. Fletcbf*r (N’.l.) 0. Present totals: South Island North Island 16^.

Wins. Draws. Losses First match .. . ... '21 2 5 Second match ... 25 1 1 Third match ... 25 5 2 Fourth match ... 18 2 1 Totals . ... 89 8 9 His results in 1 Christchurch were: ;— Wins. Draws. Losses First match .. . ... 21 2 1 Second match ... 28 . 5 ' 4 Third match ... 22 6 1 Totals . ... 71 15 6