CHESS BROADCAST.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 82, 5 March 1935, Page 8

CHESS BROADCAST.

RECEPTION IN CITY. Several members of the Palmerston North Chess Club listened in on Monday to a broadcast from Moscow on a chess championship tournament, mention of which was made in Friday’s issue of the “Standard.” The announcer’s name was given as Mr Andrews and lie was described as a New Zealander. The tournament was described as being international in character as there were 12 Russian competitors and eight from other countries. The players included Capablanca (Cuba, a former world’s champion), Lasker (also a former world’s champion, now 65 years of age, who has been in retirement for nine years), and Miss Menehik (an Englishwoman). The games, held in the Museum of Fine Arts, were followed by 3000 people by means of demonstration boards, and it was stated that the attendance would have been twice as large bad the accommodation been available.. In other halls there were demonstrations for younger players and lectures were given on the analysis of various games. The announcer said that chess was regarded in Russia as the finest indoor game. A surprise was created when Capablanca was defeated by Rjumin (Russia). At the 12th round Botwinnik (the Russian champion) was leading by 91 wins with one game unplayed. Capablanca bad registered 5i wins, lie having drawn one game with Lasker. GAME TAKEN VERY SERIOUSLY. The Russians appear to be taking chess very seriously, writes a reader of the “Standard.” The following references from chess magazines are interesting. A year ago the Czechoslovakian grand master, Salo Flohr (who won the English tournament at Hastings later, and drew with the world’s champion, Alekhine) played a drawn match with the Russian champion Botwinnik. When Flohr and Botwinnik visited the opera in Moscow during their match the performance was stopped while the audience rose and cheered. At Leningrad the play was suspended because the theatre was wanted for the second half of the match. The players sat on the stage and the packed auditorium followed the moves from huge demonstration boards on the walls. Later, Flohr after a simultaneous match at Leningrad against 50 players, in which he was able to win only 11 games, is reported to have said that no city in the world outside of Russia could have produced such a team. Huge crowds watched the play, though the admission fee was very heavy. One of Flohr’s opponents in this match was M. Krilenko, the Commissar for Justice, who was also president of the chess section of the Ministry of Education.

The following are names of Russians in the 15)63 championship:—Botwinnik, Alutorzeff, Lisitzui, Lowenfisch, Raliinovitch, ltayzer, Chekova, Bogatyrclnik. An international tourney in Russia was set down to commence on February 1 this year.*