CHESS NOTES

Manawatu Times, 25 March 1926, Page 5

CHESS NOTES

(By "A.W.”) The play-off to decide the 1926 championship of the Palmerston North Chess Club took place on Monday evening. Wright won the toss and offered the queen's gambit which Morine accepted. He retained the gambit pawn and by judicious exchanges isolated the remaining queen's side pawns, which weakness ultimately forced Wright to resign. Mr Morine’s win was greeted with applause, and his title bias been well earned. His score for the whole tourney is 10 wins, 1 draw and only 2 losses, a fine performance which fittingly marks his term as president of the club. Play in the finals of the minor tourney has been unavoidably delayed, only two games having yet been played. Foot has beaten Fleck, and Stuart has beaten Arlidge. The latter game also counted as a ladder game for rung 17, which the winner retains by 2 to 1. The advance of white's pawn to K 5 on the second move in Alekhine's defence was the subject of Mr Whitaker's second lecture, the game given below being played over in illustration. This variation leads to unique positions since, according to the speaker, it is not subject to transposition into other, and betterknown, openings. At the conclusion of the lecture for which a hearty vote of thanks was accorded, several games were played to tost the opening.

Played in Paris last year. liVSnosko—Boravsky.. 'A. Alekhine.

White. Black. 1. P-K4 S-KB3 2. —P-K5 S-Q4 3. —P-QB4 (a) S-S3 4. —P-Q4 (b) P-Q3 (c) 5. —P-B4 PxP 6. —BPxP S-B3 7. —B-K3 B-B4 (d) S.—S-KB3 P-K3 9.—S-B3 S-S5 10. R-Bl P-B4 11. P-QR 3 \ PxP 12. B-S5 PxS 13. BxQ Rxß 14. Q-S3 PxP 15. —QxP S-R5 16. Q-Rl S-B7t 17. RxS PxR 18. S-Q4 B-S3 19. P-B5! SxP, 20. B-S5 ch S-Q2 21. Q-B3 P-QR 3 22. —BxS ch Rxß 23. —Q-BS ch R-Ql 24. —Q-SP! RxS 25. Q-BG ch R-Q2 26. OxO B-Q6 27. RxP! B-B4 ch 28. —K-Rl B-S4 29. QxP ch R-K2 30. RxP. ch BxR 31. —Q-BS ch B-Ql 30._Q.K6 ch * B-K2 (e)

a. If 3. S-QB3, SxS; 4. SPxS is probably boat, taking “towards the ctentrc.” At Moscow Yates played QPxS, followed later by O-O-O. against Capablanca, who won by a queen's side attack. In this if 3. , P-IC3 then 4. SxS, PxS; 5. P-Q4, PQ3i b. —Not 4. P-B5 as the S then returns to Q 4, and can only be removed by exchange.

c. —ln this variation Black’s aims at White’s centre and P-Q3'is very important. It also frees the QB for attack on White’s weak diagonal QSI to KBS. d. —Seizing the weak diagonal. e. —Drawn by perpetual check.