CHESS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 11872, 25 January 1902, Page 4 (Supplement)

CHESS.

SOLUTION OF PROBLEM No. 1803. WHITE BLACK. 1 K-QKt 7 SOLUTION OF PROBLEM No. 1804. WHITE BLACK. 1 E-QKt 3 ExK (Kt 3) 2 B-Q 4 Any 3 B or E mates. 1 B-R 3 cli 2 Exit Any 3 B or E mates. Other variations depend on these, PROBLEM No. 1807. (Bv 11. D. O'BERNARD, one of the be3t contributed to the Problem Tourney ill the Western Morning News.) BLACK, 6.

PROBLEM No. 1808. : (By MRS. W. J. BAIRD, from the British Chess Magazine.) BLACK. 5. '

White. 7. Whito to play and mate in three moves.

N.Z. CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP. Referring to the small attendance of representatives from other parts of the colony at the late chess congress the Otago Witness says that it is a " question for the New Zealand Chess Association to consider whether it would not be more conducive to the interests of the game to hold the annual championship meeting at the metropolitan headquarters of Wellington. The limited attendance of players at the extremes of Dunedin and Auckland tells its own tale. Few are willing or able to l'ncur the expense and the loss of time required for a journey to either of the extremes. Wellington is a centre, the centre of New Zealand, and the metropolis. Annual meetings in Wellington might reasonably be supposed to secure a larger attendance from all parts of New Zealand, and it is in itself a strong chess centre."

There would bo some force in the recommendation if tho meetings at Wellington showed a larger or more representative attendance than those at the other centres. At the last tournament in Wellington tho major portion of the competitors were local men. There were six of them from the Wellington clubs, two from Master ton (Wellington district), the remaining two hailing from Dunedin. The interests of the game would be better served by holding the meetings in turn at anv place in tho colony willing to undertake the responsibility of conducting the tourney and providing the prizes, because the event is the means of drawing public attention to chess matters (if only by the solicitations of the collectors of prize funds) in a manner which routine or humdrum chess does not effect. Thus each place in turn has a periodical revival, with the probable tendency of increasing the popularity of the game. Apart from that, as the prize fund of the New Zealand Chess Association has to be supplemented by contributions from the general public of the town in which the annual meeting takes place it would not bo fair to the citizens of one particular locality to be yearly taxed for such object. Thero is no doubt, however, that there has been an unaccountable falling off in late years. Formerly, when the means of communication between different parts of the colony was not so expeditious, and when devotees of the game were not so numerous, the number of competitors desirous of entering the annual tourney was getting so large that provision had to be made for splitting up the entrants into two sections—a major and minor tournament. A large attendance at these gatherings is not requiredit is a drawback. But what is really wanted is that it, should be of a thoroughly representative character, and this may bo secured without very much trouble or expense by each of the larger clubs paying all the expenses of at least one delegate during the sitting of the chess congress. The total, amount would not be of any great magnitude, and could be provided for by a slight addition to membership fees.

The scores of two more games played in this tourney appear below: —

Two KNIGHTS DEFENCE. White, Mr. D. Forsyth, Otago C.C.; Black, Mr. E. J. Barnes, Wellington W.M.C.C. 1 P-K 4-P-K 4 23 P-B 4—Kt-K 6 2 lit-KB 3—ltt-QB 3 24 Q-B 3-P-QB 4 3 B-B 4—Kt-B 3 25 P-Q 5—Q-B 2 4 P-Q 3—B-B 4 26 Q-Kt 2—B-R 4 5 B-K 3-B-Ivt 3 27 K-KB B-Kt 5 6 Kt-B P-Q 3 23 P-Kt 3—Q-R 4 7 Kt-K BK 3 29 Kt-B 2-B-B 6 3 B-Kt 3—Q-Q 2 30 KtxKt—BxQ ch ' 9 Q-Q 2—P-Q 4 31 Kxß—P-QE 3 10 PxP—KtxP 1 32 Kt-Kt KE-B sq 11 B-R, P-B 3 33 KE-B sq—l'-QKt 4 12 P-B Castles (QE) 34 Kt-Q 2—R (KB)-K sq 13 Castles (QEI-Kt 35 E-QB P-Kt 5 14 PxKt— 3 36 E-QB sq-Q-B 2 15 P-Q 4—P-K 5 37 E-B 4—Q-K 4 ch 16 Kt-K Kt-K 4 38 K-Kt sq— 6 17 K-Kt sq—Kt-B 5 39 Kt-B P-Kt 4 18 Q-B sq—B-Kt 5 40 E-B s—B-K 4 19 P-QKt Kt-R 6 ell 41 ExBP-E (K 4)xP 20 K-E sq—BxKt 42 E-QB 6 ch—K-Kt 2 21 B-Q 2—B-Kt, 4 43 PxR—RxP 22 Bxß-ICtxß 44 Kesigns.

A well-played game by Black. At move 15 White plays P-Q 4, enabling his opponent to push on the KP, which has the effect of greatly limiting White's scope of activity. KtKl3 would have stopped this advance, and given moro freedom. Black's 18 th move, 81Ct.5. ICt.5. presently wins a piece. Kt-B was urgent at White's 28th move, instead of which P-Kt 3 is played, with the object, perhaps, of protecting the lIP before doubling the rooks. The result is the loss of the queen for knight and bishop. After this Mr. Forsyth might as well have resigned, as there was but scant chance of a* repetition of the _ luck which proved so advantageous to him in the game between the same players at the previous championship tourney. KING'S GAMBIT DECLINED. White, Mr. Edwards, Otago C.C.; Black, Mr.

Barnes, Wellington W.M.C.C. 4--P-K 4 13 Q-K sq—K-Kt sc( 2 P-ICB 4—P-Q 4 14 H-Kt sq—P-KB 4 3 Kt-KB 3-Kt-KB 3 15 P-Kt 5-Kt-B 2 4 PxQP-P-K 5 16 P-KR 4-P-Kt 3, 5 Kt-K —P-B 3 17 P-R 5 —K-B 2 p.Q 4—B-Q. 3 IS K-Kt Kt-K 3 7 B-K 2—PxP 19 R-R sq—KtxP ell 8 Castles—Xt-B 3 20 BxF.t— 9 Kt-QB 3—Castles" 21 PxP ch— 10 P-KKt 4—Kt-K sq 22 R-R 7 oh—K-K 3 11 B-K 3—P-B 3 23 KtxKP—BPxKt 12 KtxKt— 24 B-Kt 4 ch—lv-Q 3 While resigns.

Up till the 18tli move Mr. Edwards lias apparently a strong enough game; hut with the purpose of pushing on the attack on the line of the rook's lile he somewhat impetuously plays R-R so, which should have been preceded by Q-R 4. The weak point in the enemy s array is at once detected by Mr. Barnes, who immediately proceeds to break up tno formation by the fine move of Ktxl. The outcome is that White loses a pawn and piece, and the attack conducted on the king s side is completely nullified.

Tschigorin recently played 30 games simultaneously. at Moscow, ot winch lit won and drew 0. „ - T Referring to the chess styles orDn Laalrej ami Mr. It. N. I'lllsbury, Mr. Gunabeigt remarks that there is one which bo flavors hare in common. iJiat qualify « passivity. When playing infer. ,o £ .° p F n e w both masters quietly spin to advance, and vncmt md wait for the fly to advance, <iuu in nine cases out of ten the fly does advance, srwi ppts caught in the meshes of the fine-, span position by a trap which the poor fly did not perceive. The question arises, therefore what happens when two spiders fight? Does one wait lor the other to on tangle himself in tha web like the fly? It ho does he will surely bo disappointed, for spiders naturally enough arc not. to be caught that way. In a combat of this kind the combatant who, in addition to passivity, can also, if occasion requires it, 1 develop great powers of attack, will win; and, as far as we havo seen the play of both masters, we are of opinion that Laakor is a passive player only as long as it suits his purposes. When passivity does not answer he can develop powers of attack unequalled by any ; other player."