CHESS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13501, 27 July 1907, Page 4 (Supplement)

CHESS.

:; TO CORRESPONDENTS. ' '. ) \'■ Problem' No. 2554.—501ved also, .by. ,"Alex. and "R.S." ' ■■■■.'>■. A. ■ >-" , ■ Problem No. 2555.—501ved also by ' " M.A.C.". Problem' No. . 2356. — Solved by "Ron's," "M.A.C.," "M.M.,"-and J.H." . ' Problem No. 2357.—Solved' by. " M.M." and "Hops." , •■" i.' - . PROBLEM No. 2358. . . (By P. F. Blake. First prize winner in Western Daily Mercury Tourney. 1 .;: '.' . '. -~ ; Black, 6. ■•'•■

White.. 7. qlktlß2B, 4Kt3, 4klKtl, p2R2bl, 7p, IQ3K2, 8, 8. . White to play and mate in two moves. ,- PROBLEM' No. 2359. . (By H. E. Kidsox, Liverpool.) Black, 11.

White. 10. . ■ 7kt, p2p4, 3Ktp3, lpKlk3. 3Ktblpß, 2P82P1, 3PlPlkt, r3r2Q. White to play and mate in three moves. AUCKLAND CHESS CLUB. The.following are the principal scores in the club championship and handicap tourneys to date :— • ~ <■ '■ , CHAMPIONSHIP. Wins. Losses. ,T. C. Grierson ... 6 0 Rev. A. Millar ~. ... 6i 2 F. C. Ewen ... ... .... 6 2 Rev. Wingfleid ... ... 3 6 .•.*'.' HANDICAP TOURNEY. * , Wins. Losses. ' E. Priestley ... 6 0 ..'i F. C. Ewen ... 6 2 ■ H. Myers ... ... 4 1 J. M. Lennox .... 3£ 5 ][./ Hemus 3 2 .T. A. Snedden ... 3 1 A. E. Leyland ... ... ; ... 22 . A challenge lias been received from the Wellington .Chess Club for a telegraphic match, which has been accepted, and it is suggested that the contest be started on a Saturday afternoon. Itwould then probably be finished the same evening. The date. and number of boards were l eft to the respective secretaries to arrange. It was also decided that a challenge should be .:ent to the Ponsonby Chess Club for, a return match of from 15 to 20 boards, and the date suggested was Saturday, August 3. It will be remembered that the first match played lastseason resulted greatly jn favour of the Auckland Chess Club, but probably the suburban club will make a better showing in the return match. PONSONBY CHESS CLUB. Result of match- played on Wednesday evening last-:—-Mr. Pope's side. Mr. Cousins' side. Pope ... ... ... 0 v. Germain • ... ... 1 Fairs... . ... ... 1 v. Cousins 0 Sachs... ... ... 1 v. Ballantyne ... ... 0 Dudcr 1- v. Raynes 0 Tischler 0 v. Jacobseu 1 ' . - 2 A ; return match will be. played next Wednesday, when absentees are requested to attend. LASKER V. MARSHALL. The last game in the late* match for the World's Chess Championship. Lasker gives up a pawn for a. rapid development, prevents his opponent from castling in the early stage, and when the latter is compelled to do so later, it is at, the cost of the exchange. Marshall niggles gamely, but his astute adversary is too much for him from start to finish:— Queen's Pawn Opening. White, Marshall; Black. Lasker. 1 P-Q 4— P-Q 4 20 Q-Q 3—B-B 4 2P-QB4—P-K3 21 Castles—Kt-Kt 6 3 Kt-QB 3-Kt.KB 3 22 RxH-Ktxß. 4 B-Kt s—B-K 2 23 P-K 4—Kt-K 2 5 P-K 3—Kt-K 5 24 I'-QR R-QB : 6 Bxß-Qxß 23 P-Q 6 (h)-Kt-Kt 2 7 P.xP(a)—KtsKfc 26 Kt-B 4—Q-KKf 4 8 PxKt—PxP 27 r-QKt4 - 9 Q-Kt 3—P-QB 3 28 Kt-K Kt-B 5 10 I'-QB 4 (b)-Castles (c) 29 Q-KKt3-Q-B3 11 Kt-B 3—Q-B 2 30 Q-K 3 (i)—QxP (Q 3) 12 R-B—Q-R.4ch 31 BxP—Q-QKt3 > 13 R-B 3 (d)— 2 32 B-B 4—Kt-K 3 (j) 14 Kt-Q 2—P-QB 4 33 BxKf—P.\B 15 PxQP— 34 Kt-Kt 3—P-K 4 16 PxP— eh -35 K-B—R-Kt 17 R-K 3—RxR eh (e) 36 Kt-B 5—PxP 18 Pxß—Kt-B 3 37 QxP—R-QB 19 B-K 2 Kt-K 5 White resigns. (a) In the third gome White played 7 B-Q3. The move of 7 PxP was given,in a note to the third game by Teiehmmm in the. British Chess Magazine, together with the next two moves, as being superior to 7 B-Q 3. It seems yery probable that both Marshall and Lasker have acted on that note, Marshall adopting the suggestion, and Lasker applying a. surprise answer to the indicated line of play. , (b) Here Teichman'u remarks, in the note referred to above, that this move would. leave Black's QP weak. (c) And in this move we have Basket's reply to White's line of play. Black is in safety, whereas White is in a quite undeveloped state. If 11 PxP— 12 QxP— 5 eh looks vcrv ugly, for if now 13 K-Q, either B-Q 2 or Q-Kt 7 would very speedily turn the game into Black's favour. (d) If 13 Kt-Q 2-P.\P, 14 B.\r-r-£Kt 4, 15 B-Q 3—B-K 3, winning a pawn. (e) Most players would have hesitated before uniting White's pawns, The move is evidence of Black's long-sighted penetration into the possibilities of the position. (f) To do White justice, lie tried his best to extricate himself. Unfortunately for him, his opponent, unlike most other players, did not content himself with getting the pawn back, but aimed at a greater advantage. * (g) The threat now is Kb to Kt 6 winning the rook. White, needing to protect his knight, cannot play his queen away. To play 21 R-Kt would save the rook, but prove a greater disadvantage in the future. Black would perhaps respond with R-QB 1, threatening R-B 6 and' R-B 8. (h) Wo do not think White ought to have moved this pawn just vet. (i) All very subtle play. If 30 P-K 5, Black replies Kt-K 7 ch, 31 BxKt—R-B 8 ch, and mates in two more moves. (j) If QxKt, 33 QxKt, and Black cannot- play Rxß, or he would be mated in two moves. In connection with the above match Mr. F. K. Kelling, Wellington, translates from the May ;1907) number of the Deutsche Schaehzeitung Dr. S. Tarrasch's criticism on the games, as ?iven in the Berlin Loknl-Anzeiger, as follows:— the immense superiority of Lasker, indicated by the result of the match, is also seen in the individual games on a minute examination. In the first game, a Ruy Lopez, Marshall does not handle the opening well; an ill-considered exmange a kind often made by Marshall during the match—gives Lasker the better game it the very outset. Yet he misses the correct .'ontinuation, and Marshall could have turned the ;aine to his own advantage. . But he twice leglects the correct- move, and Lasker wins.in i very fine end game. In the second game, a ' French," Marshall, owing to superior handling )f the opening, obtains the considerably better fame. A (for him) unfavourable exchange— ■xactly as in the first gamedoes not by any neans imperil his victory. Then with' light leart Marshall, according to the motto, " The l.ord will further assist" (" Gott svird schon veiterhelfen"), makes a pawn sacrifice, fails to hid the winning continuation, and Lasker ichieves a well-deserved victory after a most :old-blooded defence of what was certainly a osing position. In the moulding of the third ;ame (Queen's Gambit) Lasker went completely istray; Marshall, however, does not' show the ;mallest appreciation of the requirements of the josition, and plays without plan. After le had reached a losing position, formic smiles on aim once more. Las;er makes an oversight—the only one throughout the match'which gives his - oplonent, an opportunity of drawing. In contusion a gross error of Marshall's, and mate is mavoidable. The fourth game, a French Deence, with the MacCutcheon variation, furnishes . most interesting contest from start to finish. masker is ; from the outset at a disadvantage, nit his defence -s so circumspect, so fine, and i> an obscure way making for counter attack— o obscured that even the critics have misled —that the playing over of this drawn game, is . choice pleasure. Nevertheless, Marshall could t various stages have acquired pronounced adjutage. Clearly he was oppressed by three uccessive defeats and failed to perceive that he advantage lay .vith himself. In the fifth ;ame was repeated the opening of the third, iarsliall had in the meantime learnt nothing lid forgotten nothing, knows little how to use is superior position, and finally, although holdtig some advantage, had to content himself rith a draw. The sixth game, another French lefer.ee, witnesses a most dangerous attack hy -asker, which Marshall for the first time meets ] .ith the greatest unconcern. ' Good play on oth sides terminated in a draw, Now. comes

the seventh game, which could have furnished a turning point. In a Queen's Gambit Marshall completely outplayed his opponent, and by means of. a splendidly-calculated combination- achieved ft winning position. .At the moment, however, when .he -has'.only to pick, without trouble the fruits 'of his fine f play, he refrains. Of the various ■ winning continuations which present themselves to him at several points, he chooses the weakest,-' which, however, sufficed for a win, but through a -quite unconsidered more which costs him a knight, he loses every chance of a. win and must content himself with 'a* draw. In the eighth game, another French," Marshall neglects a winning combination, and makes a badlycalculated move, which : leads to exchange, and loses after some wonderfully fine end play by Lasker;: In the ninth, a Queen's Gambit, Marshall makes nothing of an indifferent opening by Lasker and a draw results. In the tenth, again a French, Marshall again misses the winning -continuation, and, although a pawn up right through, only secures a draw. In .the eleventh, in which Lasker utilised the llollundish Defence,, Marshal! is outplayed from the jump, but a rather weak move of Lasker's gives him a change to draw, of which "ie cleverly avails himself. At this'stage the ■match is practically over. Marshall has gone to pieces (" zusainmen-gebioehen "). For the i eleventh game, which was morally a defeat for him, has convinced him that he has no chance with. Lasker. He now loses font games in succession, and with them the match, which has accordingly shown a. peculiar curve: First three wins, then a long tough struggle in the next eight* games, "from which Lasker only secures one victory, and at the close, as at the beginning, a succession of defeats for Marshal!. - Note.—At the conclusion of the match Tarrascll v. Marshall (played in September and October, 1905, and won by Dr. Tarraseh by eight to one and eight draws), Lasker mentioned that the winner's play was entirely free from small errors, but not from large ones. The following acrostic from the Cork Weekly News is an eulogy of Dr. Emanuel Lasker, chess champion of , the. world:— - . Laurels .bring, all fresh and green— And entwine the victor's brow, Sure and steady—brilliant- too, King of Chess we crown thee now, Ever on the roll of fame Recorded be our champion's name. A chess match by telegraph of 10 players a-sidc will be contested between the Otago and Canterbury Chess Clubs on the nights of July 27 and August 5 and 12.