Chess.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 241, 1 July 1876, Page 10

Chess.

The match between Mr. Lusk, M.H.R. (Auckland), and Mr. Benbow (Wellington) was concluded at the Post-office Hotel on Saturday, in presence of numerous spectators. The game was the third and concluding one of those agreed to be played. Mr. Benbow won the first, the second was drawn, and that of Saturday was plainly Mr. Benbow’s after a few moves, he gaining an advantage so palpable, that Mr. Lusk, after an effort to prolong the play, resigned in his favor. Mr. Lusk was the challenger. Wellington has chess players. The following was the second game played in the match between Messrs. Lusk and Benbow : . (King’s Gambit Declined.) 1 P to K 4 2 Kt to K B 4 3 Kt to KBS 3 P to Q o 4 B to Q B 4 (5) 4 Kt to K B 5 P to Q 3 ® 13 to K Kt • 6 P to K B 5 b Kt to Q B 3 7 P to Q B 3 7 Castles (c) 8 B to K Kt 5 8 Kt to Q B 4 Q R tn O r > 9 P to Q i> 3 10 P to Q Kt 4 10 p takes B 11 P takes B L £ takes QBP T 9 o tn o T? 4 12 35 takes kt 18P&2. B 13 Q P takes P (cl) 14 B takes Kt (e) If P takes B 15 Q takes P (/) 15 Qto Q 2 • 16 Kt to Q 2 16 Q R to Q sq 17 K to It 2 17 K to R sq (fir) 18 Q R to K Kts 9 18 K R to K Kt sq 19 R to K Kt 4 19 Kt to Bo fo) 20 Kt to Q B 4 20 P to Q Kt 4 21 Kt to K 3 21 P to Q B 5 (ft) 22 R takes R (cli) 22 K takes R 23 R to Q sq 23 I takes P (cli) 24 R takes P 24 Q takes R (eh) 25 Q takes Q 25 R takes Q 26 K takes R (i) 26 K to B sq 0) 27 Kt to Q 5 27 K to Kt 2 28 Kt to Q B 7 28 P to Q Kt 5 29 P to Q B 4 29 K to R 3 30 K to K 4 3° Kt to Q 5 31 Kt to Q 5 31 P to Q Kt 6 32 P takes P 32 Kt takes P 33 Kt takes P 33 P to Q E, 4 34 Kt to Q 5 34 Kt to Q 7 (ch) 35 E to Q 3 So Kt takes P 36 P to Q B 5 36 Kt to Q 5 37 Kto K 4 fftto Q B 3 38 Kt to Q B S 38 P to KB 3 39 K to Q 5 39 Kt to Q 5 40 Kt to K 2 (k) 40 Kt takes K B 41 K to K 6 41 Kt to Q 5 (eh) 42 K takes P (I) 42 Kt takes Kt 43 P to B 6 43 Kt to Q B 6 44 Iv takes P 44 Kt to Q Kt 4 45 K to Q 5 15P t°R s(m) 46 K to Q B 4 46 £ to K 6 (ft) 47 K takes Kt 47 P to R 7 48 P to B 7 48 P Oueens 49 P Queens 49 Q to Kt 7 (ch) 50 IC to Q R 4 50 Q to R / (ch) 51 K to Q Kt 4 51 Q takes P 52 Q to K 6 (ch) 52 K to Kt 4 53 Qto K 7 (eh) f 3 £ , to S> 5 54 Q to K 6 (ch) 54 K to B 6 55 Q to Q 5 (ch) 55 K to B 7 56 Q to B 5 (ch) 56 K to KG 57 Q to K 6 (ch) 57 Iv to B 6 58 Q to Q 5 (eh) And game was given up as drawn. NOTES.

(a) The more enterprising course would have been to have accepted the gambit; but so intricate and difficult are the positions evolved, that without the most extreme care on the part of the defence the first player would obtain the advantage. Black being, somewhat out of practice, therefore preferred the simpler and less complex line of play arising from the refusal of the gambit. This refusal might:also have been brought about by 2 P to Q 4, or 2 Kt to Iv B 3, when the following would have been probable sequenCeS: ~ 2 P to Q 4 3 K P takes P 3 £. tc \ K5 T> 4 P to Q 3 f Q takes P 5 Kt to Q B 3 6 Q to Q 2 6QtoK %■. *7 t> foVpc t> 7 B tnkcs Kt 8 Q takes B 8 Q takes P (ch) 9 K to B 2 9Rt tO KB3 10 B to Q 3 10 Q to Q B 3 And the game is even. If 2 Kt to K B 3 3 B P takes P 3 Kt takes P 4 Kt to K B 3 4 P to Q 4 5 P to Q 3 6 P to Q 4 7 P to Q B 4 7 B to Q B 3 8 Q to Q Kt 3 8 P to Q Kt 3 9 Kt to Q B 3 9 B to K 3 10 B to K 3 r And white has some little siipeiionty. (b) P to Q B 3 is also a legitimate continuation; then f0ll0WS: - 4 B to K KtS 58t0K2 5 Stakes Kt 6 B takes B 6 Kt to Q B 3 7 P to Q Kt 4 7 B to kU 8 P to Q Kt 5 8 Q Kt to K 2 (c) HastHy played; P to Iv R 3 would not only have consolidated the defence, but have limited the sphere of the White Q B’s usefulness very considerably. (d) In all probability Kt to Q B 3 would have been more serviceable; and the following is a possible continuation:— . „ -o 14 B takes Kt Q takes B 15 P takes P a a | {;es E t> 16 P takes Kt 16 Q takes B P 17 "R to IC B sq 17 Q to K G (ch) 18 K to Q sq IS Q takes P (ch) 19 Kt to Q 2 19 Q R t 0 Q sc i With a winning position. (e) A good move; breaking up Black s Pawns and exposing the King to attack. , _> ( f) Here we think Mr. Lusk should have retaken P with K B P, as one of the rudiments of the game is that Pawns united are strong, and Pawns isolated are Mo) Here Black debated whether or not to push on his QBP but he came to the conclusion that Ins opponent’s isolated K B P was not equal in value to his own supported QBP. (/i.) A showy but ill-advised manceuvre ; it u ould have been better to have retreated Kt to Iv 2, with the intention of afterwards playing it to Q 4 threatening (if White does not exchange Ivts) to either take I or check at Iv B 5. _ , , , , ~ . (i). At the first blush it seemed to us that at tins point White had the superior game, but a close examination of the position has led us to the conclusion that the game was about even, the Black defence being however more difficult to manage than the White attack. (?) A move thrown away. . . , (6) A very ingenious conception, but as Black is not compelled to take, it leads to nothing. And again, if White had gone on with the Q B P Black would have captured it with Kt, and on W King retaking, have played IC to Kt 4, winning the K P B, thus undoubtedly securing a draw. 42 Kt takes Kt 42 P takes Kt 43 P to B 6 43 P to Q 6 44 P to P 7 44 P to Q / 45 P queens 45 P queens, &c. ( m ) Here Black missed his opportunity, as we think the following variation will show : 45 K to Kt 4 46 Kt to B 5 46 Kt to B 2 47 K to Kt 6 47 Kt to K 3 iS K takes P 48 K to Kt 5 49 IC to Kt 5 49 K to R 6 50 K to B 4 50 K taxes P 51 K to Q 3 V 51 K to Kt 6 I And must win, as White cannot play K to K z, m

consequence of Kt to Q 5 (ch) winning the pawns; and anything else allows the Black Pawn to queen. *sl IC to Q 5 51 Kt to B 2 (ch) 52 K to IC 4 52 K to Kt 6 And again Black has no escape. (n) Here again we believe that black, by playing Kt to Q B 2,- could have won easily, in much the same way as pointed out in the previous note.