Chess.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 976, 14 November 1890, Page 6

Chess.

All communications for this department must oe addressed to the Chess Editor, Mr C. W. Benbow. 11/11/90 SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS. No 1155 (G. J. Slater). 1 Q to B 7 1 K to Q 5 2 Q to B sq 2 Any move 3 Mates accordingly. Solved by M.B. (Taranaki); B.P. (Gisborne); ‘ The manoeuvring of the Queen is very interesting (9); T.E. (Picton); and A.L.T. (Wanganui). Very ingenious and instructive, as all M r Slater’s compositions are (8i). No. 1162 (James Sexton). 1 Q to Kt 2. 1 Any move 2 Mates accordingly. Solved by B.C. and J.N.H. (Wellington); J.S. (Kaponga); A.L.T. (Wanganui); O.P.Q. (Foxton ‘I like this as well as any local problem I have seen for some time (8J); A.B.C. (Greytown) ; D.T.C. (Blenheim); Felix (Auck land); H.D. (Bulls); B.P. (Gisborne). ‘ Very creditable indeed (B)and Horace (Patea). Another nice little problem from Mr Sexton’s laboratory (8J). No 1163 (E. B. Greenshields). 1 Q to B 2 1 K to B 4 2 Q to Q 22 Any move 3 Q mates. Solved by A.L.T. (Wanganui); M.B. (Taranaki) ; O.P.Q. (Foxton). ‘ The Queen does her work well (9)T.E.( Picton); B.P. (Gisborne). 1 There is some nice play in this problem (9) and D.T.C. (Blenheim). This runs the first prize problem closely in merit (8).

PROBLEM No. 1172. By H. Otten (New York) Second gprize two-mover in the problem tournament of 1 Balm Frei ’ Blaok.

White. White to play and mate in two moves PROBLEM No 1173. By George Hume (Nottingham). From ‘ The British Chess Magazine.’ Blaok.

White. White to play and mate in three moves. THE INTERNATIONAL CHESS TOURNAMENT. The international tournament of the British Chess Association which commenced at the Manchester Athenceum on the 25th August was brought to a conclusion on the Bth September in the presence of a large number of spectators, who manifested the deepest interest in the proceedings. The complete scores of the nine prize winners are as follows :

The non-prize winners are : Messrs Taubenhaus 10J; Schallopp 10; Gunston and Lee 9 each ; Mortimer 8J; Owen 7h ; Muller 7: Thorold 6 ; Van Vliet 5 ; and Gossip 4J. In the Amateur tourney the first prize was won by Mr D. V. Mills ; the second by Herr Banneforth of Berlin; and the third by Mr Lambert of Exeter. The following interesting game was played in the Master’s tournament, between Messrs Guusberg and Bird. The notes are from The British Chess Magazine. Sicilian Defence. White. * Black. (Mr Gunsberg) (Mr Bird) 1 P to K 4 IP to QB4 2 Kt to Q B 3 2 Kt to Q B 3 3 Kt to B 3 3 P to K Kt 3 4 P to Q 4 4 P takes P 5 Kt takes P 5 B to Kt 2 6 B to K 3 6 P to Q 3 7 B to K 2 7 B to Q 2 8 Castles 8 Kt to B 3 9 P to B 4 9 P to K R 4 The first ‘ feature, in the opening, and one highly characteristic of the veteran’s style. 10 P to K R 3 10 P to R 5 11 Q to Q 2 11 Q to R 4 12 Q R to Q sq 12 Q R to B sq 13 Pto R 3 . 13 Kt to R 4 An exchange favourable for Black is now compelled. 14 B takes Kt 14 B takes B 15 P to Q Kt 4 Beginning of a delightful complication. White evidently thought that the pawns could not be taken without serious danger to Black’s Queen, but Mr Bird shows himself perfectly master of the situation. QtoK B 2 may here be suggested as an alternative. 15 Q takes B P 16 R to R sq 16 Q takes P 17 R to R 4 17 Q to Kt 3 18 Kt to Qi

Kt to K 6 looks killing at first hS»U but sufficient rejoinder is 18 B fwj lß 19 Q takes B, Q to it 4; and Black best of it in every variation All fa- 8 i M ' B “ d “»» 20 Kt S“ k T>* ” J tlhmla 20Rt084 ® 8 9 21 R takes B 22BtakesR 22Pt0Q84 takes P 23 Q to Kt 3* 2A Iv to H 3 24 O tn TTf *7 25 RtoKt 3 25 Oto m ** . 26 Kt to Q sq 0 R8(ch) 1 K to R 2 leaves, perhaps, rather Wt chances of a draw. Black cannot then wK-hf 1 Ut Placmgthe Bißh °P» onreveS 27 B to B 2 27 Btaki B p 3 28 R to K 3 28 P to B \ 29 R to K sq 29 Q to R 5 20 B takes R P 30 Q to Q 5 ( c hl 31Q takes Q 31 P takes Q The finishing touch ; the B P must now foil and the passed pawn Queen, w 32 Kt to B 2 32 P to Q 4 w 2 33 R takes P llKt‘uta q r 34El ° <!6 tbSST” b “ i,y wor,h “”“»»'»* » 36 E takes P (ch) 36 K t/j! 37 R to K 6 37 B to Q 5 ( C M 38 K to R 2 38 B to K 5 39 R takes P 39 K to B 2 40 Resigns.

Of the winner of the tournament ‘Mars ’ in the Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News writes =-Dr Tarraschs performance has nevS been equalled. No player has ever hitherto encountered nineteen masters (the W majority of them reas masters) without suffer! mg at least one defeat. But the Prussian doctor has emerged from the Manchester contest as he did from that at Breslan last year, unbeaten bv any competitor. I am told also that manv of his games are very fine exhibitions of chess strategy, although not equal in beautv and originality to some ef the conceptions that pro! ceeded from Bird, Blackburne, and Maekena! It was his twenty-eight years of aw that triumphed over the masters I have just named. Meanwhile a brief sketch of Dr Tarrasch’s career will no doubt prove interesting to our readers. The doctor was born on the sth March, 1862, in Breslan the quiet university town where were bom many of the greatest players, amongst them Anderssen and Harrwitz. There, too, Zukertort, whilst studying medicine at the university made the acquaintance of Anderssen, and obtained that constant practice with him which raised him to the front rank long before hs first visited England in 1872. Dr Tarrasch was sixteen years of age when he learned the moves, and immediately afterwards he commenced a scientific study of the game. He was but eighteen when he visited Berlin and vanquished Winawer. Nor did he at that time neglect his collegiate studies. On the contrary, he so attended to them that he seldom failed to obtain first honour at the examinations. In 1883 he entered the university of Halle and devoted himself to a close study of the sciences, and next year he appeared as the champion of the Halle Club, and entered the minor tourney at Nuremberg, won the first prize, and was promoted to a place among the masters. At this time he used to give blindfold stances, and on more than one occasion conducted eight games simultaneously without sight of board or men and won the whole of them. In 1888 he won first prize in the German Masters’ tourney at Nuremberg., and the following year at Breslan he encountered some of the leading players of the world, including Gunsberg and Blackburne, and won the first prize without losing a single game. And now this year he has repeated that marvellous performance He has not the fire of Bird, or the splendour of Blackburne, or the consummate elegance of Mackenzie, never plays for the gallery,_ or loses sight of the goal. He seeks for position rather than material, and often compels his opponent to surrender while still in possession of equal force to his own, I understand that Dr Tarrasch is a highly cultured gentleman, urbane in manners, and modest in demeanour. He resides at Nuremberg, where he has a large medical practice.’ The Morning Post thus gracefully refers to Blackburne and Mackenzie. Of the former it says:— 1 His games have often been brightened by those brilliant flashes of genius with which he made his great position in the past, and no one will deny that although Tarrasch has excelled him in the score, Blackburne’s games have been far more replete with interest than those of his rival, and he is still without a superior in this country Thus of Mackenzie : — 1 Considering the very precarious state of his health he has done even better than might have been expected although several of his games were lost by sheer physical weakness.’

Name. £. Won. Drew. Dost 1 Tarrasch 80 12 7 0 2 Blackburne ... 60 11 3 5 3 Mackenzie ) ... 50 10 4 5 4 Bird f ... 40 9 6 4 5 Gunsberg} ... 30 9 5 5 6 Mason j ... 20 9 5 5 7 Scheve "| 9 4 6 8 Alapin > 10 8 6 5 9 Tinsley j 8 6 5