Chess.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1032, 11 December 1891, Page 8

Chess.

All communications for this department MUST be addressed to the Chess Editor, Mr C. 'V. Benbow. 11/12/91

SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS No 1268 (T M. Joseph). _ This is, unfortunately, incorrect, as it admits of solution by 1 Q to Q 5 and 1 K to K.t 3. No. 1269 (Thomas Sexton). 1 Kt to Kt 4 1 K to K 6 2 Q to K sq (cl>) 2 K moves 3 Mates accordingly. Solved by M.lt. (Taranaki) : T.S. (Ashurst); B.P. (Gisborne) ‘A very'creditable composi(Sh) T.E. (Picton): and Felix (Auckland). Very good indeed (S&).

PROBLEM No 1275. By Walter Gleave (London.) Black

White. White to play and mate in two moves.

PROBLEM No 1279. By Dr S. Gold (Vienna). From the Illustrirte Zeitung.’

Black.

White. White to play and mate in three moves

CHESS IN WELLINGTON. The following game -was played in the lately concluded handicap tourney of the Wellington Chess Club, between Messrs F. Bakewell and B. J. Barnes, the latter giving the odds of Pawn and move. , Remove Black's K B JP. White. Black. (Mr F. Bakewell). (Mr R. J. Barnes.) 1 P to K 4 1 P to Q 3 2 P to Q 4 2 Kt to K B 3 3 B to Q 3 3 B to Kt 5 Staunton gives here 3Pto K 4; 4T?to Q 5, B to K 2 ; 5Kt to K B 3, Castles, &c. 4 P to K B 3 4 B to It 4 5 P to K Kt 4 6 B to B 2 6Pto KR 4 . , , , . White does not seem to gam much by this exposure of his King’s side. 6 Kt to B 3 7 B to Kt 5 7 Kt to Q 2 8 Bx Kt BPxB 9 P to K B 4 , White is sadly neglecting the development of his pieces. . 9 Q to B sq 10 Kt to Q B 3 10 B to B 5 11 Q to B 3 11 Q to Kt 2 12 P to Kt 3 12 B to B 2 13 Kt to R 3 13 Q to Kt 5 14 Q. to K 3 14 P to K 4 16 Q B x P 15 P x P 16 P to It 3 16 Q to R 4 17 P to B 5 17 B to B 4 15 Q to Q 3 , , ... Not a gocd place for the Queen as she will have to move again very shortly. 18 Castles (Q R) Black has now a well-ordered game. 19 B to Q 2 19 B to Kt 5 20 K to K 2 Possibly as good as anything under the circumstances. ' 20 B x Kt 21 B x B 21 Q to Kt 3 22 Q to K 3 22 Q to Kt 4 (ch) 23 K to B 3 23 Kt to B 4 Threatening 21 B x P ; 25 P x B, R to Q 6 and wins, in addition to the line of play actually adopted. / 24 KRto Qsq ; . This insets on© of tin© attacks but not tn© other Kt to KB 2 seems most effective for the purpose. 24 Kt x K P Very ingenious and good. 25 Q x Kt 25 B to Q 4 36 R x B 26 P x R 27 Q x K P . . Not satisfactory, as it brings the opposing Rooks into active play. QtoQ Kt 4 or Q to K 2 looks better. 27 K R to K sq 28 P to R 4 28 Q to R 3 29 Q to R 2 29 P to Q 5 30 B to Q 2 30 P to Q 6 Keeping up the attack in excellent style. 31 P to B 4 P x P is clearly bad. 31 R to K 7 33 Kt to B 2 32 Q to B 3 (ch) 33 K to Kt 3 33 R x B 34 Q to Kt sq 34 Q to Q 3 (ch) 35 K to B 3 35 Q to Q 5 Intending 36 Rx Kt (ch); 37 QxB,Q xB, &c 36 R to K sq 38 R to Kt 7 37 R to K i 37QxKt (cb) 38 oxo 38 R x Q (eh) 39 K x R 39 P to Q 7 A well-played game on the part of Black. 40 Resigns 2hrs smin 2hrs RUY LOPEZ KNIGHT’S GAME. Cook, in his ‘ Synopsis of the Openings,’ gives the following variation in Bird s Defence to the attack: —

White. Black. 1 P to K 4 1 P to IC 4 2 R Kt to K B 3 2 Kt to Q B 3 3 B to Kt 5 3 Kt to Q 6 4 B to B 4 4 Kt x Kt (ch) 5 Q x Kt 5Qt083 6 Q to Q Kt 3 68t°84 7 Castles 7 P t° Q 3 8 Kt to B 3 8 P to B 3 9 P to Q 3 ! 9 Kt to K 2 10 B to K 3 with the better game. Our friend Mr Barnes asks, and with good reason, why Black does not play 9 P to H ,Kt 4 (instead of Kt to K2) and win a piece ? He gives the following analysis in support of his views : „ _ T ,, . 9 P to Q Kt 4 10 Kt to Q's (a) W Q to Q sq If 10 P x Kt; 11 Bx P (ch), K moves ;12 B to R 6, &e. ÜBxP llPxB 12 Q x P (ch) 12 B to Q 2 13 Q to Kt 7 13 R to Kt sq, &c. 10 Kt x P (b) 10 P x Kt 11 B x Kt P (ch) 11 K to B sq 12 B to B 6 12 B to K 3 13 Q to Kt 7 13 R to B sq, &c. (b) 10 B x Kt P (c) 11 Q x Kt P (ch) H B to Q 2 12 Q to Kt 7 12 R to B sq 13 Kt to Q 5 13 Q to Q sq (c) 10 B to Q 5 1° 11 Kt x P (d) 11 Q to Q sq 12 Q x Kt P (ch) 12 B to Q 2, &c. <d> 11 Q x Q P 11 R to Kt sq 12 Q to B 6 (ch) 12 B to Q 2 13 Q to B 7 13 R to B sq or Q sq, &c.

CHESS IN ENGLAND. We are indebted to the Birmingham Weekly Mercury for the following game between Mr Macaulay and Mr Cook (the compiler of the synopsis) played in the championship Tourney of the Birmingham Chess Club. Philidor’s Defence. White. Black. (Mr Macaulay.) (Mr Cook.) 1 P to K 4 1 P to K 4 2 Kt to K B 3 2 P to Q 3 3PtoQ4 3 P x P 4 Kt x P 4 P to Q 4 SPxP 5 Q x P 6 B to K 3 6 Kt to B 3 7 B to K 2 7 Q x Kt P A very bad move. A grab which brings its own punishment. 8 B to B 3 S Q to R 6 9 Q to IC 2 9 B to K 2 10 ICt to B 3 10 Castles 11 Castles 11 B to K Kt 5 12 Kt to Q 5 White completely outplays his opponent at every point. If now, Black play 12 B x B, then 13 Kt x P (ch) and wins. And the game proceeding ns in the text-, if Black play 13 Q to R 5, White still wins the piece by 14 Kt to 85, and 15 R x Kt. Proceeding as in the text, White might have won another piece by 17 BtoICKt5, Qto Q 3 (best); 18 Kt to 85, Q to B 2 ; 19 Kt x B (ch). 12 Kt x ICt 13 B x B 13 Q to Kt 7 11 B to B 3 14 Q to Kt 5 15 B x Kt 15 P to Q B 4 16 TC R to Kt sq 16 Q to B 3 17 B to ICt 3 17 R to TC sq 18 Q to Kt 4 18 B to B 4 19 Kt to B 5 19 Kt to B 3 20 B x P (ch) White now wins with such consummate ease that he-seems to be laughing at his adversary. 20 K x B Obviously if the Queen takes, then Kt to R 6 wins the royal lady. 21 Q t.o B 4 (ch) 21 K to B sq 22 Kt to R 6 A kind of all-rcund-the-board move, full of disagreeable indications of dissolution, and yet elegant and amusing. 22 B to Q 3 Clearly the only thing to be done with the pieces. Resignation was the best move here. 23 R x B More rollicking fun. This is regular horseplay. 23 Q to B 6 24 R to B 6 (ch) What can we say of a move like this ? 24 Qx R 25 B x P (ch) Words fail us, we can only gasp. 25 Mr Cook thought this wou'd be sufficient. He should have gone on another move to show the effect of the blockade of Black’s King’s second. He can interpose aDy one of three pieces, and yet mate follows on the move. If Q to K 2, then mate follows in three ways, to wit, by Q to Kt 8, Q B 7, or Q B 4.

On the 29th of August last there died at St Petersburg, at the early age of 25, one of the strongest and most promising Russian players, N. E. Mitropolsky. Beginning chess in 1879, he made such rapid progress that- in 1887 he was in the firstclass of the old chess club at St Petersburg. His play was remarkable for the irresistible violence of his attack, and he gave odds with great facility, excelling especially in the defence at Pawn and move. Very few of his games have been published, but some of the most remarkable have been recorded in the special register of the club. His blindfold play was wonderful, since he could concede odds though contesting half-a-dozen games simultaneously. During Tschigorin’s absence for the Steinitz-Tscbigorin match. Mitropolsky edited the chess column of the New Times, and afterwards took charge of an interesting column in Novelties. He started recently a chess magazine. Schachmatni Listok, but _ his illness compelled him to relinquish it after five numbers had appeared. His extensive knowledge of chess literature led to his unanimous election in 1889 and 1890 to the office of librarian to the St Petersburg Club. The game below is one of four played simultaneously blindfold by him at the odds of Pawn and move. Remove Black's K B P White. Black. Amateur. Mitropolsky. 1 P to K 4 1 P to Q B 4 2 Kt to Q B 3 2 P to K 3 3PtoQ4 3 P x P 4 Q x P 4 Kt to Q B 3 5 Q to Q sq 5 Kt to B 3 6 B to IC Kt 5 6 B to IC 2 7 B to Q 3 7 Castles BPtoQK3B P to Q R 3 9 P to 1C R 4 9 Kt to JC 4 10 P to IC B 4 10 ICt, to IC Kt 5 11 B x B 11 Q x B 12 P to 1C Kt 3 12 Q to B 4 13 ICt to R 3 13 Q to IC 6 (ch) 14 ICt to 1C 2 . And Metropolsky mates' most brilliantly in three moves.